Japan 2019 - Pool D Australia Fiji Georgia Uruguay Wales

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Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Tries	PF	PA	+/-	BP	Points
Wales	2	2	0	0	8	72	39	33	1	9
Australia	2	1	0	1	9	64	50	14	2	6
Georgia	2	1	0	1	7	47	50	-3	1	5
Uruguay	2	1	0	1	4	37	60	-23	0	4
Fiji	2	0	0	2	7	48	69	-11	2	2

Australia 39 - 21 Fiji  
Wales 43-14 Georgia
Fiji 27-30 Uruguay        
Georgia 33-7 Uruguay                  
Australia 25-29 Wales                    


3 October 2019         Georgia v Fiji                           Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiosaka
5 October 2019         Australia v Uruguay                  Oita Stadium, Ōita
9 October 2019         Wales v Fiji                              Oita Stadium, Ōita
11 October 2019       Australia v Georgia                   Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi
13 October 2019       Wales v Uruguay                      Kumamoto Stadium, Kumamoto

The Cameron Smith of rugby....
Just sitting here at my favourite cafe early on Grand Final day... minding my own business. Tension in the air. Hope the Green Machine can do it... the Chooks are chock full of Kiwi thugs & cheats... unlike Canberra who are up to their eyeballs with filthy, hard Northerners.. Sponsored by Huawei too so they have the right backing. Hopefully nobody can threaten them.

Might catch some Namibia for an appetiser before kick off.

I liked Richie, a lot more than Keiran Read.

Taylorman wrote:

The Oracle wrote:

Taylorman wrote:

Pie wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

Pie wrote: Prima donnas the lot of them.

Play like one too, so they ain't all bad.

nah, now Henry Carter and McCaw have gone I have no respect for them.

That’s great, cos your validation would be concerning. And I wish folks would make their minds up about McCaw. He’s either the most respected or biggest cheat of a player on the planet. I guess only the greats can get that sort of swing vote.

You seem to really struggle with the concept of different people having different views and just group everyone together!

No, I struggle with the view that a single player gets to be the biggest cheat in the game at the same time as the most respected player by others. I dont know of any other player who fits both descriptions as widely, not even close.

Do you? Given you clearly don’t have a problem with that concept?

Some like him, some don’t. Some people have never even heard of him (my mum, for example). Same goes for Farrell - has his fans and those who dislike him. Same went for Martin Johnson. Same went Jonny Wilkinson. Bakkies Botha too I bet. Some people like marmite, some don’t. Some like rap music, some don’t. People like different things at different times for different reasons. What don’t you get? It’s completely normal not to get 100% agreement on a person.

Yawn...

Some like rap music?

I genuinely thought 100% of people only pretended to like it to fit in with their preferred peer group.

Steady, Fly. You're not about to go calling Anthony Watson 'not a real black man' now, are you?

?

You mean things could get 'racist' if we talk music preferences?

It's a Lions reference, Fly. O'Brien ragging on Watson - very 'In Bruges' style humour - about him not 'really' being black.

No one 'really' likes rap - you know, that music produced from black culture, sold to the masses, and pretended to be liked by millions of white people in the US and beyond in order to not look lame?

Taylorman wrote:

Pie wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

Pie wrote: Prima donnas the lot of them.

Play like one too, so they ain't all bad.

nah, now Henry Carter and McCaw have gone I have no respect for them.

That’s great, cos your validation would be concerning. And I wish folks would make their minds up about McCaw. He’s either the most respected or biggest cheat of a player on the planet. I guess only the greats can get that sort of swing vote.

All great men, you....smallest of men.

With regards to Dan Biggar, will he be fit for the Fiji game or does he need more time?

Expected to be fit I believe.

When will Wales name their team for the Fiji game?

Wales: L Williams; North, Jonathan Davies, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, G Davies; Wyn Jones, Owens, Francis, Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (C), Navidi, James Davies, Moriarty.


Replacements: Carre, Dee, Lewis, Shingler, Wainwright, T Williams, Patchell, Watkin.

