The UAFC

Japan winning today is fantastic for the game.
Brilliant and slap it up the treacherous bitchin Scots.

Great game, great result. Saffers should be feeling uneasy but I feel their power game might be too much for the Japanese defence, unless, somehow the Japanese can starve them of possession.

Superb by Japan it's just a pity that their reward wasn't any team other than SA or NZ who I would fancy them to beat.
The disparity between Scotland and South Africa is huge but all the qf games are great match ups worth watching for various reasons.
I just hope Ireland don't get the glorious failure card out of this world cup v the Abs.
Japan have shown the way rugby is to be played regarding the head area tackle rules through possession skills with the ball working space and commitment of 3s to the tackle area as opposed to Irelands territorial collision based power game.
Without the power.

Japan play like ABs and are refereed like ABs (at the moment-- homer refereeing ) getting away with playing the man beyond the breakdown and coming in from the side.
(Scotland could claim that Japan survived a red card moment yesterday the hand off? being a swinging elbow to the jaw )

That said one can't deny that they are a well coached side playing to their strengths, good hands and pace.

Having now reached the QFs i think they would now be classified as a Tier 1 side whether they actually deserve and can maintain that status is debatable. ( see first comment )

240 days together over the past year means that they are currently the equivalent of a very good club side.

South Africa will be too big and too mean for Japan unless they are refereed out of it.

I see Aki is out for 3 games. Terrible for him but from an Ireland perspective I'm not exactly upset about it.

I see that Sexton is wondering why there is such negativity around Ireland. Saying that they are peaking for NZ. Hope he's right but Ireland have been sh1te for most of 2019 so tis easy enough to see why there is negativity.

big mervyn wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:52 pm 240 days together over the past year means that they are currently the equivalent of a very good club side.

And apparently on something like £24,000 pa if I heard correctly. Pleasure to watch a game played at pace and with commitment..

As for Ireland they have lulled the ABs and most of us into a false sense of security I wouldn’t be surprised if previous wins get into the heads of the ABs who are not the same team as four years ago.

Cockatrice wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:50 pm

big mervyn wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:52 pm 240 days together over the past year means that they are currently the equivalent of a very good club side.

And apparently on something like £24,000 pa if I heard correctly. Pleasure to watch a game played at pace and with commitment..

As for Ireland they have lulled the ABs and most of us into a false sense of security I wouldn’t be surprised if previous wins get into the heads of the ABs who are not the same team as four years ago.

Here, pass round those straws so we can all clutch at them.

Cockatrice wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:50 pm

big mervyn wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:52 pm 240 days together over the past year means that they are currently the equivalent of a very good club side.

And apparently on something like £24,000 pa if I heard correctly. Pleasure to watch a game played at pace and with commitment..

As for Ireland they have lulled the ABs and most of us into a false sense of security I wouldn’t be surprised if previous wins get into the heads of the ABs who are not the same team as four years ago.

What's the betting that we sign one of them at an exorbitant wage and he'll be absolutely crap!

Luckily I cannot see any requirement at present.

There is always requirement somewhere eg back row - front row - scrum half out half

In some positions your two injuries and into the unknown

Nigel Owens to referee Ireland V NZ.

Good thing for us or not?

NZ will have too much in every department for an Ireland team that peaked two years ago and have declined since. The game has also changed, but Schmidt is sticking with what he knows. Ireland continue to recycle in an offloading game.

Herring called up to Ireland squad as a replacement for Cronin.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/50072412