Twitter Reacts to France's Crunch RWC Match Against Ireland
Oct 11, 2015
Ireland's Peter O'Mahony is tackled by France's Louis Picamoles during the Rugby World Cup Pool D match between France and Ireland at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
It's the day anyone following Pool D at the Rugby World Cup had circled on the calendar. France versus Ireland at Millennium Stadium—the game that was always going to decide the winner of the group, who has the pleasure of meeting New Zealand at the same ground next weekend.
And as it turns out, it wasn't too bad a game either. Things started as expected, with not-so-subtle digs at the expense of England.
Hosts England may have slipped out the back door, but the Rugby World Cup 2015 party rages on. Ireland booked a quarter-final slot for themselves with a 16-9 win over Italy while ...
Pool D’s heavyweights, France and Ireland played well against Italy and Canada, respectively, without really finding their rhythm...
Ireland vs. Canada: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 Game
Sep 17, 2015
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Jonathan Sexton of Ireland gives instructions during the IRB 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Australia and Ireland at Eden Park on September 17, 2011 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Ireland open their World Cup campaign with what looks like a relatively easy hit-out against Pool D minnows Canada in Cardiff.
But Irish coach Joe Schmidt has been at pains to point out that the Canucks could throw a spanner in the works of Ireland’s ambitions to go deep into the tournament, per the Irish Independent:
"I know that people probably won't see them in the same light, but I think they are an incredible banana skin for us," said the Kiwi mastermind of Ireland’s 2014 and 2015 Six Nations successes.
But with that being said, Schmidt has also been questioned for his plan to time his players’ peak for their final pool match against France, the potential decider of the section’s winner.
England World Cup-winner Ben Kay told the Press Association via the Irish Independent:
One of their issues has been looking at the fixtures ahead of them and planning. Because their first World Cup game against Canada, they haven't performed particularly well, then Romania - Ireland probably have the easiest draw. So they've got that build-up then they have a tougher game against Italy, and the big one against France at the end. Speaking to people around the squad they are saying that their build-up has been slightly different in that they are looking to peak slightly later in the tournament. That's a risky strategy if you can't get the confidence.
Key men Conor Murray and Rob Kearney have overcome injury to play on Saturday, but it would be hard not to blame Schmidt for wanting to keep as many of his best players fresh for the more taxing challenges later in their pool.
Canada arrive as rank outsiders to make much impact in a section stacked with three Six Nations sides, but at least have some local knowledge in their ranks for this clash in Wales.
Wing Jeff Hassler plays for Welsh region Ospreys and Canadian team manager Gareth Rees told rugbyworldcup.com: "He's fearless and he's a fantastic athlete, and he's a great contributor to the Canadian cause - we do have to get him the ball, but he's a matchwinner."
Match details
Date: Saturday, September 19
Time: 2:30 p.m. BST/9:30 a.m. EST
Venue: Millennium Stadium
TV Info: UK, ITV1; Australia, Fox Sports; NZ, SkySport; South Africa, SuperSports
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK only)
Last five games
Ireland’s Six Nations triumph has been followed with a patchy summer, winning two and losing two of their warm-up contests. Should Schmidt’s plan be to have his men slip into top gear later in their pool, these results won’t interrupt his sleep too much.
Canada's recent defeats to the USA, Fiji and Samoa will not have boosted their confidence of going up against some of Europe's best.
September 5
England 21-13 Ireland
August 29
Ireland 10-16 Wales
August 15
Ireland 28-22 Scotland
August 8
Wales 21-35 Ireland
March 21
Scotland 10-40 Ireland
September 6
Canada 18-47 Fiji
September 2
Canada 16-15 Georgia
August 22
Canada 23-41 USA
August 3
Canada 13-15 USA
July 29
Canada 20-21 Samoa
Concerns over centre Robbie Henshaw's injury sustained in training this week keep the Connacht man out of this opener for Ireland, with Luke Fitzgerald filling the No. 12 jersey. It's not a customary position for the Leinster man but one the Irish Times' Gavin Cummiskey says should not trouble the 28-year-old:
While somewhat surprising, the move is not completely out of the blue; Schmidt previously selected the 2009 Lions winger in the position, albeit for Leinster after he failed to make Declan Kidney’s 2011 World Cup squad.
