The first round of the 2023 Rugby World Cup has come and gone and it didn’t disappoint.
From an interesting opening ceremony, for some, the crowd singing La Marseillaise while World Rugby’s Bill Beaumont tried to address them and then the most horrendous rendition of of God Defend New Zealand - one of the two anthems they have - the tournament kicked off in typical French “flair” fashion.
Must say, I’d preferred Ras Dumisani singing our national anthem to the koortjie they have there currently.
🔵⚪️🔴 #RWC2023 is about to take flight #FRAvNZL pic.twitter.com/YOxWpEdltI
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 8, 2023
Anyway, what were the big takeaways from the weekend. Kom ons kyk.
There were some memes doing the rounds saying the police are looking for the Kaapse All Blacks brigade - die het blykbaar stil geraak oor die naweek.
The thing is, mense, the 27-13 defeat to hosts France in the opener is not the end of the world.
Not our night in Paris. Congrats on the win @FranceRugby. pic.twitter.com/Evg6F3pHCH
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) September 8, 2023
Remember, Argentina lost their Fifa World Cup opener to Saudi Arabia and then went on to win the cup. The Springboks, in 2019, lost their first match to the All Blacks and won the cup.
Thing is, the All Blacks need to reinvent their game and do it vinnig. Referees at this tournament are pinning down on the “dark arts” and for long New Zealand were the masters of the arts.
With Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell set to return to the starting XV at some point, they will be better going forward.
And an easy clash against coach Allister Coetzee’s Namibia on Friday night might just be the catalyst to kickstart their campaign.
New Zealand are still a BIG threat to the Boks’ title.
Your 23 for game two against Namibia 🫡#RWC2023 #allblacks pic.twitter.com/4PM9j99Xp7
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) September 13, 2023
George Ford kicked three drop goals for England in their match against Argentina.
In fact, Ford kicked all the points as the English beat Argentina 27-10.
Those with good memory will know that Joel Stransky kicked South Africa to glory with a drop goal in their 15-12 win over New Zealand in the 1995 final.
When England won the 2003 World Cup, it was Jonny Wilkinson who kicked a last-minute drop goal in extra time to win the match 20-17.
From what we’ve seen in the first week, the games between the big guns will be close. Is it time for all the sharp-shooters to brush up on those out-of-nowhere three-pointers?
The Boks are on the board at #RWC2023 – thanks for a tough game @Scotlandteam 💥#StrongerTogether #Springboks #RSAvSCO pic.twitter.com/SUFztQjx8a
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 10, 2023
The world champion Springboks reverted to that old style of theirs in their 18-3 win over Scotland - the one that pins their opponents in their own 22 and then forcing them into making mistakes.
This plan is coupled with a strong defensive game, and as Huw Jones mentioned after the defeat it was that part of the Bok game that led to their frustration.
Boring wins it mense and nothing has changed.
Luckily for South Africa, the Springboks have proven that they can vary their style of play and that was evident in the match against Scotland.
Now it’s just up to them to know when to strangle and know when to plunge the dagger in.
All in all, there were some really positive, albeit bring, signs.
Up and running in style! 💪#TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/IF36waoHcU
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 9, 2023
With Ireland smashing Romania 82-8, it’s obvious that some of their players will top the charts in the stats column after the first week.
And here centre Bundee Aki is the standout player, making the most clean breaks (5) as well as scoring the joint-most tries (2).
Flyhalf Johnny Sexton also scored a brace, while the top five scores - all with two tries - are completed by Australia’s Ben Donaldson, France’s Amato Fakatava and New Zealand’s Mark Telea.
Sexton also tops the charts with the most conversions (7), sharing his lead with Italy’s Tommaso Allan.
Wales lock Will Rowlands, meanwhile, made the most tackles with 27 hits, with England flyhalf George Ford scoring the most points (27) and
Fiji No.8 Viliame Mata making the most runs (22).