Cape Town, Wellington, London (9/11 – 27)

South Africa has become the unequalled rugby world champion after winning the World Cup for a record fourth time on 28 October 2023. Before the 2023 edition, The Springboks won the Rugby World Cup in 1995, 2007, and 2019. Their closest rival is New Zealand, who has won the title on three occasions (1987, 2011, and 2015). Australia has two titles (1991 and 1999) and England has one (2003).

There are some interesting statistics about The Springboks’ success as the only team to have won the Rugby World Cup four times. South Africa has a 100% winning record in World Cup finals. They bested New Zealand twice (15-12 in 1995 and 12-11 in 2023) and England twice (15-6 in 2007 and 32-12 in 2019).

South Africa has won those finals despite only scoring two tries in total. Both of those tries came in the 32-12 win over England in 2019. The other 22 points for South Africa in the 2019 final came from two conversions (4) and six penalties (18).

In 1995, all of their points in the 15-12 win over New Zealand came from penalties (9) and drop goals (6). In 2007, The Springboks scored 15 points in the final against England only with five penalties. In their most recent triumph in 2023, four penalties from Handre Pollard ensured the narrow victory over New Zealand.

On the other side of the play, South Africa also does not allow their opponents to score many tries in the final. Beauden Barrett’s score in Paris on 28 October 2023 was the first time the Springboks had conceded a try in a World Cup final. Defense and set-pieces basically are South Africa’s main weapons.

“South Africa plays a certain style,” said former New Zealand player, Jeff Wilson. “Ultimately, when it comes down to it, defenses are still winning in the big games. Defenses are standing out, the set-piece is still the be-all and end-all. When push comes to shove, South Africa went to the front eight and just kept going. That’s how they win games and allows them to dominate in areas.”

South Africa could inspire other teams to do the same. The problem is that could as well be the killer of an entertaining rugby. Worth noting that New Zealand is arguably the most entertaining team in the last two World Cups because they always made the most tries.

The All Blacks always fell short in those two tournaments. A try in rugby is the primary way for teams to score points when playing the game. The strategies and maneuvers to execute a try are the main treat for fans.

When it is more and more difficult to score a try, potentially that would make rugby not fun to watch anymore. Fans will be seeing more kicks and one-pass carries with little action.

Another former New Zealand player, John Kirwan, says that the Springboks are boring to watch and insists that the governing body needs to enforce some changes. “I was bored during their game because it was stop-start. Now, the game needs to change. It’s an anaerobic game; we need to be an aerobic game,” Kirwan said.

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Dublin, London (9/10 – 25)

The pool stage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France reached its final day on Sunday. The eight quarter-final contenders who will compete on 14 and 15 October are now confirmed.

Host France are the Pool A winner, followed by three-time champion New Zealand. Italy finished third in Pool A, neatly qualifying them for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

From Pool B, current World Number One Ireland are flexing their muscles with a perfect record: four wins out of four matches makes them Group Winner. Defending champion South Africa finished second, with Scotland managing third place.

Wales are the Pool C winner with Fiji through to the quarter-finals as the runner-up. Australia finished the pool stage in third place in Pool C with 11 points, the same as Fiji. But The Wallabies got knocked out because of their inferior record in the head-to-head against Fiji.

England conquered Pool D with perfect results, leaving Argentina in second place and Japan taking third. In the quarter-finals, Wales will face Argentina at Marseille, and Ireland are up against New Zealand in a blockbuster match at Saint-Denis on 14 October. The next day, England play Fiji at Marseille and France will try to eliminate South Africa at Saint-Denis.

With Australia out, there are only three former champions left in the knock-out round of the 2023 Rugby World Cup: New Zealand, South Africa, and England. The possibility of the emergence of a new champion in the Rugby World Cup automatically clicks upward.

The betting odds at the end of the pool stage suggest that this time around, a new country will snatch that Webb Ellis Cup on 28 October. Most betting houses are stacking odds for Ireland and France, as two of the three favorites to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup. They are indeed the worthy ones.

Since their win over South Africa in Pool B, Ireland are practically the new tournament favorite. Johnny Sexton and Co. haven’t lost a test match since February 2022. Andy Farrell’s team also came into this year’s World Cup by winning their third Grand Slam.

Home advantage has been a huge factor for France, as they bid to win their first-ever Rugby World Cup. Since day one, when they humiliated New Zealand in the tournament opener, Fabien Galthie’s team look pretty solid and are brimming with confidence.

