A lot more rugby was to be had this weekend as teams ramped up their preparations for the Rugby World Cup. From the final Bledisloe clash in Auckland up to Aviva Stadium in Dublin with a quick stop in London before coming back down south to Buenos Aires, the rugby joy was endless. So how did it all unfold?
All Blacks v Wallabies – Eden Park, Auckland – 41-13
There’s a cliche often used in world sport and it continues to stay relevant – “a week is a long time in sport”. And you’d struggle to find a more apt phrase for what unfolded at Eden Park on Saturday with the All Blacks dismantling a Wallabies side that looked the complete opposite of the one that claimed the Rugby Championship in Sydney a week earlier.
It was always going to be a huge task for the Wallabies who hadn’t won in Auckland since 1986 and the task was made harder with All Black captain Richie McCaw determined to lead his team to victory in his world record-breaking 142nd test match, overtaking Brian O’Driscoll as the most capped test player. With a host of All Blacks including Richie McCaw making their last appearance in an All Blacks shirt on home soil, the Wallabies were up against it from the start.
If they ever needed to, the home team proved that they would still be in the running for the Rugby World Cup starting next month as they showed from their intentions from the outset. Their scrum had vastly improved from the poor showing in Australia and their forward pack worked as one to overpower a Wallabies team which had six personnel changes during the week.
With those six changes, Australia not only failed to gel but most importantly, lost momentum from the team who’d defeated the All Blacks in Sydney.
The Rugby Drum’s Player of the Match – Ma’a Nonu
After replacing Sonny Bill Williams at 12, Nonu was simply superb making 9 runs for 99m, two tries, two line breaks, one try assist and four tackle busts – honourable mention goes to Victor Vito who was brutal at the breakdown.
The Rugby Drum’s Ghost of the Match – Michael Hooper
As influential as he was in Sydney, he was always going to find it a little tougher at the break-down without David Pocock at no.8 and so it proved…
Ireland v Scotland – Aviva Stadium, Dublin – 28-22
After belting a poor Welsh side in Cardiff last week, Ireland were bullied by a very impressive Scotland who showed their ability to stick with the world no.2 ranked rugby side. Scotland has struggled to assert themselves among their northern neighbours in the past 18 months however, the fact that nothing was on the line meant that their shackles were loosened and they attempted to find the kind of game that coach Vern Cotter has wanted to play.
The Scotland side that emerged unlucky losers after two tries to Ireland in the final 10 set out a marker, not just for the upcoming World Cup warm-up matches but for the big show which starts next month. They thrived on the quick ball they gained from an uncharacteristically lacklustre Ireland pack and endeavoured to run the ball at all costs.
On the green side of the field, coach Joe Schmidt would have been largely unimpressed with what unfolded on a warm afternoon in Dublin. His players were sloppy with ball in hand and they got no parity at the breakdown accounting for Scotland’s ability to get quick ball. Ian Madigan at 10 was solid but whether he’s done enough to earn a RWC berth remains to be seen.
The next three warm-up games for Scotland will be very interesting as they look to carve a game plan that will see them emerge from a tough World Cup pool.
The Rugby Drum’s Player of the Match – David Denton
He’s not the most skilful with the ball in hand nor is his fitness where it needs to be but he was very good in close and contributed to Scotland’s physical impact at the breakdown.
The Rugby Drum’s Ghost of the Match – Gordon D’arcy
D’arcy was extremely unimpressive as he looks for a World Cup berth. After being outplayed by his Scottish counterpart, the 35 year old will struggle to make the big show next month.
England v France – Twickenham, London – 19-14
Most eyes were on England’s strength in depth and how a number of key positions would perform under the spotlight with Sam Burgess, Henry Slade teaming up in the midfield as well as some newcomers in some key positions. On the other side of the park, most would have been focusing on whether Philippe Saint Andre’s France were capable of playing any other rugby than the mediocre standard that saw them finish fourth in the 2015 6 Nations.
What we got was a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B with England scoring some impressive tries through some ‘right off the training field moves’ and some very mediocre defence from the visitors. The home team will be pleased with their performance after the midfield pairing was solid along with the wingers and the front row. A lot of talk has been about whether Sam Burgess will lock down a RWC spot and he didn’t do his chances any harm on Saturday. However, whether Lancaster will feel safe enough in selecting Burgess who at times found himself out of position remains to be seen.
If France is going to be any threat to a big team at the Rugby World Cup then they’ll have to start showing their wares soon. For the past 12 months, they’ve looked poor including their 6 Nations campaign and they won’t be instilling anyone with fear of their playing style though every nation will be aware that they’re capable of a ‘once in every two year world-beating’ performance. In saying that, Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc started at 9 and 10 respectively and still remains their best 9, 10 combination.
The Rugby Drum Man of the Match – Henry Slade
The 21 year old was very impressive at 13 and his ability to cover 10, 12 and 13 means that he may as well go home and pack his bags as he’s almost a certainty for a Rugby World Cup spot.
The Rugby Drum Ghost of the Match – Scott Spedding
It’s tough on the youngster but he still hasn’t showed the kind of form from the Autumn Internationals that saw him hailed as the next big thing.
Argentina v South Africa – Buenos Aires, Argentina – 12 – 28
South African rugby was under siege during the week after the shock loss to Argentina in Durban as well as an issue among the Players’ Association which threatens to tear the union apart. So the players would have welcomed the opportunity to go out and right a few wrongs away from home. And they did so accordingly.
While it was a much improved showing from the Springboks, the win won’t necessarily do huge favours for coach Heyneke Meyer with the South Africans still looking unsure of the kind of rugby they want to play – the match against Australia, they showed that they wanted to throw it wide however it seems a game plan they’re not conditioned to and, when times get tough, they resort to the standard 10 man rugby style.
In saying that, they were much more disciplined with ball in hand and much better at the breakdown compared to the previous week. Passes that weren’t sticking last week, this week went to hand which allowed the visitors to take more of their opportunities with tries to wingers Bryan Habana and Lwazi Mvovo.
As for the home team, they’re certainly improving through their participation in the Rugby Championship however; their problem continues to be consistently clocking in performances capable of challenging the big boys.
The Rugby Drum Man of the Match – Pat Lambie
He is a quality pivot and shows the depth that South Africa has at that position with youngster Handre Pollard also playing some very good rugby.
The Rugby Drum Ghost of the Match – Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe
Was unsighted for a lot of the match and just couldn’t enter the game.