Well, Ireland have done it! (Can you believe it! I wonder the headlines would probably say: IRISH CURSE HAS STRUCK SOUTH AFRICA IN SAINT-DENIS or more like: SPRINGBOKS UNDONE BY LUCK OF THE IRISH IN GLORIOUS FASHION, but what a nice way for Ireland to win that game, what a match for our viewers right around the world) They'll be facing the All Blacks in the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup after a hard fought victory over the reigning world champs the Springboks (Who'll take on France in the other quarterfinal since South Africa had tasted the Irish curse with Ireland who gave the South Africans an Irish whipping) by 5 points at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis (And it was a great win from Ireland led by the ever incomparable Johnny Sexton by the way, but the New Zealander of Samoan origin who plays for the Irish of Bundee Aki (Ex-Counties Manukau & Chiefs player) could end up being player of the tournament after he had a monster of a game against the South Africans in which he was the standout player of the game just like he did against Tonga), so let's relive the live updates of the last 10 minutes of the match according to Newshub:
THE LAST 10 - RSA VS IRE
70TH MINUTE: Lineout won by Ryan before Murray clears with a kick over halfway, falling for Willemse. He counters, stepping one to get to halfway. Short ball for Snyman and he storms up to the 22, busting through tackles. Wide ball to Arendse but Lowe gets a hand to it and knocks it into touch. Boks throw to the lineout 15 out.
71ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA (JOINING MAUL INCORRECTLY): Fourie throws and finds Snyman at the lineout as the Boks set the driving maul. Well defended by Ireland before they give away the penalty, side entry to the maul from Beirne. De Klerk finds touch on the 5m line.
72ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM IRELAND: Fourie throws but the Irish compete and his throw is not straight! Crucial error by Fourie as Ireland have the feed to the scrum on their own 5m line.
73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): South Africa push early and concede the free kick. Easy let off for Ireland as Lowe sends the kick into touch 40 out from the Boks line.
75TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL MISS IRELAND (J. CROWLEY):
Lineout won by the Boks as de Allende breaks through the middle and into Irish territory. Building phases 30 out before Snyman loses the ball. Murray hacks the ball long down field and Kriel does well to get back and grab the ball. He loses it in the tackle though and Lowe attacks down the left, being dragged down 15 out. Short ball for Hansen in midfield but the Boks are there to meet him. Ireland building phases in midfield, not really gaining any metres. Crowley has his attempted drop goal touched by a Bok hand and it goes dead, resulting in an attacking 5m scrum for the Irish.
76TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Both front rows get a stern talking to as the scrum is reset a couple of times. Eventually O'Keefe has enough and on the third attempt he penalises South Africa. Ireland will line up the shot at goal, 15 in from left touch.
77TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL IRELAND (J. CROWLEY): Crowley nails the kick from a handy position.
79TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA (PLAYER LEAVING FEET): Libbok sends the restart short and it falls for Ryan. Crowley clears with a long kick into Boks territory, taken by Libbok who counters back to his 10m line. Snyman rolls his sleeves up and carries well in midfield before Kolbe looks to break down the right. Hansen steals the ball at the ruck and Lowe sends a long kick into the Boks 22 for Willemse to counter back. Back door play sees Kriel attack down the right but Aki shuts him down. Boks win the penalty as Ryan is caught off his feet at the ruck. Libbok finds touch inside the 22.
80TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): South Africa secure the lineout and set the driving maul. Storming towards the line are the Boks before the maul collapses. The ball is trapped and O'Keefe blows it up, bringing an end to this incredible match.
FULL-TIME: 8 - 13
In what was a battle for the ages, Ireland come away victorious over a resilient Springboks side in Paris. This contest went right down to the wire as the Boks hammered away on the Irish line to close the match. Ireland remained strong, though, and held the South Africans out to remain unbeaten at this Rugby World Cup.
Ireland were classy from the outset, utilising their set piece dominance to gain the upper hand throughout. Ryan and Doris got through a mountain of work up front, while Bundee Aki continued his red-hot form in the first half to lead the Irish to victory. Sexton seems to never age and consistently performs at such a high level for Ireland, with this match being no different. Lowe and Hansen proved to be dangerous on the wings, and it was Lowe's raking left boot that got the Irish out of trouble on several occasions. They have just sent a resounding message to the rest of the competition, that they are here to win it all.
The Springboks were always in the contest and will rue some missed opportunities, particularly in the second half. Multiple missed kicks at goal from Libbok and de Klerk will leave the Boks gutted with the result. Wiese was dominant in the collisions throughout the match, while Kolisi continuously rolled his sleeves up and took some tough carries for his side. While the result isn't what the South Africans wanted, now is the time to drop a game in the World Cup. They will be left to lick their wounds and need to improve if they are to meet Ireland again at this World Cup.
