Winner: Bunker system<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know this is a controversial one but being able to take the emotion out of the stadium and hand it over to a qualified person with time to make the difficult decision is a huge plus in my book. We have seen time and time again cards decide the outcome of matches so why not give the people making the decisions all the tools necessary to make the right call. Those who say that Tomy Currys red card was harsh are not wrong but by the letter of the law it is the correct decision. People should be railing against the law that makes any rugby related incident that makes contact with the head a cardable offence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loser: Argentina<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boy did Argentina have a golden opportunity to grab Pool D by the horns but instead they let it slip through their fingers with a really low energy performance that would have had Cheika fuming. Down a man in the forward pack it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where the pressure points are to be pushed. If they put a backline player in the scrum they are short out wide and if they keep it to 7 forwards they are vulnerable up the middle but it was almost as though they weren’t aware of the advantage because they played normally. For me this is down to bad coaching and poor leadership from the senior players who should have the experience to know what to do. Not only was this a golden opportunity for the pool but also for that half of the draw if they could come out on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winner – George Ford<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For all the talk of Owen Farrell and the role he plays as a leader for the English team, Ford harnessed his inner Johnny Wilkonson to marshall the team like a veteran. He was poised and commanding in his role which bodes well for the English team who have been less than inspiring of late. He is a knockout style flyhalf which is what you need in a World Cup because flashy steps and cross kicks look great on SuperSport Blitz but rarely win titles. He is a game manager and English hopes will rest on his delicate shoulders should they want to go all the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loser – French audio quality<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don’t want this to sound like sour grapes after France snatched the World Cup away from South Africa but the sound quality of the national anthems and on field interviews have been really bad. You would think that something like this would have been ironed out many months ago when they were testing all of the venues etc but alas not to be. I am not one for singing loudly for the neighbours to hear but it does irritate me that this is the production quality we are playing second fiddle to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winner – BBBBBBomb squad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My golly gosh is South Africa not the envy of the world when we offload our bench in the second half? It is a thing of beauty to watch Ox Nche demolish his opposing prop and Grant Williams gallop across the field at breakneck speed in the second spell. No other team has anything remotely similar to what the Boks possess and they know it. It has got to the point where they just need to stay in striking distance for the first 50 minutes because the dam can only hold for so long until it all comes crashing down. We really are witnessing a golden era of depth in South African rugby that hasn’t been before and credit must go to all the people from clubs to provincial teams to the national setup. South Africa produces an unfair quantity of naturally gifted players but it has been squandered previously through not nurturing that talent effectively. Lastly it takes a truly happy team environment for players as good as the bomb squad to play their part off the bench without pining for the starting roles they would command in nearly every other team in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loser – Fiji Fairy tale <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That last 20 minutes of Fiji vs Wales was a gist from the rugby Gods with skill and power on full display from Fiji and heroic defence from Wales. It was as though it was meant to be, the golden boys from Fiji winning the hearts and minds of the neutral fans and winning the impossible. It felt inevitable at the end of the match and the whole stadium could feel every thrust and parry from the Fijians. The last knock on after the clock went red left the crowd and myself dumbfounded because the wave after wave of majestic play had to end in Fiji winning. They will now be very dangerous spoilers for the group which is something that makes them even more dangerous than before. How amazing would it be having Fiji in the quarter or semi finals?\u2026.One day that fairy tale will be realised. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Winner: Bunker system I know this is a controversial one but being able to take the emotion out of the stadium and hand it over to a qualified person with time to make the difficult decision is a huge plus in my book. We have seen time and time again cards decide the outcome of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-cup-2023"],"yoast_head":"\n