Have we learnt anything from the Nations Championship?

BBC-podcast on suurin jälkeen. Käsit on sivustolle. Käsit on sivustolle. Käsit on sivustolle. lstä malenko plinee verASTOOFl Tudoustelmoja murtin pyst The answer. to take the time out of it. Took him about five minutes to score that first try. And then they keep quick tapping it. They would just like, they'd completely lost their heads, I think, mentally and physically. And then it was apparently try at the end. So the Chalorie, you want all the slade? I think both. I can't walk in the tree. Maybe not a try, but a penalty. Definitely penalty. I think, well-- I think if it's a penalty, it has to be a penalty. Yeah, because then you're going to do Chalorie. That's a probable try, isn't it? We think that. And it makes slade a meter from the light. But it's a slade, says, the guy's really low. And I don't see Clinton. So then he's chin. But he's-- Do you think he got his chin? I didn't see an angle, saying what's chip. Or if you watch it back, like from the camera angle, from the gold light, I think if I'm being generous, it starts shoulder and then ends up round the neck. What do you reckon about the Chalorie one, though? Is that clear, cut for you? I've seen them given. And if that's a penalty, and then the final action is that he scored touch line and in goal, then of course-- Having knocked off his strike and bleeding, it's definitely a ball-priced. Then he has to then be a penalty try. So I totally get as to why they're furious. But you still, like, nothing excuses the reaction. Nothing does. I'd like to know what William Montaul actually thinks, because he's a very respectful person. He holds it really quite high. Everything I have, it was all about respect. And he lives-- he just lives his life like that. And even his post-match interview was very-- I'd say he was quite respectful. He didn't say anything bad about it. Grinch. It's not the way he does things. So I can't, for one moment, think that he's what he's seeing is all right with. And even that goes for the coach as well. I can't see that he agrees with any of it. So they're just not in a good spot at the Argentina. Beat by Scotland. Beat Wales just really, not great. And then, being in Beyingland in First Half, really, there was enough done for them not to come back. They're just not in a good place. Rugby wise. From where they were a couple of years ago, it's where they were, where they are now. And then-- From when they were in November, Ashie. This is the Argentina side that turned over Scotland at Murrayfield. It's the same Argentina side that could have been in the U.S. to be in England at the Allianz tour. What they're producing. What, nine months later? I do have to deal with a fair bit of adversity. And I wonder if they do sometimes then feel, oh, it's us against the world. I mean, they're the only Spanish-speaking tier one nation. They've got Angus Gardner, who's an English-speaking ref with an English-speaking team. I think that's something that we take the ground to a bit. But I don't think you see anything. There's nothing English-speaking. They don't have a domestic league. So they have players that are coming from all around the world with nowhere near the prep time that England get. And Osteep Orphic is talking about Argentina's experience. But man, there's a lot of things that Argentina don't have going for them. As they don't have a pro league, they'll get zero Bernadjancey van Rensburg. And the like that England, Ireland, Scotland have profited from. People are coming migrating to play pro rugby, then being naturalized. So they never get those kind of benefits that some of the countries in the tier one are reneged. But having said that, I don't think they have to always act like they got the weight of the world on their shoulders. Because we know they've got a class team full of experience who should probably be beating one of England or Scotland at home in those kind of hostile environments. Yeah. And I think they use all that, mate. They harness all that. They just get in the right. It's just that it's such a fine balance with that. And obviously the footballers, the way they did it against England, whether you like it or not, they got the job done. That's what I genuinely think that's what they thought and they saw that we're going to do exactly the same as that. We're starting with a shirt, right? Starting with a shirt. Who was? And a god shirt. Amazing shirt. It was your wicket shirt. The one they won the World Cup in politics. But is that hand a concert? Yeah, yeah. He can't get away from rigging you. But then, I mean, the singing and changing after that's so pedantic. That you earned that right by winning the game. And it's the most annoying thing when you've had a really tight game. You've lost. And then you hear the away team putting the music on. It's like one of those things that you just-- But you get on with it because it rugby, you know, well, at some point we'll get our own back. We'll be able to put our own music on. And you sing your songs because you've earned that right. So to then storm out the press conference, I think it's so pedantic. And I think I'm the same as you. I love Filipe Contraper. I thought he's an unbelievable rugby player. But I think he's got that wrong there. Steve was a bit annoyed about it, wasn't he? Let's talk about England. Yeah. He won. And there was an order. Durekin, everyone just a little bit knackered and this season. Yeah, I did. It's the end of school year, isn't it? The teachers are a bit rascic. Not for the-- For the sub-nemas, for the start. Filipe is like walking out of the press conference to play in loud music. Come on. And then I watched the fourth press conference. The first three or four questions were about the win. And then clearly there's a question about England's discipline because it's absolutely rancid, isn't it? The club-- Maybe if I know if it was a record. Well, it's a record. It's a record. It's a record by distance, I think. Tier one record. No, it wasn't. No, it wasn't. Well compared to other teams in this calendar, or whatever last period of time. So it wasn't as if-- And fair play to those UK journals who have gone to Argentina during a football world cup. And those publications are sent. I think, very much, Australia didn't send a single journalist down here last November. Scotland, Wales didn't send a single journalist with-- be careful what you wish for. England, England, and Seaborth, could