France fly-half David Skrela will miss the rest of the World Cup after sustaining a bad shoulder injury in the opener against Japan, coach Marc Lievremont announced on Wednesday. Continue reading 
Springbok wing Bryan Habana has been ruled out of South Africa’s Rugby World Cup match against Fiji because of a knee injury and lock Johann Muller is in doubt. Continue reading 
England Prop Andrew Sheridan has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup due to injury and will return home to England. Continue reading 
Scotland (9) 15 / Georgia (3) 6 (Final Score)
Scotland did battle with Georgia in Invercargill at 09:30 SA Time (19:30 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & 4, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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A Tryless match!
Scotland were mostly in control of the match, but they were blunt on attack against a gutsy Georgian side who defended like trojans.
Tonga (7) 20 Canada (10) 25 (Final Score)
Tonga did battle with Canada in Whangarei at 07:00 SA Time (17:00 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Canada gutsed out a 5-point win, with gritty and hard work… and with 3 tries to 2.
All Blacks star Daniel Carter is injured and won’t play in this week’s World Cup match with Japan.
Carter, who suffered a sore back in the opening clash against Tonga, was replaced by Canterbury’s Colin Slade in the starting XV, with halfback Jimmy Cowan coming on to the bench, and Piri Weepu moving out to provide first–five cover.
Samoa (25) 49 / Namibia (0) 12 (Final Score)
Samoa did battle against Namibia in Rotorua at 04:30 SA Time (14:30 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & 4, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Samoa won this game and collected 5 log points by scoring 6 tries to the 2 late tries by error-ridden Namibia.
Three Rugby World Cup matches take place on 14 September 2011.
The 3 matches have already been scheduled as Live Game Articles and will be covered here on Rugby-Talk.
This Article should actually be read in conjunction with the previous one, namely “Analysis of the Springbok / Wales match”. A lot of the things that I wrote about in the first Article can actually be seen on these video clips.
Frans Steyn scored for South Africa within the first 3 minutes of this historic match between SA and Wales in the second Pool D (so-called pool of death) match of the 2011 tournament.
England’s Courtney Lawes has been suspended for two Rugby World Cup matches after being found guilty of recklessly striking an opponent with his knee.
Having dodged a Welsh bullet, Springboks coach Peter de Villiers is more convinced than ever about the three ways his team can retain the World Cup.
Watertight defence. Pinpoint goalkicking. And, perhaps the biggest headache, getting inside the respective heads of the referees.
The most controversial kick in World Cup for a very long time was not over.
It is way too early to start hitting the panic buttons after the Springboks narrow win over Wales on Sunday.
Leading South African referee Mark Lawrence has announced his retirement from international match officiating to concentrate on a new role as a coach and mentor to emerging refereeing talent.
One has to feel for Wales as they were outstanding on the weekend. I got pretty upset with the Springboks as the match progressed but in retrospective one has the give credit to Warren Gatland and his Welsh side.
I had some sort of an Aha moment during this game in the sense that I developed a deeper appreciation of the impact of the new rule interpretation on the game. The most important thing of the modern game is structure at the breakdown. The emphasis has shifted from set piece to the breakdown. Where previously forward dominance was dependent on structure at set piece, forward dominance now depends on structure at the breakdowns. Continue reading
A parade of topless, motorcycle-riding strippers scheduled to take place in Auckland this month has been cancelled to preserve the Rugby World Cup’s family atmosphere, organisers said Monday.
Rugby player Bees Roux, convicted of culpable homicide last week, should know this week if his suspension from the Blue Bulls would be lifted, according to a report on Monday.
I feel somewhat relieved to see that South Africa is for once amazingly not be the target of ridicule and mockery, but on the other hand mildly frustrated. Here are some excerpts from some “Expert” opinions on the New Zealand Herald panel regarding this weekend’s play.
Despite the most optimistic faces on the Springbok team at the moment, there is no doubt the Boks will be privately fuming with themselves at the way they allowed Wales to steal momentum in their 17-16 victory in Wellington on Sunday.
South Africa on Monday played down injury concerns in the camp, despite confirmation that veteran lock Bakkies Botha is not responding to treatment for his Achilles problem.
A stack of injuries in the opening weekend’s action at the World Cup has underlined how important squad strength will be in deciding which teams will go deep into the marathon, six-week tournament.
Injured All Black Kieran Read has declared that he will be fit to start the Rugby World Cup and play against Canada in New Zealand’s final Pool game. Continue reading
Springbok vice-captain Victor Matfield and centre Jean de Villiers have been ruled out of South Africa’s match against Fiji due to injury.
Pool A will have matches on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. On Wednesday 14 September Tonga will play Canada in Whangarei, on Friday New Zealand will play against Japan in Hamilton and the last pool a match will be in Napier when France play Canada.
The Wallabies have suffered their first real Rugby World Cup blow as winger Digby Ioane has fractured his right thumb and will have an operation.
England lock Courtney Lawes has become the first player at the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be cited after allegedly kneed Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma in the head. Continue reading
The top three teams on the Currie Cup Premier Division log have opened a gap on the chasing pack with five rounds left before the playoffs next month.
South Africa
The adrenaline seemed to be still pumping for South Africa coach Peter de Villiers the day after his team’s 17-16 victory over Wales in their opening Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool D match at Wellington Regional Stadium.
De Villiers was at his animated, playful best at the team press conference in their Wellington hotel on Monday, cracking jokes and expounding on team tactics and rugby trends.
South Africa’s three greatest exponents of line out play and masters of the tight phases are now injured.
The Scottish and Georgian teams have been announced for their clash on Wednesday.
Springboks (10) 17 / Wales (6) 16 (Final Score)
The Springboks and Wales did battle in Wellington at 10:30 SA Time (20:30 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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The Springboks squeeked a win by one solitary point.
Not a good performance by the Springboks, with replacement players like Bismarck du Plessis, Willem Alberts and Francois Hougaard made a real difference!
Ireland (10) 22 / USA (0) 10 (Final Score)
Ireland and the USA did battle at New Plymouth at 08:00 SA Time (18:00 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Ireland win and had a massive advantage in the set pieces, but the USA defence was resolute and only allowed in three Irish tries.
Wallabies (6) 32 / Italy (6) 6 (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies did battle with the Italian Azurri in Albany at 05:30 SA Time (15:30 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The Wallabies suddenly sprinted into life in the second half with a blitz of 4 tries, to put it well beyond the gutsy Italians.
South Africa’s campaign to be the first nation to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup kicks off at Wellington Regional Stadium on Sunday when their hardened veterans take on a youthful Welsh side.
Of the 25 matches between the two sides since 1906, Wales have managed one win and one draw, both at home. They have lost their past 12 encounters in an 11-year losing streak.
Cheetahs (12) 22 / Blue Bulls (9) 22 (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs hosted the Vodacom Blue Bulls at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 17:05 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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A kiss-your-sister result, but better than a loss either way, I suppose.