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While the Rugby World Cup pool groupings are a well-documented schemozzle, nobody could accuse organisers of not making the best of a bad situation, scheduling a juicy, tournament-shaping first weekend of matches.
The 2019 event eased its way off the grid, with a nervous Japan edging Russia – a nation that failed to qualify this time – on opening night. Compare that to Friday night’s blockbuster; France locking in the support of the home nation by sitting New Zealand on its backside, courtesy of a powerful and intelligent second half performance.
There were pivotal games in all directions, with pool B’s comprehensive win by South Africa over Scotland and in pool C, Wales edging Fiji, having profound implications for the rest of the tournament.
That’s a result of obvious interest to Australian fans, with the Wallabies to face both over the next fortnight, buoyed by their 35-15 win over Georgia.
Despite fears in some quarters of an opening match disaster, this was a win for the Wallabies that was always going to happen. It was just the manner in which things played out that came as a surprise.
The much-vaunted Georgia pack was never really sighted, the Wallabies superior at set piece, carry and territorial kicking game, once everybody got past Carter Gordon having his first exit kick charged down.
So content was Georgia to play off 9, it was almost as if Nic White had been down to a Georgia training session, to school halfback Vasil Lobzhanidze in the art of box kicking.
With the Wallabies sensibly playing tournament rugby, accumulating points as they were offered, the contest was effectively over by half-time.
But here’s where things got interesting; Georgia realising that beyond their love of grinding and mashing beards at the maul, they had pace to burn out wide, against a side that is still yet to convince that they have a robust defensive plan in the outside channels.
Georgia soon found however, that a potential strength was also a weakness, with multiple opportunities spurned, a result of naivety and stage fright.
Winger Mirian Modebadze was a case in point, blessed with jet shoes but seeming not to understand the laws, forcing the ball in goal under no pressure, instead of letting it roll dead for a scrum near halfway.
He didn’t finish there, as good as begging referee Luke Pearce to give him a yellow card, after the clock had ticked over 40 minutes.
That was after his equally speedy wing partner, Akaki Tabudsadze, on a clean break, kicked ahead too soon, instead of pinning his ears back and taking on the final defender.
Worse was to follow, a loose carry instead of a low, grass-cutting dive, allowing Mark Nawaqanitiwase to knock the ball out of his hands over the line.
Taniela Tupou #3 of Australia runs with the ball during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Australia and Georgia at Stade de France on September 9, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
The butchering disease spread to star fullback Divat Niniashvili, whose sweeping 45m breakout had try written all over it. Which is exactly what happened, the ball somehow being handed over to Taniela Tupou, who hit the gas in the opposite direction, before hooking a sweet ball for Ben Donaldson to run away and score.
Assuming Tupou stays injury free, his signing by the Melbourne Rebels is looking more profound by the day. In command of his core role, Georgia’s scrum was going nowhere. And what about the brilliant passage of play in the 33rd minute, when he quickly stepped into halfback and swept away a superb pass off his left hand, before at the next ruck, with a taste for his new role, bouncing out the other way and popping a sweet short ball off his right hand?
That work was made to look even better when Tate McDermott, claiming his job back at the next ruck, ran himself out of options and threw a meek intercept.
That would be McDermott’s last involvement, getting himself into a horrible position in a tackle, suffering a Cat 1 concussion that will definitely see him sidelined for the Fiji match and, more than likely, the following match against Wales.
Equally impressive was Will Skelton, whose demeanour at the post-match press conference suggests he is growing nicely into the captaincy role. Entitled as much anyone to be slowed by the stifling heat, Skelton’s 70 minutes was a fine contribution, highlighted in the 51st minute by taking on a Georgian attacking maul on his own, and winning.
Georgia’s second half recovery of sorts was down to two things; a lack of sting from the Wallabies’ bench (where four lineouts were lost) and an evening up of the penalty count.
Just as the All Blacks versus France, and England versus Argentina matches showed, this is going to be a World Cup dominated by sides who finish on the right side of the penalty ledger, and who parlay this into field position and points.
