Scotland zaire 1974 world cup

Australia will enter their World Cup quarter-final against England on Saturday as underdogs – and that will make the Wallabies particularly dangerous. Michael Cheika’s side are not expected to win in Oita; England have defeated Australia a record six times in a row, dating back to 2016. Significantly, Cheika and his opposite number Eddie Jones were in charge for all of those matches. The only other comparable period of dominance between the two old foes was England’s five consecutive wins between 2000 and the 2003 World Cup final in Sydney. The psychological advantage the English have established over the Wallabies may be the decisive factor in the quarter-final, but in whose favour? England possess valuable self-belief, but if they display any complacency against the Wallabies, they will leave themselves vulnerable to being taken by surprise. The history of the World Cup is littered with the corpses of teams that did not see their end coming. That is why the All … [Read more...] about Australia can be a dangerous beast against England as World Cup underdogs

The Japanese have had precious little to cheer about over the past four months, so they could be forgiven for the enthusiasm with which they greeted a historic victory in a football match played in the dead of night thousands of miles and several time zones away. The celebrations began as soon as Saki Kumagai smacked the ball high into the net to seal victory over the USA in the Women's World Cup final in Germany in the early hours of Monday morning. Supporters filed out of bars in Tokyo and chanted the team's name on the streets in scenes reminiscent of the men's World Cup in South Africa last summer, when Japan confounded their critics and reached the knockout stage. Many more had set their alarms in time for the 3.45am kick-off, secure in the knowledge they could watch the match live and then go back to bed, as sunrise marked the start of a national holiday. For those who had chosen to sleep though the final, TV networks ran endless replays of the match's highlights, culminating in … [Read more...] about Women’s World Cup victory brings joy to Japan

Since World Rugby saw red at the high-tolerance threshold of referees over dangerous tackles in the opening rounds of the World Cup, players have been receiving their cards. The governing body is unrepentant, adamant that its stance will force them, and their coaches, to focus on going lower and make the game safer. That stance makes playing against Japan all the more hazardous because of their ability to offload even when a tackler is aiming just below shoulder height and this is the challenge for South Africa on Sunday. The Springboks are confident their aggressive defence will stifle a team that struggled with Scotland’s counter-rucking last weekend. But if they get an early challenge wrong and are reduced to 14 men the hosts will, as befits their nickname, blossom. World Rugby held a briefing on Tuesday to review the pool stage, much of it taken up by the cancellations on the final weekend because of Typhoon Hagibis. But the blizzard of cards since the statement of 24 … [Read more...] about Japan and All Blacks can profit from red alert in World Cup quarter-finals

Some results deserve to be lit up in neon and this historic victory for Japan was one of them. Never before has any team from Asia reached the quarter-finals of a Rugby World Cup, let alone played such an inspirational brand of rugby. This was not just an emotional occasion for the host nation but an electrifying moment for the global game as a whole. Because this was finally the day when the patronising tier two label still used by some to denote Japan’s status in the sport officially ceased to exist. As was the case against Ireland, the Brave Blossoms were irresistible at times and were more than good value for their four-try success against a Scotland team who, for only the second time, are going home before the knockout stages commence. Japan now face South Africa in the last eight on Sunday, four years on from their famous 2015 win against the Springboks in Brighton. The backdrop to the whole occasion made this arguably even more special. Less than 12 hours earlier the … [Read more...] about Japan hang on to reach Rugby World Cup last eight and send Scotland out

Japan’s sports teams have a knack of applying a balm at moments when the population is otherwise occupied by darker thoughts about their country’s susceptibility to natural disasters. Eight years ago it was the women’s football team, who lifted the World Cup – unexpectedly beating the tournament favourites USA – just weeks after the country had been hit by a deadly earthquake and tsunami. That feat was achieved on European soil while most of Japan slept. But on Sunday, the tens of thousands of home fans inside Yokohama Stadium were there to live every second of the Brave Blossoms’ 28-21 triumph against Scotland. “I expected us to win, but now that we’ve actually done it I’m in shock,” said Japan fan Atsushi Moritani. “I’m full of admiration for Horie and Leitch for the way they played tonight. They showed courage, and I hope they passed some of that on to people who are struggling tonight after the typhoon.” … [Read more...] about Japan’s heroics have fans daring to dream at Rugby World Cup