These daily files will give you the latest reporting from around the World Cup as well as betting lines, what to watch for information and best reads. Check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from France.
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THE LEAD: Zombie, Zombie, Zombie – eh eh!
Can anyone or anything stop this Ireland team?
Andy Farrell’s men swept Scotland aside on their way to a 17th straight Test win in Paris on Saturday night, a near faultless performance played out in front of 78,459 fans – all but a few it felt like were cheering on the men in green.
This nation with a troubled past – and problems that remain still today – has unified completely behind its rugby team, singing and drinking as one in the hours building up to kick-off – and then cheering their heroes home inside Stade de France.
But it is at fulltime when the party really gets going, after the fans in the stands have drawn a collective sigh or two of relief – before they belt out The Cranberries’ classic “Zombie”.
The song has become the unofficial anthem for Ireland at Rugby World Cup 2023 – and it is a site to behold seeing what was rumoured to be 50,000 Irish fans belt it out in victory.
“My brother texted me three hours before the game, he was at the stadium already and he just said ‘wait till you see what it’s like’, he wasn’t here last week, my other brother was here last week,” Ireland captain Jonathan Sexton explained when asked about the crowd.
“I took his word for it and the lads were talking; we had a Scottish physio who said it was going to be 50/50 [split], and I said ‘yeah, we’ll see’. But I said it last week, they give us some of the best days of our lives and then it’s important that we repay that with our performance and give them something to cheer about, and we definitely did that tonight.
“But it’s all about next week now really. Straight away, against South Africa we knew we had two weeks to prepare [for Scotland], whereas now it’s almost like we’re focused already for next week.”
The Irish fans will again outnumber the far smaller number of travelling All Blacks supporters when the two teams face off in the quarterfinals for the second straight World Cup. Given it is a short flight to Paris from Dublin or Belfast compared with Auckland, the fact those in green will outnumber those wearing black next week will be no great surprise.
But the sheer number of fans that are making their way to France – and the passion with which they are supporting their team – and the sight of the stands bathed in green, belting out their new adopted anthem in unified celebration, is truly something to behold.
Zombie.
Astonishing. pic.twitter.com/cro3gE0nma
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) October 7, 2023
“I think it’s amazing, the songs at the end of the game, I love all that,” Farrell said when asked whether he had taken a private moment or two to soak up the atmosphere.
“We got a bit of stick didn’t we for walking around [the field] against South Africa, but we’ve walked round and thanked the fans at every game; it’s the least that we can do when they turn out in the thousands like they’ve done.
“And we play for them, we talk about it every week, I talked about it before the game today in the dressing room. It means more than what people think, 100%, and I know that France is buzzing with Irish people, but I believe it’s going bonkers back home. We’re a bit torn between where we want to be; enjoying it with the fans back home or staying here. We’ll stay here for now.
“But we know when we turn up for training on Monday that we’re not just doing it for ourselves.”
AROUND THE CUP
A funny old night for Farrell despite milestone
Owen Farrell had a strange old match on the day he made England rugby history. His 18th-minute penalty against Samoa saw him surpass Jonny Wilkinson’s previous record of 1,179 points and with it, put him out on his own as England’s record points scorer. It’s a remarkable feat.
But it was also a match, as England narrowly beat Samoa 18-17, where Farrell was timed-out by the countdown clock on his 64th minute penalty. The big screens in the stadium show the clock ticking down from 60 seconds and by the time Farrell struck his effort through the posts, the clock had already stopped. Samoa’s players remonstrated with the referee, and Andrew Brace awarded a scrum. Farrell was a relieved man afterwards.
“I didn’t see the clock,” Farrell said afterwards. “I wasn’t aware. It was above where I was picking my target. I got lost a little bit in the kick. It wasn’t good enough and I’m glad for the team’s sake that it didn’t cost us. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
It was Farrell who put the full stop on the match as he hoofed the ball as high as he could into the Lille sky, but don’t expect him to dwell on this record for long. It’s not in his way. “I’ve not got too many thoughts,” Farrell said afterwards. “It’s a massive honour to be in contention, to be around long enough to be in contention. The lads gave me a nice presentation of a framed picture in the changing rooms which was nice, but my focus has been on us this week and will be on us over the next couple of days. It might be something I look back on and appreciate more later but, having said that, it was a huge honour.”
For Steve Borthwick, watching Farrell break the record was a moment of personal pride given he was at Saracens when Farrell broke through as a teenager and is now there alongside him as England coach.
“It’s testament to a man who’s dedicated himself to being the best he can be, the best player he can be, the best leader he can be, the best person around the squad. I think he’s an incredible role model,” Borthwick said. “I was chatting with a couple of people yesterday, and they had young children, and I asked them who they look up to the most, and it was this man. For this guy to have an impact on so many lives, be such a great role model. It’s a privilege for me as a coach to be able to work with him and hopefully there’ll be many more times in that England shirt and continue to play as well as he does.”
Wales take some hits, but still sweep Pool C
Wales had a perfect pool stage – winning four from four to top their group. Job done. But the residing emotion after their 43-19 win over Georgia on Saturday in Nantes would have been a concern after Taulupe Faletau’s World Cup was finished by a broken arm and they had fresh injury worries over Liam Williams and Gareth Anscombe.
Warren Gatland’s side have grown nicely into the tournament, a run of victories which included that hard-fought win over Fiji, the late bonus point triumph over Portugal and the obliteration of Australia. Then came the Georgia match where they were pushed close, but had Louis Rees-Zammit’s hat-trick and scores from Williams, George North and Tomas Francis to steer them through, but as they prepare for their quarterfinal, the chief concern will be around how they replace the outstanding Faletau.
