Quarter finals

[Cameo]

These all deserve their own thread on this board, but this is how I see them:

France v South Africa - I think France have this (I was impressed by them vs Italy) but could easily go the other way. Hopefully flair wins out.

Ireland v NZ - Ireland have to be favourites. If they weren't Ireland I would make them favorites for the whole thing. But I would like to see what happens if they go behind. I also think NZ have more physicality than they showed in game one. Could easily be four changes in the pack since then, with the key one at 6.

England v Fiji - I hope I'm wrong, but I just think England will wom this fairly comfortable. Fiji have it in them, but need to get their gameplan straight. First 30 mins are key.

Wales v Argentina - To be honest, I have only managed to watch the highlights of most of the games these two have played. I think Argentina are perennially over-rated and go into their shell when they should be looking to take charge in games, but there also seem to be a few different versions of this Wales team (v Australia or v Portugal being a big contrast). I'm tipping Wales to squeek through.

[francoisfou]

Antoine Dupont's surgeon has given him the all-clear to resume full training in preparation for the quarter final against South Africa at the Stade de France on Sunday evening, but there's been no mention of wearing a protective mask.
What is the element of risk in selecting Dupont in the starting XV, as the Springboks will undoubtedly target him and make life as uncomfortable as possible? There'll be an inherent weakness in his cheekbone that could become a serious longer term injury.
A fit Antoine Dupont would be a real bonus for France, but I can't help thinking his return to the match day squad may be a tad too soon.

[Mikey Brown]

Antoine Dupont's surgeon has given him the all-clear to resume full training in preparation for the quarter final against South Africa at the Stade de France on Sunday evening, but there's been no mention of wearing a protective mask.
What is the element of risk in selecting Dupont in the starting XV, as the Springboks will undoubtedly target him and make life as uncomfortable as possible? There'll be an inherent weakness in his cheekbone that could become a serious longer term injury.
A fit Antoine Dupont would be a real bonus for France, but I can't help thinking his return to the match day squad may be a tad too soon.

It's hard to imagine going in to the game with full confidence after an injury like that. How much is it going to hinder the team if you're worried about your scrum-half taking any kind of contact? He's not a normal human though, so maybe he'll be absolutely fine.

[loudnconfident]

Antoine Dupont's surgeon has given him the all-clear to resume full training in preparation for the quarter final against South Africa at the Stade de France on Sunday evening, but there's been no mention of wearing a protective mask.
What is the element of risk in selecting Dupont in the starting XV, as the Springboks will undoubtedly target him and make life as uncomfortable as possible? There'll be an inherent weakness in his cheekbone that could become a serious longer term injury.
A fit Antoine Dupont would be a real bonus for France, but I can't help thinking his return to the match day squad may be a tad too soon.

Wilkinson said much the same on TV just after Dupont's injury. Dangerous to bring him back not fully fit. Could make it a long-term injury if he plays on it and is hurt again?

[francoisfou]

I've just read in Midi Olympique (see below for those who understand French) that "Dupont could wear a mask, if he retains his place in the squad.
He's tested it and must now see if his vision or hearing is affected. The question has been asked if he'll be in the starting XV. Will Galthié take the risk with a player who'll feel some apprehension at the moment of contact? Impossible to say for the time being."

"Par ailleurs, et comme nous l’indiquions dans le Midi Olympique de ce jour, Antoine Dupont pourrait porter un casque dimanche soir, face aux Springboks, s’il était retenu par Fabien Galthié. "Le port du casque a effectivement été évoqué, poursuivait Boussagol(responsible for the health of the French squad). Antoine a testé ce genre de protection. Il faut voir maintenant s’il le supporte et s’il n’est pas gêné sur les plans auditif et visuel". Dupont sera-t-il néanmoins titulaire ? Fabien Galthié prendra-t-il le risque de faire débuter un joueur qui ressentira nécessairement de l’appréhension, au moment des premiers vrais contacts ? Impossible à dire, à l’heure actuelle..."

It's a big decision for Galthié. Yes or no? I'd be inclined to say no and give him one more week of recuperation.

[Donny osmond]

Could conceivably be an entirely northern hemisphere semi final line up.

Mind, could also be an entirely southern hemisphere semi final line up.




I'll be back later for more priceless wisdom.

[paddy no 11]

I've just read in Midi Olympique (see below for those who understand French) that "Dupont could wear a mask, if he retains his place in the squad.
He's tested it and must now see if his vision or hearing is affected. The question has been asked if he'll be in the starting XV. Will Galthié take the risk with a player who'll feel some apprehension at the moment of contact? Impossible to say for the time being."

"Par ailleurs, et comme nous l’indiquions dans le Midi Olympique de ce jour, Antoine Dupont pourrait porter un casque dimanche soir, face aux Springboks, s’il était retenu par Fabien Galthié. "Le port du casque a effectivement été évoqué, poursuivait Boussagol(responsible for the health of the French squad). Antoine a testé ce genre de protection. Il faut voir maintenant s’il le supporte et s’il n’est pas gêné sur les plans auditif et visuel". Dupont sera-t-il néanmoins titulaire ? Fabien Galthié prendra-t-il le risque de faire débuter un joueur qui ressentira nécessairement de l’appréhension, au moment des premiers vrais contacts ? Impossible à dire, à l’heure actuelle..."

