SANZAR must find a place for the Pumas

MONDAY MAUL: By GREG GROWDEN in Lyon - SMH | Monday, 10 September 2007

What a magnifique opening two days of the World Cup for the southern hemisphere alliance.

The tournament could not have begun in a more startling fashion than having Argentina humiliating the home nation on the opening night when they played the perfect bash-and-barge game to down the French.

Then the All Blacks and Wallabies did their respective countries proud with conclusive victories over Italy and Japan on Saturday. Sure, there's a long way to go in the World Cup, but up here in the north, especially in the Paris region, everything has gone eerily quiet. Suddenly they are no longer criticising the south for conjuring up basketball rugby.

As the World Cup continues to emphasise the large difference between the sharks and the plankton in international rugby, the All Blacks and Wallabies are at least showing the way by playing admirable and finely tuned football.

In Marseille, the All Blacks performed as if they were involved in the 100 metres heats of the world athletics championships. They flew out of the blocks, scoring 38 points in just 19 minutes with immaculate ensemble play. Then they took their foot off the gas. For the second half, the All Blacks cruised to the line, knowing that there are far more important battles to come.

In Lyons, the Wallabies performed as if they were in a marathon. They began slowly, sat in behind the main pack, stumbled a couple of times, and took big sips at the drink stations. Eventually they found their rhythm at the 20-kilometre mark, and took off Forrest Gump-like, accelerating past everyone, scoring 68 points in the second half.

What was most impressive about the Wallabies was their conditioning. They were peaking near the end of the Japan game – due reward for long weeks of training in Sydney, Portugal and France. At last there was something to show for all the exasperation and perspiration.

This high level of fitness will be crucial come finals time.

And one can imagine the Argentine Rugby Union at the moment cluttering the email stream and hogging the fax line to SANZAR pleading for a look-in to either the Tri-Nations or the Super 14 as soon as possible. And the Argies have every right to state their case.

With the Tri-Nations struggling to retain attention because of a tired formula, it warrants the introduction of an effervescent team such as the Pumas. And why isn't the world's best halfback, Agustin Pichot, not sighted more in the southern hemisphere? He can teach a lot of other halfbacks, in Australia particularly, the most effective way to antagonise opponents.

The SANZAR boffins will immediately say that introducing Argentina would be a logistical nightmare, and the travel involved would become unbearable. There are two simple solutions.

One is to devise the draw so that the Argentina leg can be like a mini tour for the visiting teams, and similarly, when the Pumas visit Australia and New Zealand, make them stay for several weeks and turn it into a rugby festival. The Pumas are crowd-pleasers and Australian audiences will take to them – far more than when the Springboks sent their half-baked back-up team to Sydney this year and made a mockery of the Tri-Nations.

The second solution has been bandied around for some time. If going to and from Buenos Aires is too difficult – and this is always said by people who haven't been there and experienced one of the truly majestic rugby cities – then why not have the Pumas basing themselves in South Africa?

Numerous officials have been pushing that idea for some time, and it has some merit.

It is high time SANZAR stopped sitting on their hands and instead thought seriously about the Pumas. It could easily revive the Tri-Nations tournament.

The Pumas have already revived the World Cup.

www.rugbyheaven.co.nz

Forecast looks bleak in the north

By MARC HINTON - RugbyHeaven | Monday, 10 September 2007

Does it ever strike you as ironic that the All Blacks' fiercest, most vitriolic critics all ply their trade somewhere around the UK? If I was a northern hemisphere scribe right now I'd be turning my poison pen on my own teams who have started the World Cup with all the menace of a poodle at a pit bull parade.

France? They were a joke as they choked on the expectation and pressure of being hosts. England? Well, put it this way, making hard work of the USA isn't the best of signs. Ireland? Ditto Namibia. Scotland? Ditto Portugal. Wales? Trailing Canada 9-17 after nearly an hour indicates there's still some work to do there, even if they did finish with a flourish.

Hmmm. Either there's an elaborate ruse going on here – you know, luring us all into a false sense of security by pretending to be incompetents – or the northern hemisphere challenge looks to be a non-entity this World Cup.