be the other media and negative, but would you rather know him was there? And you were talking to the void during a football world cup. Australia didn't send one. Australia didn't have one journalist here in November. So then we've got to be really careful. People might not like the way the media always operates. But I get way more DMs from fans saying, I've spent 200 quid a ticket. Can you hold the RFU to account than people going, get behind the boys? Can you get behind the team if they're winning matches? Media positivity doesn't end up with a team being efficient at the breakdown. It does it. No, that's not how it works. You won't say that, just Steve. I don't know. I might not see him for a while now. But I think-- I don't know what's in that. It's weird that he's taking an umbrage at the suggestion England have poor discipline and saying it's not weird. It's a negative question. Every single England coach when they're under pressure, the first thing they go and do is attack the media. It's just a-- Is it the first or the last? Well, it's just-- it's the coach's tactic, isn't it? When you're under pressure and you feel like they're sustained pressure on you and question or performances, you're wrong, or the rest of it. The first thing you do is you flip the script and the narrative. And it's not about our performance. It's about the way which our performance has been described by the media. It's just like that's just standard. Anyone can see through-- well, I don't want to say anyone can see through that. But like, you look at every single coach, rugby coach, you're weaved out for last 20 or 20 years. That's the first thing they do when you're under pressure. I'll have a go at the media. Yeah, and it's not unique to England. It happens all around the world. And I do think it's going to be consistent when you lose or don't play well, go, well, this has gone against us, this, what I'd call a caveat culture. How can we expect it to be the box given their experience, given this, given the travel? By that logic, if you beat a poor New Zealand, a Twickenham, you go, do you know what, this is the last legs of the Robertson regime. They're not very good at the moment. So don't get carried away. Or I'll just team about a long season. Or Australia played the Lions. They're knackered. So these results don't count. When you beat way, it was go, well, rugby's on its knees. That doesn't happen when you win, does it? The only person who does that is Rasey Rasmus, actually. He's the only one who is in such a position. Of course. Or he does it before. Comes first. Yeah, he lanes it before. He's literally a apologise for Wales for Scotland. He always puts his victories, because he never really loses anything in the world. Into context, yeah, he always does that. But he won a sorry to interrupt, actually. But he 2018, when he's lost a few games and he's on the couch, he's not doing that. He's doing that with two World Cup's and his cabinet. And he can kind of do what he wishes. What was he like at the World Cup? Was it a bit of pressure there? I think, yeah, I think the key word is pressure. I think these coaches and Steve's under and an almost amount of pressure. So I think the easy way to almost escape all that is to create a narrative within the group that it's you against the world. And we did that in the World Cup, and it worked. Like we. And it wasn't like we performed really well, so we didn't deserve the criticism. But internally, I think Steve, what he's really good at is kind of galvanising a team with a direction of saying, "Well, look, even the media are having to go at us now. Let's go prove everyone wrong. Let's go smashing grab." But then I think what I've seen recently with Steve is he's even before the game. He was going back at flats and questioning. Flat's just trying to do his job and Steve's going back in. So how many changes do you want then? And flat's was like, well, 12 problems. He went, "Oh, it's been great to be in your position." I think obviously there must be an enormous amount of pressure that Steve's feeling currently. And I think if you are an England head coach, we've seen it with so many coaches before that it reaches a point where it's kind of fight or flight. You either shut up, shop, and you get out of there, or you go and fight a little bit. Can that last through to what it's a long time? I don't know. But I didn't mind him clapping back a little bit, because I just thought at least it showed a bit of fight, because I think what people maybe have said about Steve before is that they can't really break through. Break through to him. And he's almost a little bit kind of robotic with answers. And I think they want to see a bit more passion. So I quite like seeing that that he's fired up and he wants to go out there and fight. So what you want you to see from your England coach is all about it. to see from your players. And obviously some people won't like it, but I kind of like because it's the first time I think in a while that I don't mind seeing him the ghost. I just think it was so premeditated because Flats is questioned, wasn't an opinion, it was merely a question about his selection. But they won without the yellows and stuff. I don't think there'd been much of a. No, but he's. This was. No, I know. Before the game, so I was like, "You've come, obviously, trying to get on the front foot and just shut down anything." So, when it's authentic and organic and all the rest of it, and it's just in the moment fair enough, but when it's premeditated, I'm like, "Have you written this script two hours ago, a lot on the way in?" So it was just a bit like. Four yellows. Four yellows in the second half. And like. And the reality is, just my opinion, and what do I know, I don't have the pressure of being an international coach. And by the way, most international coaches are under pressure. Dave Renny's only been in Jarthrey matches, and Saturday was. They've been huge for him. Huge. So like, everyone's under pressure, and of course you're under pressure when you've just recently had a review. You've had the worst six nations in England history. And you've got to get these must-winds. That's just the nature of the beast. So just accept it and just get on with it. So when the question about discipline was posed, you have to ask the question. Because without the yellow cards, I think England accrues in, Steve Balfrick has also said, "I know how many times in the six nations, it's very