NZ Herald reporter Cheree Kinnear and Newstalk ZB's Elliot Smith unpack the All Blacks' 2023 Rugby World Cup victory over Namibia in Toulouse. Video / NZ Herald / Sky Sport
Chris Rattue looks at the best and the worst of today’s Rugby World Cup action.
WINNER: This World Cup hint for the All Blacks’ future
This may be drawing a long bow, but Fiji and Joe Marchant are interesting case points for the All Blacks.
With the new World Leaguelooming, and Super Rugby Pacific being such a lemon, it really is time for New Zealand Rugby to think globally.
Imagine the development advantages for a player like rookie All Blacks lock Josh Lord if he was to play for a French club and remain eligible for the test team.
Added to that, sick Super Rugby would be way more interesting if some overseas stars were lured to New Zealand teams (and this would also help the development of Kiwi players).
Let rugby join the real world of sport. Just a thought.
WINNER: The header... confidence
England looked wobbly against Japan until an inadvertent header from English prop Joe Marler set up a weird try, for a 20-12 lead.
From there on it was all England, the scoreboard gap unleashing their belief in attacking rugby (true).
LOSER: Japan
They’ve gone backwards. If this team matched their previous World Cup standards, they would have beaten England.
But Australia are so bad that Fiji’s victory doesn’t even rate as a shock.
Fiji's players celebrate after their famous win. Photo / AP
LOSER: Rugby
Fiji beating Australia... shouldn’t that be a World Cup thriller? It wasn’t.
Apart from the result, a lot of the game was a yawn. There was a lot of downtime, although the close score made for a riveting conclusion.
Fiji won the battle in the tight and at the breakdown.
Indeed, their breakdown work was superb. The Aussie scrum was smashed.
They were helped by an embarrassing attempt at taking a bomb by Carter Gordon, whose air shot gifted Fiji a vital early second-half try. Fiji halfback Simione Kuruvoli’s excellent goal-kicking was pivotal to the result.
But a lot of Fiji’s open-field attack - a field of dreams for the rugby romantic - was scruffy. To bid for the world crown - and wouldn’t that be magnificent to witness - they need more precision in that area.
LOSER: Wallabies coach Eddie Jones
His look-at-me World Cup build-up was not only cringeworthy, but it hasn’t worked.
Jones has long believed he can work all the angles through the media, like his pathetic and clearly absurd claims about spying when he coached England at the last World Cup.
The nonsense worked for a while but now it has spun into a mess.
Fame is a dangerous business. The accolades got to Jones, I’d suggest. He’s gone from walking on water to splashing about.
The Aussies don’t even have cover for flaky Gordon at No 10 because of the Hail Mary All-About-Eddie squad selections.
Now Jones must try to find some of his long-lost magic to get Gordon up to speed in a do-or-die battle against Wales. But will Gordon know what Jones’ 2023 style is on about?
WINNER: Fan camaraderie
As a commentator noted during the England-Japan game, rugby fans get on so well. They can actually sit next to each other, which is a lot more than you can say for many rival football fans.
The spirit in France is wonderful, and a lot better than a lot of the rugby.
WINNER: Ryan Fox
This is supposed to be a rugby column, but...
Bias perhaps. But the stocky Kiwi is one of the best golfers in the world. He topped a high-quality field to win the British PGA at Wentworth.
Fox’s victory is a sporting highlight of the year from a New Zealand standpoint.
Ryan Fox on day four of the BMW PGA Championship. Photo / Getty Images
WINNER: Liam Lawson
Scored Formula One points in Singapore and is winning praise for his composure as an injury substitute for AlphaTauri.
The big question: will the team bosses see his speed potential as good enough to win a permanent drive from next season?
