RWC 2015: The Story So Far

England promised an unforgettable tournament, and to this point they have delivered. They might not be too happy about it, but this has been a tournament of records, firsts, and breathtaking finishes.

Underwhelming England: England have become the first team in the history of the Rugby World Cup to host and exit in the group stages. Performances were lackluster throughout the tournament, starting with the slow start in the win over Fiji, which was then followed by the loss to Wales, with Chris Robshaw electing to go for the win rather than take the points late in the match. Against Australia, England were able to put together very exciting phases of attacking play, but they lost the physicality battle and could not secure the breakdown, and in the end this was a telling difference. Worst of all for England fans however, will be Australia’s control of the scrum, where England were the second team late in the match. In a total reversal of England’s complete domination of the Wallabies in 2003. England made a few questionable changes as well, pulling off Ben and Tom Youngs, who were both having one of their best games in the England shirt. There is a clear sense that the Stuart Lancaster era for England is at an end, as England once again fell short in a crucial match.

Selection Policies influential again: Much has been made of Stuart Lancaster’s stance against selecting foreign based players, (which I happen to agree with) and it will be making headlines again. Foreign based players were an integral part of the Wallaby win, with Kane Douglas and Matt Giteau starting and Dean Mumm making a major impact off the bench. One must think that having Steffon Armitage on the field would have made a huge difference, particularly at the breakdown, where the Wallabies had so much control. Another side that showed this advantage was South Africa, who beat the Scots with huge roles played by Francois Louw, Fourie Du Preez, Bryan Habana, Willem Alberts, and Ruan Pienaar, all of whom ply their trade outside of South Africa.

Favorites Looking weak: Ireland and New Zealand are favored by many to go far in the tournament, but neither was very convincing over this weekend, with Ireland laboring to break down the Italian defence, and the All Blacks looking very sloppy in their eventual win over Georgia. Ireland are now assured of a spot in the quarterfinals, but they need to improve if they are to avoid a loss to France. The All Blacks are likely to keep the top spot in the pool, but they also will want the Irish to win against the French, as a performance like the one against the Georgians will not do against Ireland. Perhaps the biggest evidence of this can be found in Japan’s win over South Africa, in which the boks were powerless to stop the brave blossoms in every phase of play.

Heroes and Zeroes:

Heroes:
Iain Henderson: The Ulster lock has skyrocketed up the Ireland totem pole over the last 12 months, emerging as the new favorite over Devin Toner. His power and ferocious work rate are bringing back shades of Stephen Ferris, as he has consistently been a plus for Ireland. Even in the lackluster performance against Italy last week, Henderson was a star for Ireland.

Australian front row: The Wallabies were humiliated at the set piece last time they played at Twickenham, but this time, they took their revenge. Dan Cole and Joe Marler were embarrassed by Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu, who totally outplayed them not only in the scrum, but in open play as well. The success of that Australian scrum is a worrying sight to every team in the tournament, as it gives the Wallabies an edge they’ve never had before, and will allow them to unleash their backs on the front foot.

Michael Leitch: The Japan captain has been a star of this year’s tournament. His bold call to go to the corner in the dying embers of the match against South Africa secured one of the most incredible upsets in the history of sports, but it has been his leadership and play that has earned my recognition. Leitch made 12 carries, and 17 tackles against South Africa, and has been able to keep up that work rate week in and week out. Japan have a chance to make the quarterfinals, and if they can pull it off, Leitch should be remembered forever in World Cup lore.

Zeroes:

England: I know I’m harping on the poor campaign, but this has simply been an embarrassment for English rugby. After all the hype, the promises of improvement from the horrors of 2011, we saw none. Once again, they failed to exit the pool stages, once again, the campaign was marred with off field controversies, (the Andy Farrell debate and Lancaster schoolboys discussion) and they simply failed to produce any convincing performances. Stuart Lancaster will be lucky to escape with his job, particularly after his side were thoroughly beaten in all aspects of the game against the Wallabies in a match they knew they had to win.

Israel Folau: Folau has failed to make a major impact in any match he has played in so far in the tournament, and this will be a worry for Michael Cheika. Folau has yet to score a try, which is surprising given his reputation as one of the game’s best finishers. If he cannot pick up his game, he might have to start worrying, as Australia have plenty of talented players capable of playing at fullback, and it’s obvious that Kurtley Beale would love to get another shot in the 15 jersey.

Team of the Tournament:

1. Scott Sio:

Australia have gone from being vulnerable at the scrum to thrashing England, one of the world’s best scrummaging teams (historically) and the emergence of Sio has had a huge amount to do with that development . He is dangerous in the loose and powerful in all phases of play, and I think he may be at the forefront of Australia’s surge for World Cup glory.

2. Shota Horie:

Japan’s all action hooker has hit an unstoppable run of form so far in this tournament, and this was exemplified by his play in Japan’s win over Samoa. Horie made 12 carries for 24 meters, 13 tackles, and then won two turnovers at the breakdown, a stellar all round performance that helped carry Japan to a 26-5 win.

