RWC 2015 got underway this weekend and it started off with a bang! A magnificent opening ceremony, one of the biggest upsets in sporting history and over 40 Trys scored, it really has left us with plenty to talk about.
Winners
Japan
here else to start but for the Brave Blossoms and their incredible, and still scarcely believable, victory over World Cup contenders South Africa. This was a stunning game of rugby as Eddie Jones' well drilled minnows put in a fantastic first half display of rugby, and even managing to oust a much vaunted Springok pack for captain Michael Leitch to touch down.
They went in at the break 2 points down and earned a lot of admirers for their style of play, however, nobody saw what was coming in the second half. Goromaru's try was the result of a perfectly executed pre-planned move that nobody thought Japan had in their arsenal while their final try was the result of bravery and composure when pummeling the 'Boks line.
Japan now sit pretty at the top of Pool B and play Scotland next.
Mamuka Gorgodze
The Georgian giant was nothing short of inspirational in his sides surprise defeat of Tonga. The Toulon back rower managed to score his 25th international try but he also went through a mountain of work, completing 27 tackles, more than half the tally of the Tongan tackle count.
Gorgodze will be key for Georgia if they are to finish in that coveted third place ahead of Tonga and Namibia and, judging by this performance, I wouldn't bet against him leading his team to it!
England
England delivered a convincing bonus point win against the potential banana skin that is Fiji. Granted, this was the minimum expectation and the result took nobody by surprise, they delivered a result under an incredible amount of pressure.
There is a lot of hope and even a slight expectation that the Webb-Ellis trophy will be staying in England after the World Cup is over, so to claim maximum points in the opening game of the group of death will be of a great relief to the players and supporters.
It was a confidence building win and the performances of individual players, particularly Mike Brown, will only help improve morale within the camp.
Losers
South Africa
The victims of the biggest upset in World Cup history, the 'Boks will still fancy themselves to top this group. Heyneke Meyer said that their problem wasn't a lack of respect for Japan, but rather they showed them too much of it. Either way, it is inexcusable for a team like South Africa to lose a game like this.
Their World Cup credentials are already being questioned while Meyer and his charges will be under a microscope for the rest of the tournament. This should have been the perfect opportunity for the 'Boks to send out a statement of intent but instead their team of superstars were humbled by Japan. The other 'weaker' nations in the group will take a lot of heart from this and it will surely make life much more difficult for the 'Boks in Pool B.
It will be interesting to see what changes will be made for their next outing but this result will be a permanent black mark on the 'Boks credentials.
Nehe Milner-Skudder
Milner-Skudder was handed the 14 jersey for the All-Blacks opener against the Pumas. However, with all the hype around him, he failed to shine in a game that NZ were on the back foot for a lot of the time. Picked as one of our three Southern Hemisphere players to watch out for in this World Cup, the 'Canes flyer struggled to adapt to the physicality and intensity of the World Cup stage.
Most of this could have been forgiven as he was not the only Kiwi to under perform, but he had a glorious opportunity to cross the whitewash when Sonny Bill Williams offloaded in the tackle for him to run in unopposed but, somehow, he couldn't control the ball.
This was at a stage when the All-Blacks were 4 points down and struggling against an intimidating Argentinian defense.
Milner-Skudder is better than this #Pressure #RWC2015 https://t.co/lmFbD6RIHW
— JudgeRugby (@JudgeRugby) September 20, 2015
TMO
If you were playing any TMO drinking games on Friday or Saturday then the chances are you may have had a sore head all weekend as there now seems to be an over reliance on the technology.
Multiple times over the weekend we saw the referee's go to the TMO for referrals on what seemed obvious calls. Jaco Peyper was the biggest offender as his reliance on the TMO slowed down the pace of the game severely, taking momentum out of attacks and the less said about the Niko Matawlu debacle, the better.
Sure its fantastic to have the technology to assist the referee's, but in recent years and with recent rule changes, referee's seem reluctant to make a decision without the help of the TMO. Hopefully we will be seeing less unnecessary visits to the TMO in the coming weeks.
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