Wales did well against Georgia, especially after they lost Anscombe in the build up to the match with a groin injury. In stepped Sam Costelow who steered the team well from fly-half but it was hardly ideal preparation. They’ll now monitor Anscombe’s injury, continue to nurse Dan Biggar back to full fitness and have Costelow ready to go for the final four. “We’re going to assess Gareth over the next 72 hours,” Gatland said. “He’s pulled his groin very high up.”
But there are other concerns, with Williams struggling after the Georgia win with a “whack to the knee”, as Gatland put it. And then there’s Faletau – one of the world’s best No.8s. “We felt that he was starting to come back to his best. He was excellent last week in terms of his footwork and carrying and stuff, taking kick-offs and giving us some go-forward as well,” Gatland said. “It’s a big loss for us.”
The on-pitch headlines will be dominated by Rees-Zammit’s hat-trick, and Gatland has challenged him to get better. “I’d like to see him with a little bit more ball in hand and having a bit of a crack,” Gatland said. “You see the pace he’s got and he’s very skillful for that kick-and-chase. He’s still a player with a huge amount of potential in terms of the amount of growth he’s got going forward. He’s still young, we think he can get better and better.”
MATCH PREVIEWS
Japan vs. Argentina
TAB (tab.com.au): Japan $4.50, +12.5 $1.85, Argentina $1.20, -12.5 $1.95
Second spot in Pool D is on the line when these two teams meet in Nantes, with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal date with Wales. Both teams have been below their best so far this tournament, making hard work of wins over Samoa and both outplayed by pool frontrunners England. But it’s the Pumas you feel who have more improvement in them, particularly with star players Juan Montoya and Pablo Matera among those to have a rest last week. The Pumas will look to dominate the Brave Blossoms at the breakdown and starve them of the quick-ruck ball they crave, and will also back their defensive line against a team that has few explosive ball-carriers. If the Pumas let themselves down with their discipline, however, then this could very much be game on. But the Argentines’ big-game experience honed from more than 10 years in the Rugby Championship should see them home.
Tonga vs. Romania
TAB (tab.com.au): Tonga SUSP, -37.5 $1.90; Romania $19, +37.5 $1.85
This is the game these two sides have been waiting for, an opportunity to face a fellow Tier 2 nation after a month of hard slogs with Ireland, South Africa and Scotland. Certainly Tonga have fared much better against those three nations than the hapless Romanians, who have only managed one try in three games so far. Tonga have also regained key strike weapon George Moala, who returns from suspension to play his first game of the tournament in what is a big inclusion for Toutai Kefu’s side. They should have too much power and speed to be worried by the Romanians, who lack any genuine attacking threats. Look for a big game from Tonga fullback Charles Piutau.
Fiji vs. Portugal
TAB (tab.com.au): Fiji $1.03, -21.5 $1.85; Portugal $12, +21.5 $1.95
Fiji require just a solitary bonus to book a first quarterfinal appearance since 2007, but they will want to enter the knockout phase with some momentum and so coach Simon Raiwalui has named a full-strength side for this clash. Rightfully so, too, after the Portuguese showed a real attacking intent against Australia and put the Wallabies under sustained pressure, albeit without the finishes needed to really make it a close contest. Fiji, too, were well below their best against Georgia last week, slipping back into some bad old habits where they pushed pass and went for plays that simply weren’t old. Raiwalui will demand a return to the performance they delivered in their shock win over the Wallabies, a victory built on breakdown dominance and scoreboard pressure. If they are able to achieve something similar in this clash, it will be the perfect warmup for a showdown with England next week. But their focus must be squarely on this pool stage finale, they have at least a bonus point to secure here first.
NEWS OF THE DAY
Seilala Mapusua: Refs guilty of ‘unconscious bias’
Samoa head coach Seilala Mapusua has said referees are guilty of “unconscious bias” against tier two nations.
Mapusua was talking after his Samoa side lost 18-17 to England in Lille, a match where his team were penalised 14 times to England’s nine. Samoa also had centre Tumua Manu yellow-carded in the 66th minute of the match, a 10-minute spell which saw England clinch the match-winning score through Danny Care.
Dupont in great shape, France assistant coach says
Antoine Dupont is likely to be in top form for France’s quarterfinal at the Rugby World Cup if he gets approval to play from the surgeon who operated on his broken cheekbone, assistant coach Karim Ghezal said.
Dupont underwent surgery two weeks ago, and surgeon Frederic Lauwers is expected to decide on Monday whether the team captain is ready to return to competition.
Les Bleus qualified for the last eight when they crushed Italy 60-7 on Friday.
Dupont was not on the match sheet but he has resumed training alone and the 26-year-old appears to be fit – cheekbone injury aside.
“His physical qualities are impressive. He’s worked hard, doing a lot of running and speed, which are his strong points. Physically, Antoine hasn’t lost much despite his two weeks off,” Ghezal told reporters on Saturday.
“He’s in great shape, as the Performance Unit has told us. All that’s missing is his appointment on Monday with the surgeon who operated on him.
“He’ll be the one to decide whether or not he can return to the pitch.”
— Reuters
TOP FEATURES OF THE DAY
Irish rugby tidal wave feels almost unstoppable – even against history
Ireland notched their 17th straight Test win on Saturday night, accounting for Scotland 36-14 in front of what must have felt like every last one of their countrymen.
Heartbroken Samoa rue England’s RWC victory
Samoa come away as heroic losers against a shabby England side that head coach Steve Borthwick must find a way to improve ahead of the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.