These daily files will give you the latest reporting from around the World Cup as well as betting lines, what to watch for information and best reads. Check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from France.
– RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023: Squads | Schedule | Standings | Podcast | Injuries
THE LEAD: MAGICAL MCKENZIE LIGHTS UP VS. URUGUAY
Damian McKenzie has made sure to give All Blacks coach Ian Foster plenty to ponder as the side head into the quarterfinals after he lit up the stage against Uruguay, scoring two tries and dishing out just as many assists as he puts his hand up for a starting spot in the knockout stages.
Producing a stellar display off the bench against Italy last week, McKenzie continued his form against the South Americans at fullback scoring the match opening try before he had the crowd on their feet after he gathered a bouncing ball one-handed and flicked it inside for Will Jordan’s first of two tries.
McKenzie could have had a third to his name after he skipped over the line early in the match if not for the TMO spotting a neck-grab by Richie Mo’unga, but he’d finally succeed in bashing down the door in the 20th minute.
Every touch from the fullback was gold, as he showed his class and was part of everything good the All Blacks produced before he made his mark again when he easily slotted in at fly-half once Mo’unga left the field.
No doubt it will give Foster headaches with Beauden Barrett and McKenzie both vying for the starting fullback jersey as the side gets to the pointy end of the tournament. So too will the All Blacks’ patchy start to the clash where they failed to fire with inaccuracies hindering their game.
Uruguay of course needs to be congratulated for their efforts in disrupting the All Blacks flow in the opening quarter as they tore into the impossible task of stopping New Zealand on their way to a quarterfinal berth. Without fear they crashed into tackles and showed smarts with their use of the ball. Mauel Ardao was just inches away from scoring the opener for Los Teros but was narrowly forced into touch.
But it was simple errors from the All Blacks that saw them forced to work for the match-opening try. An early knock-on from Cam Roigard denied the first score, while Mo’unga’s neck-grab denied another as inaccuracies riddled their game. From the 20th minute on everything started to click and with 11 tries in the bag and a quarterfinal place booked, it’s unlikely any of Ireland, South Africa or Scotland would be keen to face them next week.
“It was a really enjoyable game, pretty free-flowing. It took us a long time to breakdown Uruguay to be honest, they defended so well,” man of the match McKenzie said.
“But we managed to put some points on the board so I’m so proud of the lads. We’ve got to where we want to be, now we want to get better and move on to the quarters. I’m really excited for the week to come.”
AROUND THE CUP
Robertson has been ‘banned’ from All Blacks games
The All Blacks may have struck form since their opening loss to France, but there has been plenty going on in the background – not least of which is the allegation that incoming coach Scott Robertson has been barred from attending the team’s pool games thus far.
According to All Blacks great Justin Marshall, Robertson had been told to stay away from All Blacks games at the World Cup, but he is free to attend any other matches he wishes in France.
Robertson was earlier this year named as Robertson’s successor, with New Zealand Rugby forced into action as other international unions began to sound out the seven-time Super Rugby champion coach. Foster was also invited to reapply, but neglected to do so, meaning his four-year tenure will finish up whenever the All Blacks’ campaign ends in France.
“Can I tell you something really interesting,” Marshall said.
“Scott Robertson has been here in France. You would have seen him. He’s been floating around.
“He’s not allowed to be at All Blacks games. They feel he’s too big a distraction to the current players.
“All of a sudden they might want to chat to him or might want to impress him, so Ian Foster said to him…he’s not being allowed at All Blacks games.”
While Robertson won’t have been able to catch any All Blacks games pitchside in France, he will have been keeping a close eye on the players who will lead his rebuild in 2024. With Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, Ardie Savea and Beauden Barrett all among those moving offshore, players like Cam Roigard, Scott Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Will Jordan are poised to be the nucleus of Robertson’s squad when he takes charge next year.
Ford-Farrell partnership reunited for start No. 41
George Ford and Owen Farrell have known each other since they were kids playing rugby league in Wigan and spend endless hours together discussing rugby union, but they say their partnership for England is much more about instinct than planning.
Ford is back at flyhalf to face Samoa on Saturday with Farrell moving to inside centre in a pairing that was for a long time the go-to of former coach Eddie Jones but which hasn’t happened since the 2021 Six Nations.
Their first test together was against Samoa, in 2014, and they have lined up as 10 and 12 40 times. In the last two years, however, Ford’s absence through injury, Jones losing faith in him and the arrival of Marcus Smith meant the partnership that was so effective in the 2019 World Cup has been in mothballs.
“It’s exciting, we’ve obviously done it many times before and had some real success with it in the past,” Ford told reporters on Thursday.
“Owen is another voice in terms of when we want to move the ball, distribute the ball, which hopefully leads to some try scoring opportunities for us at the weekend.”
Asked how much they plan how and when to switch roles during the game, Ford said it was a “feel and awareness thing” that should not be too or structured.
