Rugby World Cup

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FranceCanadaFrance (24) 41 / 18 (12) Canada (Final Score)

France and Canada did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at

Stadium MK, Milton Keynes at 21:00 SA Time (21:00 French Time, 20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT, 15:00 Canadian Eastern Time).

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.

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ScotlandHead Coach Vern Cotter today named the Scotland team to face South Africa in this Saturday’s penultimate Rugby World Cup Pool B match at St James’ Park, Newcastle (kick-off 17:45 SA Time, 16:45 BST, 15:45 GMT).

Scotland lead the group on 10 Log points following back-to-back bonus-point wins over Japan and USA, while the 2007 champions – and the Pool’s top seeds – South Africa, are just 3 adrift in 2nd place, having picked up maximum points against Samoa (5) and 2 bonus-points in their narrow loss to Japan.

The match between the 2 familiar foes could therefore be significant in determining the outcome of the group, before Scotland complete their Pool campaign against Samoa the following weekend at the same venue.

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Fourie du Preez

Fourie du Preez

Fourie du Preez will become the Springboks’ 56th Test captain when he leads South Africa against Scotland on Saturday at the Rugby World Cup.

South Africa face Scotland in a must-win Pool B encounter at the Rugby World Cup St James’ Park in Newcastle on Saturday.

Du Preez made a massive impact upon his return in the match against Samoa last weekend and has been entrusted with the captaincy in the absence of the injured Jean de Villiers (fracture jaw, retired from the international stage) and Victor Matfield, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

Schalk Burger is the vice-captain.

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer made only 3 changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s match – 2 of them injury-enforced.

Jesse Kriel will link up again with Damian De Allende in the midfield, in the place of Jean de Villiers, while Lodewyk de Jager takes over from Victor Matfield at lock.

The 3rd change is a rotational switch at hooker – where Bismarck du Plessis returns in the place of Adriaan Strauss, who will move to the bench.

Also amongst the replacements are Pieter-Steph du Toit, Willem Alberts and Jan Serfontein, who provides cover as both centres picked up injuries last week.

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Jan Serfontein

Jan Serfontein

Springbok midfielder Jan Serfontein was sitting at home watching the England vs Wales Rugby World Cup clash this past weekend when his phone rang, changing his life altogether.

Serfontein got a call from Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer telling him to ready himself for a trip to join the national team in the wake of Jean de Villiers’ injury.

Arriving late on Monday Serfontein joined the Springbok camp and depending on the injury report may well have to play this coming weekend against Scotland at St James’ Park in the Pool B showdown.

“I was surprised to get the call,” Serfontein admitted, “I was watching the Wales-England game and I got a call from coach Heyneke saying that Jean is injured and that he was considering picking me and he would only confirm it on Sunday.

“I couldn’t sleep the night and got the news on Sunday, but I’m happy to be here now and will do everything I can to contribute.”

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Jean de Villiers

Jean de Villiers

Jean de Villiers successfully completed the 1irst step on his return to playing.

He underwent surgery on his broken jaw in Cape Town on Wednesday.

The Springbok captain was forced out of the Rugby World Cup, following an impact to his jaw in the match against Samoa last Saturday.

The 109-Test centre plans to continue playing, although he announced his international retirement following his exit.

“Jean had surgery in Cape Town this morning and the operation went well,” said Springbok team doctor, Craig Roberts.

“The fractured jaw was plated and his wisdom teeth were removed.”

De Villiers is currently recuperating at home and a decision on returning to England to support the Springbok team will be made in due course.

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Sergio Parisse

Sergio Parisse

Following injury Italian captain Sergio Parisse has returned to the Azzurri squad, ahead of their Rugby World Cup encounter with Ireland.

Parisse had a very welcome arrival at Italy’s hotel on Tuesday, when – after a wait of over 2 weeks – the team’s illustrious long-time captain finally joined up with Jacques Brunel’s squad.

While Italy played France and Canada, the 32-year-old No 8 was back home in Paris recuperating and then training under the auspices of his club side, Stade Francais, following surgery earlier in September.

On Monday he was finally given the all clear to join up with the Azzurri, and less than 24 hours later he jumped on Eurostar to whizz to London.

However, there was less good news for Leonardo Ghiraldini, the man who has led the team in Parisse’s absence, but who limped off midway through the 2nd half of Italy’s 23 / 18 win over Canada at Elland Road in Leeds last Saturday.

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Waisake Naholo

Waisake Naholo

All Blacks wing Waisake Naholo will make his eagerly-awaited World Cup debut against Georgia in Cardiff on Friday.

Naholo, who made his 1st Test appearance for the All Blacks against Argentina in the Rugby Championship in July, cracked his fibula in that match and team bosses feared he would have to miss the World Cup.