All of which shouldn't really surprise. The World Cup has been held twice in the north, and both times it was won by the Wallabies. The way it's looking right now – and it is still early days, granted – this year's champion looks almost certain to come from the southern hemisphere, or more particularly the Tri-Nations.

There is still time for the northern sides to turn things round, let's make that clear. Style points count for next to nothing in the pool stages of a World Cup and the tournament's history is littered with winners who have spluttered through an unimpressive group match or two along the way.

But the signs certainly don't look good for the Six Nations hopefuls.

France could yet turn things round, and the hosts are far from dead and buried in a group that could come down to a points countback should Ireland topple Argentina and Les Bleus prevail over the Irish – realistic scenarios both.

But, purely on what we saw in their tournament opener against the Pumas, there appears to be no magic button for the hosts to push. They have a plodding attack, some fallible playmakers, and a clear lack of line-breaking ability. To be honest, the expectation that the French can take their game up a level is based purely on some mythical notion of them repeating their 1999 heroics, rather than on anything that recent form has hinted at.

And now, having painted themselves into a corner, it's difficult to see the French escaping. They're staring down the barrel of a quarter-final matchup against the All Blacks in Cardiff, which would not only negate their home advantage, but be a massive psychological hurdle for them to clear. Even worse, they could become the first host nation to be eliminated at the group stage if they slip up at all against Ireland on September 22.

The pressure will mount on Bernard Laporte's team too. They'll be copping some fierce criticism for their insipid effort against the Pumas – and rightly so. It's do-or-die for them from now on and they'll feel the heat, particularly as that Irish showdown looms on the horizon. I get the feeling the French are their most dangerous when they're relaxed and they feel as though they have nothing to lose. That's far from the case right now.

England quite simply don't appear to have the capabilities to defend their crown, or go even close. They do have some hard heads in their squad and of course the Jonny Wilkinson factor lurks, but there's just no evidence of Brian Ashton's side suddenly finding the sparkling form you'll need to topple any of the Tri-Nations teams.

Ireland perhaps have the best chance of figuring in the semifinals amongst the northern contingent, but they'll need to shake off the lethargy they showed first up against Namibia where they basically sleepwalked through the second half. The experience is certainly there to get them through a group that has suddenly opened up.

The rest you can pretty much discount. Wales won't push Australia and will then make their customary quarter-final exit, while Scotland face a similar sort of script with a daunting meeting against the All Blacks in Edinburgh apparently set to see them send out the backup troops. Pathetic.

Of course I haven't mentioned the Italians. The Azzurri were nothing short of abysmal in the pool opener against the All Blacks where they pretty much hoisted the white flag from the opening minutes.

I don't buy this tosh either about them being overawed by the All Blacks, about them showing too much respect to the world's No 1 side. Italy have been playing in the Six Nations, and in World Cups, for long enough now to realise what this is all about. Against a team like New Zealand if you don't show with intensity, you don't have a show. Full stop.

If the opening skirmishes showed one other thing to me, it was the miserable failure the IRB have made of trying to make rugby the global game it purports to be.

Italy and Japan have made almost no tangible progress over the last eight or 12 years. They were cannon-fodder back in the '90s and they're still cannon-fodder now. Heaven only knows what the Japanese do with all that money that pays all those exhorbitant salaries they throw around up there.

Samoa have gone backwards, Fiji remain an enigmatic outfit and Tonga have no realistic chance of an upset.

Rugby's global title remains the preserve of the chosen few, with Argentina the only side to have broken into those ranks over the last couple of decades.

In fact, after a mixed bag of an opening weekend of the latest instalment of Rugby World Cup, we have a lot to thank the Pumas for. Significant upsets are needed for rugby to remain credible, and the Argentinians provided the tournament an early shot in the arm with their inspired victory over the feeble French.

Now can they repeat the dose against Ireland?

www.rugbyheaven.co.nz

Meet rugby`s Mourinho

We've all heard the one about the gifted Portuguese coach who claims to operate on a shoestring, but the plight of Tomás Morais is no joke.

The mastermind behind Portugal's shock qualification for the Rugby World Cup is not so much crying wolf as keeping the monstrous beast from the door.

