It’s less than 48 hours to kick-off the first of the November Internationals series when Wales take on Australia at the Millennium. At the same time, in another part of Britain, England will be quietly chewing their knuckles as they prepare to take on the All Blacks.
Three hours later, attention will switch across the Irish Sea to the revamped Lansdowne Road’s inaugural rugby match, where Ireland will be pawing the ground to let loose on an injury-ravaged South African team fielding only nine regular Springbok players and to make it four in a row on their African opponents.
Wales, whilst down a few of their more experienced or talented players such as Roberts, Halfpenny and Lee Byrne, should be able to account for Australia coming down off their high of a last-miunute win against New Zealand – particularly if Quade Cooper is playing and Kurtley Beale eats some dodgy Welsh Rarebit the night before.
England, desperate to be back where they were nine years ago, are straining at the leash to get physical with the New Zealanders at their Twickenham HQ. With an untested centre pairing at the heart of the New Zealand backline, England will be looking to expose early on the frailties of the New Zealand defence, as happened with the Australians last week.
England should come out on top in what will be a tight finish.
With South Africa in disarray, the question for the bookies on the Bokkies is not if they lose, but by how much. Fifteen seems to be the general consensus of the lunatic fringe.
Peter de Villiers is destined to be crowned SARU King if he manages to win this one, with a crew of newbies and half crocked old-timers, tired and worn out from their Tri-Nations and Currie Cup matches.
Murphy’s Law could well be in his favour.
All in all, having delphically studied tea leaves all the way from China and Assam, checked the firmanents for optimum astral positioning, peered long and hard into three different 24 per cent minimum lead crystal spheres, it could be a satisfying rugby weekend for Northern Hemisphere rugby fans.
C.H. Oker
Guest
Tri nations? what tri nations??? I guess I can say the same about your S14 campaign but hey, I don't harp on the past...
Winston
Guest
Bit soar about the tri nations are we?
C.H. Oker
Guest
You seem to forget that the Boks put this side together 2 days after the bruising curry cup and 5 days before the Irish test...only flew in on Thursday....and yet, still won (away from home!)... and the AB's aren't "on the verge of greatness" as u all blabbled about...they just peaked early (oops! again)....and it's nice to see that u are all quiet about your head-butting pensioner after u couldn't stop talking about Bakkies Botha ...funny how that works, but hey, next year is the RWC and the boks will once again win WHEN IT COUNTS!!! Enjoy your highs while it lasts....see u at the RWC!
Nappy Rash
Guest
Uhm, u were saying??
Suzy Poison
Guest
The difference was Matfield did the lineout calls in Xhosa, this time and it worked a treat. Word from the Bok camp is Gert Small (Ireland forwards coach) knowledge of Afrikaans meant in previous meetings, by half-time, all the lineout calls were all worked out, and hence Ireland dominance in this facet before. Secondly the Bok pack looks a lot more menacing with the three B's fresh, after long layoffs. I am talking about Bismark, Beast and Bakkies. Beast and Bismark didn't play in the Tri-nations, and Bakkies is on some kind of spiritual redemption mission. Previously the Bok pack was carrying two passengers, Spies and Smit, now there is only one, Spies. In the end, thanks to more subtistution lunacy by "The Clown" the Boks scaped it. Adri Jacobs is a turnstile in defence. Luckily we get Frans Steyn back for Wales. Also the weather really played into the Boks 10man game plan. Had it been dry, the Irsh backline is far superior, Ireland would have been far more dangerous.
Derm
Roar Guru
It's for when they're playing Fiji or Samoa. Or England, Scotland and Ireland. They don't just close the roof for anyone, Cattledog. You have to be nice to them. I'd say they'll close it for those nice fellas in black who seem to come every year...
Ben S
Roar Guru
I guess for things like concerts and boxing matches, for example. Gatland's pre-match claim was that he is preparing his squad for NZ, and so wanted the game to be open air. I'd love to hear what he would say if England pulled a stunt like that.
Cattledog
Guest
One things for sure, Pots, if Deans doesn't have his squad training on wet, soggy grounds with a greasy ball for just about every session next year, then we'll pay the price. Wet grounds are certainly an equaliser. Can you remind me again why the Welsh forked out all that money for the roof...
Derm
Roar Guru
So with victories all round for NZ, Aus and SA, was this weekend of SH teams showing NH teams how to play the game as predicted by media a la ball in hand, faster, slicker, NLI-energised rugby? Did we see a common theme and standard of play from all the SH teams that the NH teams are sadly lacking with their drudging, kick-chase, penalty-ridden rugby? Of have those cliches been buried? For a little while....
Pothale
Guest
To be fair to me - I didn't write the headline. But I did say that Wales and England should win and that SA would win with Murphys Law.
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Australia had a vastly superior scrum to Wales back in the days of Campese, Farr-Jones, Ella etc. In 1984 Australia scored perhaps their msot famous win at the time against Wales, when they scored an infamous pushover try against them. The Aussie forwards obliterated the Welsh that day. This isn't even getting started on the line-out dominance with Steve Cutler, and then years later, John Eales. Really the game didn't follow any sort of classical template. Historically Australia's had better forwards than Wales since the 80s, 90s... it's only in the 00s that there was sort of a decline in form in the forwards (ala 2005).
