Rugby World Cup 2015!

Webb Ellis Cup

Good day fellow fans, can you feel the excitement in the air? The 4 year cycles are coming to a close as the launch of Rugby World Cup 2015 (I am sure that is supposed to be copyrighted) has begun and the first kick-off on Friday draws near. The interwebs are filled with articles on the teams, players and venues and they are part of my ritual daily consumption each morning (go ahead and spend too much time with this awesome squad selector). This is test rugby as its pinnacle, and I cannot wait to lose entire weekends to the couch watching the teams battle it out. There will be fascinating story lines emerging from each pool, and for each team. The "Pool of Death", the struggle between Scotland and Samoa for a quarter-finals spot, Namibia's pursuit of a first victory, and the battle between 6 Nations rivals Ireland, Italy and France for the top two spots from Pool D (sorry Canada! Beat Romania, please). It is delicious, and if you say you don't know who will win, you are right. But if you say you do not have a favourite, well then now is the time to nail down that decision.

Injury Tracking in the Australian Conference

Hello hello, it has been a while. Not for a lack of work, mind you, as there are always lots of ideas and posts in the works, and the rugby calendar never ends. But had some other stuff going on, life, ya know.

I have been enjoying this Super Rugby season, with the World Cup approaching and an influx of players coming back to stake a claim in the national sides along with those already here pushing for selection, we have seen some tantalizing rugby so far. The New Zealand conference, as always, is competitive and the battle at the top of the South African and Australian groups has been enjoyable to watch.

One of the issues every team faces throughout the season is injuries, and while some teams get lucky and have good health for the key players, some never even get the chance to run their preferred XV onto the field, and bank their season on players who would otherwise be on the reserves bench.

At the Death

Ryan Crotty crosses at the death. Poor Ireland (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

This post was started during a conversation with a fellow fan online while we discussed how badly the New Zealand All Blacks were going to crush the USA Eagles in their game on November 1st. My counterpart said something to the effect of "If the US keep it close in the first 15-20 minutes than I think they'll be alright", which is normally a nice idea but since that left 60 minutes of ruthless All Black domination, and with the defeat of Australia at the death still fresh in my mind, I replied that the chances of it being anything less than a complete romp were probably as close to 0 as is possible.

In my mind it was the last 20 minutes that I'd seen this All Blacks side pull away from teams, and what sort of blogger be if I didn't take the time to examine and qualify that narrative? A lazy one is the answer. And since I am not lazy (merely busy, they're different) I have reviewed all 38 test matches the All Black have played since the end of Rugby World Cup 2011 to see if this idea holds true. 

Super Rugby and Beyond

Richie McCaw holds the Bledisloe Cup (C) Getty Images

The final Bledisloe Cup match for 2014 is around the corner with the trophy already polished and placed at NZRU headquarters, and the Wallabies left to wonder what might have been had they taken the first game a month ago. The record defeat in Auckland on the 23rd of August left no doubt as to separation between the two sides, rendering the third game meaningless in deciding where the trophy is headed.

The hope created in the Autumn test series and the June Internationals had given the Wallaby fan-base some belief that the team was on track as the 7 game winning streak attested to, though it must be said only Wales and Ireland were truly class teams that Australia faced during that period. However they were secured, a win is a win is a win, and that is what the Wallaby fans care about most.

The returns thus far in the Rugby Championship have not been great, though you could excuse some of it to injury with various crises that the team has experienced in the back three and at hooker, as well as Queensland couple Quade Cooper and Will Genia being unavailable thus far. It would be a mistake however to use this issue as an excuse for a team that has struggled with simple decision making and basic skills. The hopes some Australian rugby union fans allowed themselves to indulge in after the Waratahs emerged victorious in this year’s Super Rugby competition had created heightened expectations and the side has struggled to perform at a similar level. Whether those hopes were reasonable or not to begin with remains to be seen.

Public Service Announcement

Know Fear

While the game at Homestead may not have been as captivating as possible due to the rain, it did grant us the pivotal knowledge that the proud Juggalo gang has found refuge from persecution by moving to New Zealand and becoming rugby fans.

Juggalos: Never Die. 

The next Gathering will be in Auckland on Saturday, August 23rd.

Looking at the 2012 and 2013 Rugby Championships

Ben Smith takes on James O'Conner (c) Getty Images

Now that the June Tests have come to a close with series victories for the SANZAR squads, it is time to turn our attention to the Rugby Championship which outside of a World Cup/British & Irish Lions year is the premier event on the calendar. Sure, it does not have the history of the 6 Nations, but the quality of rugby is the highest you will find and anyone doubting that can please watch the Round 6 clash between New Zealand and South Africa for proof (here. You are welcome). The rugby is just flat-out awesome and I am already excited about what a competent Australia would mean to the competition and the progress Argentina will make as they continue to search for their first victory. I will not be making any predictions in this article, but what I do believe is that this year's tournament will be even better than last year, which truly is saying something. 


WIth an eye looking back to the last two years, I decided to have some fun by look at all the back-three starters (using Argentina's entry as the sensible point of reviewing data) to see which players were making the most of their carries: who had the highest average metres each time they touched the ball. I used the statistics from the Rugby Championship  site since I assume this is the official record, but I did notice some incongruities with their data and that from Statsguru, so I guess there could be some disputing the numbers. As this is a comparative project though, I do not believe that any difference would alter the overall picture these excel sheets paint.   

ENG/NZ

Dan Carter takes on the English defence (c) GETTY Images

Ahead of the test series between England and the All Blacks there has been an understandable emphasis on a disparity of experience between the two sides. You would be hard pressed to come across a report previewing the match that does not highlight the collective cap totals of the starting XVs, and since the New Zealand team more than doubles their English counterparts (779-303), it is understandable that this feature has become part of the overall narrative of the series. 

If England lose Saturday, which they will, it is true that part of the reason will be because the All Blacks were more experienced and able to take advantage of a green England side. That the England team that won in 2012 was also vastly inexperienced compared to that Kiwi side hasn't been mentioned in what I've read.

What hasn't been talked about so much (maybe it doesn't need saying?) is that the Kiwis are collectively more talented and play superior rugby, which is why they will win the series. The England side for this week is missing a plethora of front line talent from injury and rest and had the XV that had featured for the previous 6 Nations been available, this gap in experience would not be the conversational crutch that it has become. The side is what it is though, and England coach Stuart Lancaster and his staff will have to construct a game plan that will give this side a chance at victory.