Next up for Ireland is Scotland in 13 days time in what will be good preparation for the quarters. Until then, they will enjoy a well deserved break. The Springboks have Tonga in 7 days and will no doubt come out firing for that match as they look to secure second place in Pool B heading into the final stages.
That is all we have time for from Paris. I hope you have enjoyed coverage of Rugby World Cup 2023 and have a wonderful rest of your day.
And here are the other results from the pool matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup that have just come in:
Italy 38 - 17 Uruguay (It was Italy's day as they dispatched Uruguay at Allianz Rivera in Nice)
France 96 - 0 Namibia (It was the hosts France's night as they had a comprehensive blowout against the Namibians in a record score which was marred by the red card of Namibian captain Johan Deysel (Who is now been given a lengthy ban for his actions which is worth up to 5 to 6 weeks & joins New Zealander Ethan de Groot & Englishman Tom Curry as part of the suspended players list) for a high tackle on French captain Antoine Dupont who could be ruled out for the next couple of games due to a facial injury in which the French fans were holding their breath)
Argentina 19 - 10 Samoa (And it was Argentina's day as they smoked Samoa to bits at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne)
Georgia 18 - 18 Portugal (And no side has ever claimed a win due to the first drawn match at this years World Cup as both sides share the points & the spoils after Portugal had the chance to win the game with a match winning penalty goal, but it sailed wide at Stadium de Toulouse in Toulouse)
England 71 - 0 Chile (It was England's night as they hammered Chile in English captain's Owen Farrell's return from a 4 week ban at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille while the star of the game was Henry Arundell who ran in 5 tries following his return from injury)
Scotland 45 - 17 Tonga (It was Scotland's day as they thrashed Tonga apart to pieces at at Allianz Rivera in Nice which was overshadowed by ex-All Black Vaea Fifita being sent off for a reckless cheap shot on Scotland's playmaker Finn Russell which ends his World Cup as a result of a ban)
& Wales 40 - 6 Australia (It was Wales's night as they continue their domimance over the Wallabies (Who now had their worst result at the tournament, surpassing the quarterfinal stages in 1995, 2007 & 2019 & have now had a record defeat by 26 points (Also surpassing the 16 point margin that they had in their quarterfinal defeat against England in 2019) at a Rugby World Cup at OL Stadium in Lyon which resulted Eddie Jones losing his job after the tournament due to dismal results over Fiji & now Wales recently (Well, he's gotta go as Australia sink to a new low in the world rankings & with Jones (Who he'll be gutted & heartbroken among most Aussies especially the players themselves by copping a bit of flak compared to the Matildas thrilling run to the Football Women's World Cup that they had this year in which they were semifinalists on that occasion (They lost to England before losing again to Sweden in the 3rd/4th place playoff) having the possibility of coaching Japan again despite his rumors of a job being on offer)
And the latest on Formula One as the dual world champion of Holland's Max Verstappen has returned to winning ways (Following his disappointment in Singapore where Red Bull were unable to maintain their 100% winning record in 2023) at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka to clinch the constructors title for his team Red Bull while the McLaren pair of both Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri (Who had his best result in 3rd in which he finished on the podium) have rounded out the podium, but he has a potential mathematical chance of clinching his 3rd consecutive world championship going into the next Grand Prix in Qatar at the sprint race.
And finally on the 27th of September that I went with my parents of Dad & my step mum of Raewyn on a trip to Palmy of Palmerston North (In which I haven't been since last year in November with Pops), & I had a great time there as me & Dad visited the rugby museum (Although the original volunteer was fallen ill so someone had to fill in) & had brunch at Cafe Cuba where I had beef ragu pasta there then went to the mall at The Plaza in which I went to JB Hi-Fi to get both Blu-ray movies of both Mision Impossible 2 & the Fast & The Furious before heading to Noel Leeming to get my Seagate Xbox game drive & then, we headed back home after visting a number of shops there to enjoy the day it was.
So that is my 520th blog of the year 2023 (MMXXIII) & my 44th of this year, viva Ukraine.