Fiji: Murimurivalu; Tuisova, Nayacalevu, Botia, Radradra; Volavola, Lomani; Ma'afu, S Matavesi, Saulo, Cavubati, Nakarawa, Waqaniburotu (C), Kunatani, Mata

Replacements: Dolokoto, Mawi, Ravai, Ratuniyarawa, Yato, Matawalu, Vatubua, J Matavesi

Interesting. Great to see James Davies get a run at openside. Strong selection. Fiji are going to test Wales. Their set piece, particularly their scrum went well vs Georgia

Surprised to see Yato on the bench for them.

I did wonder if James Davies would be involved, when I saw some pictures of Wales training. Kind of had a feeling that Moriarty would probably swap with Wainwright too.

Still no locks on the bench when two of them need game time. AWJ could do with a rest too, presumably he will against Uruguay with perhaps Tipuric coming in as captain.

mikey_dragon wrote:Still no locks on the bench when two of them need game time. AWJ could do with a rest too, presumably he will against Uruguay with perhaps Tipuric coming in as captain.

Maybe, no need to rush the locks back. I read that Beard lost weight and Brad needs to work on fitness a bit more.

mikey_dragon wrote:Still no locks on the bench when two of them need game time. AWJ could do with a rest too, presumably he will against Uruguay with perhaps Tipuric coming in as captain.

Short tunraround to teh last game v Uruguay where I guess Gats will pick the second string team.

Bit harsh on Tipuric, but you're spot on when you say he'll captain the team against Uruguay. Always had a sneaking feeling Jmes Davies was picked for this game in particular. Not quite fire with fire, but someone who's got 7s experience - so will be up to speed with reading how the Fijians play it in the loose - and someone who can deliver sucker punches in basically every area of the pitch. I expect him to get 2 turnovers/penalties in the game.

A good showing from Rhys Carre could genuinely threaten Nicky Smith's position in the team. Think Dillon Lewis needs a big game frm the bench as well.

Was just thinking that about Carre. Gatland can't really be happy with how our replacement props have gone. I bet he wishes he had an extra tighthead now, but that was out of his hands a little with the injuries etc.

We don't have any extra THs that can do better than Lewis really. Rob Evans looks like he would have been useful ahead of either Carre (haven't seen him yet), or Smith I guess.

I liked the way Carre looked against Ireland in the warm ups. In the loose at least. Also good to see Elias step up in that same game, even if he struggled with the lineout. I think both of those could be used latter end of the tournament if needs be. Obviously seen Carre a lot less at club level, but both look 'strong', physically, in the way the Australian front rows did. If we struggle against Fiji, and again against France, there's a case to be made for looking at promoting either/both of these depending how they get on. So, big test for Carre here. Gatland's put his trust in him and if he succeeds, he'll be rewarded.

Think we're 6-12 months away from him being a real starting option, unfortunately. He has bulk Rob Evans doesn't so can understand why Rob missed out. Not sure Nicky Smith is better than him, as it looks like they're competing for the same position, but he did really well last season when called upon, and that was the difference.

Agree we could do with a better scrummaging option at 18, but dont' really have one. Might be a good call on Samson as he's a liability in the loose despite improvements over last 2 years. I do think he can still lock a scrum with his body size/height though. He's a bit hit and miss, but he still gets more hits than any other Welsh tighthead I can think of. I've seen Dillon Lewis get taken apart far too often for comfort. He looked great at u20 level, in a really good team, and several of the players have made the step up and are in this squad - Watkin, Tomos Williams, Carre (?!), Beard I believe? But wasn't there another tighthead in that team? Blues prop with an Eastern European name? Maybe he was a loosehead though.

Either way, who are the prop options? Leon Brown's never looked comfortable at test level, Samson can barely run and would be exploited in the Japanese conditions - that's about it?

I expect Wales to win this game, by how much? do not know. But have been reading the Fiji beat Wales in 2007 38-34. Cannot honestly remember that game but it must of been one hell of a game.

So will not take a Wales win as a certainty but expect Wales too win.