That the Portuguese are actually in France is thanks, in part, to the generosity of their government and the International Rugby Board (IRB), but a lack of cash is the least of their current woes. The 'Lobos' are also desperately short on size, strength, skill, stamina and experience.

Morais, a university lecturer by trade, governs over a ragtag assortment of desk jockeys. Accountants and dentists lurk in the scrum; teachers and engineers populate the backline; the captain is a law student; the vice-captain is a vet. Just one member of the squad, Gonçalo Uva, earns a decent crust from rugby, albeit as a bench-warmer for Montpellier.

Accordingly, Portugal's preparations have been far from professional. Whilst New Zealand's brightest stars were withdrawn from Super 14 to undergo World Cup 'conditioning', the Portuguese were busy working double-shifts in preparation for their two-month sabbatical.

And whilst English teeth continue to gnash over those recent defeats to France, Morais's men take a seat at rugby's top table with memories of a humbling defeat to London Welsh still fresh in their minds.

Before September is out, the lowly Lobos will have done battle with Romania, Italy, Scotland and the alpha dogs of world rugby, the All Blacks. Where is the RSPCA when you need it?

And yet the Portuguese march to France with their heads held high. They are wearing ear-to-ear grins. They actually want to play New Zealand. Have the morphine drips already been attached?

Not a bit of it. Merely securing an invite to the ball is prize enough for the Iberian amateurs.

"Our World Cup was just about getting here - being here is simply a dream come true," Morais told this website.

"We've thought of little else over the past three years. It's a huge achievement for us and a great springboard for Portuguese rugby.

"We know what we will be up against in France, but we go into the games with our eyes open - we know our limits.

"We've got a difficult pool and we can't expect to win many games. Our intention is to win the respect of the rugby world by playing with pride and dignity - and perhaps, then, we might just spring a surprise on the Romanians in our last game."

It's easy and advisable to turn to emotional intangibles when you are lost in Brobdingnag, but Morais clearly believes in the power of such things as 'pride' and 'dignity', and he delivers the key words with a narrowing of the eye and in the manner of a shaman.

Indeed, ignoring the obvious need for a round-balled reference point, it's not hard to see why the Portuguese media delights in referring to the cerebral 37-year-old as the 'José Mourinho of rugby'.

Like his Chelsea-based compatriot, Morais's self-assurance titters on the very brink of arrogance. He is a big believer in belief. He peppers his musings with buzzwords like "positive envy" and is not averse to the sound of his own voice.

He recently penned a book that sought to introduce various sporting principles to the world of business. In it he attacked "the stunting effect of individualism" in his native land and the "negative mindset of those that lead us".

Portuguese president Aníbal Cavaco Silva is obviously a magnanimous sort: he recently hosted a farewell drinks reception for the squad and is said to be planning to be in Saint Etienne for the game against Scotland.

Yet like Mourinho, it's hard to pick holes in Morais's methods - the proof is in the pudding. It's unlikely that Portugal would be where they are today had it not been his hand on the tiller of the caravel.

Despite the back injury that curtailed his playing career after 22 caps, his passion for rugby remains undiminished and his desire for success has never wavered.

Long before the Lobos had even entered the labyrinthine qualification system for the World Cup, it was Morais's hounding of uninitiated sponsors and his lobbying of dubious officials that laid the foundations of the dream.

"I enjoy setting goals and I relish summoning up my inner strength when the obstacles appear insurmountable," he says.

"I'm not the sort of person who tolerates dramas or negativity. I am the opposite. I always think positive and am always moving forward."

That iron resolve will be tested to the hilt in the coming weeks. Morais arrived in France at the eleventh hour after prising himself away from the hospital bed occupied by his infant daughter who is fighting for her life after a problematic birth.

The family drama has put Portugal's participation at the World Cup into harsh perspective, but Morais is eyeing resolution on all fronts.

Which brings us back to that date with the 'Oaks' of Romania. For the first time in the tournament's history, the team that finishes fourth in each of the four pools will automatically qualify for Rugby World Cup 2011.

