International Rugby

[Brazilian Villain]

Bundee Aki used to be a right liability; a red card, or at least a binning, waiting to happen.

However, he's currently one hell of a player

A faitr assessment but he's in the form of his life at the minute.

[Brazilian Villain]

Yep, early days yet. Good to get another win, and against the holders, but won't mean all that much when the groups are over and the KO tension kicks in.

The longer it goes on, the more pressure and expectation Ireland will have to endure, and that's not something they've handled too well in previous world cups.

A massive win in that it likely means playing Scotland, NZ and Wales (if they do the business today) to get to the final. Nothing certain with any of those but that probably would be an easier path to the final than on the other side of the draw. I wouldn't fancy meeting SA again so hopefully someone else beats them along the way.

[AV84]

Won't mean anything to anyone outside Ireland but I hate Daire O'Brien as host. Jacqui Hurley is by far the superior choice.

[PaulWinch again]

Australia are very poor.

[Jon Crofts]

Australia are very poor.

That’s being kind. Shit is what they actually are.

[paul_e]

Australia look a lot like England did a year ago, funny that.

[Jon Crofts]

Australia look a lot like England did a year ago, funny that.

Jones looks like an old man who’s fallen out of love with the game and lost interest in it. Sacked within weeks without a doubt at this rate.

[PaulWinch again]

Australia look a lot like England did a year ago, funny that.

Jones looks like an old man who’s fallen out of love with the game and lost interest in it. Sacked within weeks without a doubt at this rate.

Yeah I maintain that he should have left a bigger gap before going back to coaching. I don’t know whether he still has it in him or not, but going back so soon has just resulted in an extension of the end of his England reign.

[Risso]

Is Arundell unselectable for England after the World Cup?

I think so, yeah. The rule was only relaxed for the teams that folded, and presumably only for the WC.

Have the RFU made a decision yet? He was hoping to get a dispensation wasn't he? Other players have been OK if there weren't any offers from English clubs.

The last I saw, which was around the 6 Nations, so maybe its changed, was that there were no plans to change the rule, and it would stay in place until at least 2024, when some negotiation thing is happening.

The dispensation for players at clubs that went bust was only for that season, so Arundell was at London Irish, who went bust between seasons, and he hasn't played for the French team yet, so he was fine for WC, not for 6 Nations.

Telegraph reporting today he’s expected to be allowed to continue for England in the 6 Nations.

[Villa in Denmark]

My one hope for tonight's game was that someone received a morale sapping heavy defeat.

Bad luck Eddie.

[Lsvilla]

So can I assume my QF games in Marseilles will be England v Fiji and Wales v Argentina / Japan ?

[Brazilian Villain]

This will be the first time Australia haven't made it out of the group stage. Also, it's not inconceivable that 3 if not 4 of the semi-finalists will be Northern Hemisphere teams. There's never been more than 2 in the semi-finals of any previous World Cup.

[Jon Crofts]

No sympathy whatsoever for Australia, Jones is a busted flush and they deserve everything they’ve gotten by appointing the dinosaur.

[Axl Rose]

No sympathy whatsoever for Australia, Jones is a busted flush and they deserve everything they’ve gotten by appointing the dinosaur.

He's been interviewed for the Japan job according to reports here.

[AV84]

Yeah I maintain that he should have left a bigger gap before going back to coaching. I don’t know whether he still has it in him or not, but going back so soon has just resulted in an extension of the end of his England reign.

Matt Williams was saying on Irish TV before the game that the understanding in Australia was that Dave Rennie would take the team to the World Cup and Jones would take over after and start rebuilding again for the next World Cup. So it seems the plan was for him to have longer away from the game. But then they sacked Rennie and brought Jones in, who then sacked all the coaches and changed all the systems, left loads of experienced players at home, and headed off to the WC with a bunch of inexperienced players. And this has been the result .