And good luck to them as well.

majesticimperialman wrote:I expect Wales to win this game, by how much? do not know. But have been reading the Fiji beat Wales in 2007 38-34. Cannot honestly remember that game but it must of been one hell of a game.

So will not take a Wales win as a certainty but expect Wales too win.

And good luck to them as well.

Last time wales played Fiji at the World Cup they beat Fiji by over sixty points. Why would a result from over a decade ago make you think it would have any effect on this wednesdays game?

England once lost to Argentina at Twickenham but that had no implication in last weekends game whatsoever.

maestegmafia wrote:

majesticimperialman wrote:I expect Wales to win this game, by how much? do not know. But have been reading the Fiji beat Wales in 2007 38-34. Cannot honestly remember that game but it must of been one hell of a game.

So will not take a Wales win as a certainty but expect Wales too win.

And good luck to them as well.

Last time wales played Fiji at the World Cup they beat Fiji by over sixty points. Why would a result from over a decade ago make you think it would have any effect on this wednesdays game?

England once lost to Argentina at Twickenham but that had no implication in last weekends game whatsoever.

There was a game in between the 60 point thrashing in 2011, which Wales also won. I can see a similar-ish scoreline to the 2015 game, rather than the anomalies in 2011 (when Fiji were poor) and 2007 (pre-Gatland).

robbo277 wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

majesticimperialman wrote:I expect Wales to win this game, by how much? do not know. But have been reading the Fiji beat Wales in 2007 38-34. Cannot honestly remember that game but it must of been one hell of a game.

So will not take a Wales win as a certainty but expect Wales too win.

And good luck to them as well.

Last time wales played Fiji at the World Cup they beat Fiji by over sixty points. Why would a result from over a decade ago make you think it would have any effect on this wednesdays game?

England once lost to Argentina at Twickenham but that had no implication in last weekends game whatsoever.

There was a game in between the 60 point thrashing in 2011, which Wales also won. I can see a similar-ish scoreline to the 2015 game, rather than the anomalies in 2011 (when Fiji were poor) and 2007 (pre-Gatland).

Yes that game too remember it was just four days after we beat England at Twickenham, the side wasn’t changed much either. Two wales tries disallowed flattered the score for Fiji a bit too.

But point being Wales haven’t lost to Fiji for over a decade so god knows why posters like Madge keep banging on about it...!

I don't think it's irrelevant to bring up. They drew with us in the autumn of 2010, I believe, and basically ended Gatland making wholesale rotations until at least the 2015 RWC, and ended the international careers of a few players like Deiniol Jones, Aled Brew, and possibly led to Dan Biggar not being selected for another 3 years - if I've got that right!

Let's be honest, we should beat Fiji comfortably.In terms of scoreline, it's not out of the question that we smash them if we eat our greens in the first half and take the heat out of the game.

It's very different playing a team like Fiji now than it is facing them first up, like Australia did. No doubt they'll bring the thunder, but it won't be the same intensity and longevity as the Oz game - they're still a very emotional side/players, and knowing there's only pride to play for will only go so far if Wales take the scoreboard and the game away from them in the first 30 minutes.

I remember 2007, Fiji ended Jenkins reign and started Gats'.

I hope that we (should) beat them. But I hope we also come out of it unscathed. We cant afford to take a big injury at this stage. And the Fijians are big bu88ers and fast if they get behind us..... Its not going to be nice...

The form guides say wales should win by ten points. I’d say if we win by less or lose/draw and there are aren’t Erroneous circumstances then the performance would not be considered success. If that is the case then wales will need to work hard to rectify issues they find just as they did in the pre-RWC warm up games.

The staff and the players seem to deal with improving form and development well.

I’m really looking forward to the match, I am confident the lads will do well. Any team should fear Fiji, they deserve it as a matter of respect for what they can do. They are a brilliant rugby nation high on skill, speed and Ir set piece and game control is far better than at previous RWCs.

Exciting match hopefully.

