Yesterday three matches took place in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, with the pick of them being Wales’ great effort against the reigning champion Springboks. Here is the daily show with short recaps of what went down.
Australia 32 – 6 Italy
The Wallabies put in a strong second half performance, led by their forwards, as they took control of matters at North Harbour Stadium. They were tied at 6-6 after the first half, but four quickfire tries in the second half made it more than comfortable for the Tri Nations champions in the end.
“Getting that result was key,” said coach Robbie Deans. “I’ve got a lot of respect for the Italian side. They’re a tough side. They defend very well and they’ll create some grief for some teams.”
Ireland 22 – 10 USA
Ireland got the result they would have expected after two Tommy Bowe tries set them on their way, but a late intercept try to the USA’s Paul Emerick made the score look more respectable for the Americans. On the tenth anniversarry of the World Trade Center attacks, they atteneded a memorial earlier in the day.
“In the grand scheme of things, this is a game,” said USA captain Todd Clever. “We’re talking about thousands of lives. I’m so glad that we were able to pay our respects to them.”
South Africa 17 – 16 Wales
The game of the day was always going to be the meeting of the Springboks and the Welsh in Wellington, and it didn’t fail to disappoint as Wales, who have only ever beaten South Africa once, put them to the sword with controlled pick and go rugby, and good use of their midfield. They starved the Boks of possession for the most part, but the experienced champions took the little ball they had, and scored from it.
Heartbreaking for the Welsh, who missed a sitter of a dropgoal attempt late in the match, as well as a penalty that could have taken them into the lead. Job done for South Africa, but they need to lift their game and get over one or two injury and selection problems if they’re too hang onto the trophy.
Also in this edition of RWC Daily, Buck Shelford talks about the best moment in his great career, and legendary New Zealand coach Sir Brian Lochore gives his thoughts on who can win the World Cup.
More clips will get posted soon, but for now you can view the match highlights on the official Rugby World Cup website. If you’ve having trouble viewing, make sure you have Silverlight installed.
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