Week Two made Irish eyes very sad. But Welsh eyes leeked with joy, when the Wallabies didn’t quite manage to hop into the lead in the second half. Uruguay failed to repeat their magic from Week One. Otherwise, the results were more or less as expected.
Week Three’s biggest clash is looking like England v Argentina, although no doubt there will be some surprises in the other fixtures.
We’ve also got some Pro14 and that English Premiership Cup thingy to look forward to.
Exciting (?) rugby on the telly this week
Friday 4th October
| S Africa 49 – 3 Italy | 10:45 | ITV4 |
| Glasgow 21 – 25 Scarlets | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Leinster 53 – 5 Ospreys | 19:35 | Premiers Sports 2 / TG4 |
| Worcester 19 – 34 Exeter | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 5th October
| Australia 45 – 10 Uruguay | 06:15 | ITV |
| England 39 – 10 Argentina | 09:05 | ITV |
| Japan 38 – 19 Samoa | 11:30 | ITV |
| Kings 20 – 31 Munster | 15:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Zebre 28 – 52 Dragons | 17:00 | Freesports |
| Cheetahs 63 – 26 Ulster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Cardiff 11 – 19 Edinburgh | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 / S4C |
| Connacht 41 – 5 Treviso | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 / TG4 |
Sunday 6th October
| New Zealand 71 – 9 Namibia | 05:45 | ITV |
| France 23 – 21 Tonga | 08:45 | ITV |
| Northampton 28 – 54 Saracens | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Tuesday 8th October
| South Africa 66 – 7 Canada | 11:15 | ITV4 |
Wednesday 9th October
| Argentina 47 – 17 USA | 05:45 | ITV4 |
| Scotland 61 – 0 Russia | 08:15 | ITV |
| Wales v Fiji | 10:45 | ITV/S4C |
Ovally Balls 
ALB hits a lovely angle in mid-field and just cuts thought the Namibian defence. Breaks 3 tackles to score the 2nd try.
10-3
Jordie’s not got the kicking boots on tonight. That one was almost charged down, then he pushed it low and wide.
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Cane off side (who’da thunk?). Namibia get their second penalty, straight in front of the posts.
10-6
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Moody gets pinned into a ruck and it’s another kickable pen…
10-9
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Yellow card for Laulala, for contact with the Nambian 14s head. The mitigating factor was that the 14 was only about 12in from the floor, however the arm was swinging. NZ will see out the half a man down.
Big Brodie subbed as well.
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Angus Ta’avao gets the 3rd try. NZ go through the gears on the Namibia line, before the replacement prop crashes over between the posts,
Barrett manages to get this kick. 17-9, 3 mins to play.
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NZ get a scrum inside the Namibian 22 and steamroller the opposition pack. They get a pen and opt for another scrum. Savea goes on a charge, they get to 5m out and it’s another pen. This time Namibia get a warning – and it’s another scrum…
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…and with another advantage from the scrum, they get the ball out. Goodhue takes the ball up and then it’s a great miss-pass to Bin from Accounts, who rides a tackle to score the BP try.
Half time and NZ go in leading 24-9.
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Moody scores the first try of the 2nd half. NZ get the kick off back and then just get multiple quick ruck balls, working across the pitch. It ends with a Namibian player knocking the ball on at a ruck, which goes past Smith, but into Moody’s hands, who drives over.
31-9
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ALB scores his second. Barrett bounces through he centre of the park and he then spreads wide right, the ball ending with ALB in the corner.
38-9
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Barrett’s not doing a bad job at 10, albeit against Namibia. And he seems to have fixed his place kicking, which was dire at the start of the 1st half.
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Reece gets his second. Savea passes him the ball on the wing and the 14 steps inside the onrushing defending 9.
45-9, 52 mins.
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Whitelock scores the 8th try. Forward power this time, going through the phases before the lock gets the ball on the base of the post.
52-9
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Bin Smuth gets no.9, and his second. They go wide, Todd taking contact but getting the ball to ALB. He’s tackled, but gets the ball out the back of the hand to Smith, who can’t be stopped getting over the line.
59-9
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NZ have 2 scrum halves on the pitch, both Weber and Perenara on in the second half.
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Tu’ungafasi gets a yellow for a high shot, much like the prop he replaced in the first half. Again the mitigating factor is the tackled player being 6in from the turf. NZ will finish the match with 14.
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Barrett gets the 10th. It’s an offload fest on the near side, the 10 saving the ball from touch at one point, before he takes a pop pass a few phases later to cross the line.
66-9
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Perenara starts and finishes an astonishing move. He breaks through the line and into the opposition half. Somehow he gets a pass away to Ioane, who gives it to Weber. He passes it behind his back to the looping TJ, who skips down the line. He’s tackled in the corner, but somehow gets his feet up and the ball onto the base of the flag.
Possible try of the tournament there.
71-9
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ALB is the Maro.
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Cheers for the updates, refit. ALB is playing very well at present.
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Here’s Perenara’s try:
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Good Marseillaise there. Anthems have mostly been disappointing, but enjoyed that.
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And some excellent threatening behaviour from the Tongans afterwards.
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Mmmm.- Good France, for now……………….
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Great breakaway there, did wonder if there was an early tackle by France to start it off though.
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“Italian loosehead props Andrea Lovotti and Nicola Quaglio were handed a three-match suspension each for their involvement in a tip-tackle on Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen.”
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I thought I might as well stay up to watch the ABs, so I lay down on the couch in front of the telly.
Didn’t see one minute of it.
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What do you have to do to get four weeks, I wonder?
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Raka is some winger and a huge step up from that idiot Teddy Thomas
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………there, didn’t I tell you?
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G’wan Tonga!
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Some flying in by the Tongans at the ruck to get cheating French ladz away from the ball.
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The game needed that Tonga try.
The game needed nothing. I needed it. I, who wants to be entertained.
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France-Tonga is quite good fun.
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Tough call by Berry.
Bish-bash-bosh by the Tongans. Very good.
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Almost Big Seb’s greatest 55 seconds in international rugby. In the end, of course, it isn’t.
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Game on.
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Wow.
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G’wan Tonga!
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That looked out to me…
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Also the ref calling white out at the same time probably didnt help if Tonga only heard “out”
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Seeing France struggle along like this for the 3rd week in a row is making me feel much better about next week though
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This lead is probably too much for Tonga but France do not look good.
On the form so far, only four teams look like realistic winners of this tournament. None of them are France.
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That all came from a French knock on. Awful refereeing.
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TMO READS OVALLY BALLS!!!!
Sag, is that you?
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Blimey, I’m sure they missed a knock on in the first half, they should rewind and start from there
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Medard is the modern French waiter………..
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“On the form so far, only four teams look like realistic winners of this tournament”
Japan, NZ, England and Wales?
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This game has sucked the life out of my Sunday morning.
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You should be in chapel, yos. Or are you going tonight?
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@tomp – SA in for Japan, obvs.
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