However, thanks to a traditional herbal remedy, the 24-year-old Fiji-born flyer has made a recovery that has astounded the specialists.

“We’re looking forward to seeing Waisake back on the track, he’s been jumping out of his skin at training and I’m sure he can’t wait for game day,” Hanson said.

Hansen has made 10 changes to the starting line-up that defeated Namibia on 24 September with Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino and Julian Savea making a 3rd start.

4 Players were not considered for selection due to injury – Ma’a Nonu (shoulder), Colin Slade (hamstring), Liam Messam (calf) and Beauden Barrett (whiplash).

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Rugby World Cup 2015Fiji and Wales meet in a Pool A match tomorrow at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. The match is scheduled to kick off at 17:45 SA Time (16:45 BST, 15:45 GMT).

Both teams have made various changes to the their match day squads, with many of these changes being enforced due to injury and in Fiji’s case also in part due to suspensions.

Fiji have made 6 changes to their starting line up since their last game. Winger Timoci Nagusa is 1 of those changes, he slots into the team in place of injured Waisea Nayacalevu. Another change will see scrumhalf Niko Matawalu miss the game due to a slight niggle. Matawalu’s place in the run on team will be taken by Nemia Kenatale. Another big player missing from Fiji’s line up is winger Nemani Nadolo who is serving a 1 week ban for a dangerous tackle against Australia. His vacant berth is being filled by Aseli Tikoirotuma.

Wales have made 3 changes to their starting team from the 1 who started in their win against England on Saturday night. All 3 of the changes Wales have made are in the backline. Tyler Morgan will make his Rugby World Cup debut as he starts at outside centre in place of the injured Scott Williams. Mathew Morgan and Alex Cuthbert start at fullback and wing respectively in place of the injured duo Liam Williams and Hallam Amos.

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SpringboksIt is said that time is a great healer, but in Heyneke Meyer’s case it will also be a great revealer.

The Springbok coach has decided to delay his team announcement by 7 hours on Wednesday as he needs more time to resolve the all-important matter of who will wear the captain’s armband in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup clash against Pool B pace-setters Scotland at St James’ Park, Newcastle.

Instead of an 11:00 SA Time (10:00 UK Time) announcement, Meyer will now name his matchday-23 at 19:00 SA Time (18:00 UK Time) on Wednesday evening.

At the heart of the delay is a plethora of injuries which have a direct bearing on the captaincy appointment. Victor Matfield is the obvious choice to replace the injured Jean de Villiers as the captain at world rugby’s showpiece, but the 38-year-old lock has a hamstring strain which he suffered in the 2nd half against Samoa last weekend.

As a result of the lengthy injury list, the Springboks forfeited Monday’s training session as several players were nursing an assortment of niggles. Matfield will have to prove his fitness at Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s training before the Springboks’ medical staff make a call on his availability.

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Rugby World Cup 2015There seems to have been so many injuries already in this tournament which is barely halfway through the group stages. One feels sorry for the players who have had their World Cup short and wish them all a speedy recovery, it just shows what an attritional game Rugby Union is.

We could theorize all day on the possible reasons for all of these injuries: too many games, players bulking up, laws not being sufficient or those that are there not sufficiently enforced, players possibly carrying injuries into the tournament. The harsh reality for those who have been ruled out is that the game involves high speed collisions of big men and they have been reduced to being spectators for the rest of the tournament as well as having to undergo a period of rehabilitation, for some this involves surgery.

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Rugby World Cup 2015A week can be a long time, especially at Rugby World Cup 2015 with the matches flowing thick and fast and players from various teams have suffered tournament ending injuries which has meant call ups for players initially not considered good enough to go to the Rugby World Cup. However, we still thought it would be interesting to share an article that was written a week ago which looks at 10 players who were possibly unlucky to miss out on being selected to represent their countries at this year’s Rugby World Cup.

1 Of the players who is discussed, James Hook, has since been called up as replacement following knee and shoulder injuries to Scot Williams and Hallam Amos which they picked up against England. But the point still stands that he was not initially considered quite good enough by the Wales coaching staff and still not even after injuries to Leigh Halfpenny and Eli Walker.

Do you agree on the players discussed and do you have any players of your own that you think were unlucky to have missed out on selection? One of course also needs to consider that the Rugby World Cup squads can only contain 31 players so someone already in the squad would need to make way for whoever is considered unlucky not to be there.

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Grant Gilchrist

Grant Gilchrist

Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist has been ruled out of the national team’s Rugby World Cup 2015 campaign with a groin injury.

Gilchrist sustained the soft tissue damage in the 19th minute of the national team’s 39 / 16 win over USA on Sunday, with the recovery period expected to extend beyond the competition.

Gilchrist’s replacement will be announced in due course.