Dalton Papalii, Tupou Vaa’i and Luke Jacobson are all outstanding Super Rugby players and deserved All Blacks. But if all three are in the same match day 23 against a top-rated nation, it’s hard to imagine New Zealand lifting the trophy.
Opening night against France demanded more physical presence at the breakdown and in the close carries; something that Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell would have offered.
Ethan Blackadder is a welcome addition, named as replacement for the unlucky Emoni Narawa, and while it’s no use anyone crying about missing players, because all sides are impacted by injury to some extent, New Zealand’s depth is plainly not what it was.
One thing that caught the eye across much of the NZ coverage of the 27-13 loss was the amount of vitriol heaped upon replacement halfback Finlay Christie. As someone who was on the Cameron Roigard bandwagon well before the masses twigged on, I don’t believe Christie is of sufficient class to influence a World Cup.
But neither is he deserving of the rubbish that was thrown at him by those media and fans who, as ever, fail to understand that when your pack is getting towelled up, it’s a pointless pursuit to go seeking a scapegoat wearing 9 or 10.
(Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Finlay’s chief asset is pace, and it was noticeable on a few occasions how he provided an extra option defending in the backfield, before using his extreme dash to be present to clear the ball.
I’ll be happy to see Roigard given more opportunity, but on a scale of who was responsible for New Zealand’s loss, Christie doesn’t even register.
In Marseille, Argentina shocked everyone, including themselves, bringing no attacking cleanout, no respect for possession and a reluctance to play within the laws. All of this with a one-man advantage for most of the game. Frankly, it wouldn’t have mattered if they were three men up, so off were they on the night.
England fans rejoiced hard and long, but apart from line speed and intensity in defence, they offered little more with the ball than George Ford having a decent crack at Jannie de Beer’s drop goal record.
Their backline play was laboured and lateral, and won’t threaten the better sides. Nevertheless, they won a game many were tipping them to lose and, the disappointment of losing Tom Curry aside, given where they were a week ago, they now look like certain pool winners. That’s significant progress.
Tom Curry of England looks dejected as he leaves the field. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
A hard watch, if this game achieved one thing, it was surely to draw enough attention to the scourge that is the horrible three or four-man caterpillar, and for World Rugby to deem enough is enough.
Enough was enough too for Scotland, rudely manhandled by South Africa. There was a moment near the end of the match where Scotland was offered the choice of a scrum or lineout, with the only possible answer being “neither thanks”. Oh and, “can you tell Rassie to turn that yellow light off?”
The physical battering was not unexpected, but with four years of preparation, surely Scotland could at least have bought a plan about how to deal with the umbrella backline defence, instead of Finn Russell giving the appearance of having stumbled upon it for the first time?
Finishing off the weekend, Bordeaux delivered a thriller with Wales, holding off a storming finish by Fiji, to win 32-26. A fumbled bounce pass to Semi Radradra, after the siren, with a certain try begging, was the pivotal play; although I doubt anyone would have backed Teti Tela to make the conversion from out wide.
What is notable is that three sides – Argentina, Scotland and Fiji – entered this tournament with high expectations of joining the top flight of nations at the business end. Two of them were a shambles, and the third, Fiji, not quite clinical enough against a limited but highly committed opponent.
If a change in rugby’s world order is coming – and remember, the tournament is just one weekend old – it’s not here yet.
And so, this World Cup is off to a ripping start, with full houses the order of the day everywhere, to say that the game is in a good place.
Despite a couple of difficult moments early in the Argentina vs England match, things have largely been controversy and TMO free so far. Let’s hope it stays that way.
The home nation is off to a flying start, and excited fans from all points of the globe are criss-crossing the nation having the time of their lives. That’s exactly as it should be.
To finish this week with a reminder that, like last time in Japan, there will be a second weekly wrap, towards the end of each week. Expect a few observations on some of the on-field talking points, and off-field points of interest, and this week, some sage career advice for young Australians intending to take up employment in France. Stay tuned.