Browsing: Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup: Every 4 years – Began 1987 in New Zealand & Australia, last played in England & Wales in 2015. In 2019 Japan will host.

Chris Wyatt, Kureme, October 5th, 2019 One obvious and fascinating aspect of this Rugby World Cup in Japan is the presence of school children at the matches.  At several games I have attended, multiple sections of the stadium have been full of school children.  They are mostly from junior high schools and all wear school clothes or sports gear.  This was most prominent at Kumagaya (both games I attended there) and at Shizuoka.  These are organized groups of school kids.  While it is interesting that the Japanese bring school children on organized outings to major international sporting events, the most…

France held off a comeback by Tonga for a 23-21 Pool C win at Kumamoto Stadium, Kumamoto City on Sunday, 6 October. Les Bleus had a 17-7 lead at the break. With the win, France qualified for the Cup Quarterfinals and is in second place in Pool C with a 3-0 record and 13 points. England tops the standings with 15 points. Argentina is in third place with a 1-2 record and 6 points. France opened the RWC with a 23-21 win over Argentina and followed with a 33-9 win over the USA. Tonga lost 35-3 against England and then…

Rugby World Cup 2019 host Japan defeated Samoa 38-19 in a Pool A third-round match at City of Toyota Stadium on Saturday, 5 October. Japan led 16-9 at the break. With their third win, Japan tops Pool A with a 3-0 record with 14 points. Japan opened the World Cup with a 30-10 win over Russia and then beat Ireland 19-12. The team also won three matches in the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and became the first team not to advance to the Cup Quarterfinals after gaining three victories. They now need to beat Scotland in their final pool…

England defeated Argentina 39-10 in a key Pool C match at Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo on Saturday, 5 October. England led 15-3 at the break, despite Owen Farrell’s misses with his boot. With the win, England became the first team to advance to the Cup Quarterfinals. England tops Pool C with 15 points after defeating Tonga 35-3, the USA 45-7 and then Argentina today. France is in second place in the pool with 9 points after beating Argentina and the USA. Argentina is in third place with 6 points after a 23-21 loss to France before beating Tonga 28-12. Tonga and…

Australia defeated Uruguay 45-10 in a Pool D match at Oita Stadium, Oita Prefecture on Sunday, 5 October. Australia held a 19-3 at the break. In the first two rounds, Australia beat Fiji 39-21and then lost to Wales 29-25. Uruguay beat Fiji 30-27and then lost to Georgia 33-7. In the Pool’s first third-round match, Fiji defeated Georgia 45-10. Pool D standings have Australia with 11 points, Wales with 9, Fiji 7, Georgia 5, and Uruguay 4. Wales will play their next match against Fiji on Wednesday 9 October before finishing with Uruguay on the 13th. The Wallabies finish Pool play…

Chris Wyatt, Shizuoka, Japan October 4th, 2019 It’s been two days and we have all had some time to think about it.  But even 48 hours later all I can say is wow!  The USA Eagles gave quite a performance two days ago at the fabulous Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium, frustrating a bewildered France who no doubt expected to roll up the tries in an easy win.  Have the Eagles arrived?  Not quite, but under Gary Gold this bunch is closer than any American side has ever been.  The final score at 33-9 is not at all indicative of the game…

France meets Tonga in an important Pool C match at Kumamoto Stadium, Kumamoto City on Sunday, 6 October. Kick-Off is at 16:45 local (03:45 ET). The match may be viewed in the U.S. live on NBCSN or on-demand on NBC Sports Gold and on TSN channels 1 and 4 in Canada. France has a 2-0 record with 9 points and trail England by a point in the standings. Argentina is another Pool C contender with a 1-1 record and 6 points. France opened the RWC with a 23-21 win over Argentina and followed with a 33-9 win over the USA. Tonga…

New Zealand seeks to reclaim first place in Pool B with a win over Namibia on Sunday 6 October at Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo. Kickoff is at 13:45 local (00:45 ET). The match may be viewed in the U.S. live on NBCSN or on-demand on NBC Sports Gold and on TSN channels 1 and 4 in Canada. New Zealand opened pool play with a 23-12 win over South Africa and followed with a 63-0 victory over Canada. They conclude pool play against Italy on Saturday 12 October. Namibia opened with a 47-22 loss to Italy and followed with a 57-3 loss…

Rugby World Cup 2019 host Japan faces Samoa in a Pool A third-round match at City of Toyota Stadium on Saturday, 5 October. Kickoff is at 19:30 local (06:30 ET). The match may be viewed in the U.S. on-demand on NBC Sports Gold and on TSN channels 1 and 4 in Canada. The Pool A standings have Ireland topping the Pool after a third-round 35-0 win over Russia on 3 October. Japan opened the World Cup with a win over Russia and then beat Ireland 19-12. Samoa opened with a 34-9 win over Russia and then lost to Scotland 34-0.…

England plays Argentina in a key Pool C match at Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo on Saturday, 5 October. Kickoff is at 17:00 local (04:00 ET). The match may be viewed in the U.S. on-demand on NBC Sports Gold and on TSN channels 1 and 4 in Canada. England tops Pool C with 10 points after defeating Tonga 35-3 and then the USA 45-7. Argentina is in thrid place with 6 points after a 23-21 loss to France before beating Tonga 28-12. France is in second place in the pool with 9 points after beating Argentina and the USA. Remaining Pool matches…

Australia faces Uruguay in a Pool D match at Oita Stadium, Oita Prefecture on Sunday, 5 October. Kickoff is at 14:15 local (01:15 ET). The match may be viewed in the U.S. on NBCSN or on-demand on NBC Sports Gold and on TSN in Canada. In the first two rounds, Australia beat Fiji 39-21and then lost to Wales 29-25. Uruguay beat Fiji 30-27and then lost to Georgia 33-7. In the Pool’s first third-round match, Fiji defeated Georgia 45-10 to move into second place with 7 points. Wales tops the Pool with 10 points and won’t play their next match against…

Fiji defeated Georgia 45-10 in a Pool D match at Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka Prefecture, Higashiosaka City on 3 October. Fiji had a narrow 7-3 lead over Georgia at the break before they exploded in the second half with six tries. Georgia opened its 2019 Rugby world Cup losing to Wales 43-14 and then beat Uruguay 33-7. Fiji lost to Australia 39-21 on 21 September and then to Uruguay 30-27. Match Recap After opening losses to both Australia and Uruguay, Fiji has the inside track to qualification to the 2023 Rugby World Cup after beating Georgia 45-10. The match opened…

Ireland defeated Russia 35-0 in a Pool A match at Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe City on 3 October. Ireland had a 21-0 lead at the break. In the final Pool A matches for both teams, Russia will face Scotland on Wednesday 9 October, while Ireland faces Samoa on Saturday 12 October. Ireland beat Scotland 27-3 in round one and then lost 19-12 to Japan. Russia lost to Japan in the opening match of the tournament and then lost to Samoa 34-9. Match Recap Ireland jumped out in the first minute after fullback Rob Kearney exploited a gap after a breakdown…

Chris Wyatt, Hiroshima, October 2nd, 2019 I am now at the midway point in my 2019 Rugby World Cup pool stage tour, having attended my ninth game today in Fukuoka where the USA Eagles held their own and put a scare into France fans, staying in the game and keeping it close at 12-9 into the 66th minute tonight.  I have nine more games to attend before I head home.  It seems an apropos time to mention the unsung heroes of Rugby World Cup 2019 Japan. We have our favorite teams and favorite players.  For me it is the Springboks…

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