The Week to October 19

RUGBY UNION

 

Bernard Foley missed his first three conversion attempts of the match, but kicked the one that mattered right at the end to give the Wallabies at 35-34 victory over Scotland

Upcoming fixtures – Semi-Finals:
SF1: South Africa vs New Zealand at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 25 at 2:00am AEDST)
SF2: Argentina vs Australia at Twickenham, London (Mon, Oct 26 at 3:00am AEDST)
Losers to play in Bronze Medal play-off at The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London (Sat, Oct 31 at 7:00am AEDST)
Winners to play in Final at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 31 at 3:00am AEDST)

The Week to October 12

RUGBY UNION

The quarter-finalists of the 2015 Rugby World Cup have now been decided with the completion of the pool stages over the weekend, and the Wallabies will be very happy with proceedings in the tournament thus far. For the second consecutive match, they have shown their fighting qualities to pull off an impressive victory, this time defeating a Welsh side with a magnificent defensive display in front of more than 80,000 fans at Twickenham.

In a dour match, the Wallabies led 9-6 at halftime, with Bernard Foley kicking three penalty goals to his opposite Dan Biggar’s two. Foley added another three points ten minutes into the second stanza, but from then on, Wales set up camp deep in Australian territory. The Welsh had plenty of opportunities to breach the Wallabies’ defence, none better than the period around the 60-minute mark when the Wallabies were reduced first to 14 men when Will Genia was yellow carded, then to 13 men when Dean Mumm was sin-binned just minutes later.

Will Genia was shown a yellow card in the 57th minute…

…before Dean Mumm followed just three minutes later, reducing the Wallabies to 13 men

Australia’s brave defence somehow managed to hold out wave after wave of Welsh attack, and when Adam Ashley-Cooper and Kurtley Beale earned a relieving penalty after fifteen minutes of courageous defence virtually on their own tryline, the Wallabies would have felt they had the match won, even though the lead was just six points. They marched back up the field, and were awarded a penalty, which Foley duly converted to push the margin out to nine, and when Welsh winger Alex Cuthbert was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on soon after, it was virtually game over.

Bernard Foley’s superb goal-kicking again proved crucial, this time slotting five penalties to help the Wallabies to a 15-6 win

The victory was the 11th straight for the Wallabies over Wales, with many calling it one of the finest defensive efforts they had ever seen. The result means that the Wallabies finish top of Pool A, and have a relatively easy route through the finals, avoiding both South Africa and New Zealand, compared with Wales, who would now likely need to defeat both of those sides just to make the final.

A battered and bruised Wallabies side celebrate their win, which sets up a quarter-final clash against Scotland

In Pool B, bonus points decided who qualified for the quarter-finals, after South Africa, Scotland and Japan finished with three wins apiece. South Africa’s opening loss to Japan sent a slight scare through the camp, but they managed convincing wins in their remaining three games to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with Wales. Scotland snuck past Samoa in their final match to make it through to the next stage, where they will face Australia in the fourth quarter-final.

Results in Pool C went as expected, with New Zealand finishing on top, ahead of Argentina, who only narrowly went down to the Kiwis in their first match, and actually had a better points differential against Georgia, Tonga and Namibia than the All Blacks did.

The winner of Pool D wasn’t decided until the final match, with Ireland defeating France 24-9 to finish unbeaten through the round-robin phase. The loss means France will face New Zealand, whilst the Irish will face Argentina in what will be a mouth-watering clash.

Results:

Pool A

England defeated Fiji 35-11; Wales defeated Uruguay 54-9; Australia defeated Fiji 28-13;Wales defeated England 28-25; Australia defeated Uruguay 65-3; Wales defeated Fiji 23-13; Australia defeated England 33-13; Fiji defeated Uruguay 47-15; Australia defeated Wales 15-6; England defeated Uruguay 60-3.

Pool B

Japan defeated South Africa 34-32; Samoa defeated USA 25-16; Scotland defeated Japan 45-10; South Africa defeated Samoa 46-6; Scotland defeated USA 39-16; Japan defeated Samoa 26-5; South Africa defeated Scotland 34-16; South Africa defeated USA 64-0; Scotland defeated Samoa 36-33; Japan defeated USA 28-18.

Pool C

Georgia defeated Tonga 17-10; New Zealand defeated Argentina 26-16; New Zealand defeated Namibia 58-14; Argentina defeated Georgia 54-9; Tonga defeated Namibia 35-21; New Zealand defeated Georgia 43-10; Argentina defeated Tonga 45-16; Georgia defeated Namibia 17-16; New Zealand defeated Tonga 47-9; Argentina defeated Namibia 64-19.

Pool D

Ireland defeated Canada 50-7; France defeated Italy 32-10; France defeated Romania 38-11;Italy defeated Canada 23-18; Ireland defeated Romania 44-10; France defeated Canada 41-18; Ireland defeated Italy 16-9; Romania defeated Canada 17-15; Italy defeated Romania 32-22; Ireland defeated France 24-9.

