Rugby World Cup
Fourie du Preez scores the winning try against Wales in the Rugby World Cup 2015 Quarterfinal
The Springbok mantra has been summed up by captain Fourie du Preez in one strong sentence – We didn’t come to the World Cup to lose in a semifinal.
Du Preez was speaking ahead of the Rugby World Cup showdown with the All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday for a place in next week’s final, and showed the focus of the Springbok talisman as they head into what he calls “the biggest game of my career.”
Coming from a Rugby World Cup winner that is quite a statement but it also shows the challenge facing the Springboks against a rampant World Champion All Black side and what they will need to do when they get on the field.
The Springboks have looked more relaxed this week – perhaps because they know what to expect or know the All Blacks so well , but Du Preez contends it is still the same as in the previous 5 weeks before.
David Pocock
Israel Folau
David Pocock and Israel Folau will return to action for Australia in the team named by coach Michael Cheika to face Argentina in their semifinal at Twickenham Stadium, London at 18:00 SA Time (17:00 UK Time, 16:00 GMT) on Sunday.
No 8 David Pocock (calf) and fullback Israel Folau (ankle) have been declared fit for the clash after Friday’s training session and will take their place in the starting 15, along with prop James Slipper who replaces the injured Scott Sio.
Slipper, who captained the side against the USA Eagles in Chicago last month, will start at loosehead prop while Toby Smith comes on to the replacements bench for the Wallabies’ 6th appearance in a Rugby World Cup semifinal.
With a combined 876 caps, this is the most experienced Wallaby starting line-up ever in a Rugby World Cup match. The side that defeated Scotland in the quarterfinals had 818 Test caps.
It is the 2nd-oldest Wallabies starting line-up in a Rugby World Cup match. At an average of 28 years and 142 days of age, it is only 21 days younger than the side (28 year and 163 days of age) that defeated Wales on 23 October 1999.
The match will be Slipper’s 73rd in the gold jersey, making the 26-year-old the most capped Wallabies prop in history, surpassing Benn Robinson (72 Tests).
Vice-captain Michael Hooper will also celebrate a milestone with his 50th Test appearance.
Drew Mitchell will once again line up on the left wing, needing 1 more try to draw level with Bryan Habana and Jonah Lomu as the all-time Rugby World Cup leading try scorer on 15 tries.
Lood de Jager
South African Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer named an unchanged starting 15 to face New Zealand’s All Blacks in the 1st Rugby World Cup 2015 semifinal, on Saturday at Twickenham Stadium in London, England.
The only change to the matchday squad is at replacement lock – where Victor Matfield has overcome his hamstring injury and takes over from Pieter-Steph du Toit, bringing even more experience to the bench.
There is a provisa though, Lood de Jager still has to pass a fitness test on Friday, to be able to play, and if he does not pass that fitness test, Victor Matfield will slot into the starting berth at No 5, with Pieter-Steph du Toit then coming onto the Replacements bench.
It’s the 1st time since last November that Meyer has been able to name an unchanged team for back-to-back Tests and only the 6th time since his appointment in 2012.
Joe Moody
New Zealand All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has made 1 change to the side that thrashed France for their semifinal showdown against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday.
Joe Moody replaces the injured Wyatt Crockett (groin) at loosehead prop, with Ben Franks being promoted to the bench to provide cover.
1 Is the least number of changes that the All Blacks have made to their starting line-up so far in the tournament and the fewest between successive Rugby World Cup matches since making no changes at all to the side that defeated Australia in the 2011 semifinals and went on to beat France in the final.
No player in international test rugby has been on the winning side against the Springboks more often than Richie McCaw (19 times). Only Australia’s George Gregan (30 times) has played them more often than McCaw (25).
Brodie Retallick (6), Wyatt Crockett (5), Sam Cane (3), Luke Romano (2), TJ Perenara (1) and Codie Taylor (1) have won all of their individual test appearances against the Springboks.
McCaw sets a Rugby World Cup record in captaining his side for the 12th time in the competition, surpassing the 11 captain’s appearances by Martin Johnson and Will Carling (both England), Raphaël Ibañez (France), John Smit (South Africa) and Sam Warburton (Wales).