The new decree grants each of the so-called 'minnows' a cup final of their own, and all before the play-offs even begin. Understandably, Morais has more than one eye on that final game.

"We are happy to be here but the party is now over," he said.

"Facing Scotland, New Zealand and Italy in a short space of time is a tough ask of any side in the world - for us it might turn out to be the toughest few weeks of our lives.

"We need to be there for each other and we need to keep our minds clear, come what may.

"We can't let the pressure get to us. If we can do all this, we will be able to offer Romania a stern test."

The us-against-the-world mentality is, again, reminiscent of the Chelsea boss, but Morais is quick to dispel the notion.

"I am very proud of the comparison," he says. "But I am not Mourinho, I am Tomás - my work has nothing in common with Mourinho's work."

It's hard to argue with the man. The Lobos are not fired by petrodollars, they play in spite of the money and for the simple love of the game. In these days of ice baths and IonX vests, as rugby continues its headlong rush towards cold-hearted professionalism, the passionate Portuguese stand as a reminder of the true spirit of rugby.

A win in France is highly unlikely, but the respect of the world is there for the taking.

By Andy Jackson www.planetrugby.com

Pumas tear up the script

Friday 07th September 2007

Argentina have won the opening game of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, beating hosts France 17-12 in the Stade de France on Friday in a scrappy but thrilling match.

"We exist." That is what General Agustín Pichot said after Argentina's famous victory over France at Stade de France, a victory to turn the 2007 World Cup on its head.

What a famous victory - and a deserved one. For one thing they scored the only try of the match, and France, apart from a long sequence of sterile batterings at the Puma line early in the second half, did not really look like scoring a try.

Before the match when the anthems were sung, the Argentinians looked overwhelmed with emotion while the French looked composed, not quite insouciant but nearly. The match was the reverse. The Pumas played with structure and cool urgency while the French composure came apart at the seams. The Pumas' emotions had direction while France's perceived composure crumbled into nervousness.

The Pumas chased everything while the French often regarded the game with languid interest. The Pumas piled into every tackle/ruck with a reckless will to disrupt and make difficult. The French were better in the line-outs and the maul. That is what held most promise of a try. The French were able to win the crucial line-outs and the vital scrums, but that was only an occasional burst of effort on their part. The Pumas' effort did not abate.

The Pumas kicked a lot and they chased but they also tackled a lot - 127 times to France's 66. They certainly tackled. And when they could not quite get there they reached out and tapped an ankle. The French gave the impression of fear.

The French experiment of playing Cédric Heymans at fullback was not a success. Having two excellent wings did not help when time and again handling failed the French in the face of Puma pressure. The French were jittery from start to the frantic finish.

This is just the second time that the hosts have lost the opening match. The previous time was in 1991 when England lost to New Zealand. Oddly enough England made the World Cup final, New Zealand did not.

Argentina dominated the first half and ended it leading 17-9. Good though the position was, it did not quite do justice to their dominance. From the time France kicked off to start the match, Argentina were on top. Their avowed intent was to get points on the board. Juan Martín Hernández tried a left-footed drop and missed. He tried a right-footed drop and David Skrela charged it down. More drop attempts were to follow in the match - all five in the match missed.

After the second drop Pieter de Villiers was penalised for holding on at a tackle and Felipe Contepomi goaled. 3-0 after four minutes.

Two minutes later France managed to get close enough for Skrela to level the scores when Juan Fernandez Lobbe was penalised at a tackle.

The first serious bit of running came from Felipe Contepomi when he cut back to the blindside and darted ahead. Heymans was penalised and again Felipe Contepomi goaled brilliantly. 6-3 after nine minutes.

France ran themselves out of trouble but the Pumas scrambled in defence and clung on to Frenchmen who seemed to give up. When Pichot intercepted a pass from Imañol Harinordoquy to Rémy Martin at the base of a scrum, Argentina increased their pressure. When Ignacio Corleto kicked and caught an up-and-under the Pumas again attacked. They had a five-metre scrum but the French pack destroyed their scrum and won the ball.

Dominici was penalised at a tackle and from an acute angle Felipe Contepomi goaled yet again. 9-3 after 23 minutes.

