Rugby World Cup: Ribbans previews England v Chile
It is shaping up to be a cracking day of rugby at the World Cup in France with three games on Saturday, including England’s third match and a mouthwatering evening tie between South Africa and Ireland. We are now into the business end of the Pools, which are beginning to take shape and a number of top sides are already facing the prospect of elimination.
First up is Georgia vs Portugal in Pool A, after France moved top following their 96-0 win over Namibia – though not all went to plan as captain Antoine Dupont was sent to hospital for a suspected fracture after a head-to-head collision that produced a red card early in the second half.
Then England take on Chile as Steve Borthwick shuffles his pack after two wins from two already in France, as captain Owen Farrell returns at fly-half in place of opening day hero George Ford – while Marcus Smith is also being trialled at full-back.
South Africa take on Ireland in one of the most highly-anticipated matches in the tournament tonight, as South Africa have named a controversial 7/1 split on their bench, opening up the prospect of 15 forwards getting gametime as they bid to overthrow the world No. 1.
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KEY EVENTS
Chiefs told to make key ref change
Former rugby referee Nigel Owens has called for the new officiating system to make a key change and explain their decisions at the World Cup.
The bunker has been used in France for TMOs to review plays to decide if a red card upgrade is necessary, in order to help speed up play – which has been used often in the group stage.
But Owens has urged for those in the bunker to explain their decisions to the public, as communication that has been broadcasted on TV previously has been a huge positive to officiating in the sport.
“There is one thing about the bunker that I’m a little bit concerned about,” he wrote for WalesOnline. and it’s really come to light during incidents that have caused a lot of debate among pundits and fans, of which there have already been several at this tournament.
“One of the great things about the TMO in rugby in the past is that when a referee gives a decision, he explained to you why he was giving the red or yellow card or not, or why there was mitigation.
“Whether you agreed or had a different view, you could at least understand why the referee had reached the decision based on that explanation. For me, that’s what put the TMO ahead of VAR in football and things like that.
“People understanding the reasoning behind decisions is hugely important in rugby because it does come down to interpretation, particularly around 50/50 decisions.”
Namibia captain sent social media abuse
Nambia captain Johan Deysel has been on the receiving end of a whirlwind of abuse on social media, which has led to him switching his Instagram profile to private.
After apologising for the red card tackle that sent France’s Antoine Dupont to the hospital and likely ended his tournament, fans showed their disapproval with Deysel.
Namibia head coach Allister Coetzee defended his captain and insisted that he is not a dirty player, who has since received messages of support after waves of abuse forced him to make his social media private.
Former England and Saracens centre Brad Barritt encouraged fans to think carefully over their words for Deysel in his message after the red card.
Johan Deysel apologises
Namibia captain Johan Deysel has apologised for his head-on-head tackle that saw his France counterpart Antoine Dupont taken to hospital.
Dupont’s tournament is likely over after suffering a facial fracture from the challenge that Deysel was shown a red card for, for which he has since apologised.
“I would like to extend my best wishes to Antoine Dupont. Clearly, I meant no harm,” Deysel said.
“Everything happened very quickly, and I couldn’t get my head out of the way quick enough, resulting in a head clash. I know the rules and immediately knew that I was at fault.
“I spoke with coach Fabien Galthie immediately after the match and sent my best wishes and apologies to Antoine both personally and via the France team doctor.
“He is a great player and person and I wish him a speedy recovery.”
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