Steve Hansen
New Zealand All Blacks coach Steve Hansen on Thursday promised “a performance to be proud of” in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semifinal against the South African Springboks.
Hansen only made 1 chnage to his side with Joe Moody coming in for loosehead prop Wyatt Crockett who suffered a groin strain in the All Blacks 62 / 13 quarterfinal win over France.
“We’re ready to go,” Hansen said ahead of the Twickenham clash.
The defending champions had prepared well during the week to “produce another game we can all be proud of” after demolishing France.
“Though we’ve met many times over the years, we’ve only played 3 times at the Rugby World Cup and these Cup finals matches are totally different,” Hansen said.
Michael Cheika
Michael Cheika marked a year as Australia coach on Thursday, having unified a fractious squad, restored pride in the green and gold jersey and brought the Wallabies back to winning ways.
The 48-year-old Cheika will watch his side play Argentina in a Rugby World Cup semifinal on Sunday hoping he has mixed the magic ingredients to make him one of the ultimate rugby alchemists and deliver the Webb Ellis Trophy come 31 October.
He has pushed all the barriers to the limits since he picked up the debris left from the short but catastrophic Ewen McKenzie reign.
McKenzie’s 15 months in charge was marred by scandal, split the squad into factions and saw results on the pitch take a hit.
Under Cheika, Australia beat New Zealand on the way to winning the Southern Hemisphere’s Rugby Championship this year. In England, they are vying with New Zealand and South Africa to become the 1st country to get 3 Rugby World Cup titles.
Cheika – whose Lebanese father arrived in Sydney in 1950 with barely a penny in his pocket – set a new tone with the Australia players, right from the start, by lancing the boil that had festered during the McKenzie era.
Jean de Villiers
Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has been linked with a move to English Premiership club, Leicester Tigers.
A jaw fracture suffered against Samoa prematurely ended De Villiers’s Rugby World Cup 2015 campaign, with the midfielder subsequently announcing his retirement from international rugby.
De Villiers hinted that he would finish his professional career overseas, while revealing that he was considering a few options in England.
He was linked to the Tigers earlier this year, but the deal fell through before the start of the Rugby World Cup.
Nigel Owens
Welshman Nigel Owens is favourite to be named as referee of the Rugby World Cup FINAL following the appointment of Frenchman Jerome Garces and England’s Wayne Barnes for the semifinals.
Owens, 44, was appointed an international referee in 2005 and officiated at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups. He took charge of this year’s quarterfinal between New Zealand and France.
Mario Ledesma
It is going to be an emotional week for an emotional man. For 20 years, Mario Ledesma, the proudest of Argentines, gave everything for the Pumas’ cause at the head of their mighty scrum. This week, he is charged with obliterating the prospect of the greatest day in his country’s rugby history.
Ledesma, one of the game’s greatest hookers who helped Argentina reach new heights at 4 Rugby World Cups, is now transforming Australia’s pack, as the coach of the vastly improved Wallabies’ scrum.
On Sunday, the popular Ledesma’s Australian charges face their most demanding test yet against the team whose reputation for scrummaging prowess was so greatly enhanced by the flinty 42-year-old from Buenos Aires.
The Twickenham semifinal, Australian coach Michael Cheika understands, is bound to be a strangely conflicting experience for such a passionate servant of Argentine rugby.
He also knows it will not stop Ledesma from continuing to put “120%” into the Wallabies’ team he has learned to love over the past year. Either way, it will probably end in tears for “Super Mario”.
The Match Officials have been confirmed for the semifinal stage of Rugby World Cup 2015 this weekend, with Jérôme Garcès and Wayne Barnes selected as Referees.
The 1st semifinal will take place at Twickenham Stadium between South Africa and New Zealand on Saturday (kick-off at 17:00 SA Time, 16:00 BST) with France’s Garcès in the middle. He will be joined on the line by compatriot Romain Poite and Ireland’s John Lacey, with George Ayoub of Australia being the Television Match Official.
