You're going to get a kick out of this...
Obviously, we need to talk about the game of the tournament and I promise to get to Japan’s win over Ireland in a minute but first, with the pool stages at the halfway point, I want to talk a little about the attacking shape of this Rugby World Cup.
It’s all kicked off in 2019
Of the 123 tries scored at this year’s Rugby World Cup, 10 of them have been assisted by a kick pass. While I don’t have figures for previous tournaments, that feels like a lot more than usual.
In particular, Camille Lopez’s crossfield kick to Alivereti Raka was superb. There’s something so satisfying about a perfectly-weighted kick like this, as if a quarter-back is throwing a pass to a wide receiver.
When you think about it, the prevalence of kicking as an attacking weapon at this World Cup makes sense.
All of the talk coming into the tournament was about how teams were going to combat the blitz defences which have become such a common feature of the international game. One way to keep defences honest is by kicking in behind the rush, using their own momentum against them.
That’s why the kick through has become an increasingly prominent feature of this World Cup — not just near the tryline but in the middle of the park too, with teams regularly playing little ten-metre chips for their centres to chase around the halfway line.
Even kick offs have become more of a contest than they were in 2015, with New Zealand and Japan in particular looking to win the ball back — or at least immediately put the opposition under pressure — from their own restarts.
How (not) to kick some ass
That leads me on to Ireland’s performance against Japan. While the defence was up to its usual standard (Ireland have conceded just one try from their opponents’ 15 visits to the 22), the attack continues to be a concern and the tactical kicking of the second half was, at best, confusing.
I thought Jack Carty had a great first half, varying the play nicely and bagging a kick-assist of his own for Garry Ringrose’s try, while his chip through a few minutes later directly led to Rob Kearney touching down for Ireland’s second.
The Connacht outhalf had some joy kicking in behind Japan’s high-intensity defensive line from his own half too, bypassing the rush with a clever crossfield to Keith Earls just after Ireland’s second try.
That move could have even led to another score if Kearney had either passed or kicked through instead of taking the ball into contact. With Japan on the backfoot, you’d expect him to turn the screw but instead he stuck with the safe option and Ireland eventually coughed up possession.
This was a sign of things to come. Ireland were poor with the ball in the second half, with their tactical kicking and lineout play particularly frustrating. Whereas they had kicked with purpose and intent in the first period, Carty’s kicking was far too loose after the break.
In a game in which Ireland were clearly tiring, their halfbacks kicked as if they wanted to keep the ball in play as much as possible, only going towards the sideline when they looked to clear from their own 22.
These transitions only put more miles on tired legs and you could see the intensity of Ireland’s kick-chase fall. This is especially confusing since Joe Schmidt seemed to have employed this exact tactic against Scotland in order to exploit the Scots’ inferior fitness levels just a week before.
Having learned from his earlier mistake, it was actually Kearney who put in the only kick of real danger in the second half, as he forced Kotaro Matsushima to take the ball out around his own five-metre line. But Ireland could not convert the chance into any points.
Ultimately, Japan ran Ireland into the ground with an incredible performance with unbelievable intensity but there will be a lot of frustration over their lack of game management in the second half.
Now Schmidt faces the challenge of his career to get things right in time for the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, in Tier 2…
Ireland’s loss is Japan’s gain and the hosts are well on track to becoming just the sixth Tier 2 side in the history of the Rugby World Cup — and only the second of the professional era — to reach the quarter-finals.
But more importantly, they could become the first Tier 2 side to ever win their pool if they can beat Samoa and Scotland in their final two games.
It was an astonishing win for the Japanese, who admitted they have been targeting the game against Ireland for months now. Even as an Irish fan, it was impossible not to be delighted for them in the aftermath of the game.
I’ve seen a surprising amount of talk about how the Irish reaction is somehow a sign that the team are weak and the psyche of the supporters is weak rather than making the best of a bad situation and showing an understanding of the magnitude of the result — not just for Ireland but for the sport as a whole.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather see this than a bunch of idiots trying to fight each other.
Elsewhere, Georgia’s battle with Fiji tomorrow will effectively decide which one of them qualifies automatically for the 2023 tournament in France, with Fiji looking to avoid their first winless Rugby World Cup since 1991.
Meanwhile, Vasily Artemyev is set to captain Russia against Ireland — whom he represented a U19 level — tomorrow. The 32-year-old scored a try against Ireland at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
Ref Watch: What the hell is going on?
To put it kindly, the standard of officiating at this tournament has not been very good. The issues in the tackle have been well-documented but the offside line is non-existent and players are consistently going in at the side at the ruck.
Just take this ten second sample from Australia’s clash with Wales where captain Michael Hooper — who was very lucky to even be on the pitch at this stage — joins consecutive rucks from the side.
He doesn’t hit the rucks at high impact but his illegal manoeuvres still help to secure quick ball for his side. It happens directly in front of Romain Poite, who apparently has no issue with either instance.
But, for me, the most frustrating part of the officiating at this World Cup has been the lack of follow through from the refs on yellow cards inside the 22.
In their win over Australia, Wales should have seen a player sin-binned in the wake of two Australian tries and likely would have if they had not conceded in both instances.
Each time Australia were playing with an advantage for a penalty relating to a deliberate attempt by Wales to slow down Australian ball (an offside/deliberate knock on for their first try and then an offside while on a warning for the third try) but it ultimately went unpunished as the Wallabies got over the line.
Just this morning, Ben O’Keeffe provided an even more egregious example as he kept his cards in his pocket as France defended their line against the USA, instead deciding to issue a second final warning to a French side under the cosh.
Considering the fact the Americans went into the last 15 minutes trailing by just three points, it seems fair for them to be annoyed by O’Keeffe’s lack of action in this regard.
World Rugby have already said they are unhappy with the level of officiating at this year’s tournament but they are running out of time to fix things before the knockout rounds, where such errors can lead to life-long grudges among fans.
Did Rob Kearney pass the ball this week?
Anyone who has watched a Leinster or Ireland match with me knows of my frustration with Rob Kearney’s refusal to pass to his teammates, so each week I will be asking the question: did Rob Kearney pass the ball?
This week’s answer: Rob made two passes in the defeat to Japan and scored a try.
The whole reason I started tracking Kearney’s lack of passing is that he has been so wasteful with ball in hand for years but since I started keeping tabs on his passes, Kearney has scored two tries in three games and provided a try assist in the other, having failed to score for Ireland in the previous four years.
If you see a Rob Kearney pass the ball in the wild, please contact the relative authorities (me) immediately.
Some extra stuff
Simon Gleave and co take a look at New Zealand’s incredible attacking prowess for the Rugby World Cup website.
Charlie Morgan takes another angle on the increasing reliance on kicking at the Rugby World Cup for The Telegraph.
An interesting view of the PRO14 from South Africa, with Rugby Rocks praising the open style of rugby played across the league.
This is about as sweet a pass as you’ll ever see on a rugby pitch.
And I’ve saved the best for last. Toulouse are tearing things up in the Top 14 once more.
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