“You just want to be flexible and that’s the thing about playing together so many times. Sometimes it’s not even communication, it might just be a bit of eye contact,” he said.
“When Owen finds himself at first receiver that’s a trigger to go a bit further out and vice versa.”
Farrell took a similar view.
“We speak about everything rugby-wise anyway, regardless of what the team is,” he said. “We’re on the same page and we both hope we’ve kicked on since we’ve last played together.
“It’s interchangeable we can both do both jobs. It’s not too much of a pre-planned thing, it just kind of happens.”
– Reuters
Sopoaga sent replacement kicking tee from England
Samoa flyhalf Lima Sopoaga never did get back the kicking tee he lost in Bordeaux last month but he will face England on Saturday with a bit of restored confidence after being sent a “lookalike” used tee by a coach in England.
Sopoaga had owned the original tee from the age of 14 but in the chaos after the victory over Chile he left it on the pitch and, despite a social media appeal, it was not returned.
“I’ve been sent one that is similar from a kicking coach in England, his name is Alex Davies,” Sopoaga said on Thursday.
“He sent me an old one so it’s kind of the same feel. I’ve taped it up and pretended it is the same one so hopefully I’m not shanking them on the weekend. If I am, then I am going to blame the tools.”
The 32-year-old former All Black said the original tee had travelled the world with him and was “an extension of myself”.
“It’s the first thing I pack before I pack my boots. I’d rather forget my boots than my kicking tee,” Sopoaga said.
– Reuters
Italy use soul-cleansing fire ceremony to move on from All Blacks disaster
Coach Kieran Crowley said Italy would be focused on process not outcome in their final pool game against France as they look to revive their World Cup campaign after last week’s crushing loss to the All Blacks.
The Azzurri could still qualify for the quarterfinals out of Pool A with a win over the tournament hosts at OL Stadium on Saturday [AEST] and Crowley said he was convinced they had “moved on” from the 96-17 loss to New Zealand.
“One bad performance doesn’t define you so we very quickly put it behind us,” he told reporters after naming his team.
“We’re looking forward to a chance this week to at least give a performance that puts a little bit more respect and credibility into (the team).”
Stephen Varney said the players had held a ceremony this week where they each wrote down their thoughts about the New Zealand debacle on a piece of paper and tossed them into a firepit.
“I think it was a good way of forgetting about it and moving on,” the Wales-born scrumhalf said.
Crowley took blame for the loss, saying the players had been coached to focus more on the results of their efforts rather than on the individual steps they needed to take to be competitive.
“Last week on reflection, it’s probably bad coaching on my behalf, I think we lost the process,” he added.
“We looked more at outcome rather than process, so that was disappointing from my perspective, and this week we’ve gone back to process.”
– Reuters
MATCH PREVIEWS
France vs. Italy
TAB (tab.com.au): France $1.01, -27.5 $1.90, Italy $15, +27.5 $1.90
A place in the quarterfinals will be on the line when France and Italy meet in Lyon in Pool A on Friday night. The Azzurri return to the same venue where they were humbled 96-17 by the All Blacks last week, a night when they caught the three-time world champions at their absolute peak and could do little to halt the onslaught. This game is expected to be much closer, however, with the two sides having far greater knowledge of how the other plays due to their many Six Nations battles. France have certainly dominated those clashes in recent times, but they have been made to work for their win on almost every occasion. Les Bleus will also be refreshed after sitting out last week’s games, coach Fabien Galthie has brought back star No. 8 Gregory Aldritt, while Maxime Lucu replaces the injured Antoine Dupont at No. 9. There are several different scenarios in which both teams can progress, but the simplest is that if France win they will top Pool A. And that is the likely result here.
NEWS OF THE DAY
Wallabies duo heading home with injury
While the rest of their teammates returned to training on Thursday, Wallabies youngsters Nick Frost and Carter Gordon have officially had their campaigns ended by injury.
Australia regrouped in Saint-Etienne on Wednesday evening after being granted a few days off following their 34-14 win. That was always the plan, but they now face the reality of training over the weekend knowing they can do nothing else but prepare for an unlikely quarterfinal.
For the Wallabies to continue in France, Portugal must pull off one of the all time Rugby World Cup upsets over Fiji, denying them a bonus point in the process.
No matter the result of the pool stage’s final encounter, Gordon and Frost won’t be part of any Wallabies preparations any further. Gordon sustained a knee cartilage injury at training last week and was a late scratching from the win over Portugal, while Frost suffered a knee joint injury in the victory.
“We’re disappointed for Nick and Carter that their seasons have ended through injury,” Wallabies coach Eddie Jones said.
“Nick showed great courage to play through significant discomfort against Portugal, while Carter has earned valuable experience during his first year as a Test player.
“We wish both of them a quick and successful recovery and to watching them continue to improve during Super Rugby Pacific next year.”