3. Sekope Kepu:

Scored a great try against Fiji and then produced an absurd offload to set up Bernard Foley’s first try in Australia’s win over England. He was dominant at the scrum, turning the tables from the last time they met, in England’s 26-17 win over the Wallabies last november. Kepu is a player to watch over the rest of the tournament.

4. Iain Henderson:

Ireland fans can no longer push away the retirement of Paul O’Connell, but it seems that they won’t have to miss O’Connell’s physicality and strength with Henderson showing he is more than ready to fill the captains giant boots. Henderson brought back shades of Stephen Ferris in 2011, when he picked up and carried Italian scrumhalf Edoardo Gori, but simply the amount of work Henderson has gotten through has been immense.

5. Leone Nakarawa:

The Fijian lock has been an offloading machine throughout this year. Although Fiji haven’t had the tournament they may have wanted, Nakarawa has not disappointed, carrying whenever he can and always looking to get his hands free. Look for Nakarawa to play a key role in Glasgow’s search for European glory.

6. Michael Leitch:

The Japan captain emerged as a star of Super Rugby with the Chiefs this season, and has carried that form into the World Cup. Leitch has had no reluctance to put his body on the line for Japan, and he has exemplified what a captain should be in the game of rugby.

7.Michael Hooper:

Stupid shoulder charge on Mike Brown aside, Hooper has been in great form throughout the tournament. He has improved dramatically at the breakdown, meaning that he is no longer reliant on his pace and big hits to remain in the side. With he and Pocock now in this devastating form, Australia are rapidly becoming favorites to win the World Cup.

8. David Pocock:

Who else after that incredible performance against England. Pocock dominated the breakdown along with Michael Hooper, winning turnover after turnover, stopping English momentum at every opportunity. He was a hero of the match, and while he couldn’t get over the line as he has in almost every match he’s played in so far, his work at the breakdown means that Australia can afford to be without Michael Hooper for their crucial match against Wales.

9. Fumiaki Tanaka:

The smallest player in the history of Super Rugby, Tanaka has been a star for Japan, and his brilliant play from the base of the ruck was one of the biggest factors in the Brave Blossoms outstanding win over the Springbok. The sheer pace that Tanaka runs the game with is amongst his biggest strengths, and the effect that this had on the Boks was simply immens. It exhausted their forwards, while Japan’s smaller pack thrived off of it. If Japan are to build off of this tournament, Tanaka will be a great place to start.

10. Bernard Foley:

There hasn’t been one standout candidate amongst the fly halves so far this campaign, but Foley’s show against England has sealed it for him. Two brilliant tries were the icing on the cake for a brilliant display of game management, which saw Foley paint the corners with kicks from hand, and go 100% for his shots at goal. If he can keep this form, he will be nearly unstoppable, along with his Australian teammates. Dan Biggar is also very worthy of a mention for his excellent play against England.

11. Keith Earls:

Having beaten Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll’s record for tries scored at a World Cup (of Irish players) Earls has been in fantastic scoring form of late. His shift to the centers against Italy may have exposed some defensive naivety, but beyond that Earls has been Ireland’s best attacking player since the start of the World Cup, keeping players like Dave Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald out of the 23 time and time again.

12. Damian De Allende:

Since his return to the Springbok side, De Allende has firmly established himself as the long term replacement for the now retired Jean De Villiers. De Allende’s immense physicality on the gainline gives the Springboks great go forward ball, while denying the opposition the same luxury time and time again. I encourage anyone who disagrees with me on this selection to look at the defenders beaten statistic in De Allende’s matches with the Boks, and you will see just how destructive he is.

13. Mark Bennett:

This may seem like an odd choice, but bear with me. Bennett was unavailable this week for the test against the Springboks, and Scotland’s backline was in tatters. After blowing out Samoa and Japan with him in the 13 jersey, suddenly Scotland’s backs were failing go forward at all. The Scottish forwards would go through the phases, the ball would go wide, and the backs would go, backwards. Bennett is the key to Scotland’s attack, and they will need him back in the lineup as soon as possible.

14. JP Pietersen:

Should mention Pietersen’s teammate, Bryan Habana, and of course, the bus, but Pietersen has made the most of his opportunity with the Boks. He may have lost a step or two over the years, but his physicality in defence remains, and his years have made him all the wiser. The veteran has gotten over the line with great frequency thus far in the tournament, and that sets a dangerous precedent over the next few weeks. With the Boks back on form, Pietersen is likely to play a large role in their title run.

15. Ayumu Goromaru:

The Japanese Fullback has made a big name for himself in the tournament. His lethally accurate goalkicking and excellent positioning is Leigh Halfpenny esque, and he is one of the most dangerous attacking players that Japan possess. Don’t be surprised to see Goromaru snapped up by a Super Rugby team in the future, as his current form is phenomenal.