The next score was the only try. Corleto hoofed and Damien Traille caught brilliantly and broke clear. He gave to Martin and France looked to be on their way to score till Martin passed to his right. There was little Horacio Agulla. He had come off his wing to meet the French attack and gratefully accepted Martin's pass. Agulla ran and gave to Manuel Contepomi who gave to Corleto who raced past two French defenders on a long diagonal for a try without a hand laid on him.

Felipe Contepomi's conversion attempt from about 10 metres in from touch hit the upright and stayed out. Later in the second half one wondered if that bit of wood would not prove the Pumas' undoing. 14-3 after 27 minutes.

France managed to get some possession after this and Skrela burst well to put them on an attack whose only fruit was a penalty goal when Rodrigo Roncero infringed at a tackle. Felipe Contepomi steadied the ship with a penalty from just inside his own half, straight in front of the posts. On the stroke of half-time Skrela goaled a third penalty when Juan Fernandez Lobbe was penalised for an uncertain infringement.

The second half - all 40 minutes of it - produced just one score - a penalty by Skrela when Rimas Alvarez, who had replaced Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe in the first half, was penalised for going in at the side of a maul.

France had started the half running and their running was promising and produced more ball for them, but it rather fizzled out except for sporadic outbursts. They also produced a massive maul that went over 20 metres down the field and set up the siege to the Pumas' line which came to nothing when they let the backs have the ball and Dominici was penalised for holding on.

There could have been more points in the half but first Skrela and then Frédéric Michalak missed easy penalties at goal. But then Corletto had a run away and they could have scored had he got his pass up to Felipe Contepomi's hands.

With just two minutes left the reliable Felipe Contepomi missed one shot at goal and then, with time expired, he missed one from straight in front which galvanised the French into action from behind their own line, but still the Puma defence held until the final whistle went, signalling an outpouring of glee from all Argentina.

The Pumas exist all right as a force in world rugby and as an energetic force in this World Cup. It was a great moment for Argentinian rugby.

Afterwards Pichot was calm and took time out to thank the French people who "took us in as their sons" and helped them to develop as such a special team. Coach Marcelo Loffreda stressed the need for cool heads. Raphaël Ibañez, captain of France, looked bewildered.

All of France was bewildered.

Man of the Match: There was a team full of Puma candidates but there is no doubt that for his generalship, for the pressure he kept on the French and for the cool head he has the man of the match was Agustin Pichot

Moment of the Match: The intercept by Horacio Agulla and the run by Ignacio Corleto for the only try of the match.

Villain of the Match: None of the players was a villain, even though at times must have been trying.

The scorers:

For France:
Pens: Skréla 4

For Argentina:
Try: Corleto
Pens: Felipe Contempomi 4

France: 15 Cédric Heymans, 14 Aurélien Rougerie, 13 Damien Traille, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Christophe Dominici, 10 David Skréla, 9 Pierre Mignoni, 8 Imañol Harinordoquy, 7 Rémy Martin, 6 Serge Betsen, 5 Jérôme Thion, 4 Fabien Pelous, 3 Pieter De Villiers, 2 Raphaël Ibañez (captain), 1 Olivier Milloud.
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Sébastian Chabal, 19 Julien Bonnaire, 20 Thierry Dusautoir, 21 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 22 Frédéric Michalak.

Argentina: 15 Ignacio Corleto, 14 Lucas Borges, 13 Manuel Contepomi, 12 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Agustín Pichot (captain), 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 7 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Lucas Ostiglia, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 3 Martín Scelzo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements: 16 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 17 Santiago Gonzalez Bonorino, 18 Rimas Alvarez, 19 Martín Durand, 20 Nicolás Fernandez Miranda, 21 Federico Todeschini, 22 Hernán Senillosa.

Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England)
Touch judges: Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

www.planetrugby.com

Boks’ new semi-final threat

If the Springboks beat England on Friday they will probably meet Argentina in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

The Boks should play Wales in the quarters, who were absymal in the first half against Canada and should lose to the Wallabies in the key match of Pool B (despite it being in Cardiff).

