The midweek schedule of the Rugby World Cup is considerably quieter than the weekends. It’s a combination of rugby players needing far more rest time than other athletes, and scheduling games at times and places that local crowds can be maximised. So far, attendances have been good, with each game breaching the 80 per cent of capacity mark.
Over 35,540 people turned up to watch Wales take on Georgia in Toyota-shi on Monday. Wales was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 29 unanswered points. However, they took their foot off the accelerator for the remainder of the match, only adding 14 points to their score in the second half. Georgia grew in confidence in the second half, earning themselves two tries, and finishing with a respectable 43–14 scoreline. Wales won this game without truly breaking a sweat. A controlled performance from Warren Gatland’s men means we have plenty more to see from the Welsh.
In what was more a controlled brawl than a terrific game of rugby, Samoa made hard work of getting past Russia on Tuesday. These two brutish teams were in each other’s face at every opportunity. An ill-disciplined affair, Samoa were lucky not to have two men sent off in the first half for dangerous tackles. The referee determined that there were mitigating circumstances to the tackles, meaning only yellow cards were handed out. The 13 men of Samoa struggled in the first half, going in at the interval 6–5 down. Samoa would be more focused in the second half and added 29 points to run away 34–9 winners.
Today saw the first real big upset of the 2019 World Cup. Uruguay showed incredible courage and determination to earn a hard fought 30–27 win over Fiji. Fiji had a considerable size advantage over their South American opponents but the Uruguayans stood firm. Uruguay tackled effectively and kept the scoreboard ticking over whenever a chance came. This was an incredibly mature performance by Uruguay. Their decision-making was astute and their execution was accurate. Fiji may have been guilty of not giving their opponents the respect they deserved. After being so impressive against Australia, the Fijians will not want to watch the tape of this game. Too many errors leave their World Cup campaign on the brink of collapse.