The following day at the same venue, Argentina will take on Australia in the 2nd semifinal (kick-off 17:00 SA Time, 16:00 BST) and England’s Wayne Barnes will take charge. His Assistant Referees will be Jaco Peyper of South Africa and Ireland’s George Clancy. New Zealand’s Ben Skeen will be TMO.
Ian Foster
One lesson the All Blacks have taken from the disputed Australia vs Scotland Rugby World Cup quarterfinal is that they cannot leave the outcome of their semifinal against South Africa to the referee.
“That showed us if the game’s tight at the end anything can happen,” All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said Monday.
And Foster expects a similar nail-biting finish when the All Blacks play arch-rivals South Africa on Saturday to decide who will go through to the final against Australia or Argentina.
After reviewing the controversial end to the Australia vs Scotland match, World Rugby said referee Craig Joubert was wrong when he awarded a last minute penalty that secured Australia’s 35 / 34 victory over Scotland.
Foster said it would be up to the All Blacks to avoid being put in the same situation even though he expected the match would be a close call.
Julian Savea
JP Pietersen
South African Springboks wing JP Pietersen insisted on Monday he is looking forward to confronting New Zealand All Blacks flyer Julian Savea, arguably the most potent attacking threat in rugby, in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semifinal.
Savea was in supreme form with a hat-trick out of 9 New Zealand tries as the reigning world champions thrashed France 62 / 13 in the quarterfinals.
There were times at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday when the 1.93m, 103kg Savea simply bounced off would-be French tacklers.
His blistering pace and strength has brought the 25-year-old wing 38 tries in just 39 Tests, including 8 in 4 matches at this Rugby World Cup, has seen Savea compared to All Blacks star Jonah Lomu.
Pietersen, no shrinking violet himself at 1.9m and 102kg, was well aware of the task confronting him this weekend.
Heyneke Meyer
Steve Hansen
South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks will renew one of the greatest and most bitter rivalries in rugby in their Rugby World Cup semifinal at Twickenham on Saturday… but off the field, the coaches and players remain firm friends.
For both nations, the game provides the ultimate challenge on a rugby pitch and in the adrenalin-pumping atmosphere of a high stakes showdown at such a prestigious venue, it promises to be another bruising battle.
However, behind the intensity and bone-crunching tackles is a mutual respect between the teams on the pitch that has in more recent years extended to solid friendships off it.
None more so than between the 2 coaches – New Zealand’s Steve Hansen and South Africa’s Heyneke Meyer.
The Top 4 spots on the current world rankings are all taken up by Southern Hemisphere teams, with Argentina moving up to 4th.
The Pumas and South Africa were the biggest climbers after their wins over Ireland and Wales respectively in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.
Los Pumas moved up 2 places on the rankings – overtaking Ireland and Wales. South Africa improved their position from 5th to 3rd after a tough 23 / 19 win over Wales.
Ireland plummeted from 3rd to 6th on the rankings, while Wales also fell from 4th to 5th.
Israel Folau
David Pocock
Israel Folau and David Pocock are on course to return to Australia’s start line-up for the Rugby World Cup semifinal against Argentina on Sunday, coach Michael Cheika said Monday.
However, 1st choice prop Scott Sio is a doubt and is to undergo a scan on his elbow which forced him to leave the fray early in the thrilling 35 / 34 win over Scotland on Sunday.
Pocock – who in a stroke of genius has been switched from flanker to No 8 by Cheika and was instrumental in the pool game win over humiliated hosts England – missed the quarterfinal because of a calf injury he suffered in the 15 / 6 win over Wales.
Fullback Folau has been struggling with an ankle problem since the 33 / 13 win over the English and the game against Scotland was the 1st Test he had missed since making his debut in 2013.
The New Zealand All Blacks broke their own Rugby World Cup quarterfinal victory margin with their demolition of France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.
The All Blacks scored 9 tries in their 62 / 13 romp in a one-sided repeat of the 2011 World Cup final.
Their 49-point margin of victory bettered their previous record of 27 points when they accounted for Scotland 30 / 3 at the 1987 tournament.
A lot has been made about Scotland’s early exit from the Rugby World Cup under a cloud of anger about the way referee Craig Joubert refereed the match… specially that last penalty, which when converted ultimately sunk a very, very brave and deserving Scotland.