P.S. And the All Blacks team has been revealed ahead of our next pool game against Italy (Our 1st meeting between the two sides was in 1987 which resulted in a comprehensive blowout for New Zealand in which John Kirwan scored a magnificent length of the field stunner which was the memorable moment in the game (The 1st try of the very opening match of the Rugby World Cup was in fact a penalty try while the first genuine try of the tournament was in fact Michael Jones) in which the All Blacks for the first time, put on 50 points in a full blown international) but the last time we met the Italians was in 2007 in the pool games in which we had a win against them & we were originally going to play them 4 years ago in 2019, but the game had been cancelled/called off as a result of a typhoon spreading across Japan), so here is the starting lineup according to coach Fozzy (Ian Foster):
STARTING XV
FORWARD PACK
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Blues/Northland)
2 (Hooker): Codie Taylor (Crusaders/Canterbury)
3 (Tight head prop): Nepo Laulala (Blues/Counties Manukau)
SECOND ROW
4 (No.4 lock): Brodie Retallick (Chiefs/Hawke's Bay)
5 (No.5 lock): Scott Barrett (Crusaders/Taranaki)
LOOSE FORWARDS
6 (Blind side flanker): Shannon Frizell (Highlanders/Tasman)
7 (Open side flanker): Dalton Papali'i (Blues/Counties Manukau)
8 (Number 8): Ardie Savea (Captain, Hurricanes/Wellington)
BACK LINE
HALVES
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Highlanders/Manawatu)
10 (First five-eighth): Richie Mo'unga (Crusaders/Canterbury)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five-eighth): Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
13 (Centre): Rieko Ioane (Blues/Auckland)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left wing): Mark Telea (Blues/North Harbour)
14 (Right wing): Will Jordan (Crusaders/Tasman)
& 15 (Fullback): Beauden Barrett (Blues/Taranaki)
& REPLACEMENT PLAYERS
16 (Reserve hooker): Dane Coles
17 (Reserve loose head prop): Tamaiti Williams (Who takes Ethan de Groot's place as the reserve loosehead prop as De Groot is suspended for this & the next match as a result of a red card for a reckless high tackle on a Namibian player in the previous game against Namibia)
18 (Reserve tight head prop): Tyrel Lomax (Who returns from a nasty leg gash sustained against the Springboks in London before the World Cup, taking Fletcher Newell's place as the reserve tighthead prop spot)
19 (Reserve lock): Sam Whitelock (Who is dropped to the bench with Scott Barrett elevated to the starting lineup to start as the number 5 lock position & is in line of becoming the most capped All Blacks test player at 149, surpassing the all time record set by Richie McCaw with 148)
20 (Reserve loose forward): Sam Cane (Who replaces his Chiefs teammate Tupou Vaa'i to return from injury after being ruled out for both games against France in a losing effort during the opening match of the RWC & Namibia through a back spasm)
21 (Reserve half-back): Cam Roigard (Who is dropped to the bench to replace Aaron Smith to cover the halfback position with Smith being elevated to the starting lineup as the starting halfback)
22 (Reserve first-five eighth): Damian McKenzie (Who is making way to replace Richie Mo'unga to cover the first five position with Mo'unga elevated to the starting lineup as the starting first-five)
& 23 (Reserve back): Anton Lienert-Brown (Who has replaced Rieko Ioane to cover the reserve back position with Ioane elevated to the starting lineup as the starting centre)
And Italy led by Michele Lamaro have named their team so here is the starting lineup according to New Zealand born coach Kieran Crowley:
STARTING XV
FORWARD PACK
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Danilo Fischetti (Zebre Parma)
2 (Hooker): Giacomo Nicotera (Benetton)
3 (Tight head prop): Marco Riccioni (Saracens)
SECOND ROW
4 (No.4 lock): Dino Lamb (Harlequins)
5 (No.5 lock): Federico Ruzza (Benetton)
LOOSE FORWARDS
6 (Blind side flanker): Sebastian Negri (Benetton)
7 (Open side flanker): Michele Lamaro (Captain, Benetton)
8 (Number 8): Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton)
BACK LINE
HALVES
9 (Half-back/Scrum-half): Stephen Varney (Gloucester)
10 (First five-eighth/Fly-half): Paolo Garbisi (Montpellier)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five-eighth/Inside centre): Luca Morisi (Unattached)
13 (Centre/Outside centre): Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left wing): Monty Ioane (Lyon)
14 (Right wing): Ange Capuozzo (Toulouse)
& 15 (Fullback): Tommaso Allan (Perpignan)
& REPLACEMENT PLAYERS
16 (Reserve hooker): Hame Faiva
17 (Reserve loose head prop): Ivan Nemer
18 (Reserve tight head prop): Simone Ferrari
19 (Reserve lock): Niccolo Cannone
20 (Reserve loose forward): Manuel Zuliani
21 (Reserve loose forward): Toa Halafihi
22 (Reserve half-back/scrum-half): Martin Page-Relo
& 23 (Reserve back): Paolo Odogwu.
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