hard to win Test Match rugby when you've constantly got someone in the bin." And then when it happens again, and it's a theme, and it's 15 cards in eight matches, you have to try and understand us to why that's happening. I do think having to like to really great win for England. You know, there's all the adversity, and you mentioned the hotel and having to fly, and they've done more travel, we'll speak about Ireland in a sec, they're travel schedule by comparison. You take that Aussie Aussie New Zealand. And I do think that Steve Balfrick has got to get to the World Cup now. Because if the RFU have done a big review for Renzig, spoken to the players, spoken to coaches, done all of that, and then he wins two out of three. I don't think he can then turn around and go, "Oh well, we're going to change our mind." If the RFU have got anything about them, they're sticking to their plan, and Steve Balfrick needs to be told, "You're going to the World Cup." I don't like this idea, which may be wrong, but it felt as if he was under pressure to win matches. And of course, England had his choice to win matches, but he needs to be told where he stands by the RFU, and given the license to develop his squad through to the World Cup as he sees fit, and not having to change his selection strategy based on his own job security. So I think the worst thing the RFU could do would be to entertain any more noise around Steve Balfrick, completely shut it down, and say, under no circumstances, but catastrophe, 50, 60, 70 nils, will Steve Balfrick not be at the World Cup? I think he's got to have that security, so he can then plan his vision for the next half of many months. Well, they kind of did that before this tournament, didn't they? These days they came out, did the review, and said, "We know the direction we think it's going." They did, but did no media, no explanation of the review. We went through that though, they didn't wait for that. We didn't. We threw all that, but it's still, there's still been loads of noise if they had lost to Fiji and Argentina, you felt, but the noise back to square one again. But the noise is the noise was just the noise is the media. So like what's the fans and the media in corporations? So like you can, I think if you put yourself in his shoes, you'd be like, well, nothing's changed. I've been back by Bill Swinney. I've been backed, so I know I'm not all the fans are going to like it yet, but we're going to try and prove it to them in the next 18 months. So in a way, like that noise does build up from podcasts and publications and media because if people are seeing stuff that they don't like in a England shirt, having said all that, that 40 minutes for England in the first half was some of the best 40 minutes I've seen England playing a long, long time. It was everything that I think Steve wants out of that team. I spoke to Richard Wiggers before the game against Fiji and he said, we, to get this team running, the best thing about this team is we can run and we can get, we can get some movement in them. But we cannot do that if we don't get off on the mentals, right? If you're getting beaten, if you're on the mentals, you've got no hope. So the set piece again was really good against Argentina. They got a front football, they were direct early and then the best thing about the whole thing is they moved the ball to their dangerous players and you spoke about it after trying to get money on the ball as many times as possible. 14 touches? Brilliant. And he looked world class for that 40 minutes. Well, he looked the world class the whole game, but especially that 40 minutes, but Freeman brilliant. Fin Smith being brave enough to go to that kick that he knows he can do because him and Freeman have worked on it thousands of times in training. Genges being direct, I thought Seb Atkinson quietly had a brilliant game, his best game in England shirt. I think he looked like he felt backed by the team. It all worked well. Van Portfleet played well. Fin Smith quietly again, when about his business. Then you got Ben O'Reilly good guy pepper again, brilliant. So that's the blueprint. The problem then is it's like, how do we stop this when the momentum changes and another team gets on top? How do you stop it? Because literally, I think the money dropped the ball in the third minute of the second half, and then it just flipped and it was all Argentine. I mean, that's when the best teams will realise when they need momentum how to get it back, get it back quickly, stop it, limit them to a three points maximum and then get out of there. But not 14 and two yellow cards. 14 and two yellow cards. And all those yellow cards that we talked about, they're disciplined. I don't remember one of them being for violent conduct. It's all as a result of being under the pump and feeling pressured and then reaching for a ball that you probably shouldn't slightly stray offside. So it's always the same sort of stuff. It's not the it's not thuggish behaviour. It's not violent. It's just like the little ones that you don't get away with under under pressure, which and pressure does make you do silly things. I used to give away loads of yellow cards and it will all kind of under pressure where you feel like you can try and save something where you don't need to. You've got to stay in your lane a little bit and they've got to work that out quite quickly, I think. So I think the senior players and the coaches got a big job to to limit them because they won't win test matches against the best teams. You've got some big teams coming in November if they're going down constantly. They've been doing that since the six nations, one thing every game. Well, it's over second half. Two hours of rugby now in eight matches where they haven't had a full complement. You can't expect to win against 90 points. Ships I think is 90 odd points. But on the performance to back up what Danny said, that was that first half was absolutely brilliant. They dominated, commanded, controlled everything. That was Manie's best game for England and I don't know why it's taken England so long but I'm glad we've got to that point but their game plan of getting him into the game is everything that Northampton do with Tommy Freeman getting him into the game. First phase given the ball. The amount of confidence he grew so early on. First line up, bank hit it up, second line up, bank hit it up and then he started roaming. He felt like I don't know, I've not spoken