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As Rugby World Cup 2011 moves into its second weekend of matches, some teams are starting to play their strategic cards, looking to manage player workloads and nurse any niggling injuries. Join The Roar’s rugby expert Brett McKay from 12:30pm (AEST) today as he answers your RWC questions.
In tonight’s match, Graham Henry has rung the changes for the All Blacks, with seven changes to the starting XV which defeated Tonga in the opening match of the tournament last Friday night.
And he’s hinted at a possible new position for Sonny Bill Williams when he comes off the bench, but like all good school teachers, he’s not giving out details of this assignment before he has to.
Japan’s coach, the former All Black great John Kirwan, has gone even further, with no fewer than ten changes to the starting side from the Brave Blossoms’ first match against France.
Depending on your perspective, Kirwan is either fully utilising his 30-man squad, or he’s fairly obviously conceding this match and saving his trumps for their match against Tonga next week.
Tomorrow night, all eyes on this side of the ditch will turn to Eden Park in Auckland, where hopefully the Wallabies can secure a rare win, even if it’s not against the usual opposition.
James O’Connor is unsurprisingly straight back into the run-on side, coming in for the injured Digby Ioane, though he and Adam Ashley-Cooper have switched wings. Ioane’s injury also means Anthony Fainga’a has earned a reprieve after an unhappy time of it last weekend against Italy.
Ireland have named a strong side, and skipper Brian O’Driscoll is rightly suggesting that Ireland are yet to show their best form this year. They will need to be a lot better than they were against the USA last weekend, for what is their biggest match of the pool stage.
But of course it doesn’t need to be all about the All Blacks and Wallabies; what’s grabbed your attention during the Rugby World Cup so far? Which players have stood out? Which team or teams are now smokeys for the quarters?
Fire your questions in and we’ll get through as many as we can live, between 12:30 and 1:30pm AEST today.