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Jannie du Plessis

Jannie du Plessis

Damian de Allende

Damian de Allende

Jesse Kriel

Jesse Kriel     

Victor Matfield

Victor Matfield  

Fourie du Preez

Fourie du Preez

With the Rugby World Cup match against Samoa being called “brutal” by Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts, Jean de Villiers is heading home and out of the Rugby World Cup with a fractured jaw, while a long list of injuries will be assessed on Monday by the team doctor as the team start to prepare for their showdown with Scotland.

Prop Jannie du Plessis (knee), midfielders Damian de Allende (knee) and Jesse Kriel (laceration to the eye), lock Victor Matfield and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez all are on the injury list.

Depending on how they heal overnight, they should all hopefully be declared fit for the Scottish game.

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Jean de Villier in action against Samoa on Saturday 26 September 2015.

Jean de Villier in action against Samoa on Saturday 26 September 2015.

South Africa’s convincing win against Samoa on Saturday evening, to put their Rugby World Cup path back on track after the shock loss to Japan the week before has come at a considerable cost, with the news that Captain Jean de Villiers has broken the other side of his jaw and will therefore head home back to South Africa and out of the tournament.

As a result of the injury, Jean de Villiers has subsequently announced his retirement from Test rugby.

The silver lining for Jean is the fact that the last time he was injured against Samoa in the Rugby World Cup of 2007, South Africa went on to win the prized title.

 

Jean de Villiers’ tournament ending injury:

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup after suffering a fracture to his jaw.

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer described this latest injury to De Villiers as a massive setback.

Jan Serfontein has been called up and will join the squad in Newcastle on Monday. An announcement on the captaincy for the match against Scotland will be made on Wednesday.

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AustraliaUruguayWallabies (31) 65 / 3 (3) Uruguay (Final Score)

The Australian Wallabies and Uruguay did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at

Villa Park, Birmingham, England at 13:00 SA Time (12:00 BST, 11:00 GMT, 21:00 AEST, 08:00 Uruguay Time).

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.

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ItalyCanadaItaly (13) 23 / 18 (10) Canada (Final Score)

Italy and Canada did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at

Elland Road, Leeds, England at 15:30 SA Time (15:30 Italy Time, 14:30 BST, 13:30 GMT, 07:30 Canada Time).

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.

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Scotland

Head Coach Vern Cotter has sought continuity in the rotated Scotland squad named for this Sunday’s Rugby World Cup Round 2 Test against the USA Eagles at Elland Road, Leeds (27 September, kick-off 15:30 SA Time, 14:30 BST, 13:30 GMT).

The entire bench from Wednesday’s win over Japan (45 / 10) has been promoted into the starting line-up meaning that despite making 10 changes to the starting 15 there are just 4 new faces in the 23-man squad: Tim Visser and Alasdair Strokosch who start at wing and back-row respectively and replacements Tim Swinson (lock) and Duncan Weir (flyhalf).

Cotter said: “We said from the start that we’d need the whole group of 31 players for this campaign.  We’ve known this schedule for a long time and have tried to keep continuity in selection, while also introducing fresh legs to what will be another very physical challenge this Sunday.”

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ArgentinaGeorgiaLos Pumas (14) 54 / 9 (9) Georgia (Final Score)

The Argentinian Pumas and Georgia did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at

Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester, England at 17:45 SA Time (16:45 BST, 15:45 GMT, 19:45 Georgian Time).

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.

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Mariano Galarza

Mariano Galarza

Rugby World Cup disciplinary chiefs on Wednesday banned Argentina’s Mariano Galarza for 9 weeks, excluding him from the rest of the tournament, after an incident with New Zealand’s Brodie Retallick.

Galarza was found guilty of making “contact with the eye or eye area” of Retallick during the Pumas 26 / 16 defeat by the world champion All Blacks at Wembley on Sunday.

The giant Argentine, 28, denied the charge. He did not get the maximum sentence because of his good disciplinary record up to now.

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NamibiaNew ZealandNamibia (6) 14 / 58 (34) All Blacks (Final Score)

Namibia and the New Zealand All Blacks did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at

Olympic Park, London, England at 21:00 SA Time (21:00 NAM Time, 20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT, Friday 06:00 NZ Time).

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.

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WalesWales have received an official warning from World Rugby for a breach of Rugby World Cup regulations during training.

Back-up players who did not make the final 31-man squads are not allowed to take part in practice sessions.

But a group of players not in Wales’ squad did participate during training at Sunbury on Wednesday.

“While World Rugby is satisfied that no deliberate breach was intended, an official warning has been issued to the Wales Rugby Union,” the sport’s governing body said.

“All participating teams have been informed that additional players from the extended squad, including potential injury replacements, may not be included in any training sessions.”

While there was little prospect of a points deduction for the infraction, with a fine likely to have been the sternest punishment, the incident will have been an unwelcome distraction as Warren Gatland prepares his side to face England on Saturday.