Argentina are now favourites to beat Ireland and top Pool D, while on current form France should also be too good for Brian O’Driscoll’s men. That would see the Pumas play Scotland or Italy in the quarter-finals. Argentina have a great recent record against both those opponents, having won their last five matches against Scotland and five of their last six against Italy.

The Boks would expect to beat the Pumas in a World Cup play-off. Argentina’s forwards bullied France last week but it’s unlikely they’d do the same against the likes of Bakkies Botha and co. And while Argentina have won five out of their last six matches against France they have never beaten the Boks in 11 attempts. Considering how both teams play the game, it could come down to a kicking duel between Percy Montgomery and Felipe Contepomi.

Barring a bout of food poisoning, New Zealand will top Pool C and play France in the pick of the quarter-finals. Ironically, the match will take place in Cardiff, so the Tricolores will not have the benefit of home support.

The All Blacks would expect to continue their recent dominance against the Six Nations champions and meet the Wallabies in the semis. Stirling Mortlock’s side will have too much firepower for England’s world chumps.

That would, of course, result in two all-southern hemisphere semi-finals and ensure the Webb Ellis Cup goes south for the fifth time in six competitions.

Likely quarter-finals:
Australia vs England, Marseille
New Zealand vs France, Cardiff
South Africa vs Wales, Marseille
Argentina vs Scotland/Italy, St Denis

Likely semi-finals:
Australia vs New Zealand, St Denis
South Africa vs Argentina, St Denis

Likely final:
New Zealand vs South Africa, St Denis

By Simon Borchardt www.keo.co.za

Ireland`s call a whisper

Ireland got their World Cup off to an ignominious start on Sunday, as the men in green laboured to a 32-17 win over Namibia in Bordeaux.

The Irish got off to a decent start, with tries by Brian O'Driscoll and Andrew Trimble, but Namibia's pluck got them to within ten points with a quarter of an hour remaining, as Ireland's foot slipped off the accelerator.

Eddie O'Sullivan's side had wanted to send a statement to fellow Pool elites Argentina and France, but a disjointed performance followed Scotland and Wales' offerings earlier in the day.

And now it seems there is a mountain of work to be done before the fast approaching Les Bleus test later this month.

Ireland had raced out of the blocks when returning talisman O'Driscoll spotted a gaping hole behind the Namibian defence. The centre's delicate chip and gather saw him touch down on his back to open the scores.

And then Ireland's intentions were cemented to the Bordeaux crowd. A kickable penalty for O'Gara was pushed into the corner - with Pool D point's difference obviously vital - as the Irish set-piece chanced their arm.

But the tough Namibians were up to the challenge and withheld the early onslaught. In doing so, wing Ryan Witbooi introduced himself to the soon to be retired Denis Hickie with a stinging tackle.

After receiving treatment, the Irish veteran then had a guilt-edged chance to put his name on the score sheet on 15 minutes. But maybe not fully recovered from the earlier tackle, he spilled the ball unopposed.

However, it didn't take long for Ireland to utilise their pressure and realise that three points is better than none as O'Gara slotted a penalty to extend the lead to ten.

And it was the number ten who created the Triple Crown holder's second try. O'Gara posed to dab a penalty into the left corner, but then changed his shape and picked out Andrew Trimble on the opposite wing with an inch-perfect cross-field kick to dive over.

O'Gara was unsuccessful in adding the extras.

But an additional five points soon followed on 31 minutes when sustained pressure in the tight exchanges ultimately saw Simon Easterby stretch out to extend the lead to 20, with the conversion drifting wide.

Then, on the stroke of half-time the Irish were penalised for holding on at the breakdown and the 'neutrals' cheered Emile Wessels' 40-metre penalty over the posts, bringing the score to 20-3.

Obviously, O'Sullivan had words to say during the interval and it was immediately taken onboard as the Irish pack set about putting the squeeze on their counterparts.

And the pressure soon told on 46 minutes when, after consecutive infringements at a close-range scrum, referee Joel Jutge plunged for a penalty try, which O'Gara duly chipped over.

However, the confidence continued to ooze out of the team ranked 24th in the world.