We raked the web for an article which takes all the emotion and anger out of the equation and gives probably the best clinical and sensible discussion on the matter.
At the time the game was played, I thought the penalty was justly awarded, whereas many thought it was’nt the case!
Well, let’s first off say, that last penalty and everything around it happened so quickly, that anybody who can now unequivocally say that they saw everything clear as day at the time it happened, is bullshitting everybody. Of course now all of us have had the luxury of hindsight and have had repeated and even more repeated replays of that insident at hand… and still the judgment call is not easy.
But, I digress… let’s have a look at the ARTICLE I dug up… Paul Dobson the Author…
Then after that, have a good look at World Rugby’s Statement on the Match official’s performance review (Australia vs Scotland), it is right at the end of the article!
Steve Hansen
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen believes Northern Hemisphere rugby could be on the road to nowhere unless attitudes change.
England are still the only non-Southern Hemisphere nation to have won the Rugby World Cup since the competition was launched in 1987. And with New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Australia at the top of the betting for this year’s competition, the Webb Ellis Cup will stay in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hansen spent 2 years in charge of Wales in the early 90’s and experienced the difficulties that still exist between the owner-led regions and the Welsh Rugby Union. It is the same story in England, and in France too.
On the back of Saturday’s resounding quarterfinal victory over the French, and with England and Wales already out, Hansen seized his moment to speak out.
When asked about the situation in France and the ongoing problems between the Top 14 clubs and the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR), he said: “It’s difficult if you’re not on the same page and I’m not sure whether in France the 2 organisations are on the same page.
“You need to have the same goals and the same vision. There are a lot of foreign players in the Top 14 and that means there are a lot of French players who are not getting the chance to grow and develop.
Stephen Betham
Samoa coach Stephen Betham has resigned after the Pacific islanders’ disappointing Rugby World Cup performance, chief executive Vincent Fepuleai said Monday.
Samoa Rugby Union’s Fepuleai said more was expected from the team, who exited in the pool stage after losses to Japan, South Africa and Scotland.
He said that a review into the campaign was underway but Betham had already decided to leave after 3-and-a-half years in the job.
“Stephen has called it a day, I guess, and there will be opportunities there and I think we will go through the proper process in recruitment of a new head coach and so forth,” Fepuleai said.
Pascal Pape
Frederic Michalak
France flyhalf Frederic Michalak has ended his international career after Les Bleus’ 13 / 62 defeat by New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.
Michalak left the pitch with a thigh injury after 11 minutes at the Millennium Stadium.
He said: “It’s quite sad to finish like that. I truly thought I’d be able to raise the Cup, and I didn’t imagine that I would finish like that, with an injury, which makes it even worse. Of course I’ll recover from this injury, but I’ll take care of my body and play fewer games per year.”
The Toulon player, 33, won 77 international caps and played in 3 Rugby World Cups, in 2003, 2007 and this year. He is under contract with Toulon until 2016.
France lock Pascal Pape, 35, is also retiring from internationals after 65 tests.
Stuart Lancaster
Ian McGeechan, Ben Kay and Rugby Football Union CEO Ian Ritchie have been included on a 5-man panel that will review England’s performance at the Rugby World Cup.
“The panel will review the preparations and performances in the Rugby World Cup, the effectiveness of the coaching, management and support team and consider feedback from all relevant stakeholders,” the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said in a statement on Monday.
England went out at the pool stage for the 1st time after home defeats by Wales and Australia and the panel will look at the future of coach Stuart Lancaster, who has a contract until 2020, and his assistants.
McGeechan, the hugely respected former British and Irish Lions coach and player, has been a vocal supporter of Lancaster during the tournament.