to Manie about it but I reckon there's been a period where he thought am I in this team to chase kicks and just try and get the ball back because that seems to be his major involvement but then early on into the game, bank, bank, bank. I've struggled at ties where it in my career where I wasn't quite sure how to get into the game or the game plan to get me into the game and remember speaking of coaching a lot. You go first phase we're just going to give it the ball and you just grow in confidence. I thought he was so good. Yes, there's worries about the second half. That happens and no one plays complete 80 minutes but the first half bottle that was good and it comes down to a few things to me. Select your best players in the best positions. We've got that now I think. Select players on form and create a game plan which is suited to the players which is one because they are built to run and so I think we can tick all of those boxes then there's the naturally it's always going to be work on. You cannot underestimate how good and when that is from from this team. Let's talk about the balance of power in the global game in a sec but for all the drama that was in Sant'Algadal Estero there was not much in Auckland disappointingly for a game I think they promised so much when you looked at Ireland's preparation they'd rested players with the Japan game they hadn't had anywhere near the travel that Scotland Wales or England had to endure and then they were just kind of game done a half time. I thought Ireland were desperate disappointing but your expectation on Ireland based on what based on because that one six games in a row they turned to call him six days. Yeah we thought they'd say they're one six games in a row they had very very limited travel compared to the other home nations even France and people in their leg basically they'd be on a rest against Japan and New Zealand are at the start of a regime and I thought New Zealand would win but I don't think teams will get many opportunities quite like that to break the Eden Park record. That's why it's a long long long record though. Everybody thinks that. Sure because England two years ago yeah right at the start of the Robertson regime which is now over. Oh god I'm going to be like well they they up but if that's not Eden Park or it's not New Zealand if they're playing in Argentina same team same everything they win because England just got Argentina's number they see those blue shirts and they they just nail it whereas with New Zealand needs in park, I think teams have a mental block, but I don't know whether it was mental for Ireland or whether it was just technical because they're handling errors and they're softness in terms of how easily New Zealand scored tries. I was pretty staggered by it. Yeah, I just thought it was a massive missed opportunity for Ireland. I think Andy Fowell would be gutted with that because I'd like you, Josie. I do think New Zealand, they're getting back to being the New Zealand that we talked about the last few weeks from the old. But the lack of composure from them was the worrying thing for me. And you look back only a few months since they came to Allianz Stadium and they demolished England. Crowley's that game, yeah. E injured? Crowley's injured, it's not on tour. OK. So they had to go with time. But they're lack of composure, even on things like exits where Ireland normally are the best in the business. So they've got three different options. They shift, they shift a kick or they shift to a set up a box kick or they look to play from deep. But they were like getting the little balls out of the bat. Mugluski throwing on the floor for Will Jordan to score. Gibson Park. What would seem off form, which is rare for him, Prenda Gast. I don't think again, controlled the game properly. And they were just making fundamental errors, which are so not like Ireland, like that team. Basically is the lense to team with a couple others throwing in. They're all doing exactly the same thing every single time for years and years and years. You don't make them mistakes, but they did for some reason and just invited New Zealand to then take all these sentences. They try the pass out the bat. Yeah. I think it's from my watching of it, Sam saw that there was someone coming shooting out of the back and he just left the pass. That was Mugluski gave the pass. Yeah. He used to be connected there. He wasn't. And then it's like you say, for the use in all those options, he knows he's got to be there. But for them to just literally walk and score at that level is you never see that with Ireland. Well, when Irish severe comes off the scrum, you just say that's so that's so that's for me. But that's even a weird, you're trying to defend, which you wouldn't ever defend it like that, but I think because Sam's there is trying to figure out a way of, I don't know, highly more what what he's you don't start. You don't have to fly off standing be able to scrum on your own trial line. Well, how would you do that? You don't have your nine. You just lose a man trying to pick a side, but you're 10. Five minutes from the trial line, commit to one. Master of course, that on the search line. Yeah, off the pitch. You're that irrelevant. I really, I like, we all know Sam Pentegrasse is a good player, he's a young player. Oh my gosh. You've got to sacrifice your ribs when you're playing 10. If you want to have a fast and fluid game, you've got to go, you've got to get on top of teams. Were you in an attack here? In attack, maybe amount of times he takes the ball and he passes it, a couple of minutes, like you're just not engaging enough, you're just not doing it enough. You look at top 10s, you have to. I don't know how many times he got tackled with the ball. And like, that for me has to be his biggest work on. He's just not sacrificing himself enough at the game line to try and create space for others. But yeah, they lack control. It is a massively missed opportunity for them because they'd just been disappointed to not put a better version of themselves out there. I think on that one point there about a 10 being brave enough to take to the line. And look at when the lines picked, the tens that they picked and Fin Smith probably got a nod over Premier Gaston when Premier Gaston was riding a bit of a high wave. But watch how many times Fin Smith gets hit as he's past the ball because he's quite simple. He's running straight, he's holding defenders, he's committing