And on the hour, the impressive Witbooi raced through a gap between props Horan and Hayes on the Irish 22, bringing the crowd to their feet. The winger subsequently offloaded to the supporting flank Jacques Nieuwenhuis, who crashed over.

Wessels' excellent conversion reduced the arrears to 27-10, but the Africans were not done there.

Two minutes later, the continuity of Namibia proved too much for a shell-shocked Ireland.

With their tails well and truly up, Heini Bock kicked down the left touchline for centre Piet van Zyl to hack on and gather over the whitewash. Game on at 27-17, following Wessels' fine extras.

Ireland continued their iffy display entering the contest's closing stages with numerous handling errors.

But they finished with a late score out wide when replacement hooker Jerry Flannery squeezed over to seal the hard-earned win and send the Irish top of the 'Pool of Death'.


Man of the Match: Winger Ryan Witbooi was a constant thorn in Ireland's side. His ferocious early tackle on Denis Hickie set the mood for that contest, as the Leinster man seemed not at the races for the remainder of the game. The Namibian's pace and quick-thinking also led to Nieuwenhuis' score.

Moment of the Match: The return of BOD was always going to be crucial to Ireland's Pool progress, and his healing power was even more necessary on Sunday. His chip-and-chase on five minutes demonstrated his game-breaking ability as he opened Ireland's account.

Villain of the Match: Maybe slightly harsh on the retiring Hickie, but the speedster struggled to hold a pass in the Bordeaux evening sky. One to forget!


The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries: O'Driscoll, Trimble, Easterby, Penalty try, Flannery
Cons: O'Gara 2
Pen: O'Gara

For Namibia:
Tries: Nieuwenhuis, Van Zyl
Cons: Wessels 2
Pen: Wessels

The teams:

Ireland: 15 Girvan Dempsey, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Denis Hickie, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 David Wallace, 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements: 16 Jerry Flannery, 17 Simon Best, 18 Malcolm O'Kelly, 19 Neil Best, 20 Isaac Boss, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Geordan Murphy.

Namibia: 15 Tertius Losper, 14 Ryan Witbooi, 13 Bratley Langenhoven, 12 Piet van Zyl, 11 Heini Bock, 10 Emile Wessels, 9 Eugene Jantjies, 8 Jacques Burger, 7 Heino Senekal, 6 Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 5 Nico Esterhuize, 4 Wacca Kazombiaze, 3 Jane du Toit, 2 Hugo Horn, 1 Kees Lensing (captain).
Replacements: 16 Johannes Meyer, 17 Johnny Redelinghuys, 18 Michael MacKenzie, 19 Tinus du Plessis, 20 Jurie van Tonder, 21 Lu-Wayne Botes, 22 Melrick Africa.

Referee: Joël Jutge (France)
Touch judges: Malcolm Changleng (Scotland), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official: Paul Marks (Australia)
Assessor: Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)

www.planetrugby.com

Scotland gain patchy win

Scotland managed to gain all five points from their first Pool C match against World Cup debutantes Portugal on Sunday, in a 56-10 win.

Those who expected Portugal to wilt under the pressure of a side with significantly more World Cup experience than them were sorely mistaken. Right from the anthems the signs pointed to a rousing display, full of courage and passion from the Portuguese.

Los Lobos positively belted their anthem out, while Scotland went about theirs in an altogether more sombre manner. That was reflected in the way they played for large periods. They did eventually run away with the game, but the performance will be of concern to coach Frank Hadden.

The early stages of this intriguing affair were dominated by Scotland, but too many basic errors cost them dear. Many expected the floodgates to open early, but despite an early brace of neatly taken tries from the impressive Rory Lamont, Scotland found the going tough.

The opening try demonstrated Lamont's power, while his second was a show of his pace, having fended off the last defender to race away. Both tries were converted and it seemed Scotland would kick on and rack up an impressive score. But Portugal had other ideas, despite a third Scots try, from hooker Scott Lawson after a clever cross field kick by Dan Parks.

With the majority of the crowd firmly behind Portugal they were brought to life with the most popular score of the evening. The crafty Duarte Cardoso Pinto, who impressed throughout, was able to free his arms in contact to find Pedro Carvalho who somehow squeezed his way over. The joy of the Portugal players was unbridled and the score was no less than they deserved.