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EnglandEngland head coach Stuart Lancaster says he has not panicked by replacing flyhalf George Ford with Owen Farrell for Saturday’s game with Wales.

Ford, 22, started last week’s 35 / 11 World Cup Pool A win over Fiji, but Farrell impressed off the bench.

Sam Burgess has been selected at inside centre after Jonathan Joseph was ruled out with a chest injury.

“I don’t think putting an in-form and confident Owen Farrell into the team is a risk,” said Lancaster.

Billy Vunipola comes in at No 8 for Ben Morgan, who has a knee injury, while James Haskell and Alex Goode step up to the bench for the 1st time.

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FranceRomaniaFrance (17) 38 / 11 (6) Romania (Final Score)

France and Romania did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at

Olympic Park, London, England at 21:00 SA Time (21:00 French Time, 22:00 Rom Time, 20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT).

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.

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AustraliaFijiWallabies (18) 28 / 13 (3) Fiji (Final Score)

The Australian Wallabies and Fiji did battle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 17:45 SA Time (16:45 BST, 15:45 GMT, Thursday 01:45 AEST, Thursday 03:45 Fiji Time).

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.

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ScotlandJapan-Rugby-LogoRugby World Cup debuts galore as Scotland’s tournament finally gets underway. After the group opened with a Double B (that’s a Bucking Belter) in Brighton will we have a Grand Guignolin Gloucester?

Only 4 players remain from Scotland’s last Rugby World Cup match, a 16 / 12 defeat to England in Auckland in 2011, with Ross Ford the only player in the same position for both games.

Japan bring 6 players into their starting line-up as they try to back up their stunning victory over former champions, South Africa. The Japanese bench features a 6 forwards to 2 backs split, which suggests they expect Scotland to try and overpower them up front and reinforcements will be required.

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Richie McCaw

Richie McCaw

All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw pleaded guilty to a “dumb” moment which saw him sin-binned as his side struggled to beat Argentina in their Rugby World Cup opener.

McCaw, the most capped player in Test rugby, got a Yellow Card for tripping Argentina’s Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe half an hour into the game.

The Pumas took advantage of his 10 minutes of exile and later of the Yellow Card of Conrad Smith to stamp their authority on the Pool C game.

“It was dumb,” McCaw said of the incident.

“It was a reflex thing. It wasn’t the right thing to do and we suffered because of it and put the team under pressure, which you can’t afford to do,” the much respected captain said after.

The sentiment was shared by New Zealand coach Steve Hansen who said: “The 2 Yellow Cards today were pretty dumb.

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Agustine Creevy

Agustine Creevy

Good but not good enough was how Argentina captain Agustin Creevy rated his side’s performance in holding the All Blacks until the end of their Rugby World Cup match Sunday.

Argentina led 16 / 12, and an upset was on the cards, until an Aaron Smith try sparked the All Blacks into action and they came from behind to win the Pool C match 26 / 16.

“It was very hard,” Creevy said of the loss in front of 81 000 people at Wembley.

“The 1st-half was excellent, but the 2nd-half the pace was very fast, we made some mistakes and we were not able to recover from them.

“The All Blacks are the best in the world and they know how to score points.”

Creevy could not fault his side’s attitude and said they recognised they were closing on the world’s best teams.

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David Pocock

David Pocock

Michael Hooper

Michael Hooper

World class loose forwards David Pocock and Michael Hooper have both been named in the Australian Wallabies run-on side to face Fiji in Cardiff on Wednesday.

The star quality of the Wallabies’ openside flankers Hooper and Pocock is undeniable and has forced coach Michael Cheika’s hand in starting them both against Fiji.

Australia will roll out the brilliant backrow, including blindside flank Scott Fardy, with Pocock filling the No 8 jersey.

It is just the 2nd time the pair will have started a match together, following a successful outing in a 27 / 19 win over the All Blacks in Sydney in August, but Cheika admits the combination cannot be held back any longer.

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Cory Allen

Cory Allen

Wales centre Cory Allen, who scored 3 of his country’s 8 tries in their Rugby World Cup opener against Uruguay, was ruled out of the rest of the tournament by a hamstring tear on Monday.

The Welsh, already rocked by injuries to key backs Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb in their final warm-up match, had 6 players added to their casualty list during Sunday’s 54 / 9 victory in Cardiff.

Allen pulled up with the injury in the 2nd half and after having scans was replaced in the squad by Tyler Morgan, who joins Scott Williams and Jamie Roberts to restore the number of specialist centres in the squad to 3.

British and Irish Lions centre Jonathan Davies was ruled out of the tournament by a knee injury.

Wales next face England in a Twickenham clash on Saturday, which could go a long way to deciding which teams progress from Pool A, which also includes Australia and Fiji.

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