a defender to then tackle him to create space for other people. If a 10 like Luke says passes it two yards before the line, the defender swims off and there's two men whacked the guy who's going to get the ball. So the amount of times Fin Smith sacrifices himself for the team is probably the difference between Premier Gaston being a world class potentially fly half and just being alright. And I think that's where Crowley, as you said at the start, actually Crowley gets hit every time because he's committing defenders, opens his ribs up himself. But for any young ten out there, you have to be brave to dig into the line as much as you know. You can do it wherever it's an ecotail or a two or a half to act in certain. You've got to get hit, you've got to get hurt, it helps the team but I just don't see him do it enough. It has to be as big as work. Just in general, I just don't think he likes contact. You can never use against the Irish team that I feel like the English lines are tired. They do play a lot of games in the Premier, they play it all the time for England, played the Lions. The Irish lads like to have a week off last week. They get rested a lot for the clubs. You can't have the same. I wonder if he's been slightly different this year because so many went on the Lions and Lens have probably played them a bit more. I'd see them in the URC than they have in previous years. I bet the way less than Premier Lens. Oh, minutes wise they'll still be way down on that. Way, way, way down. Tommy Freeman for example, yeah. Yeah. And that's the thing. And Steve Both expense always something he's got to deal with. Flip side of that is you get loads of players to choose from because you got a bigger league. Now that this summer leg and the national championship is in the bag, what have we learnt about which teams? Or are there some teams that has just reinforced what we knew already? Like with England does it reinforce? They compete Argentina, they compete Fiji. They're the fifth best team in the world around that. They're not in Southcaus League. With Ireland has taught us that they had a really good rally in the Six Nations but they're still not what they were. France got loads of depth and had a pretty good tour. Aussie are maddeningly inconsistent. Anything we learn particularly. Biggest thing for me and the probably thing that I'm most excited about is I think the all blacks are back. Which I know you were on the fence couple of it. You didn't think that they were but I think that they're just showing all the signs of when the all blacks were the best team in the world. I agree if you know. I wasn't certain after them being a French second team but then three wins on the bounce. Their style of rugby. They're kicking the ball a quarter less than they were under Scott Robinson. They're moving the ball way more. They're scoring lots of tries. I love the back line they've picked. We all, most teams are desperate to have two playmakers in the back line but they've got Ruben love of Richard Mawanger to come back. You've got one of the best ball players number 12 in the team. It will be back. Jordy Barrett as a ball player. David McKenzie you've got three ball players in the back line and you've arguably got the best number nine in the world right now in Cam Roy guard like. I will Jordan. And then you've got the best trascore in all blacks history in a back line like they're right. I would say who's your man Faey the the winger who signed for Newcastle Red Bulls who then made a decision on stay for the all blacks. He's been stitched up. He gets a cap for 15 minutes off the bench and then bombed off. Can you still lead? You can still go. It's still down to go to Newcastle. Yeah, still down I think. That'll probably confirm he's making the right decision. I've probably been his mind. Because I just thought like if he's then been captured and been like shown this all black jersey and this is what you can be a part of and then like bombed off for the next two weeks. I went in. Drone Rocker to goonie. Yeah. Like I could have played the Fiji. Oh my. One cap. It's like cheers Rocker. Well I hope he does go off the back of it. Yeah, the all blacks definitely like looking proper. Well, if anything's going to tell us where they're at. Seventh of August stormers. Eleventh of August shocks. Gosh. Fifteenth of August the Bulls. Twenty-second of August Ellis Park Spring Box. Twenty-fifth of August midweek game against the Lions. Twenty-nineth of August Cape Town Spring Box. And then fifth of September. Another game in Joe Berg, the Sweatow Stadiums. The huge stadium in Johannesburg and the Baltimore four test matches against the Spring Box. What are we from the World Cup here? Fifteen months? Yeah. I think France is going to win the World Cup. Okay. Yeah. I was my tip six months ago. It's pretty hard. South Africa doing a lot to basically make it like beyond South Africa. I think they're going to be too old. And they're on the right side of the draw. France were on that side though. France, South Africa and New Zealand were on that side. Oh, are they? Yeah. Because I thought they were in Australia as they think. England, England. Well, don't want to have Africa in the final. You don't want South Africa in the final. You want to have all the final. You want to have all the balls to knock them out. Yeah. Yeah, you do. But I just think they're too old. They've made too many changes. They've made a lot of changes. Okay. And I know why he's obviously doing it to get that experience and stuff. But there's quite a difference in the latter. They've got to know that our ageing. And our going to be like, it's still blowing my mind that Messi's just playing the world got final 39. We're about the same age. We wake up in the morning and like, could you imagine having to go play these lads are going to be the message just walks around the pitch? Well, clearly, because you can't run. But some of these lads are going to be 35. I can still do that. 36 playing a world cup. I asked for some of them a genuinely like you can't, you cannot do it for 80 minutes at that level at that age. I mean, you can't do it. But the way in which, okay, so you win your first world. up, not your first World Cup, but under Razorasmacy with that. Then all of the focuses, can we back it up? How do you refocus a team that have gone and done something which has just only ever been done once before? And you saw from start to finish? I think create more competition