Canada's coach Kieran Crowley has named Hassler and fellow Pro 12 wing DTH Van der Merwe among his starting XV, which, per rugbyworldcup.com, is the oldest they have ever fielded at the tournament, with the average age at 29 years and 164 days old.
They will look to Sevens specialist Nathan Hirayama to provide creativity from fly-half in his third tournament and will be skippered by Jamie Cudmore.
Team lineups
Ireland: Rob Kearney, Dave Kearney, Jared Payne, Luke Fitzgerald, Keith Earls, Jonny Sexton, Conor Murray, Jack McGrath, Rory Best, Mike Ross, Iain Henderson, Paul O’Connell, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip
Canada: Matt Evans, Jeff Hassler, Ciaran Hearns, Nick Blevins, DTH Van der Merwe, Nathan Hirayama, Gordon McRorie, Hubert Buydens, Ray Barkwill, Doug Wooldridge, Brett Beukeboom, Jamie Cudmore, Kyle Gilmour, John Moonlight, Aaron Carpenter
Players to watch
Sean O'Brien
Ireland's best chance of piling up a massive score against the north Americans is to break their spirit up front first of all.
The bullocking runs of Sean O'Brien may be just the weapon to achieve that. After an arduous time in rehab following complications after surgery, the man nicknamed the Tullow Tank re-emerged in fine fettle for Ireland's final match of their triumphant Six Nations campaign, scoring at Murrayfield as they claimed a second straight title.
O'Brien's muscularity with ball in hand and heavy-hitting in defence can set the tone for a dominant Irish display.
Jamie Cudmore
Canada’s veteran second row joins elite Maple Leaf company this year when he appears at his fourth Rugby World Cup. The only other men, per cbc.ca to have done that for the Canadians are Gareth Rees, Rod Snow, Mike James, Dave Lougheed and Al Charron.
And the Clermont Auvergne man, who leads the team out in Cardiff, is sure to make his presence felt at the Millennium Stadium.
Cudmore is no wallflower when it comes to the rough stuff, and has tangled once before with Irish skipper Paul O’Connell.
It has not been an easy route to what will be his last hurrah at the World Cup. Cudmore has had concussion-related problems this year after a clash of heads in Clermont’s European Cup semi-final, as he told cbc:
Headaches, disorientation. I could never remember what I was supposed to do day-to-day. I'd have to have a list of everything written down so I didn't forget stuff. It was pretty tough. It was an eye-opener because I've always kind of been the rough-and-tumble player, I just kind of pushed through the pain. Whereas something like that it's not a question of pushing through it, you can't.
Now over those problems, Cudmore’s decade in the yellow and blue of one of Europe’s best club sides remains an invaluable asset to his national side, and he will need to bring all the usual fire to the forward battle with the Irish forwards.
I’ve played against him a couple of times and he really drives Clermont’s pack. He’s a real go-to guy for them and I’d imagine he’s the same for Canada. He’s someone that we’ve looked at hard and someone that we’ll have to pay a huge amount of respect to on Saturday.
Ireland Should Win the Race to Host 2023 Rugby World Cup
Jul 7, 2015
Ireland's supporters celebrate as they win the Six Nations rugby union international tournament at Murrayfield stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday, March 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
The contenders to stage the 2023 Rugby World Cup have been announced, with four countries set to be in the running to follow 2019 hosts Japan.
France, Ireland, Italy and South Africa are the nations in the hat, after the USA decided not to bid for the tournament.
Three of the four on the list certainly have a strong track record of hosting major tournaments.
South Africa memorably marked their re-introduction to the global sporting arena when they staged and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and have since been home to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and two Lions tours since the sport went professional.
France put on the 2007 Rugby World Cup nine years after staging the round-ball version, and in 2016 they will have their second turn as hosts of the European Football Championships.
