The Rugby World Cup is just three days old and already we’ve had some massive results that have shocked the game.
So as we head into the first break of the tournament, who are the biggest winners and losers?
WINNERS
Japan
Whatever happens going forward from here, Japan have announced themselves on the biggest stage with an incredible 34-32 win over South Africa. To put that into context, this was only the fifth World Cup game the Springboks have ever lost.
The victory was Japan’s second ever World Cup win, the only other coming against Zimbabwe in 1991. Their defeat of the Springboks is without doubt the biggest upset in the history of the World Cup and is great news for the 2019 hosts.
It wasn’t just the fact that they won, but the manner in which they did it that will stick in people’s memory. Turning down an easy penalty which would have secured a draw in order to go for the try and win the game – that takes some real balls.
The moment Japan pulled off the greatest shock in rugby history #RugbyDistilled @glaceau_sw http://t.co/NpUKtj4C5v
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 19, 2015
Australia
It seems strange to put them in here considering they did not even play, but the Wallabies will take a lot of positives from the opening weekend of play. First of all, Wales have been riddled by injuries already at key positions. Secondly, Australia will not fear Fiji or England based on Friday’s game.
England continued to struggle at scrum time, a part of the game in which the Aussies have made serious strides over the last 18 months. Fiji, meanwhile, continue to look disorganised and their lack of a proper goal-kicker means they will continue to leave points on the pitch.
The TMOs
We’re not sure that anybody expected the TMOs to play as big a part of the opening weekend as they did. It felt as if every few minutes we were stopping for a referral to the video ref as the officials on the field hesitated to make their own calls.
Hopefully World Rugby will step in and discourage the refs from leaning so heavily on the TMO, but you have to wonder if the men in the middle were merely responding to a direct order to do so in the first place.
This Rugby World Cup is set to have a lasting sporting legacy – my daughter just announced she wants to be a TMO operator #RWC2015
— Ed Thompson (@edthompsn) September 18, 2015
LOSERS
Wales
As if losing Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb in their final warm-up game wasn’t enough, Wales now have question marks over several more players following their 54-9 defeat of Uruguay. Cory Allen’s tournament is surely over, which is particularly upsetting considering he scored a hat-trick.
Liam Williams, Dan Lydiate and – most worryingly – Samson Lee also left the game early through injury. Wales now face a shortage of props and may have to call some people in from stand-by. Could this be the return of Adam Jones, or has Gatland already burned that bridge?
Injuries – Cory Allen (torn hamstring), Liam Williams (dead leg), Samson Lee & Paul James (tight calf), Aaron Jarvis (popped rib cartilage)
— Simon Thomas Rugby (@simonrug) September 20, 2015
New Zealand
Although New Zealand eventually overcame Argentina, things didn’t look good for the opening hour of the game. It was only with the introduction of Sonny Bill Williams that the All-Blacks began to turn things around.
So while they are still in the driving seat in Pool C, Argentina exposed them and made them look very beatable. After losing the Rugby Championship to Australia over the summer and now being pushed so hard by Argentina, the defending champions won’t carry the same fear factor as normal.
South Africa
It’s amazing how much of what you see is coloured by your expectations. The Springboks came into this tournament on a poor run of form, having lost all three games at this year’s Rugby Championship – including their first ever loss to Argentina.
But everybody knows South Africa’s pedigree in the World Cup, so we expected them to coast through the pool stages and hit form in the knockout rounds. Nobody saw them losing to Japan the way they did, especially not while conceding 34 points.
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