and that's what he's done. Well the level of comp under that isn't to the same standard as it. But once you're creating competition and increasing your play pool, you're resting low to lads. Ebenez are both. How many international people have played this year? And I agree with that, my dear. That age doesn't matter if you rested. It's still you still get to 40, 50 minutes at that level and you've not got it in you're just not going. But if you then know Ebenez somewhere, it's only got 40 to 50 minutes and in the process you've gone and blooded and have a seven second rose that might be able to I think you're doing okay. Like some Africa's third choice fly half is a double-welcome win in Andre Pollard. That's where we're at. The name of Williamson is like is he is in another eight, 15 months time. But I think he's an option now at number 12. So you've got at 12, dear land days, Pollards and Williamson. Was France go away here and like got so many changes and they're still outstanding. At your front, six months ago, my tip for the World Cup. Are you claiming that? No, no, no, we've got this on. No, no, no. I mean, they told someone in the pub apparently I'll find it. You'll find it. I've got enough pods and I've picked enough teams. I'll find my France. You will find it. The issue is Slaferco are just getting better or building more depth and France of zero, well, cup, pedigree. So the worries that they defecate the bed in a quarter semi or final. They've already done that. I won't worry about that. But I don't know how those scars are 20 to 20. They've done that quite consistent. But the rugby they played in that first half against South Grasch. It was the best rally ever. There are different teams, I think. No, but this is the, I think that's going to be the issue with France. The issue with France is mentally if they are in a World Cup final semi final, called a final. Yeah, that's why you don't want it to be South Africa in the final. Well, that won't be. I think anyone, apart from New Zealand who play South Africa in a World Cup final, I think, in the Nazarene it done. It's a problem. And it is a problem. And you can train and you can focus, you can do all the visualisation you want subconsciously. You just know you're up against a team, but now has to get it done. Last time round by one point, quarter semi final, you just think, you've got, you just got to think, but I totally agree with you with France. Like, wow, what a group of players. And they're probably actually New Zealand has shown signs of it last couple of weeks who physically can just go toe to toe. But then, but then South Africa with some of their players, you're like, I think you mentioned at DC a couple of weeks ago, Peter Steph, who's got zero rugby in him. And then he just goes three eighties. Well, that's, that's slightly, that's the counter to your point, isn't it? Peter Steph, you work club match. Rocks up from Japan and plays in three positions at once against England. No, I know. Six, eight, five, four. I know. And you're, look, this is not an open and shut case. It looks like it at the moment because they're so dominant. No chance. The World Cup mad things happen. Having said that, are there only three teams who can realistically win the World Cup as we speak now? Well, so I, so maybe I need to look at the draw again. So France aren't on the other side. France are on the New Zealand and South Africa side. Wow. That's why England Island, England, the area of Scotland are on the France side, I think, but depending on who wins their pool with Ireland, then if you win that pool, if Scotland can beat Ireland, get on that side. That's why I think like an England, a generally think is still what other people say you buy us. I could see England being in a welcome. I could see England being in a welcome final. I'm not sure if England at the moment can now could win it, but they could be Australia. They could be, it could be Italy, Australia, Ireland. They could not much evidence suggest that Ireland game particularly, but Aussie are like. And no, it's a, England being Australia, but it's hard to back Australia, given how up and down there. When you look at the nation's league table, Northern and Southern hemisphere, so the Northern hemisphere, you've got France lead in that Scotland second, England, Ireland, Wales, Italy. That's the Northern hemisphere table. Yeah. I mean, if you look at that, to be honest, the world, I know we can talk about Bunt's power, but the world ranking is pretty much best in World South Africa, France then, I think, on their own in second, New Zealand, maybe on their own in third, but they have had three games at home. They weren't great in the autumn. Maybe New Zealand Ireland together, then a gap, and then I think there's a lot, Scotland, England, Australia, Argentina, those four, I think are very interchangeable. I think your point at the start, have we learned an awful lot? I don't think we really have. I think it is, it is what it is, the world rankings are right, the tables are right currently. The one for me is interesting. I still have South Africa's favourites for the World Cup. I do, just because of pedigree, the amount of. Can't win three in a row. I thought they couldn't do it. I thought they'd run out of luck. The amount of playing. They have. They've got that they can call upon, you know, that some of those lads playing on the weekend with third string, and they've nailed Wales and Wales are poor, but they've nailed Wales. They've got a ten who's played 58 minutes and Professor rugby who's orchestrated. So they're after who love their rugby, like who is it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I still think, I think New Zealand are the interesting one for me, that I think if they come over here in November and they do a job on everyone, I like them at a World Cup. Or if they get a win in South Africa? Yeah, a win in South Africa. I think they will. I think they'll be one of those. They'll be one of those in South Africa potentially too. That's massive. It keeps making changes. Well, I think you'll know Richard Moong was back for these. No, no, no. No, no. No, no. You can't play. Okay, it's just like we've got for New Zealand because Ruben loved just gets to go. Ruben loved being brilliant. Him and Cameroa guys relationship, I think, is amazing. He's brilliant. Come off. And then coming into the World Cup with the all Blacks being back and properly potentially, I give them