It's a big decision for Galthié. Yes or no? I'd be inclined to say no and give him one more week of recuperation.

I honestly think it's the final for you against SA, semi final doesn't look a challenge and I expect final opponents will be running on fumes at that point

If he can tackle without pain I'd have him in the 23 for sure

[Cameo]

Instinctively it feels too soon. It would be so sad for him to come on and do himself serious damage. At best, surely only put him on the bench. The backups are good and imagine Dupont as an impact player.

[morepork]

Ireland are going to be tough x 10. They have our number (as do SA and France), but we can conceivably pull it off. This is a big test for the ABs which is an acknowledgement of Ireland being the best side on the planet currently. I just hope we fire a few shots off no matter the result. It's better to burn out than fade away. We need a nuanced bench, meaning we need people on the bench that can fire shots. I'm all out of metaphor.

[J Dory]

What a weekend of rugby we have coming up. This has to be the most competitive set of quarters to date.

[Spiffy]

Ireland are going to be tough x 10. They have our number (as do SA and France), but we can conceivably pull it off. This is a big test for the ABs which is an acknowledgement of Ireland being the best side on the planet currently. I just hope we fire a few shots off no matter the result. It's better to burn out than fade away. We need a nuanced bench, meaning we need people on the bench that can fire shots. I'm all out of metaphor.

This could be a very tight game and go either way. Ireland are probably the better organized team of the two,but if NZ click they can beat any team on the day. They are particularly dangerous on the counter attack and have a back three that can shred opponents (with McKenzie to be sprung off the bench.) Ireland would be smart to hang on to possession, keep the ball in hand and avoid loose box kicking that simply gives it away and lets the ABs run at them.
I'd say that the four best teams - NZ/SA/France/Ireland are all around the same high standard at the moment, there is not much in it, they are way ahead of the others and any could win the tournament. A shame that two of them will exit in the quarters because of the stupid seeding/pool make up in this RWC.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Ireland are going to be tough x 10. They have our number (as do SA and France), but we can conceivably pull it off. This is a big test for the ABs which is an acknowledgement of Ireland being the best side on the planet currently. I just hope we fire a few shots off no matter the result. It's better to burn out than fade away. We need a nuanced bench, meaning we need people on the bench that can fire shots. I'm all out of metaphor.

This could be a very tight game and go either way. Ireland are probably the better organized team of the two,but if NZ click they can beat any team on the day. They are particularly dangerous on the counter attack and have a back three that can shred opponents (with McKenzie to be sprung off the bench.) Ireland would be smart to hang on to possession, keep the ball in hand and avoid loose box kicking that simply gives it away and lets the ABs run at them.
I'd say that the four best teams - NZ/SA/France/Ireland are all around the same high standard at the moment, there is not much in it, they are way ahead of the others and any could win the tournament. A shame that two of them will exit in the quarters because of the stupid seeding/pool make up in this RWC.

One positive about the ridiculous draw is that the top 4 ranked teams will play each other more during the course of the competition, making for a much better opening match than we would have seen otherwise and a fair chance of the winner having to have played the other 3 top teams to do it, rather than just 2 of them. It gives us more big clashes and spreads them through the tournament but makes the semis poor and is totally unfair on some unlucky teams. It does give us Fiji in the last 8 though, which should be a great thing because, as ITV keeps explaining to us, they're everyone's second favourite team.

[Ross. S]

as ITV keeps explaining to us, they're everyone's second favourite team.

See, I don't get this. Am I the only one that couldn't give a toss about Fiji? Sure I don't wish them any ill will but I certainly don't soil myself at the mere thought of seeing Fiji play like the coms and pundits sometimes imply

[paddy no 11]

Barnes gets the NZ QF, has that happened before

[16th man]

Barnes gets the NZ QF, has that happened before

Can we expect AB fans to suddenly start wanting scrutiny of forward passes again?

[Son of Mathonwy]

as ITV keeps explaining to us, they're everyone's second favourite team.

See, I don't get this. Am I the only one that couldn't give a toss about Fiji? Sure I don't wish them any ill will but I certainly don't soil myself at the mere thought of seeing Fiji play like the coms and pundits sometimes imply

They shouldn't tell us who or what to like. Show us, explain things, we'll like what we like.

[Mikey Brown]

Ireland are going to be tough x 10. They have our number (as do SA and France), but we can conceivably pull it off. This is a big test for the ABs which is an acknowledgement of Ireland being the best side on the planet currently. I just hope we fire a few shots off no matter the result. It's better to burn out than fade away. We need a nuanced bench, meaning we need people on the bench that can fire shots. I'm all out of metaphor.