Wallabies (15) 35 / 34 (16) Scotland (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and Scotland did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at
Twickenham Stadium, London, England at 17:00 SA Time (16:00 BST, 15:00 GMT, Monday 02:00 AEDT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Ireland (10) 20 / 43 (20) Los Pumas (Final Score)
Ireland and the Argentinian Los Pumas did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 14:00 SA Time (13:00 BST, 12:00 GMT, 09:00 ARG Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
All Blacks (29) 62 / 13 (13) France (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and France did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 21:00 SA Time (20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT, 21:00 France Time, Sunday 08:00 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Springboks (12) 23 / 19 (13) Wales (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and Wales did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at
Twickenham Stadium, London, England at 17:00 SA Time (16:00 BST, 15:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Jonny Gray
Ross Ford
Ross Ford and Jonny Gray (Scotland) are free to resume playing with immediate effect after successfully appealing against their 3-week suspension for acts of foul play contrary to Law 10.4(j) (dangerous tackles).
The appeal took place today at the London offices of the official law firm for Rugby World Cup 2015 Clifford Chance and was heard by an Appeal Committee, chaired by the Honourable Justice Lex Mpati (South Africa), sitting with Justice Graeme Mew (Canada) and Robbie Deans (New Zealand).
Having conducted a detailed review of all the evidence, including new submissions from the players and their representatives, along with all available camera angles, the Appeal Committee dismissed the finding that the players had committed an act of foul play as the player had not been dropped or driven and therefore the tackle was not dangerous.
David Pocock
Israel Folau
Key players David Pocock and Israel Folau handed Australia a double blow on Friday.
Both failed to prove their fitness and will miss the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal with Scotland on Sunday.
David Pocock, whose conversion to No 8, from openside flank, has been a roaring success, has been struggling with a calf injury suffered during the 15 / 6 Pool A victory over Wales last Saturday.
Fullback Israel Folau struggled through the Wales game with a painful ankle, a knock he had picked up in the 33 / 13 whipping of hosts England a fortnight ago, and the injury sees him miss his 1st Test for the Wallabies since he made his debut in 2013.
Pocock has been replaced by Ben McCalman, with Kurtley Beale coming in at fullback for Folau.
Meanwhile Stephen Moore and Matt Giteau will become the newest Wallabies centurions.
Greig Laidlaw
Scotland have made 4 changes to the starting line-up that defeated Samoa in their last Pool B match at the Rugby World Cup.
This is the smallest number of changes Scotland have made in successive Rugby World Cup matches since the 2007 Rugby World Cup, when they made no changes to the team that beat Italy in the pool phase and then faced Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Ross Ford and Jonny Gray will both be unavailable due to bans, with Fraser Brown and Tim Swinson taking their respective places in the starting 15.
Greig Laidlaw will captain the side, as he has done over the course of this tournament, for the 21st time in a Test match for Scotland – joint-2nd most, along with Bryan Redpath. Only David Sole has captained Scotland more (25 times) in Tests.
Daniel Hourcade
Argentina have reverted to their strongest side for their quarterfinal match against Ireland on Sunday.
Argentina’s starting 15 at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday will contain 496 caps worth of experience, their 2nd most experienced of this tournament after the 54 / 9 win over Georgia in their 2nd Pool C match.
Head coach Daniel Hourcade has made 10 changes from the team that beat Namibia. This is the largest amount of changes made to an Argentina side, except for the 11 made between the Tonga and Namibia matches, since the opening 2 games of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
The whole front row changes, with the replacements from the Namibia game starting against Ireland and the Namibia game starters dropping to the bench. Tomas Lavinini comes in for Matias Alemanno in the locks, with the latter dropping to the bench.
There are also 2 changes in the loose forwards, with Javier Ortega Desio out of the matchday-23 and Facundo Isa dropping to the bench, as Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Leonardo Senatore return.
In the backs, Juan Martin Hernandez reverts to inside centre to allow for the return of Nicolas Sanchez. Scrumhalf Martin Landajo and Matias Moroni retain their places, though Moroni moves to outside centre. Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino drops to the bench.
Thierry Dusautoir
France captain Thierry Dusautoir has rubbished reports there had been a split between coach Philippe Saint-Andre and his players.
“Since the start of the World Cup, the players and staff have been together and they will work together until the end of the World Cup,” Dusautoir insisted.
The 33-year-old skipper said he had “total confidence” in Saint-Andre, a former France captain who will step down after the Rugby World Cup.
French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur published an article Thursday citing a “source close to the players” who said there had been a players’ uprising against Saint-Andre.
