Week 2: upsets recorded and statements made

 
Brett McKay Columnist

By , 20 Sep 2011 Brett McKay is a Roar Expert

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Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore (left) and captain James Horwill (right) sit out the Australian team training session (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Well then, hasn’t that upset a few plans. At least now if the Wallabies do happen to pull off the improbable (as we’re all thinking this now is) and actually win the World Cup, then there can be no talk of having a supposedly easier route.

It was said in the aftermath of the Wallabies’ loss to Ireland that Australia would now have to win another Tri-Nations tournament even just to make the Rugby World Cup final. And this is a smart way of looking at it, because it does at least break the task down to something the Wallabies have done recently.

But more about the Wallabies later, there’s much more to talk about than another poor Wallaby showing.

If the first week of Rugby World Cup 2011 was all about the quality of the games, in particular those involving the minnows, then the second week was the one where some upsets finally came about, and major statements were made.

The upsets started late last week, with Canada getting over Tonga, and the USA beating Russia in the so-called ‘Cold War Clash’. But in truth, both Canada and the States were always going to be a decent chance of winning these games.

Canada had had several good lead-in games before the Rugby World Cup started, with wins home and away over the USA before arriving in Australia to play the Barbarian-Shackledraggers.

Their structured methods were always going to be a decent test for the more free-flowing style of the Tongans (indeed, they pushed France for 65+ minutes on Sunday night), so perhaps only the Tongans might have considered this result to be an upset.

The USA, particularly, have been quite impressive in this tournament so far, and their forward-oriented gameplan was the perfect foil for Russia’s attacking preference. I’m giving up a topic of a future Rugby World Cup column here, but Eagles captain Todd Clever has been outstanding in both the USA’s opening games. I don’t follow the fantasy leagues or anything, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Clever has been a leading performer.

Come Friday night, the hot topic of conversation was just how injured Richie McCaw and Co. were for the All Blacks. New Zealanders were either panicking about dying dreams or were quietly confident that the team hierarchy are just playing it safe.

By full time, I’d imagine most of the former concerns had transferred to the latter, with the ‘makeshift’ All Blacks giving Japan a good old-fashioned World Cup thumping, running out 83-7 winners.

Sure, it wasn’t quite the 145-17 demolition from 1995, and perhaps Japan coach John Kirwan was rightly claiming a moral victory when he said in the post-match, “It wasn’t as bad as last time.”

However, it was still a decent statement that the All Blacks had made. Here they were resting or nursing some key players, but yet they are still well enough drilled, and sharp enough in their execution as a team unit that it really didn’t matter who was wearing No. 7 or No. 10. Or No. 2. Or No. 12. Or No. 15. You get my drift.

In what pretty quickly turned into a 75 percent training run, New Zealand put Japan to the sword in the most clinical of fashions. The bonus point was secured on the half hour, and not even a change of hooker and captain in the second half would disrupt the home team.

As hinted by coach Graham Henry, Sonny Bill Williams did play in a new position, when he theoretically came onto Cory Jane’s wing. I say ‘theoretically’ because I don’t actually recall Sonny Bill Williams keeping the sideline or the touchie company. Not that it mattered.

As if it wasn’t already obvious, New Zealand remain the raging hot favourites to finally lift the Webb Ellis trophy a second time, and in doing so, they may end up using seven different XVs. And it won’t affect them one bit.

Argentina proved that not only are they the sporting the best strip of the tournament, but they are also among the most adaptable. Shunning the heavily defensive game plan that gave England such a torrid time, the Pumas turned on the running game against Romania to great effect, with their comfortable 43-8 win. It’s hard to see them not making the quarters at this stage.

South Africa similarly threw off the shackles to comfortably account for Fiji 49-3, but importantly, did it without Victor Matfield, without Bryan Habana, and for most of the second half, interestingly, without Captain John Smit.

Bismarck du Plessis is finally becoming unignorable, and his presence certainly helped the ‘Boks finish the game strongly. Barring any Pool C miracles, they will be a tough opponent come the knockout stage.

England, on the surface, look like they are finally getting into the tournament, though their 41-10 win over Georgia massively flatters the Motherland.

Martin Johnson certainly wasn’t impressed, describing England’s performance as “sloppy” and even further suggesting “If we are happy with those standards we will go home early.”

Be that as it may, England appeared much more composed with Captain Lewis Moody back on the field, and they will undoubtedly be enjoying how their side of the knockout draw has seemingly opened up.

And opened up it has, thanks to a lacklustre Wallabies’ showing against Ireland. All credit must go to the Irish though, for they executed their plan – as abundantly simple as it was – to perfection, with the net result being Will Genia being harassed at the breakdown to the point of being literally picked up and ran away with, and Quade Cooper forced into bad decision after poor option.

In his defence, at least it wasn’t for a lack of trying to make things happen.

The Wallabies set piece started off shaky and sadly went downhill from there, and while Bryce Lawrence’s interpretations at the breakdown could have gone either way, at scrum time, the Wallabies constant collapsing didn’t give him much choice.

The worst thing about watching Saturday night’s game unfold was how disturbingly accurate some previous comments of mine were becoming. During Friday’s Rugby World Cup Q and A session, Roarer Grandpabhaile enquired whether I thought an Irish win would be seen as an upset.

Answering objectively, yet prophetically, as it turned out, I replied, “…it probably will be seen as an upset, yeah, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be that surprising. Ireland are well overdue for a good performance, and now that the Wallabies have notched two on the trot [it was three, actually, but that hardly matters now], there’s a decent argument to suggest that they might be now due for an ordinary showing.”

Damn being right. But hasn’t the pre-tournament thinking been turned on its head as a result?

Follow Brett McKay on Twitter: @BMcSport
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