This could be a very tight game and go either way. Ireland are probably the better organized team of the two,but if NZ click they can beat any team on the day. They are particularly dangerous on the counter attack and have a back three that can shred opponents (with McKenzie to be sprung off the bench.) Ireland would be smart to hang on to possession, keep the ball in hand and avoid loose box kicking that simply gives it away and lets the ABs run at them.
I'd say that the four best teams - NZ/SA/France/Ireland are all around the same high standard at the moment, there is not much in it, they are way ahead of the others and any could win the tournament. A shame that two of them will exit in the quarters because of the stupid seeding/pool make up in this RWC.

One positive about the ridiculous draw is that the top 4 ranked teams will play each other more during the course of the competition, making for a much better opening match than we would have seen otherwise and a fair chance of the winner having to have played the other 3 top teams to do it, rather than just 2 of them. It gives us more big clashes and spreads them through the tournament but makes the semis poor and is totally unfair on some unlucky teams. It does give us Fiji in the last 8 though, which should be a great thing because, as ITV keeps explaining to us, they're everyone's second favourite team.

Hmm. Doesn’t seem like a massive positive IMO (funny that, as a Scotland supporter) when you’re guaranteed to lose top teams from the knockout stages in place of objectively inferior ones.

[morepork]

as ITV keeps explaining to us, they're everyone's second favourite team.

See, I don't get this. Am I the only one that couldn't give a toss about Fiji? Sure I don't wish them any ill will but I certainly don't soil myself at the mere thought of seeing Fiji play like the coms and pundits sometimes imply

They shouldn't tell us who or what to like. Show us, explain things, we'll like what we like.

It's patronising. At least there is less of the "South Sea Islander" tag line in the commentary.

[Numbers]

See, I don't get this. Am I the only one that couldn't give a toss about Fiji? Sure I don't wish them any ill will but I certainly don't soil myself at the mere thought of seeing Fiji play like the coms and pundits sometimes imply

They shouldn't tell us who or what to like. Show us, explain things, we'll like what we like.

It's patronising. At least there is less of the "South Sea Islander" tag line in the commentary.

I'm not sure about this, they say that due to Fiji's style of throwing the ball about (not so much now they have become more structured), there's nothing patronising about it if anything it's a compliment to their talents, it's like Brazil being touted as everyone's second favourite football team..

However I would contend that Portugal have played the most entertaining rugby we've seen in this comp.

[Puja]

They shouldn't tell us who or what to like. Show us, explain things, we'll like what we like.

It's patronising. At least there is less of the "South Sea Islander" tag line in the commentary.

I'm not sure about this, they say that due to Fiji's style of throwing the ball about (not so much now they have become more structured), there's nothing patronising about it if anything it's a compliment to their talents, it's like Brazil being touted as everyone's second favourite football team..

However I would contend that Portugal have played the most entertaining rugby we've seen in this comp.

Hmm. If it was just about throwing the ball around, then New Zealand would be everyone's second favourite team. I'd say it's more due to the perception of them as "plucky little Fiji" who are struggling against all the odds, which is more than a little bit patronising.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

But the odds kind of are against Fiji. It is quite amazing they they’re competing at the level they are, isn’t it?

Don’t England have like 600 times as many players?

[Puja]

But the odds kind of are against Fiji. It is quite amazing they they’re competing at the level they are, isn’t it?

Don’t England have like 600 times as many players?

16 times, although that's a poor measure considering Germany are apparently fourth. They have more rugby players and more rugby clubs than Wales and Scotland combined.

You're not wrong that it is amazing that they're competing at the level that they are, but I can understand if they do find it a bit patronising to be continually treated that every win is a wonderful upset and every game they're the plucky underdogs that everyone loves because they're never going to be a real threat. It is limiting.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

Is that the narrative? Beating England, Wales (I know) and Australia is still a big deal, no? Are they not huge upsets to have in quick succession, given their inconsistency over the years?

I quite liked the way Flatman spoke about their narrow victory over Georgia, saying it was great to see them still getting the win when playing poorly and having a new level of expectation on them. Portugal beating them was considered a huge upset in its own right.

I suppose Flatman is one of the more level-headed pundits and that might not be representative of the rest of them.

[francoisfou]

The refs for the QFs have been announced:

England v Fiji - Mathieu Raynal
Ireland v NZ - Wayne Barnes
Wales v Argentina - Jaco Peyper
France v South Africa - Ben O'Keefe

Can we presume that one of these will be in charge of the final?

I'm surprised that Jaco Peyper is even at the World Cup, and he's been chosen for a QF!

[switchskier]

The refs for the QFs have been announced:

England v Fiji - Mathieu Raynal
Ireland v NZ - Wayne Barnes
Wales v Argentina - Jaco Peyper
France v South Africa - Ben O'Keefe

Can we presume that one of these will be in charge of the final?

I'm surprised that Jaco Peyper is even at the World Cup, and he's been chosen for a QF!

Suspect that Barnes gets the final unless England win their next two games. Would have liked to see the Georgian lad get one, he was good.