a good chance. So I kind of see it as it is. The top three are probably, it's going to be probably one of the top three that win the World Cup. I'm not breaking boundaries by saying that, but I do think there is going to be a team on that other side of the draw that, who whether peaks at the right time between England and Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Australia, I'm going to find myself in a World Cup. I don't even know. Yeah, for sure. Wales, Brazilian Bunch, can't score tries. Any much to add to that? No. Need to find a cutting edge. Stuff to watch, you know. Yeah. Big 12, mate. Yeah. Back a big 12. They've been getting some, Brad Lee, they've landed, it was landed, Quincy's got all the profile of being a big unit. And he was in the summer squad, but not chosen at all. I don't know. I just think you've got to add some bump in there somewhere. Yeah. Do you not think they're getting a bit of consistency with their their senses for a while? I don't know, man. I just think you just need some size. I don't sit down to watch. Well, I sure will do watch it because it's just hard to watch. They're just not very good at playing test matches at the moment. You think all ended? Yeah. It's just not good to watch. I sit and watch New Zealand Ireland all day. I watch France. Obviously I watch England. I watch New Zealand, so I forget I will. What are we getting at? I'm watching Wales. You watch Scotland. I watch Scotland without a question. Wales, what do we get at? I part of them being frustrated and annoyed after the game. We ain't getting anything out of it. You make grows, got some interesting points on Wales. Who he would play. You want to pick his brain on that thing. It's quite interesting, Gulls. Well, luckily we have a weekly putt cost within. One thing we have learnt about this tournament is there's a lot of team managers sitting on millions of earmiles. I know that much. They can have a good holiday out there. They're all going to the Maldives first class. These team managers have got earmiles coming out of the rear. I think it's Wales when they play against teams that are better than that's when they really struggle to, you know, they can go. No, it's not. No way. Because when they play against teams that better, they struggle. Good thing you'll BBC rugby. No, I think that game plan gets really exposed. Where's all the teams that doesn't get exposed so much? So who would the play were? Were it competitive? Well, Fiji, Italy, that kind of level. Again, yeah, well, they are. They are. They are. They are. Talks about earlier. Yeah, it's just not. They haven't got the ability to. But the trouble is because they are a tier. They need to be on an international schedule at the moment, more like traditionally a Japan or a Fiji would have had because there are six nations side and there are big, big beast in the world game. I know it's different in the nation championship, but they're always going to be playing big teams, aren't they? They arguably like. They're in the nation championship. So they are all of their international matches in a colourly or going to be against teams either at their level or better than them. It's a seed jar. The international rugby at the moment is currently really exciting, but it's stagnant in terms of everyone's form. And what my challenge is, to most of the teams is can they break outside of their level of expectation? So for France, can they win Grand Slams? That's their challenge. Scotland, can they start knocking over their likes of Ireland? Can they be Ireland just once? Can they beat New Zealand in November? Exactly. That is their. That is Scotland's 2026 goal. - Yes. - Not as a beat New Zealand in Edinburgh. - Island, they need to get back to where they were. England, can they come out of an international window and achieve above par? They've achieved par. Like no one expected them to be South Africa. If England won the Six Nations, you're still not back in England to go and beat South Africa in, South Africa at Ellis Park. You're just not. - You want them to be within 24? - Yeah, you'd want them to be closer than where they were, but they're kind of at par. And so hence why I think there's this continual conversation about Steve Borthwick, the moment they go, if they get into the autumn and they knock over everyone, then you're like, "Oh, OK, they've achieved above par, so that's where they're stagnant." Wales. We've touched on Wales. I think they've got build in Australia. - Australia, that's an everywhere in November. - Australia, November. - Is that. - Not out there. - I know it's probably not, but it's. - You need to learn how to win. - Yeah. - Because they should have beat Ireland in week one. Their style of play, and I said it a couple of weeks. - Are you talking about Aussie here? - Yeah, Australia. But I think they've got some of the best ball playing forwards in World Rugby. Honestly, them at the line are so good, but we don't just need the aesthetics of the game. We need that to be converted into, like, we're in rugby. So the challenges for teams to break outside of where they currently are and start achieving above par, start, "Who's mate your boy, Grant Fox?" - Feller. - Ryan Fox. - Ryan Fox. - Ryan Fox. - Mate, can he see the shot? Can he convert it? Can the whole win no one birdies can some of these rugby teams start birdying? - Because if Scotland beat Japan and Australia. - That was really good. - That was very good. - Yeah, that was really good. - Yeah, that was good. You're right, because if Scotland beat Japan and Australia in November. - But loose New Zealand. - No, no. - We've been here before. - If England beat Australia and Japan and loose New Zealand, we've been in four. - Same again. - Wales beat Japan, loose New Zealand, two, being here before. So that's where international rugby's kind of been for a little while. - Yeah. - Just everyone's kind of doing. - And everyone's going off South Dakota too good. - They are, though. - They are. - Because England is saying it's not that. - England is saying it's South Dakota too good. But see, South Africa, the only team who're doing what? Everyone expects them. They're the one who are doing par, but their par is like, well, class, not. Everyone else is, you're just beating who expects you to beat. John, you've got a mark in a shirt, a white shirt, like a black mark. You just keep putting it in the wash and just keep coming out of the black mark on. - I've got that sweet with a rogue