Conceding a try straight from the re-start showed the frailty of this Portuguese side, Rob Dewey the benefactor, and again all signs pointed to Scotland finally getting into their stride. But again, back came the plucky Portuguese, and again they were rewarded again for their efforts. With Jason White being a little over eager to break from a defensive scrum he afforded Pinto another shot at goal. Again the little fly-half slotted the points.

A series of penalties, four in as many minutes, from Portugal resulted in a yellow card for João Uva as referee Steve Walsh finally lost patience. The fact they did not concede a single point whilst a man down is a testament to their spirit, although some of the rugby played by Scotland in the same period was truly woeful.

Looking more relaxed with the ball in hand, and making their first time tackles count, Portugal frustrated Scotland for close to twenty second-half minutes. Yet, as expected, their legs began to tire, and Scotland found the going somewhat easier as they added four tries in the closing quarter.

But Portugal were not without their chances during this period, the most notable wasted by Carvalho, who dropped the ball with a three-man overlap begging. As it was they would fail to trouble the scorers again, not for the want of trying.

What will have pleased Tomás Morais is that his side did not simply gift Scotland tries. Each and every second-half try was a result of concerted pressure, with the Portuguese back row prominent in defence, and captain Vasco Uva playing the game of his life.

If Scotland harbour serious quarter final ambitions they will need to play with more structure and less wild abandon than they did here. Too often they tried to force the issue, not to mention failing to execute the basics of passing. On several occasions they lost all momentum in their attacks through poor passing as players had to check their runs to take passes behind them.

Having played two warm-up games and spent the last three months together as a squad there is no excuse for such rudimentary errors. Credit must go to the manner in which Portugal hounded the Scots; their defence was tenacious, if what a little scrappy at times.

For Scotland the main objective was achieved, a bonus point victory, but they will leave for Edinburgh with much to ponder. Portugal on the other hand emerge from a gruelling encounter with much credit and more than a few admirers of their passionate style.

Man of the match: Whilst Rory Lamont impressed with a two-try performance this award goes to Portugal. Despite a heavy defeat in their World Cup debut they had several star performers. The best of them was captain Vasco Uva, who never stopped working in both attack and defence and was the epitome of the manner in which Portugal approached this game. A superb display which inspired his team mates to follow suit.

Moment of the match: Call us sentimental but it has to be Carvalho's try, the first ever by Portugal in Rugby World Cup history, and a much deserved one at that.

Villain of the match: Nothing out of sorts from anybody, a good clean game.

The scorers:

For Scotland:

Tries: R. Lamont 2, Lawson, Dewey, Parks, Southwell, Brown, Ford
Cons: Parks 5, Paterson 3

For Portugal:

Try: Carvalho
Con: Pinto
Pen: Pinto

Yellow card: João Uva (Portugal - 39th minute, repeated team infringements)

Scotland: 15 Rory Lamont, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Marcus Di Rollo, 12 Rob Dewey, 11 Simon Webster, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Mike Blair, 8 Simon Taylor 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Jason White (c), 5 Scott Murray, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Gavin Kerr, 18 Scott MacLeod, 19 Kelly Brown, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Chris Paterson, 22 Hugo Southwell.

Portugal: 15 Pedro Leal, 14 David Mateus, 13 Federico Sousa, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Duarte Cardoso Pinto, 9 José Pinto, 8 Vasco Uva (c), 7 João Uva, 6 Juan Severino Somoza, 5 David Penalva, 4 Gonçalo Uva, 3 Ruben Spachuck, 2 Joaquim Ferreira, 1 Rui Cordeiro.
Replacements: 16 Juan Manuel Muré, 17 João Correia, 18 Paulo Murinello, 19 Diogo Coutinho, 20 Luis Pissarra, 21 Pedro Cabral, 22 Miguel Portela.

Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Marius Jonker (South Africa), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Television match official: Dave Pearson (England)
Assessor: Tappe Henning (South Africa)

By Marcus Leach  www.planetrugby.com