June - July Internationals 2022

Rapido

Good to see Georgia talent spreading beyond their pack. They've added some good young 9's and 10s the last few years. Good enough to play Top14. Now a dynamite fullback.

Slightly off topic. On 10s (first-five / flyhalf). Remember reading a Tier2 blog a few years ago analysing how few very good 10s are produced in Tier 2 countries. The most difficult position for those countries to fill.

I think the article was basically celebrating the (current) Uruguay flyhalf playing Top14 rugby in France, mentioned that IIRC Gareth Rees is the only other 10 produced by a Tier 2 country good enough to play pro in the top overseas leagues, in the 20 odd years of pro rugby.

Other instances of Tier 2 countries getting a goood generation or good RWC performance have usually been based on a Tier 1 produced 10. E.g. Samoa with Stephen Bachop or Darren Kellett, 1990s Italy with Diego Domingues, Andrew Miller with Japan, Nicky LIttle with Fiji, AJ McGinty currently with USA etc etc

I guess the current Japan 10 would qualify.

Daffy Jaffy

Hamish Watson won his 50th cap for @Scotlandteam against Argentina; he missed one tackle against the Pumas, his first in a Test for Scotland since his 25th cap (v England, 2019) - he had made 332 tackles without missing in the 24 matches between those two fixtures. Magnetic.

MiketheSnow

MiketheSnow

Georgia blew it

Rapido

Chile the SH's best on the weekend? Still lost, but commendable for a plucky SH nation to get within 1 point of one of the unstoppable NH juggernauts.

Did anyone mention that Namibia qualified for RWC on the weekend.

Thrashing the Equator straddling Kenya. Therefore the true SH champs of the week.