Rugby World Cup power rankings: Rating every nation’s chances ahead of the tournament
18. Namibia
There wasn’t too much to choose between Namibia and Uruguay in their warm-up encounter, with the South Americans taking an eight-point victory but their opponents impressing. Namibia’s Pool A foes will have to look out for Tiaan Swanepoel’s massive right boot and the teak-tough Richard Hardwick, but a first-ever World Cup win might have to wait.
Rugby World Cup power rankings: Rating every nation’s chances ahead of the tournament
19. Chile
This year’s only World Cup debutants arrive hoping to show their stuff on the biggest stage.
Fly half Rodrigo Fernandez’s fancy feet will cause problems for opposing defences, and a squad primarily drawn from the Selknam club should have plenty of cohesion.
A tournament experience should be a huge positive for a squad with room to grow.
Rugby World Cup power rankings: Rating every nation’s chances ahead of the tournament
20. Romania
Romanian rugby is at something of a low ebb as their men’s national side arrive at a ninth World Cup.
Former England and Scotland coach Andy Robinson’s resignation came suddenly last December and three defeats from three, including against the USA, represents a poor return from their warm-up fixtures.
It may be a case of damage limitation for Romania.
Danny Cipriani: Eddie Jones was ‘like a horny teenager’ asking about sex life
Danny Cipriani has accused former England head coach Eddie Jones of acting like a “horny teenager” in probing into his private life.
The former fly half endured a sometimes difficult relationship with Jones, with Cipriani earning only a handful of caps under the Australian despite impressive club form.
In his soon-to-be published autobiography, Who Am I?, the 35-year-old opens up on his dealings with Jones, recalling one conversation after he had been picked for an early summer training camp in Bagshot shortly after being left out for the coach’s first Six Nations campaign.
Cipriani had recently broken up with television presenter Kirsty Gallacher, and claims that Jones immediately quizzed him on the relationship.
Danny Cipriani: Eddie Jones was ‘like a horny teenager’ asking about sex life
The former fly half was left ‘uncomfortable’ after the former England coach probed into his private life
How Scotland can overcome cruel luck to thrive at Rugby World Cup
Pessimism can sometimes seem to come a little too naturally to Scottish rugby fans, a certain fatalism worn almost as a badge of honour after too many days of disappointment and dejection, of squandered opportunities and wondering what might have been.
It perhaps feels somewhat appropriate, then, for Gregor Townsend to have assembled perhaps the finest side in the nation’s long rugby history and still know a second successive World Cup pool stage effort is on the cards if the tournament goes to form. Plenty has already been written about the lopsided draw but it feels particularly cruel to the Scots, inarguably among the top five sides in the world but drawn together with two of the four top favourites in the pool.
Townsend’s band of history makers have risen to new heights over these last four years, turning Calcutta Cup hope almost into expectation and building further through these last few months. Top to bottom, the likely 23 that will begin the tournament against South Africa in Marseille contains few clear weaknesses.
How Scotland can overcome cruel luck to create World Cup history
A tough draw leaves arguably the best-ever Scottish side facing a second successive World Cup exit at the pool stage
Rugby World Cup 2023: Felipe Contepomi expecting ‘very difficult’ encounter with England
Argentina assistant coach Felipe Contepomi expects England to be ready for their World Cup opener against the Pumas.
The 2019 runners-up have endured a difficult build up to the tournament, with injury and discipline issues adding to a strign of uneven warm-up performance on the pitch.
Contepomi, who captained Argentina at the 2011 tournament, nonethless expects England to be at their best come Saturday as the two sides prepare to kick off their campaigns in Marseille.
“England is the ‘big team’ in the group. They say they are ready for the Rugby World Cup and we expect a very tough match,” Contepomi said.
“You can analyse each rival thoroughly, but you also have to take into consideration what you can do. So you have to concentrate on everything you’ve been working on. It’s about us and doing our game in the best way possible.
