BIG DAY FOR MANY

In Majorca for wedding, not exactly a rugby hot bed but still very excited about today and tomorrow's final group games.

Can Wales beat Oz and avoid SA in QF?
Can the Jocks get past physical Samoa and qualify for QF - imagine Wales Scotland QF?
Can Ireland pip France to top group and avoid NZ in last eight - the AB's have history against the French but will definitely  not want to face the Irish this early in competition.
Can Uruguay score a try against the English and please those neutrals up in Manchester?

Bring it on!

LATEST ENGLAND GOSSIP

The rumour mill continues working 24/7 regards reasons why England choked against Australia and Wales in Group A. There is a story regarding "headphones" doing the rounds, where the England players being forced to wear Samsung ones in public as part of a commercial deal with RFU. This has caused much player strife as most of them have Beats ones, plus Chris Robshaw, is also in the TV advertisement for this brand, so muddying the marketing waters further - sound like footballers more and more don't they?

The fallout also continues from England only putting up 2 players on Saturday for post match interviews after Australia defeat, instead of mandatory 10. There is an ongoing World Rugby investigation, with a possible fine or even points deduction imminent (unlikely for the hosts).

Sorry Mike, it came off the outside of my boot

More details are emerging about the training ground bust up between Mike Catt and Danny Cipriani after the final squad of 31 had been announced. Catt is alleged to have criticised Cipriani during a routine drill, and following a stand off had threatened "to end his England career". If I had been Danny, I would have responded with "what England career, you and your cronies have never felt my creative, impulsive, attacking style fits your rugby league playbook of run it up the 10 channel, and turn quick ball into slow ball". Danny, with your Italian heritage via your father, you should have followed Tomasso Allan, the Italian fly half (and Scotland U20's and RGS High Wycombe fame) and switched countries - they would appreciate you, and the food and weather is better.

SICK NOTE UPDATE

Australia will miss Michael Hooper this weekend for the their top of the group clash with Wales, as he has been banned for one week after shoulder barging Mike Brown last Saturday. He is likely to be replaced by Sean McMahon, who OATH lauded recently as a rising star. The Aussies also have injury concerns to Izzy Folau and Rob Horne, but have a wealth of talent out wide to replace them if needed (Toomua, Beale, Mitchell, etc).

Scotland is sweating on fitness of Finn Russell and John Hardie, who they will need available if they are to move the ball wide of the brutal contact area against Samoa and qualify for the latter stages. Alesana Tuilagi has been banned for five weeks for an illegal knee against Japan, so his RWC 2015 (and RWC career) is over.

ENGLAND GONE BUT PLENTY OF DRAMA TO COME

If results go to plan from now on, then the RWC 2015 QF for weekend of 17th/18th October should look like the following:

South Africa v Wales

New Zealand v France

Ireland v Argentina

Australia v Scotland

We all know what NZ France games throw up, and the French are strong up front so that will be a real contest. Argentina are peaking nicely and Ireland will need to bring their A game to survive. The Wales and Scotland games look a formality, but both teams are well coached and if they can stay in touch until the last 15 minutes, who knows?

However, if results do go to plan, the SF the following weekend will be:

South Africa v New Zealand

Ireland v Australia

What a great spectacle! I will be watching, will you?

CALM DOWN, CALM DOWN

In the words of that famous Scouser, English rugby fans and media need to calm down and take stock before taking drastic action and sacking anyone. I have read the weekend papers and the emotion and frustration is understandable, but England need to stay focussed as they still have to play Uruguay this Saturday, and if they lose, will have to play the likes of Belgium to qualify for RWC 2019 in four years time.

The Belgium Rugby Team

There are some bizarre stories circulating as the blame game gets underway, ranging from rumours that many players disagreed with Burgess being selected ahead of Burrell, to Mike Catt criticising Cipriani in a post selection training session (why ask rejected players to be tackle bags?), to Vern Cotter of Scotland being suggested as a possible replacement for Stuart Lancaster (he did beat Japan), and some ex Scottish player's plans to slip into the Olympic Stadium to prevent the retractable seating from working (apparently his company has not been paid by stadium owners for work completed - hey chum, try Trading Standards or Small Claims, don't wreck a world event).