I’d expect Wales to win by around 15-20. Fiji are a good side, but I agree with miaow that it’s better to face them now than when the Aussies played them. Wales should have too much organisation and tactical awareness for them. Fiji will go hell for leather and it’s a great game in anticipation for those not involved.

Interesting point is the lack of injuries so far. Not sure what to make of that. Must be due to the conditions and the way the games are being played - less attritional, more space, fewer collisions. Luck comes in but it's an interesting thing to see so far.

miaow wrote:Interesting point is the lack of injuries so far. Not sure what to make of that. Must be due to the conditions and the way the games are being played - less attritional, more space, fewer collisions. Luck comes in but it's an interesting thing to see so far.

Long May the lack of injuries continue

Awesome awesome power and try from Fiji. Impressive start.

Could have been a red?

Im sure Wales will come back into this game and get a comfortable win.

Collapse2005 wrote:Could have been a red?

Could've, if he had landed higher up his back.

Bonus point win from Wales means they're through to the QFs, 3 points ahead of Australia, and effectively certain to top the group barring disaster. Hard luck on Fiji but felt theyr got their prep wrong for Uruguay. No points from the game in the end, which is a touch harsh.

Still yet to find out what topping the group means, other than being on the opposite side of the draw as NZ.

I think every Welsh person is hoping for a France-SA-England progression. Or, better still, France-Ireland-England, but thnk odds are against that, and would rather Ireland lose and England win than vice versa, if the gods are listening. Don't think Wales can compete with NZ - showed admirable fight against them in 2016, but just those few key players/positions that made the Lions more competitive in 2017, Wales don't quite have.

Still think Wales can win the World Cup, but yet to put in a performance like they did in 2011, where they really outplayed SA in the first game and Ireland in the QFs. This feels dangerous for Wales, still playing within ourselves a bit. The real question is do we still have a manic last-quarter-comeback as we're used to seeing from this team? Or do we have another level or two when we really need to play and put in a manic 5-10 minutes to put teams away? We can't control our way to a title, simply because we don't have the physical power to do so. And that's what counts in the knockouts.

Australia have had 2 games where they've had to come out and play after trailing, and I think that sets them up well. It's not out of the question they could win the thing overall, just unlikely if they have Eng-NZ in the QF-SF. I do think Australia look a tidy team, though, and selection issues aside, the replacement half backs invariably seem to get the most out of their team. Which shows where they're weak, but also where they're strong - looser, broken field play, when tackles become a bit more passive, when gaps appear.

Tough old group this. In the end, it was probably tougher than the group of death with Eng-Arg-Fra-Tonga-USA. Fiji look better than Argentina, frankly, and Uruguay and Georgia have played their part - maybe a bit underwhelming from Georgia, who are clearly still some way off Italy. Same goes for Fiji with regard to tier 1 and Rugby Championship, but some good rugby played in this group. Love the way Uruguay play in particular, and the Welsh reserves will have a good old game at the weekend. Hopefully lots more running rugby than there was today, with both teams probably a bit soft up front.

Absolutely pelting down for the Australia Georgia game today.

Could be a right ugly match.

Didn't factor in the rain in huge's tipping comp. It could be closer than expected?

Crowd looks OK... maybe 30-35k there? Not bad considering the weather situation.

Wow! A rugby game being played in the Rugby World Cup. I'm excited.

Can't get that Boz Scags song "Georgia" outta my mind.

Especially the line about

"Your drive-in boys and back-seat noise
And oh, you learned so well.."

and not the

"Georgia, your daddy was high the night he dreamed up you" line.

Red card for the daddy. But he enjoyed the night at least.

was that high tackle by Toomoa a borderline yellow? Serious question as I need to go review the laws when I get he chance.

The Japanese body paint guy is at this game too. Legend.

Feel like I'm watching Ireland play...I mean Australia

Collapse2005 wrote:The Japanese body paint guy is at this game too. Legend.

He could have bought all the shirts had he not gone to all the games.

Reckless play from the Georgian, or just a slip?

Ouch.

Why is that a penalty, the guy slipped?

Still to the head nonetheless.