Upcoming fixtures – Quarter-Finals:
QF1: South Africa vs Wales at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 18 at 2:00am AEDST)
QF2: New Zealand vs France at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Sun, Oct 18 at 6:00am AEDST)
Winner of QF1 to play winner of QF2 in SF1 at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 25 at 2:00am AEDST)
QF3: Argentina vs Ireland at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Sun, Oct 18 at 11:00pm AEDST)
QF4: Australia vs Scotland at Twickenham, London (Mon, Oct 19 at 2:00am AEDST)
Winner of QF3 to play winner of QF4 in SF2 at Twickenham, London (Mon, Oct 26 at 3:00am AEDST)

The Week to September 28

RUGBY LEAGUE

The 2015 NRL Grand Final will be an all-Queensland affair for the first time ever, with the Brisbane Broncos to face off against the North Queensland Cowboys.

For the Broncos, it will be their seventh Grand Final appearance, having previously appeared in, and won, the 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2006 deciders, whilst for the Cowboys, it will be just their second appearance, after having lost to the Wests Tigers in the 2005 Grand Final.

Johnathan Thurston’s Cowboys will line up against Justin Hodges’ Broncos in the first ever all-Queensland Grand Final

Results:
Preliminary Final results: Broncos defeated Roosters 31-12; Storm lost to Cowboys 12-32.

Upcoming fixture – NRL Grand Final:
Broncos vs Cowboys at ANZ Stadium, Sydney (Sun, Oct 4 at 7:15pm)
*All times AEDST

**If you are tipping and have no idea who to go for, you could pick the home team, or the team that’s higher on the ladder. I’ll put up the tally each week of where you would be placed for each option. (The underlined team is the higher-ranked team as at the end of the previous round.)

HOME: 108/200 after Preliminary Finals (107/198 after Week 2 Finals)
HIGHER-RANKED: 114/200 after Preliminary Finals (113/198 after Week 2 Finals)

RUGBY UNION

Results:

Pool A (after 5 of 10 matches)

England defeated Fiji 35-11; Wales defeated Uruguay 54-9; Australia defeated Fiji 28-13; Wales defeated England 28-25; Australia defeated Uruguay 65-3.

Pool B (after 5 of 10 matches)

Japan defeated South Africa 34-32; Samoa defeated USA 25-16; Scotland defeated Japan 45-10; South Africa defeated Samoa 46-6; Scotland defeated USA 39-16.

Pool C (after 4 of 10 matches)

Georgia defeated Tonga 17-10; New Zealand defeated Argentina 26-16; New Zealand defeated Namibia 58-14; Argentina defeated Georgia 54-9.

Pool D (after 5 of 10 matches)

Ireland defeated Canada 50-7; France defeated Italy 32-10; France defeated Romania 38-11; Italy defeated Canada 23-18; Ireland defeated Romania 44-10.

Upcoming fixtures:
Australia vs England at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 4 at 6:00am AEDST)
Australia vs Wales at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 11 at 2:45am AEDST)

The Week to September 21

RUGBY UNION

The 2015 Rugby World Cup kicked off last weekend, and already there has been a HUGE upset, with Japan snatching a thrilling last-minute 34-32 win over South Africa. Trailing by three and having already turned down a shot at a penalty goal which could have sealed a draw, Karne Hesketh dived over in the corner in the fourth minute of injury time to stun the Springboks and give Eddie Jones possibly the greatest win of his coaching career.

Japan pulled off arguably the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history, beating South Africa 34-32

Host nation England opened its campaign with a strong 35-11 victory over Fiji, and the other major nations made it through the first weekend unscathed – Ireland thrashed Canada 50-7, France overcame Italy 32-10, and New Zealand were made to fight hard in their first match, but ultimately proved too strong for Argentina, recording a 26-16 win.

The Wallabies will kick off their campaign against Fiji at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Thursday, September 24 (AEST), before taking on Uruguay in Birmingham on Sunday night (AEST).

Results:

Pool A
England defeated Fiji 35-11
Wales defeated Uruguay 54-9

Pool B
Japan defeated South Africa 34-32
Samoa defeated USA 25-16

Pool C
Georgia defeated Tonga 17-10
New Zealand defeated Argentina 26-16

Pool D
Ireland defeated Canada 50-7
France defeated Italy 32-10

Upcoming fixtures:
Australia vs Fiji at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Thu, Sep 24 at 1:45am AEST)
Australia vs Uruguay at Villa Park, Birmingham (Sun, Sep 27 at 9:00pm AEST)
Australia vs England at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 4 at 6:00am AEDST)
Australia vs Wales at Twickenham, London (Sun, Oct 11 at 2:45am AEDST)

 

RUGBY LEAGUE

Week 2 Finals results: Roosters defeated Bulldogs 38-12; Cowboys defeated Sharks 39-0.