Clearly, the Lancaster gameplan did not work, but he had an average bunch of players (some talented but young), and an inexperienced international coaching team, to support him. Yes, he selected both, and is directly accountable, but they have to shoulder some of the burden of responsibility for losing two of their three pool games.

Okay, off the fence, time to express my feelings:

- having Farrell Sr and Jr in the squad was always going to come unstuck (Ford should have been no.1 fly half for the tournament, without the noise of his nemesis);

- not selecting overseas based players was a flawed strategy, and smacks of overbearing club interference (who don't want to lose their best players to France). Who knows whether Armitage would have had an influence on the Australia result, but it prevented England from fielding the best players available to the country, and gave their two biggest group rivals an advantage;

- for a country with the most registered professional players in the world (alongside NZ), the English system of developing them into international adult standard is not good enough. How can England field 3-4 teams at U18 level against most countries one, and then not be dominant at adult level. The problem is rooted in the continued school dominance of rugby in England, which means no adequate system of monitoring player development from school to university to club academy (private schools don't care about player welfare beyond age of 18 - why should they?). Surely, if all players had to be attached to a community club, this would provide a better support network, help them transition from Youth to Adult rugby, and prevent some from exiting the sport altogether post school. The Regional, County and School of Rugby system also needs reviewing;

- last, but not least, stop the obsession with converting rugby league players. Only such talents as Jason Robinson and Alan Tait (and he came from Union) have been a success amongst the hundreds that have tried (including Farrell Sr), so the chances of Sam Burgess excelling as an international centre (after six months) were always going to be slim. Matt Giteau and Conrad Smith have been the best two centres in world rugby over the past four years, based, not on their size, physicality or defensive abilities, but more on their understanding of the game, distribution skills and decision making,

ROVING REPORT: SCOTLAND V SOUTH AFRICA

Roving OATH reporter: Alistair "Bruce" Buckle

A fantastic occasion, a marvellous stadium and a competitive match. The football city of Newcastle embraced most of Natal and the Borders on Saturday for the "alleged" shoot out between the big guns in Pool B. Even during the anthems, you could tell the SA's were cheating, as they were 5-6" taller than their Scottish counterparts (Richie Gray excepted). The first 15 minutes were the most brutal live rugby I have ever seen, as South Africa smashed the ball up route one relentlessly, and scored an inevitable early forwards try (although the ball was held up for 5 mins over the line). Scotland's tackle count was immense, but even though the Bokke went down to 14 following a tackle with no arms, their rolling maul tactic still proved effective and JP Pietersen exploited the extra space to score a second before half time. I hate rolling mauls, almost as much as I hate scrums (get the ball out lads, it's a 15 man game).

Scotland somehow got within one score of their dominant opposition after half time, with a great intercept from Duncan "no neck" Weir, which following great support from the two wingers, led to a try by Tommy Seymour. True to Scottish type, they then dropped the kick off, conceded three points and had a man put in the bin for a late tackle (with no pressure evident). South Africa kept coming, Scotland kept tackling, and finally the Bokke got their third try courtesy of Habana, who looked lively all day for his 32 years. It is a credit to good auld Jock spirit and fitness that SA did not score a fourth try to get the bonus point, but overall a fair result. If SA maintain that forward physicality and intensity in the knockout stages, few teams will be able to compete with them - they are peaking nicely and that Japan defeat seems a lifetime ago.

NOT A GOOD DAY TO BE AN ANGLO SCOT

Scotland outpowered and England outclassed. 

Several quick comments.

Bernard Foley scored 28 points including two tries for Australia, but still was not awarded MOM which apparently went to Joe Launchbury. What game were they watching?

Foley was allowed to show off his skills as Australia were amazingly dominant up front and he thrived on quick ball. What has happened to the English front five in the scrum? 

Jonathan Joseph was touted as the spark to ignite the English backline, so when Ford replaced May and went to fly half, why put JJ on the wing? And Barritt's career is over, he is simply not an international rugby player.

England forwards are too nice: how they missed nasties like Hartley, Attwood, and even Lawes, who wasn't even on the bench.

And I read that Jonny May was injured in the tunnel running out for second half...sums up England's tournament.