Italy welcomed the footballing world in 1990, having staged Euro 1968 as well.
Only Ireland cannot boast a CV with these major events. A nation of less than five million people and only four professional rugby "franchises" has never opened its doors to a competition on this scale.
But it can, and should, be given the opportunity.
But where will the games be staged?
Ireland has more venues than you might think. Those who run out of ideas once they get past the four main stadia used by the provinces are forgetting the welter of Gaelic football stadiums across the country.
DUBLIN, IRELAND - MARCH 20: Teams line up before the RBS Six Nations match between Ireland and Scotland at Croke Park on March 20, 2010 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
The no-brainers are easy: The Aviva Stadium already plays home to the national side as well as a handful of provincial and Champions Cup fixtures each season. Across town in Dublin, the historic Croke Park is bigger and welcomed rugby for the first time while the Aviva was under construction. It’s also the only stadium currently big enough to stage the semi-finals and final, for which World Rugby insist on a minimum capacity of 60,000, per the42.ie.
Leinster’s home ground, the RDS, could also provide a third venue in the city.
Beyond the capital, Munster’s Thomond Park and Ulster’s Ravenhill are proven successful rugby venues and will play a key part in the bid.
Backing those venues up are the Gaelic sport stadiums, included on a list of 12 venues the Irish Independent sees as providing the tournament with its necessary stadia.
Aren’t some of the grounds too small?
INVERCARGILL, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 30: A general view of Rugby Park Stadium prior to round 16 Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and the Chiefs at Rugby Park Stadium on May 30, 2015 in Invercargill, New Zealand. (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)
No. Look at Kingsholm, Gloucester’s ground, which will stage some pool matches this year. Or some of the sites used in New Zealand in 2011. Rugby Park in Invercargill held just 17,000 spectators, per worldstadiums.com.
Indeed, as the Irish Independent’s list illustrates, Ravenhill and the RDS are dwarfed in capacity by some of the GAA grounds likely to be used.
What’s wrong with going back to South Africa?
Nothing, but doesn’t rugby want to spread its gospel rather than sticking to its heartlands? South Africa’s stadiums and rugby heritage make it a strong candidate, of course, but the sport needs to continue to grow its footprint.
OK, then why not France?
It’s too soon to go back to France when other countries want to make their inaugural appearance as hosts. In addition, the French coughed up matches to Wales and Scotland, diluting the "Frenchness" of the competition.
A one-nation host makes for a better tournament and less hassle for fans. After shelling out to get to France in the first place, All Blacks fans then had to get to Cardiff for their 2007 quarter-final, ironically against France, who lost their own home advantage by finishing second in their pool.
Out of the two "new" potential hosts, what makes Ireland a better bet than Italy?
An Italian World Cup would be just as welcome in terms of taking the tournament to a new territory. The use of their many impressive football stadiums would comfortably meet capacity requirements and bring the game to a new, football-crazed audience. But would there be an appetite to take the tournament to two non-Anglophone countries in a row, having seen Japan host 2019?
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 28: Italy captain Sergio Parisse (C) and team mates celebrate after the RBS Six Nations match between Scotland and Italy at Murrayfield Stadium on February 28, 2015 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Image
Strong hosts make for a better tournament
Italy’s progress as a rugby-playing nation has not been meteoric since they were let into the Six Nations. Their results have been peppered with shock wins rather than following a consistent upward trajectory of performance, and a tournament seems to lack something when the host nation leaves its own party early.
We are talking eight years’ time, so who knows? The Azzurri could be serious contenders in the Six Nations by then, and troubling the big Southern Hemisphere countries when they meet.
One or both are unlikely.
Ireland have been the model of gradual improvement and appear to be managing the transition between one golden generation and the next well. Triple Crowns in in 2006 and 2007 were gilded with the Grand Slam in 2009 and Six Nations titles in the last two seasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvr7LmuZL3Y
In addition, after their 2007 "bete noir" in France, they toppled the Wallabies in the next World Cup and lost a tight affair to Wales in the last eight. This coming campaign sees the draw put them in with their best chance yet of progressing to the semi-finals.