“I don’t know where that’s come from, but you need to ask the person who wrote the article to tell us more,” he said.
Philippe Saint-Andre
France coach Phillippe Saint-Andre has dropped some last weekends under-performers against Ireland, for their quarterfinal meeting against New Zealand on Saturday.
Saint-Andre has made 3 changes in total to his side. Morgan Parra takes the place of discarded scrumhalf Sebastien Tillous-Borde and Mathieu Bastareaud and Damien Chouly also drops to the bench.
Centre Alexandre Dumoulin takes Bastareaud’s place in the backline while South Africa-born flanker Bernard le Roux is preferred to Chouly in the loose forwards for the crunch match at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Scrumhalf Tillous-Borde misses out on the matchday-23 altogether as South African-born Rory Kockott has been named on the replacement bench as backup scrumhalf.
Joe Moody
All Black coach Steve Hansen wasted no time in drafting in recently arriving prop Joe Moody into the side to play France in their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in Cardiff on Saturday.
Moody, a specialist loosehead prop, has had a whirlwind few days. He has been named on the bench for the encounter at the Millennium Stadium just 4 days after arriving in the United Kingdom as a replacement for the injured Tony Woodcock.
Moody will play his 9th Test off the bench, after playing 8 Tests in the black jersey in 2014.
With Moody on the bench, Wyatt Crockett takes over the starting loosehead duties from the injured Tony Woodcock.
Meanwhile, All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw returns to the starting 15 along with lock Brodie Retallick and wing Julian Savea.
Dan Lydiate
Tyler Morgan
Gethin Jenkins
Wales star flank, Dan Lydiate, returns to the starting 15 for their massive quarterfinal clash against South Africa’s Springboks at Twickenham Stadium in London on Saturday.
Lydiate’s inclusion in the team is 1 of 3 changes to the team that lost 6 / 15 to Australia’s Wallabies last weekend.
Prop Gethin Jenkins also comes back into the starting line-up to feature in his 18th Rugby World Cup match and he packs down alongside Scott Baldwin and Samson Lee.
Tyler Morgan’s return to the team is the only change in the backline – he partners Jamie Roberts in midfield. Alex Cuthbert will make his 40th Wales appearance in a back 3, alongside George North and fullback Gareth Anscombe.
Luke Charteris and Alun Wyn Jones continue in the locks with the latter making his 100th international appearance (94th for Wales, plus 6 British & Irish Lions appearances).
JP Pietersen double-tackled in the Scotland game
The experienced JP Pietersen is back in the Springboks’s starting line-up for their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against Wales at Twickenham Stadium in London on Saturday afternoon.
JP Pietersen, who scored a hat-trick against Samoa in the 2nd pool match, is included in the only change to the starting team that beat the USA by 64 / 0 in the Springboks’ final Pool B match, last Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium.
The 63-capped wing, who has recovered from a knee injury which kept him out of the USA Test, will wear the No 14 jersey and Bryan Habana will revert to the left wing for this encounter. It will be the 42nd time they play together as a wing-combination in the Springboks’ starting team.
Habana currently leads the try-scoring stakes at Rugby World Cup 2015 with 5, while Pietersen is joint 2nd with 4, a position he shares with 5 other players.
Agustin Creevy
Argentina are on a roll having beaten Australia and South Africa in the past 12 months and captain Agustin Creevy insists the Pumas have “no limits” at the Rugby World Cup.
With Ireland reeling from injuries to key players, Argentina can sense an upset in the quarterfinal at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Sunday.
“I dream of lifting the cup. I don’t know whether it will come true, but I swear I dream about it,” said the 30-year-old Creevy.
Twelve months ago Argentina beat Australia 21 / 17 at home. It was the last straw in a troubled reign and Wallabies coach Ewan Mackenzie was gone within 2 weeks.
One month before coming to the Rugby World Cup they defeated South Africa for the 1st time – 37 / 25 in Durban – forcing Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer to apologise to the nation. He had to repeat it when they lost to Japan at the Rugby World Cup.
The Pumas world ranking has gone up in a year from 12 to 6, above England and France.
“This team has no limits,” Creevy declared.