“They are the strongest team in our group, if someone wants to call us favourites, it’s up to them. I don’t read the press much and I don’t use social media, so I don’t know what’s being said. But what I can tell you is that we are focused on what we have to do and that we know the power that England have.
“They’ve said they are prepared for the Rugby World Cup, so we expect a very complicated and very difficult match, very physical and strategic, the first match of the Rugby World Cup. But we are very focused on what we know how to do and want to do.”
Wales squad fit and firing
Wales boss Warren Gatland has reported a clean bill of health among his World Cup squad heading into their tournament opener against Fiji.
Co-captain Dewi Lake and No. 8 Taulupe Faletau were among a handful of players who nursed injuries during Wales’ World Cup warm-ups with Faletau playing no part in those fixtures due to a calf muscle problem.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve had a few niggles – we had eight or 10 players not taking a full part in training,” Gatland said. “Nothing serious, but just a few bumps. They’ve all been rehabbed and everyone is now fit, which is a positive place for us to be in.
“He (Faletau) has been taking a full part in training for the past three weeks. There is no doubt in the first week he was blowing pretty hard in terms of some of the set-piece stuff the boys have been doing for a number of weeks.
“That has taken a little bit of time, but we’ve kept a close eye on his GPS figures and they have been excellent for him. Even though he hasn’t been running around, he has done a lot of off-feet conditioning. Some of the work on the side of the pitch is harder than being on the pitch, and he is definitely in contention for the weekend.”
‘It’s an honour and a priviledge’ says Wales’ Dillon Lewis
There was a press conference earlier this morning for the Wales team and Dillon Lewis spoke about what it is like returning to the World Cup after featuring in the last edition in Japan.
“It’s always an honour and privilege to be selected.” he said, “It’s a massive weight off your shoulders but it’s the business end now. I’m excited for the game now. Their set-piece is probably a strength of theirs.
“Japan was a fantastic World Cup. I’m sure France will be the same. You see the crowds they get out here. The chance to travel across these fantastic places and then the most important bit is the rugby.”
New Zealand midfielder Jordie Barrett is in doubt for the World Cup opener against France
Jordie Barrett, who has proved a revelation at inside centre this season after shifting forward, had not trained this week in the lead up to Friday’s game at Stade de France, All Blacks assistant coach Scott Mcleod said.
“He’s had the night off and the day off today,” Mcleod told New Zealand media from training in Lyon.
“We’ll have to see how he wakes up tomorrow. He’ll have an assessment before (training) to see where he’s at, and we’ll go from there.”
The three-times world champions suffered their worst ever test defeat with the recent 35-7 drubbing by South Africa at Twickenham, having won all four previous tests in 2023.
Mcleod said the players were more switched on at camp after the Springboks setback.
“Their ears have been open a lot more, they’ve searched a lot deeper in terms of their execution and understanding of what they have to do, and they want to build to a level they want to play at,” he said.
“The legacy of the jersey means a great deal to the players, and they don’t want to let that down.
“From my knowledge of All Blacks teams, when they lose, they hurt a lot,” he added. “They don’t like losing and want to rectify it.
“That will be our motivation first and foremost, that’s what we’ve been building towards, and France just adds to that motivation in terms of being the host nation, and one of our great opponents.”
(Reuters, reporting by Ian Ransom)
France urged to drop lock convicted of racially motivated assault
France are facing calls to drop Bastien Chalureau just days before their home Rugby World Cup begins after the lock’s conviction for a racially motivated assault.
Chalureau was given a six-month suspended prison sentence in 2020 by a Toulouse court after assaulting two former players.
The 31-year-old, now of Montpellier, is appealing the conviction and denies the incident had any racial element.
Fabien Galthie had initially left him out of his 33-man squad for the tournament, but called up the second row after Paul Willemse’s injury last week.
But the France head coach’s decision to add Chalureau, who won his first international cap last November, to his squad has been criticised ahead of the tournament hosts’ opening game against New Zealand on Friday night.
France urged to drop lock convicted of racially motivated assault
Bastien Chalureau is appealing his conviction after a 2020 incident that he denies was related to racism
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