and Josh stain. - And you put the vanishing. - When do you. - Even if the vanishing is not working, when do you throw it? - Yeah. - How many washes? - Five. - Five is the limit. - Depends how with it. - What are we on at the minute? How many washes do we on? - Well, the rogue has had three and then we put some bleach on it and it came out and I like, "Why did you put the white one on it?" - No, but bleach, I think. - And we need the bleach stage? - Down the bleach stage. - We've done it. - It's now got some bleached. - I mean, international rugby is that on the bleach stage? Because we just keep putting it in the wash and getting the same thing out. - This tournament started a month ago, actually. You can't be bored of it already. - No, no, we've been. - I think the international rugby. - The international rugby team have been the same outcome for what, 15 months? - Yeah. - The only team in the Northern Hemisphere is broken that mold, is Italy. - In the England. - In the England years. Because they're now, "Oh gosh, what you've been an Australian? You've been in England." But everyone else is just doing that. - They've gone back to what they used to be. - Oh, no. - They were terrible. - They just like big. They just like the Six Nations, tell me. - I think what could blow it wide open? The old bucks could blow it wide open. If they'd go and do a job on South Africa in these test series, then everyone goes, "Wow." Because I think it does take sometimes for the best teams to get beaten by someone for people to see the blueprint to go, "Oh, we can do that." And England did nothing of it, but Scotland showed quite a bit of how you can maybe cause some problems. And you see, they've got, they're, I say, better players than Scotland to do that at a better level. So they've seen it before. They can go and be brave and attack them. You never know. They pick up a couple of wins down there. Suddenly the whole world go, "All right." - So where are the opportunities this November? And I wear a long way off, but we're at the Halfway Station Nation's Championship. And I think one of them is. France has got a place to Africa, I think November 13th of 21st. There's your chance, like there's your opportunity. Because I remember last November, after France being six nations, Grand Slam is just like, "Here we go." That's proper. Big impol game for those men. Massive. Because the proof. Hands pulled down in Paris when South Africa went down to 14 men. And everyone's like, "Well, France, you can beat, there you can't." And then South Africa rolled up an island and pulled past the island. Well, that's a big fraud in this November, because if South Africa go up and just. Do what they just. run them into Mars, then. And they've got Ireland away the week after. See what I mean? Like, sure, the wash again, aren't we? Yeah, it's marks the week. Yeah, but you want to see a change in the narrative. Yeah. You want to see. You want to see. Do you want to see one of these teams turn South Africa? You want to rip down to Charles Tirat to get a nice new shirt, no? Yeah. Oh, Charles. Where's he drop off? So that's. Oh, he go boss. England, New Zealand. There's your opportunity. So I think there are some matches, Scotland, Australia, bang like that. There are some matches where you're like, OK, let's start collecting our birdies. 100%. I think there's only a few matches which catches that attention. Wells against Australia. Mm. That would change. I'll be holding one that for Wells. Yeah, I'll bet yours. I'll bet yours. Come on, let's see many of those. Great stuff, guys. One shout out to finish from Neil Oldrich. He says, "I hope you're able to give a shout out to Amy Barrett to Ron." On the next part, after her diagnosis and difficult decision to step down as an official, not only my South African and a rugby fan, but I work for the National Autistic Society and she's an inspiration talking about her late life diagnosis on all the things she's achieved. In rugby, hope to see her back. That's from Neil Oldrich, brilliant. Sentiment from Neil, to end up odd. Yeah, wishing her all the very past. Absolutely. Can I. Sorry. Genoa Yellow cards and this bloody load's on my at the moment. Too many yellow cards in the game of the women. I think you should stop being fined. We see it in the Premier League. I've forgotten the exact number, but if you get like five yellow cards in a match, then team gets fined. The team's getting penalised on the pitch because your chance of winning, of course, reduces. But I think Argentina should be fine for their behaviour at the weekend. I think England get four yellow cards in a second half. Though if you should be fine, because it's damaging our game, it's just not as good a game. When you've got 15, it gets 13. It's nonsense. You want 15 or 15. That's what people pay for. That's what we should be getting. If you're getting more than two yellow cards in a match, you should be fine for it. That money should be collated, it should be pulled. If you're putting to grass for its rugby, you should be putting to project rugby, whatever it is. But let's start demanding, expecting more. By the way, if referees get those wrong decisions, then. Find them as well. No, boys. Find Angus Gardner, family words he spoke on the weekend. Just find everyone. I've never seen a referee in commentators. I've just got pitches of an amateur club site in the shared. Going, "Get in, the other guys!" "Get a paint job here!" Doing that, waiting for me in a bad, big card. "Come on, boys, get on!" I think we need fewer yellow cards in the game. Not sure how to get there, but too many yellow cards and then you get too many soft tries. But anyway, great stuff, guys. Give us a few weeks. We'll do it again. Brilliant summer. Brilliant summer. Yeah. Cheers, everyone. Cheers. Thanks for downloading Rugby Union Weekly. For more info. Head to the BBC Sounds app. Down, down, down. So much sport today, but all the goals as they go in up and down the leagues. This is Five Life Sports. Two lights for the lights and better than block. Tomorrow! It's not to stop up. If you want to stand in around the 18th grade. I can't find a station! He serves to the centre. We'll do it! And the right hand, and before the champion, down is the strong restart. They've gone on a show for us tonight. He gets on his knees and kisses the door. But Five Life Sports. The home of the world's greatest sporting events. Let's see the full time with them. Listen on BBC Sounds.