RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D)
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@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
So did Fiji get screwed by the short turnaround?
12 changes to the team which played on Saturday.
So I would respectfully say NO FUCKING WAY
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That's one to warm the cockles of your heart.
Fiji gambolled and lost.
Tremendous tackling and patient defensive structure from the Uruguayans, combined with a confident and accurate attack.
Brilliant. Simply brilliant.
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@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
So did Fiji get screwed by the short turnaround?
I was wondering the same thing.
But I haven't paid close enough attention to the team composition. Maybe someone can enlighten me. How many of today's starters featured against Aussie?Still - I would have expected Fiji to take this game. Thought they looked pretty good against Australia.
Kudos to Uruguay though. -
@MiketheSnow said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
So did Fiji get screwed by the short turnaround?
12 changes to the team which played on Saturday.
So I would respectfully say NO FUCKING WAY
So the question is how many more of the top team would have played if was a longer turnaround?
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@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@MiketheSnow said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
So did Fiji get screwed by the short turnaround?
12 changes to the team which played on Saturday.
So I would respectfully say NO FUCKING WAY
So the question is how many more of the top team would have played if was a longer turnaround?
The coach was looking past this match and targeting the Wales match.
It's come back to bite him in the arse.
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It's a rugby cliche which is bandied about but today it's apt, the Uruguayans wanted it more.
This was amateur hour v amateurs and the underdog deservedly won.
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@MiketheSnow said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@MiketheSnow said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
So did Fiji get screwed by the short turnaround?
12 changes to the team which played on Saturday.
So I would respectfully say NO FUCKING WAY
So the question is how many more of the top team would have played if was a longer turnaround?
The coach was looking past this match and targeting the Wales match.
It's come back to bite him in the arse.
Or the 4 day turnaround did.
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@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@MiketheSnow said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@MiketheSnow said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
So did Fiji get screwed by the short turnaround?
12 changes to the team which played on Saturday.
So I would respectfully say NO FUCKING WAY
So the question is how many more of the top team would have played if was a longer turnaround?
The coach was looking past this match and targeting the Wales match.
It's come back to bite him in the arse.
Or the 4 day turnaround did.
Enjoy the ride because you're not getting off
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@MiketheSnow well I’m not guessing what the coach was thinking or throwing out cliches like one team wanted it more.
Depth isn’t great in Fijian rugby, I bet if there was a slightly bigger gap between games more of the top team could have played.
Well done for them taking advantage,
but without looking at the draw do Wales or the ABs have four day turnarounds?Edit: Yes they do, good.
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@Machpants said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@Kirwan the draw is now equal, everyone has virtually the same turn arounds. In different orders, and there is luck of the draw with whom you're playing against. But no more big teams play on weekends only to maximise TV revenue
As equal as they can get 5 team pools.
Interestingly, every match Uruguay will play this RWC is against a team coming off a 4 day turnaround. That's how weak they were assumed to be when WR sorted the scheduling.
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Holy Shit !!!
Talk about taking your opportunities. Los Teros lived off about 30% possession in that first half, but almost everything they touched turned to gold. The box kicks were great, the scrum mostly held up, the lineout fired pretty well, and when they got just a crack in the door they rammed it open with sheer determination and balls the size of church bells.
On the turnaround issue: Fiji played a team ranked above them on Day 2. They respected that team and tore into them like nobody's business, but ultimately failed in the same places they tend to at 15-man rugby: fitness, and then discipline.
On a short turnaround - having made 12 changes - they played against a team ranked 10 spots below them.
TEN.
A team who had never beaten them.
A team with a sum total of 2 RWC wins against similarly ranked teams (Spain 1999, Georgia 2003 - I was at that game).
In contrast to the first game, Fiji showed a complete lack of respect for Uruguay until it was way too late.
There's "playing your natural game" and then there's "utterly failing to do the basics". They simply couldn't handle the fact that Uruguay were chopping them down in low tackles (all bloody game), and didn't step back to simple phase rugby because they thought eventually the opposition would crack under offload pressure.
Save the fancy bullshit for once you've got the lead.
And in typing that last sentence, i realised I thought exactly the same thing about the Wallabies when Fiji were 21-12 up on a runaway try.
I didn't think Fiji had a 10 who was more ordinary than Volavola, and Josh Matavesi proved me wrong. That team was directionless from the halves out, and now have an uphill battle to qualify. They can still do it thanks to 2 bonus points, but they'll have to beat Wales and Georgia with 4 tries, and neither of those results is guaranteed, based on what I've seen dished up today.
The FoxSports home team were criticising McKee for making so many changes, but he didn't coach them to be shit.
If Fiji had stolen a win at the end if would have been a travesty.
Georgia must be quietly shitting themselves.
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@Kirwan I was originally thinking the same how unfair it is for many of the tier 2 teams given their depth to have such short turn arounds but you have also got to take into account many of the Fijian boys are professional rugby players .
Not entirely sure about the status, amateur or professional of Uruguayan boys
Fiji for their part 20 odd handling errors and running into contact when they should have passed and vice versa and to top it off listening the skipper saying they under estimated their opposition is a bit damming .
So in summing things up, I would give much of the credit to the Uruguayan team..
A bit gutted for Fiji given I have a lot friends in the Fijian community and I know they will be hurting.. -
@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
@MiketheSnow well I’m not guessing what the coach was thinking or throwing out cliches like one team wanted it more.
Depth isn’t great in Fijian rugby, I bet if there was a slightly bigger gap between games more of the top team could have played.
Well done for them taking advantage,
but without looking at the draw do Wales or the ABs have four day turnarounds?Edit: Yes they do, good.
If the situation had been reversed and the clearly inferior team had to deal with a 4-day turnaround with the majority of their team not having played against far superior opposition and certainly not under the added pressure of at a WC, and then one - possibly two - game changing decision(s) went against them and they lost the match then I could understand the shouts of 'the WC is biased against Tier 2 Nations'.
This match was not that.
That was yesterday's match, Russia v Samoa.
I went back. You had no problem with it yesterday.
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@Kirwan said in RWC: Fiji v Uruguay (Pool D):
Not taking away anything away from Uruguay, love a good upset. It’s what makes the WC interesting.
Just want a level playing field.
Everyone has at least one short turnaround in the tournament. Fiji didn’t respect the ball and fell off a lot of tackles.
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The Uru’s really kept their shape on both sides of the ball. They were pretty disciplined defensively* and took their opportunities with the ball through spotting gaps and support play.
*Not to be a downer, but at the ruck I thought the ref gave the Uru’s some lee-way. Lots of warnings when they were have an extra hold on or off their feet. Several I thought they could’ve been penalised.