France suffered the loss of their star, with the injured Antoine Dupont on the sidelines. But without their mercurial scrum half, France destroyed Italy 60-7 in the last match of Pool A. The demolition of Italy may have shown that France are peaking at just the right time for the knock-out stages.

“After a first ‘World Cup final’ against New Zealand, our match next weekend will be a second ‘World Cup final’, clearly,” said Galthie. “South Africa are world champions and have clearly been preparing to win back-to-back titles and on the other side is the number one team in the world,” he continued. “The draw is what it is, and it’s up to us to do our job.”

Interestingly, given their track records in the tournament, Ireland and France are each burdened with a “curse” that can derail them in their quest to become the champion. In nine appearances at the World Cup, Ireland has never succeeded in reaching the semifinals. They infamously have never been able to get past the quarter-finals. On the other hand, France have never been able to reach World Cup glory as their best finish was runner-up in 1987, 1999, and 2011.

The quarter-finals will furthermore test the credentials of Ireland and France. As if it was destined, the two strongest candidates for a new champion will clash with two former winners. If they can get past New Zealand and South Africa, it looks like nothing will stop Ireland and France from going head-to-head at the final to determine who is the new champion.

“We’re in the quarter-finals against the toughest opposition we could get,” said Sexton. “The way the draw was made three years ago turned out to be a bit unfair, but it’s the hand that we were dealt and we have to be ready for New Zealand next week,” said the 38-year-old, who is due to retire after this tournament.

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Paris, Dublin, London (24/9 – 32)

Undefeated in 17 games in the last 15 months, Ireland has beaten every rugby union world champion, three of them twice – just for humiliation. Historically, the Irish never got past the last eight of a Rugby World Cup. In this year’s tournament they are on fire: fans have faith that Ireland will finally seize The Webb Ellis Cup on 28 October, final day of the struggle.

Low-scoring but epic: a 13-8 win over the defending champion South Africa in Pool B of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Saturday – a brutal statement from the Irish. Poor flummoxed South Africa never knew what hit them: they had only conceded 3 points from their previous two games in Pool B (creaming Scotland and Romania). Not only did the Springboks not concede tries in those two games – in fact, they only conceded two tries in their last eight Rugby World Cup games.

Ireland managed to breach that defense with Mack Hansen’s try, the second time in the last 15 months that Ireland has walloped South Africa: a 19-16 win when the two sides met in Dublin on 5 November 2022, with tries from Josh van der Flier and Hansen.

Hansen succinctly declared what the win to his team means: “They are the defending champions and they know exactly what it takes to win this World Cup”. “To get a win over them is as good as it can get really. It gives us a lot of strength and a lot of belief.”

Ireland has every right to assume this year’s tournament will be theirs: hey, they are the current world number one, on a burning winning streak since July 2022. What a campaign: Ireland shellacked every rugby union world champion, three of them twice. Johnny Sexton and Co. whomped New Zealand 23-12 and 32-22 on July 2022.

In November 2022, Ireland snatched a 19-16 win over South Africa, a feat that they repeated last Saturday. In the same month, Ireland was triumphant 13-10 in a match against Australia. This year, Andy Farrell and his team managed to defeat England twice: 29-16 on 18 March at the 2023 Six Nations Championship and 29-10 on 19 August, for good measure.

The victory over South Africa leaves Ireland clear at the top of Pool B, aiming them at host France or New Zealand in the quarterfinal. Ireland already did the job on France at a humiliating 32-19 last February, at the 2023 Six Nations Championship.

Ireland glows with an aura of invincibility – but they’re on their guard. “It doesn’t get any easier at all. We’ll take this win and enjoy it for now, then it is straight on to the next,” said Hansen, pointing out that his side will switch their focus to Scotland on 7 October, to ensure their place in the knockout stages. “We have a tough week against a really good Scotland side and if we get the win there, and everything goes well, it’s either France or New Zealand.”

“We are glad to keep rolling and get another four points on the board, but we have to dust ourselves off now and remain focused on Scotland in two weeks’ time,” added Farrell. “As the competition goes on we’ll need to be better,” he concluded.

Yeah, win the battle but don’t lose the war.

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Paris, Dublin, Johannesburg (20/9 – 15)

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will contest what will arguably be the grandest game in the Pool Stage this weekend. On Saturday night, 23 September 2023, South Africa and Ireland go head-to-head in Pool B, at Stade de France, Paris: the world number two against world number one. All will witness a reigning world champion versus a team with a winning streak extending from July 2022.

