Warm-up games

[Lizard]

Goodness me I'm getting pretty excited about this World Cup. Only 25 days to go!

What have we got to tide us over until the Big Show?

28 August:
Georgia v Kings

31 August - 1 September:
France v Italy
Uruguay v Brazil
Fiji v Tonga
Wales v Ireland
Namibia v Kings
Georgia v Scotland

6 - 8 September:
Japan v South Africa
Scotland v Georgia
England v Italy
All Blacks v Tonga
Australia v Samoa
Ireland v Wales
Namibia v Kings

Teams with no further warm-ups scheduled:
Canada (last match v Leinster, this weekend)
Russia (Italy, last weekend)
Argentina (SA, last weekend)
USA (Japan, 10 August, PNC)

[Puja]

Japan vs South Africa looks like the pick of those (although Georgia vs Scotland could be very tasty). Not necessarily because I'm expecting Japan to win, but they've got a big opportunity in this RWC and it's hard to tell just how good they're looking from beating Fiji, Tonga, and USA. The SA game should give us a good benchmark about our chances of a new quarter finallist.

Puja

[Digby]

In advance I think the SA game a very bad matchup for Japan. Over the last 12 months England have tempered their line speed at times, whilst SA have really upped theirs. I suspect SA are now the most blitzy team around, and they have some monsters in the pack and centres that will hammer you back if they catch you 20-30m behind the gain line. To play against SA you're going to need to be very brave, very accurate, or get a big positive start from 1st phase.

[Puja]

In advance I think the SA game a very bad matchup for Japan. Over the last 12 months England have tempered their line speed at times, whilst SA have really upped theirs. I suspect SA are now the most blitzy team around, and they have some monsters in the pack and centres that will hammer you back if they catch you 20-30m behind the gain line. To play against SA you're going to need to be very brave, very accurate, or get a big positive start from 1st phase.

But Japan have built their game on pace and offloading just before contact, which is a very good attack to have against a blitzy defence. It could either go very well or very badly.

Puja

[Digby]

In advance I think the SA game a very bad matchup for Japan. Over the last 12 months England have tempered their line speed at times, whilst SA have really upped theirs. I suspect SA are now the most blitzy team around, and they have some monsters in the pack and centres that will hammer you back if they catch you 20-30m behind the gain line. To play against SA you're going to need to be very brave, very accurate, or get a big positive start from 1st phase.

But Japan have built their game on pace and offloading just before contact, which is a very good attack to have against a blitzy defence. It could either go very well or very badly.

Puja

If you can offload to split the blitz defence from the guard positions then yes, and lots of teams are looking to isolate defenders in that one or two out channel, if you're trying to offload in the face of the blitz then that's at best risky. Wide passes, wide flat kicks and dink kicks all look easier to make in the face of such a rapid blitz as SA have.

Yes offloading in the face of the blitz could go very well, but history almost certainly records many more wins for the defence.

[Lizard]

Presumably the Boks will do what the All Blacks say they will do and run a 1st XV, given they’ve got their biggest pool game first up?

Japan have got Russia first up, which is probably their easiest match.

[Lizard]

Ah, turns out Russia do have one more. They’ve just announced that Connacht will visit Moscow on Sept 7.

[Lizard]

Georgia has beaten the Kings, 24-20.

This outfit has got a bit carried away with the headline though:

https://agenda.ge/en/news/2019/2283

[Digby]

Are they they no longer the Southern Kings? Happy to defer to anyone claiming to have knowledge of the Pro/Rabo 12 or 14/ possibly still the Magners league.

I was told that same story on the Kings site is being reported as the Kings coming with a gnats hair of a major scalp/upset and shows they have the forwards to live with a feared test standard pack