[RWC2019][Pool B] Round 3 - South Africa vs. Italy (04/10/2019)

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Who's gonna be the next coach Bruce?

Franco Smith is odds on (I'm not optimistic, but at least he has spent much of his career in Italy. The union should have begged Crowley to take the step up in my opinion). Tell me the forum didn't miss this farce earlier in the year.

Franco Smith:"Cheerio Cheetahs, I'm off to coach Italy after COS inevitably sh!ts the bed in Japan"
Italian Union: "Oh no, some misunderstanding, Franco is only here to assist the team after the RWC and COS enjoys the full confidence of the board"

Poor Conor can't even pick his own successor competently, we shouldn't be surprised he can't pick a coherent XV to save himself.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...Vaw0mnPn9UleyLhz_6BEFYt96&cshid=1570211906446

 

[bushytop]

Franco Smith is odds on (I'm not optimistic, but at least he has spent much of his career in Italy. The union should have begged Crowley to take the step up in my opinion). Tell me the forum didn't miss this farce earlier in the year.

Franco Smith:"Cheerio Cheetahs, I'm off to coach Italy after COS inevitably sh!ts the bed in Japan"
Italian Union: "Oh no, some misunderstanding, Franco is only here to assist the team after the RWC and COS enjoys the full confidence of the board"

Poor Conor can't even pick his own successor, we shouldn't be surprised he can't pick a coherent XV to save himself.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...Vaw0mnPn9UleyLhz_6BEFYt96&cshid=1570211906446

Well, I missed it... don't know about everybody else. Crowley has done a great job with Benetton, dont know how even he would do though. Real tough gig.

 

[Johnny Storm]

We just smashed a Six nations side yet you are still so negative? Be happy man this was a great performance and one we can be proud off. Fafs service was very fast when it needed to be and all the kicks are clearly a strategy by the coaches at this world cup to deal with the humidity. Dont be a Faf de Klerk hater. Dont be a hater at all. Appreciate this team, best Bok team in years.

It was a bonus point win, but I am only cautiously optimistic. There are four other teams in this tournament who would have put more than 50 points on the board there. New Zealand would have hit Italy for over 70 today.

Our pack is world class, but our back line is in tatters. We definitely need at least a 30% improvement if we are to be contenders. Throwing the ball into touch is an U15s mistake.

 

[mdaclarke]

It was a bonus point win, but I am only cautiously optimistic. There are four other teams in this tournament who would have put more than 50 points on the board there. New Zealand would have hit Italy for over 70 today.

Our pack is world class, but our back line is in tatters. We definitely need at least a 30% improvement if we are to be contenders. Throwing the ball into touch is an U15s mistake.

I think the Bok pack is the best in the world. The backs (except Kolbe) are average to above average Tier 1 (still world class though).

However they say forwards decide who wins, backs decide by how much"

 

[mdaclarke]

Uncontested scrums was genius. Just like the uncontested restarts Allan was being asked to kick, or the uncontested winger running against Campagnaro. What about the uncontested idiocy of the props, or the uncontested gainline by the ramshackle arrangement of out of position backs?

It all led to an uncontested fixture masterminded by the uncontested single worst Tier1 coach in the business.

What a Crock Of S served up by COS.

I was disappointed with Italy too. Don't think the sending off made too much difference. Would have been a win by 36ish points instead of 46 points.
I though Barnes bottled it with the sending off. Both should have gone.

 

[TheOvalBall]

Italy were absolutely terrible. They didn't play rugby. They played something else.

 

[TheOvalBall]

Boks were very good.

 

[User1245]

This one was hard to gauge but I think the Boks played narrow and therefore ugly finals rugby on purpose. Remember this was effectively a knockout match. If we lost, WC over.
Handling errors were an issue but the conditions played a role in that too. We need to better adapt in that sense.
The uncontested scrums threw a spanner in the works as it took a key attacking weapon from us. We would have put 70 on them if they had to deal with that part too. Firstly from a dominance perspective but also it would have affected the Italians fitness levels too. Tight heads are often the least mobile player in a team so having 2 loose heads on the field not worrying about scrums benefited the Italians IMO.
The water was muddied even more with the red card.

Scrappy, messy match thanks to the cynical, undisciplined and unfit Italians. They did rugby no favours today and effectively killed the match. The Boks did what they needed to win with a bonus point, so in that regard it was a very successful outing.

Faf and Willie are beginning to worry me, although Willie seemed to get better towards the end? Faf is getting tunnel vision and doesn't seem to be properly assessing what is happening at the time. Good news is his service is fine but his decision making and kicking is well below par.
Again Mapimpi is not filling me with confidence. Honestly I'm flabbergasted that an international winger can be that poor in the air. I would be doing countless drills in training for that facet of his game.
Am had one of his better games in awhile and Kolisi appears to be working up to full fitness nicely.

 

[VusoRSA]

The World Cup only starts at the Quarterfinal stage for us, I mean no disrespect to all our group opponents. The Rugby Championship was for trying combinations, and I think we've sorted our front line, now if we sort out our back line, only the sky is the limit. But I'm confident in the Boks, Masiyeni Madoda lixesha lethu eli, Go Bokke!.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I'll play devil's advocate: Applying the rules.
If two players are involved, then two players should be red-carded.

Not exatly the same, i know (purists, look elsewhere) but this is a bit like two players punching you on each side of the face. You dont get red-carded for the knocked-down player. You get red-carded for the punches.

I'm not disagreeing that both should've gotten the red card. But for the sake of keeping the game a spectacle, it would have been the worst thing. Especially because it was both props.

It would've meant 8-men uncontested scrums, which would've meant 2 less players in the backline. That's basically just training your setpiece.

And that wouldn't have helped our guys either as we wouldn't get much preparation for the QF's.

That's why I asked what would've been the point. By red carding the main offender, we got a justifiable advantage, even though we didn't need it. Red carding both, for a whole half to play with 13 men, wouldn't have been great for the World Cup.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Citing update: Italy props Andrea Lovotti and Nicola Quaglio will attend a disciplinary hearing in Tokyo on 6 October.

https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/news/498004

 

[Goodey]

You're not allowed to replace banned players in the squad right?

So that raises two questions:
1) How many looseheads do Italy have in the squad?
2) If they don't have two to field against NZ, what happens?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

You're not allowed to replace banned players in the squad right?

So that raises two questions:
1) How many looseheads do Italy have in the squad?
2) If they don't have two to field against NZ, what happens?

Didn't one of the English clubs have to play a 22 man squad in a similar circumstances in the challenge cup last season?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm sure I read somewhere that you can if they're front rowers - but you have to lose a non front row player

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Both looseheads have received 3 week bans. 2 tightheads have been called up to replace the injured ones, leaving Italy with 3 props available for the NZ game. What happens here?

 

[Goodey]

Mauro Bergamasco plays prop

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Mauro Bergamasco plays prop

That sent a shiver down my spine. Italy have a proud pedigree of boneheaded selections.

 

[Goodey]

It's so harsh that a flanker with 100+ caps and a bunch of top 14 wins is mainly remembered in the English speaking world as a guy who couldn't cover scrum half, isn't it? Yet it's in the first few lines of his wikipedia page. Life ain't fair I suppose, and if you're an Azzuri player, even more so.

 

[sigesige00]

Why did RSA play in the alternate kits, despite there was no colour clash?

 

[Which Tyler]

Why did RSA play in the alternate kits, despite there was no colour clash?

To sell replicas