Both teams dive in with two wins from their opening games. The Springboks won 18-3 against Scotland – and then obliterated Romania 76-0. Meanwhile, Ireland have been barely tested, as they got an 82-8 win over Romania and 59-16 over Tonga. This will in fact be the first time that Ireland and South Africa have met at a World Cup.

But in the last meeting between them on 5 November 2022, Ireland won 19-16. Johnny Sexton scored 9 of Ireland’s 19 points in that game. Sexton is still Ireland’s main man in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, having scored 40 of Ireland’s 141 points with 3 tries, 11 conversions, and 1 penalty.

In his last performance against Tonga, Sexton became Ireland’s all-time top points scorer with 1090. “I’m very proud to do it, but tonight it was more important getting the win and moving on to what is such a massive game (against South Africa) this coming week,” he said.

With Sexton and company on fire, Ireland have already scored 141 points, the top number so far in this year’s World Cup.

South Africa doesn’t have a “Johnny Sexton” in their ranks, at least in the first two matches. Makazole Mapimpi, Cobus Reinach, and Damian Willemse share scoring responsibility, with 15 points each. The Springboks are basically unpredictable.

Against Romania, South Africa made 14 player changes to a team that ran on for an opening 18-3 win against Scotland. That is naturally a prime concern for Ireland. “They are the type of guys who come up with new plans and tricky little things in new games,” said Ireland’s scrum-half Connor Murray. “So you have to be prepared for everything.”

Defence is another strength of the defending champion.

The Springboks only conceded 3 points from two games, against Scotland and Romania. In fact, South Africa only conceded two tries in their last eight games at the tournament. Their current run includes shutouts against Namibia, Italy, Japan, England, Scotland, and Romania.

Their points aggregate across those eight games marked 343 scored and 47 conceded. “This team has always prided itself on defence, so I am extremely happy,” The Springboks’ head coach Jacques Nienaber said in the wake of the 76-0 victory over Romania.

The winner of this massive match will be in the driver’s seat of Pool B, with a possible matchup against New Zealand in the next round. The loser will likely claim second place in Pool B and potentially face France in the first round of the knockout stages. “It will be a big game, in terms of who finishes one and two in the pool, but there are still games to play after this match,” said Nienaber. “I don’t want to get too far ahead. If it’s Italy, if it’s France or New Zealand, it’s going to be a tough quarterfinal, it doesn’t matter who we play.”

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Paris, Auckland, Sydney (9/9 – 10)

Disclaimer. This article may offend you. Well, tough luck, go and read the science section or volunteer for the Girl Scouts. This is men’s rugby. Redneck, muscles and unabashed violence. Not suitable for the “Woke Generation”. Swearing, alcohol consumption and “guy talk” included. Political correctness? Dumped in the Men’s Room with the rest of the waste.

There was once a myth going that claimed that “All Blacks are unbeatable”. Like, “the Russians are invincible and can’t be beaten”, “Americans are the Gods of basketball” (but beaten by the darn Krauts, whoever would have imagined…), and so forth. The All Blacks were beaten, whipped, destroyed. And who, the French of all the people. Well-deserved. The myth has sprung a leak! Deflated! Is no more!

In a disastrous first round, All Black staggered into the Hall of Infamy. The Paris opening of the World Cup witnessed an historical first: blacks defeated, humiliatingly, in the first round. Now dear reader – let this sink in for a second. Is this the End of Empire? The ominous Advent of a toppling of the Rugby World Order? What calamitous effect will this wreak on the beer price economy in New Zealand (BURP) and across the globe, since Steinlager is banished from the shirts, replaced by some smirking, holy-woke, politically correct Helen Clark.

Alas! Sainted Jonah Lomu rotates in his grave. We hear the grave echo of heads smacking in Paris. No longer a freight train in ballet shoes gracing us with the myth of all Blacks but more like a snarling catcall of Butterfingers! and Jelly Legs! Constantly fumbling the ball.

What indeed is the epitaph of the Kiwis? “Sluggish, erratic and well [cussword here]. “Gentleman… lads… chums… hello, what’s with the triple S-play?’ was the moan from one disbelieving fan, shaking his head sadly, as he ordered a large tankard of French brew to booze his sorrows away, hissing “I thought this was a World Cup match – not the Auckland secondary school try-outs”.

Another fan changed out his All-Black shirt, parading around in his white undershirt. “I’d rather go naked!”, he muttered to his wife, who was attempting without success to console him.