Upcoming fixtures – NRL Preliminary Finals:
Broncos vs Roosters at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (Fri, Sep 25 at 7:55pm)
Storm vs Cowboys at AAMI Park, Melbourne (Sat, Sep 26 at 7:40pm)
–Winners to meet in the Grand Final at ANZ Stadium, Sydney on Sun, Oct 4 at 7:15pm
*All times AEST

**If you are tipping and have no idea who to go for, you could pick the home team, or the team that’s higher on the ladder. I’ll put up the tally each week of where you would be placed for each option. (The underlined team is the higher-ranked team as at the end of the previous round.)

HOME: 107/198 after Week 2 Finals (105/196 after Week 1 Finals)
HIGHER-RANKED: 113/198 after Week 2 Finals (111/196 after Week 1 Finals)

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 – Day 1

CRICKET

Australia has opened its 2015 World Cup campaign with a convincing 111-run victory over England at the MCG. In front of a crowd of more than 84,000, the co-hosts posted 9/342 from their 50 overs then bowled their opponents out for 231 in the 42nd over, sounding out an ominous warning to their rivals.

Australia’s openers Aaron Finch and David Warner raced to 50 inside seven overs, and despite losing three teammates in quick succession, Finch motored to 50 off 42 balls after having been dropped in the first over of the match before he had scored a run. His rate of scoring slowed a touch after passing 50, but he still reached his 100 from 102 deliveries. Finch was eventually dismissed for 135 off 128 balls, and skipper George Bailey managed to find some form, hitting 55, before the Australian lower order flayed the England attack to all parts of the ground in the final part of the innings, adding 105 runs in the last 10 overs. Steven Finn finished the innings with a hattrick and ended up with 5/71, but the damage was well and truly done by then, with Australia making their highest ever total at the MCG of 9/342.

Aaron Finch celebrates a maiden World Cup 100 against England at the MCG

 

If England was to get anywhere near their target, they needed their top order to fire. The Australian attack did not let this happen, Mitchells Starc, Johnson and Marsh all bowling tight opening spells, with the rewards today going to Mitchell Marsh. Marsh first picked up Gary Ballance with a well-executed plan in his first over, and by the time he had completed seven overs, he had knocked over five Englishmen for just 18 runs and England was in dire straits at 6/94 after 22 overs. Bailey then brought on his part-timers through the middle overs, and James Taylor and Chris Woakes took advantage of this, putting on 92 runs in 14 overs before Johnson returned to dismiss Woakes. Late hitting from Taylor narrowed the final margin, and the Englishman was unlucky to be left stranded on 98 not out when Jimmy Anderson was incorrectly ruled to have been run out, when the ball should have been called dead following an ultimately overturned LBW decision against Taylor.

Mitchell Marsh acknowledges the crowd after taking his fifth wicket. He finished with 5/33

 

Aaron Finch was named man-of-the-match for his sensational knock, and Australia picked up two points for the win, as well as a big boost for their net run rate.

MATCH SUMMARY

Australia 9/342 (50 overs): A Finch 135 (128 balls), G Maxwell 66 (40 balls), G Bailey 55 (69 balls); S Finn 5/71 (10 overs)

England 10/231 (41.5 overs): J Taylor 98 not out (90 balls); M Marsh 5/33 (9 overs)

AUSTRALIA won by 111 runs.

Man of the Match – Aaron Finch (Australia)

 

Across the Tasman, New Zealand also showed they will be a force to be reckoned with this tournament, easily disposing of Sri Lanka by 98 runs in their Cup opener in Christchurch. The Kiwis batted first and smashed 6/331, each of their top 7 batsmen, bar Ross Taylor, contributing at least 29. Sri Lanka’s chase got off to a decent start, as they reached 1/112 after 20 overs, but wickets at regular intervals derailed the chase, and they lost their last 9 wickets for just 109 runs, crashing to 233 all out in the 47th over. New Zealand’s Corey Anderson was named man-of-the-match for his blistering 75 from just 46 deliveries, and 2/18 at the end of the Sri Lankan innings.

Corey Anderson smashed 75 off 46 deliveries to help New Zealand to a 98-run win over Sri Lanka in Christchurch

 

MATCH SUMMARY

New Zealand 6/331 (50 overs): C Anderson 75 (46 balls), B McCullum 65 (49 balls), K Williamson 57 (65 balls)

Sri Lanka 10/233 (46.1 overs): H Thirimanne 65 (60 balls)

NEW ZEALAND won by 98 runs.

Man of the Match – Corey Anderson (New Zealand)

 

Current standings – POOL A (after 2 of 21 matches):

UPCOMING FIXTURES:

Match 3: South Africa vs Zimbabwe at Seddon Park, Hamilton (Sun, Feb 15 at 12:00pm)

Match 4: India vs Pakistan at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (Sun, Feb 15 at 2:30pm)

*All times AEDST