SteveDarke
Guest
Great predictions by the author. Don't give up your day job mate. England = losers Wales = losers Ireland = losers Yeah Round 1 to the Northern Hemisphere all right.
Dublin Dave
Guest
Jeez Pothale, you led with your chin on those predictions! Didn't see the England match. Wales Australia was same old same old. Somebody needs to get a long branding iron and engrave on all NH coaches that you will NEVER beat Australia by playing rugby league. This was a typical Aussie team, bearing a template that goes back to the Farr Jones Ella CAmpese dominated team of the 1980s. Lousy scrum. Minimal commitment at breakdown. Cast iron defence. Hit hard on the break once the opposition knock on/kick ahead/pass forward/lose ball in tackle. Nobody plays better without the ball. If you shovel the ball down the line laboriously, or try to punch through the midfield, you will get gobbled up. Repeatedly. The way to beat the Aussies is to make them play Union. Rolling mauls. Drive it up the middle with the pack. If they don't commit defenders to teh maul--keep going. If they do, maybe you will have some space out wide in which to play. A cliche maybe, but then so was this performance .Seen it so many times before. On an icy wet New Lansdowne Road there was precious little fancy stuff as South Africa stuck to their core strengths and beat Ireland without ever moving into top gear. Mind you, Habana excepted, this massive South African side is largely made up of low-gear type juggernauts. How Ireland came within an upright of drawing this game is a mystery. Their first phase possession, especially from the lineout, was non existent. They can be thankful that South Africa were so ponderous behind the pack. But with two minutes to go and only two points behind, what possessed an out half playing his 100th international to punt ahead instead of keeping the ball tight and driving up the park? All they needed was a drop goal. Kicking the ball to the Boks only let them hang on to it and run down the clock. Very dumb. Too many old men in the Irish pack. Nodynamism. No accuracy. Time to put Mick O'Driscoll and even the great David Wallace out to grass.
Ben S
Roar Guru
I have no interest in supporting mediocre Welsh play, KotG, but to be fair to them if it's not appropriate IYO to criticise the Australian scrummage due to Faingaa then it isn't fair to criticise the Welsh backplay (or lack of) due to the absences of Roberts, Halfpenny and Byrne.
Ben S
Roar Guru
Just seen this, VC, after having responded to you on another thread. Yes and no. ;-) Spot on about O'Driscoll, and also about Buckley. I had such high hopes for him in the loose, but clearly it's not to be. I was pretty unimpressed with the SA front row, but the Irish 2nd row lacked bulk, which shifted the balance, and that was all too evident. I think Court improved the scrummage and deserves another go. Matfield was excellent in the air, and the SA pack looked less lethargic than they did in the 3N. Perhaps the wet field was easier on Matfield's old creaky knees? Ireland made a lot of mistakes, and SA were pretty one-dimensional - one for the purists. I did think Ruan Pienaar was very tidy, and Aplon is a potential livewire, but not much to shout about otherwise. If Ireland don't pick themselves up form this loss then I think they are in big, big trouble.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
I think it's fair to say I called the match fairly accurate eh, Ben?
MattB
Guest
Sthn hemisphere rugby seems ok!
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Incredibly worrying signs for the Wallabies with that scrum. It was like going back to the days of Dunning and Baxter. Other than that... If I could just turn back time and somehow Kurtley Beale could score that try! What a player. Seriously. That deft kick after an up and under... that's in the Campese realm of creativity. He should have scored after that. I didn't notice him much in that first half. He didn't get many opportunities. But after that he was his usual great self. His running has just transformed the Wallabies. Easily my favourite player right now. Pocock got a few pilfers and drew a few penalties as usual too. The Wallabies defence was improved. The goal-kicking was solid with O'Connor. But that scrum... yuck! Good and bad with the Wallabies... and then there was the scrum that was diabolical. How was the All Black game everybody?
the woodster
Guest
the woodster says.... got to hand it to engaland for trying their hand at running rugby they kept the ball in hand denying the ABs of the ball. but a bit scrappy not the score i predicted granted engaland passes started to stick and made it hard for the 14 man ABs in the end, some calls went against both sides but thats down to officials all in all good welcome to rugby test for the new boys in the team. aus won watched some highlights it looked like they let the welsh in a little at the end there good to see what happens next week against england. Now for SA game. 8/
Ben S
Roar Guru
Well done NZ: OJ, Jerry, Sam, katzilla, DS etc. My 1st thought - Hosea Gear is sooo powerful it's ridiculous. With Sivivatu, Dagg and Jane to return NZ have some exceptional talent in the back three. It was a good game, but frustrating - like the Hong Kong Test a typical 1st up effort. England tried to play with invention but they kept making crucial errors. Lots of spilled ball and final passes not being perfect. At least they tried to play, I suppose. With regards to Gear, one thing that did strike me is how smallish the English back three were in comparison. That might prove problematic unless Delon Armitage is incorporated. English scrum was good, but the lineout was poor and the re-starts were erratic. Defence in the 1st half, as Easter noted, was all over the place, but by in large more positives than negatives. It was, as Mike Ford noted, a good old fashioned Test match - dogged defence, big hits, a desire to play wide rugby and mistakes. Bit unsure about the refereeing, but I have the same thought basically after every single Test match. All in all, a good game, so what more could you ask for (apart from a win)?