It was painfully pitiful to watch the All Blacks “trying out” a technical rugby, a strategy which experts had vociferously warned would fail. And fail it did, wow did it ever: a colorless game, no fire – just burning up the clock: Kiwi play was pathetic, whatever it was called. Certainly not “All Black rugby”.

Repeated errors, sluggish moves – a “high school level” bereft of any coherent strategy. Another fan moaned quietly to his French friends “If this is the new All Blacks style of A-game, it’s best they forfeit the next match and go home with their tails between their legs, to spare us any embarrassment. His French friends, slyly snickering with justified schadenfreude, pretended to feel sorry for their sorrowful fellow sports lover.

We need to bear in mind that This is Paris, the blood-soaked theater of riots, revolutions, the Black Bloc – which compared to the All Blacks evinced more power, dependably. Thus the gleam of the guillotine for foreign interlopers. Ask the hordes of pretty girls who periodically lose their heads in Paris. This squad in fact looked truly unfit. Sluggish plays gave way to a Wehrmacht tank formation mowing down the Maginot line. Head on – and stuck each time.

And, did I just manage to communicate just how atrocious it was?

The French smartly snapped up the edge, thanks to New Zealand’s ill-conceived plays. The All Blacks conceded penalty after woesome penalty, as French fullback Thomas Ramos did the job on them, scoring 17 of Les Bleus’s points with his murderously accurate right foot. Note: do not blame the squad. It was the mule-headed leadership who picked the strategy. They seem to have overlooked the reality that the World Cup is no testing ground for whether “flavor of the month” pet theory they might concoct: it is not amateur hour. The grown-ups are in charge.

And speaking of “adult entertainment” (snicker). Entry to the painfully-humiliating spectacle were as painful as a spinal tap: 750 to 1,750 Euros for the masochistic pleasure of witnessing a ringside tragedy, a myth sent straight to Hell.

Playing in front of a packed crowd of 82,000 at Stade de France, the monumental defeat was an historical first for New Zealand: never before had the All Blacks been defeated in a pool stage of the Rugby World Cup. Always invincible, All Blacks had before this match won 31 out of 31 pool matches, since the Rugby World Cup premiere in 1987.

It was also their most devastating loss in World Cup history. The 14-point margin eclipsed World Cup losses to France in 1999 (31-43), Australia in a 2003 semi-final (10-22), and England in 2019 (7-19).

Any dedicated fam will assure you that New Zealand are one of two powerhouses in the Rugby World Cup: along with South Africa, All Blacks have swept up the most titles. In 1987, 2011, and 2015, New Zealand took home the Webb Ellis Cup. New Zealand never missed a tournament, finishing second in 1995, third in 1991, 2003, and 2019, and fourth in 1999.

Their worst performance was in the 2007 edition, when the All Blacks only managed to reach the quarter final. This year they marched in confidently, assured of winning their fourth title. Instead, it was their Stalingrad.

Well, we always can nurture the hope that this was indeed a) some magic, brilliant Eisenhower strategy, storming the beaches and sending the Germans running – but with only one hiccup (no German team in play), or b) all the other teams will succumb to the mythical “long Covid” and turn blind and deaf. That seems unlikely. So, no miracle will miraculously save them, as long as whoever dreamed up this idiotic strategy – one that even a 2-year old can figure out – is in force.

In fact, to see the All Blacks play this badly is no real surprise: there was a signal that they would not perform well in this year’s World Cup: two weeks previously, the All Blacks suffered their all-time heaviest margin of defeat, routed a humiliating 7-35 by South Africa.

Despite such a cascade of Waterloos, All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster still talks tough, adamant that team confidence in a fourth World Cup glory is still intact. “I don’t think we have to rebuild,” Foster said. “In the past, we’ve won all our pool games and not won the tournament. Our goal is to win this tournament. We’re frustrated we lost a game. We fired some good bullets at them. We just didn’t fire enough.”.

It takes a very confident leader to predict glory after such a defeat. Look, you don’t have to be a Napoleon nor a Churchill (he too made plenty of screw-ups), to see what works and what does not. Two major losses and a zero running game. Let me clue you in, Ian, mate: this is not soccer. This is rugby. A man’s man game. Hey, I bet you the girls’ rugby team kicks your champs’ ass – because right now, this is no winning show. Chess is more fun to watch than All Blacks. Now I apologize for dropping the brutal truth: I do so hope I am proven wrong.

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