Japan are unlikely in 2019 to exit any later than the group stage barring a sporting miracle, which could really turn an expectant public off the tournament. Repeating that in Italy four years later might not be the best move for rugby’s profile in target territories.
Sport and politics
Ireland’s troubled past is well-documented, and so is the fact that rugby union has always been a unifying force in a country deeply divided. Unlike football and athletics, Ireland play rugby as one nation. Irish Sports Minister Leo Varadkar told the Telegraph in 2013:
Even during the very difficult times of the Troubles, rugby in Ireland was a unifying sport. For us in Ireland, it would just be a symbol of how far we’ve come from the bad times to the better times now.
We saw how powerful a tool Nelson Mandela turned the tournament into with his adoption of the Springbok jersey in 1995 and, while the social and political background of Ireland is vastly different, the fact that this is a sport that transcends the political and religious schisms that have scarred such a small country should not be overlooked.
Why Jonny Sexton Will Be the Key Man for Ireland at the 2015 World Cup
Apr 1, 2015
Ireland's Jonny Sexton, left, hands off England's Jonathan Joseph during their rugby union 6 nations match at the Aviva stadium, Dublin, Ireland, Sunday, March, 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Ireland secured their second successive Six Nations title in March and go forth to the World Cup with a genuine chance of making the semi-finals for the first time.
The Irish are in a group with France, Italy, Canada and Romania, having avoided the big guns from the Southern Hemisphere, as well as swerving the kind of misfortune that has landed England, Wales and Australia in the same pool.
If the Irish win their section, an outcome that will hinge on their clash with Les Bleus, they are likely to face Argentina, who are favourites to finish runners up to New Zealand in Pool C, in the last eight.
A route to the semi-finals has never looked so passable when you consider they had to beat Australia to win their group in 2011 and ended up losing to Wales in the next round.
Joe Schmidt has built a team able to play more than one way, as we saw in the Six Nations. Against France, England and Wales they relied on a kick-and-chase style that demands accuracy and little consideration for putting the ball through hands.
But when they needed to score heavily against the Scots, they switched tack and opened the taps on a back line that can cause huge damage, with forwards running off shoulders and busting holes, sending defences into disarray.
The key to this adaptability is undoubtedly their fly-half Johnny Sexton.
The man who plies his trade for Racing Metro could yet end 2015 with a clean sweep of Six Nations, the French domestic title, European Champions Cup success and the World Cup. It’s an outlandish thought, but Sexton can be an outlandish talent.
Emerging from the shadow of Ronan O’Gara post 2009, the Leinsterman took Irish fly-half play to a new dimension with his silky handling and ability to orchestrate a mesmeric Leinster backline that was largely replicated at the international level.
He was outstanding as Leinster swept to the Heineken Cup in 2009, 2011 and 2012, that middle triumph coming in a game that Sexton almost single-handedly transformed after a nightmarish first half against Northampton.
Lions duty naturally came calling in 2013, and he became the first test-winning fly-half since Gregor Townsend in 1997.
After his starring role in the 2014 Six Nations, Ireland bade farewell to their talisman Brian O’Driscoll. Sexton may well have felt the eyes that all looked to the man in the No. 13 jersey for so long to inspire their team switch their gaze to his own role as the new man to make Ireland tick.
And that is exactly what Sexton does, almost to the point where if his fitness is in doubt, a shadow is cast over the team’s chances of success.
Take this recent championship. Sexton was completing an enforced layoff due to too many bangs to the head and sat out Ireland’s opening victory in Rome.
He returned to face France and was lucky not to suffer another concussion as he collided more than once with French behemoth Mathieu Bastareaud. But he was the key to that Irish win. Time and time again his laser-guided restarts made Irish chasers favourites to regain possession from their own restarts, and his kicks to the corners pinned France back in their own territory. In harness with his Lions half-back partner Conor Murray, Sexton was virtually unplayable.
England came next and the pair repeated the dose, asking the visitors if they could handle the accuracy of the aerial bombardment they commenced and finding the Red Rose men wilting under the pressure.
A simple tactic was working beautifully because of the quality of the man executing it. He even found the time to smash opposite number George Ford back in a dump tackle.
Then Sexton tweaked his hamstring and limped off to have it iced. Ireland looked like a fisherman flailing about for his rudder in the dark in the 20 minutes Sexton was missing. England would have had them sweating buckets but for a late disallowed try.
Without Sexton, Ireland looked far more vulnerable.
Then he had an off day and proved that even with him, things could go wrong if he wasn’t on his A-game. There were a host of dubious calls, as highlighted by Rugby Pigs, that contributed to defeat in Cardiff, but Sexton was certainly far from his best, exemplified by this weak tackle on Jonathan Davies, and Ireland suffered.
After the Welsh had set a huge target with their final-day demolition of Italy, Sexton had a different job. Rather than sending the ball to the heavens to heap pressure on the Scots at Murrayfield, he had to unleash his runners and start working those old Leinster wraparounds drilled into him over the years by the man now in charge of his country. Schmidt asked Sexton to unfurl the tool belt, and his fly-half obliged. Ireland were champions.
He can’t do it on his own, of course. Paul O’Connell needs to rage for a few more months against the dying of the light. Sean O’Brien needs to pick up where he left off in the Six Nations, and Conor Murray needs to remain as sharp and reliable as Sexton’s partner in crime.
There is quality everywhere you look in this Irish side. But Sexton, on his day, is the only one whispered about as the world’s best in his position. Wales fly-half Dan Biggar said as much in an interview with Wales Online.
We haven’t even mentioned his goal-kicking yet. He was probably harshly treated for the miss that would have finished off the All Blacks in 2013, but in the main he is reliable.
According to goalkickers.co.za, he was the third most valuable kicker based on his success rate and the difficulty of his attempts.
It is a big burden for Sexton to carry, but he seems to have the temperament for it. One man who has operated alongside both Sexton and the man he now rivals for that "best in the world" tag is Jared Payne, Ireland’s imported outside centre. Perhaps the last word is best left to him, per ESPNScrum.
Johnny is a world-class player, one of the best 10s - if not the best - in the world at the moment. In terms of his range of skills and his game control, he is right up there with those players I have played with and against. They're both very similar. They are pretty relaxed and get their message across. They are able to control a game incredibly well and are two players who always have time on the ball.
Wales ended Ireland’s Grand Slam quest with a 23-16 win in Round 4 of the Six Nations. The result in Cardiff revived Wales’ own hopes of the title and left the door open for England to also claim the crown this year...
Ireland take on Australia on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, looking to continue their impressive form from this November and avenge their 32-15 loss last season...
Irish Rugby Star Dominic Ryan Gets His Eye Stamped on During Georgia Match
Nov 16, 2014
This is the boot to the eye that Dominic Ryan & Eoin Reddan wanted referee JP Doyle to take a look at. https://t.co/WrL6dQ2zfF
Rugby players are as tough as they come but even they don't sign up for this.
Irish flanker Dominic Ryan was lucky to escape serious injury after the trailing boot of Viktor Kolelishvili caught him in the eye.
Irish captain Eoin Reddan asked referee JP Doyle to look at the incident, but the referee declined after hearing nothing from the Television Match Official (TMO) Jim Yuille.
Irish coach Joe Schmidt said the referee could not be blamed for not doing anything about the incident.
He said, as per the Irish Times:
I think the protocol is there that the TMO can let the referee know he believes there has been an incident of foul play. And then he can review it in conjunction with the TMO.
Obviously the incident had past, and by the time Eoin spoke to the referee the game had moved on and he had heard nothing from the TMO.
According to protocol he acted correctly. There is not too much JP Doyle could have done.
The Georgia coach Milton Haig was adamant the stamp was accidental.
We saw it on the replay in the box. I know Vito wouldn’t be doing anything like that intentionally that’s for sure. We haven’t heard anything from the citing commissioner yet.
