Wales in World Cup draw danger
18 Nov 2012
The Six Nations champions’ slide down the IRB rankings continued following their loss to Samoa.
Wales, who had high hopes of breaking into the top four before the November Tests began, are now eighth in the world. With matches against the All Blacks and Wallabies to come over the next two weeks, they could fall out of the top eight, which would see them having two other top teams in their 2015 World Cup pool (the draw takes place on 3 December).
Samoa, who defeated Wales in Cardiff on Friday, have moved up one place to ninth, and are only 0.16 ratings points behind Wales. Samoa face France next Saturday.
Australia strengthened their grip on a top-four seeding for the World Cup draw by defeating England at Twickenham. France have also taken a big step towards being among the top four for the draw after they defeated Argentina by 17 points in Lille. France are fourth, more than three ratings points ahead of England in fifth.
IRB world rankings (top 12)
1. New Zealand 92.91
2. South Africa 86.05
3. Australia 85.94
4. France 84.99
5. England 81.96
6. Argentina 79.89
7. Ireland 79.04
8. Wales 78.95
9. Samoa 78.79
10. Scotland 77.42
11. Italy 76.61
12. Tonga 74.51
30 Comments
18 Nov 2012, 09:51 am
Seems there are no dragons in Wales
18 Nov 2012, 09:58 am
The AB game won’t have any effect on the rankings, only the Oz game
18 Nov 2012, 10:43 am
When do they finalise seedlings as the CUP is in 2015 still 1/2 years of tests to follow?
18 Nov 2012, 10:49 am
I have always felt the welsh team was overrated at the world cup. They lost to the boks in the pool matches, lost to France, then lost to Australia. This is not the record of a great team.
The welsh did push the boks hard in Wellington, but watching from the stands it looked like the boks had more in reserve than the welsh, and so it proved after the welsh burnt out after a great 20 minute period that saw them take the lead. I.e the welsh were not better than the boks, they simply weren’t good enough to force a win.
It doesn’t surprise me then that an overrated wales lost to an underrated argentina and samoa.
18 Nov 2012, 10:50 am
I thought England is automatically seeded first for being the host nation? And why is this being done so far ahead of the world cup? The IRB just don’t make any sense at all
18 Nov 2012, 11:01 am
@trupisero-2: If Scotland beat Tonga by more than 15 points they could overtake Wales
18 Nov 2012, 11:48 am
@corporal punishment-4:
They didn’t lose to SA,
They were robbed.
18 Nov 2012, 12:55 pm
@cane-7:
The Welsh lost to the Boks.
The didn`t win = they lost.
18 Nov 2012, 13:05 pm
Nobody wants to be in the group with Wales seeded third. Can you imagine Australia, England and Wales drawn together?
18 Nov 2012, 17:38 pm
I get behind Wales because they have a Kiwi coach but they really are overrated. Sure, they’ve won a few six nation competitions over the years but their record stands at
1 win vs the Boks in history (GH’s legacy
)
0 wins vs ABs since the 50s
9% vs Oz since the 1990s
44% vs Argentina since 2000
43% vs Samoa since the 1990s
even struggle with the mighty Fiji, having had a win, draw, loss in their last 3 matches
Let’s face it, there are still only 5 teams that can win the world cup and 3 more that could dream of making the final if upsets go their way
18 Nov 2012, 19:36 pm
@cane-7: A bit like SA against Aus?
Just saying
18 Nov 2012, 19:42 pm
@7 like the French in the final
18 Nov 2012, 20:39 pm
@whatever-12: Like the French in the semifinal?
18 Nov 2012, 21:11 pm
@Nils-13: This is such fun! E.g. Like the All Blacks in the 2007 quarterfinal, like the French in the 1995 semi-final etc etc….
PS Nils, to follow the other posts I think you needed to say “Like the Welsh in the semi-final”. Just saying.
19 Nov 2012, 03:31 am
@corporal punishment-14: Probably they were, such a killer blow so early in the game. Considering that they still were just one succesful kick away from the win while playing more than hour a man down, it makes one think so, as they were clearly better side.
19 Nov 2012, 03:37 am
@corporal punishment-14:
Yeah , like the Boks in ’81
Bloooody hell there are some theives out there …..all this robbing!
19 Nov 2012, 05:05 am
@whatever-16:
What happened there?
Dont say the injury time saga as that has been proven as hogwash.
19 Nov 2012, 07:34 am
Er, hogwash in your warped one eyed poor little mind. Certainly not according to those on the park. So tell me where this was disproved? Probably another attempted cover up by a few keeewees?
19 Nov 2012, 07:56 am
@Hurricane-17: You kiwi’s must stop with your bullshit, every rugby nation even the team that benefitted from your cheat Lawrence acknowledged that he reffed the poorest performance of a ref in history of the game. The average ref makes 4 mistakes a game, Lawrence made 33! And the vast majority were directed at the boks.
So wake up kiwis, Bryce got fired by the IRB while the NZRU gave him an award, does that not show the difference in opinion between the rest of the world and kiwiland? And you blame bakkies when he calls you cheats?
The whole 2011 WC was a farce because of the poor reffing, bloody France who lost two games at pool stage level (one against bloody Tonga) and they get to make it to the final? How is that fair?
But AB’s were still deserved winners, don’t think any team would have beaten them though the AB’s did try hard to lose to the French.
19 Nov 2012, 08:14 am
@gonzo-10: there are only 5 teams that could win the soccer world cup also.
19 Nov 2012, 08:17 am
@goodstuff-19: we had a magnificent team at that world cup. If the all blacks were playing the boks in that final i’m quite sure the boks wouldve won.
19 Nov 2012, 08:19 am
@goodstuff-19:
What bullshit?
Do you understand that the post you replied to was about 1981 tour.
All of a sudden you leap in from left field and start talking cr@p about the RWC.
As for refs only average 4 mistakes per game…..lol you are kidding right?
Next time have a look on here when SA are losing or even not winning by enough, every 2 minutes someone is saying the ref missed this and that.
As for Bryce, NZRU gave him the ref of the year….not the public. Its just like me blaming you for the gold watches to refs,when the international captains,coaches and board all walked out….shame.
But i am not blaming the South African supporters, maybe you should settle down a wee bit.
19 Nov 2012, 08:21 am
@Wezwp-21:
The 2011 RWC?
19 Nov 2012, 10:40 am
@Hurricane-22: The average 4 mistakes per game is an official stat from IRB as at the beginning of the RWC 2011.
The ‘bullshit’ I am talking about is talking about the 2011 QF and ignoring the huge role your Bryce played in turning a great WC into a farce. I don’t care that we lost, but the way we lost!
In 1999 we deserved to lose to Australia, in 2003 we deserved to lose to England and NZ. But in 2011 we were robbed by an either incompotant or corrupt Bryce. Then the NZRU gave rugby world a big “screw you” when they gave that idiot an award.
Then you AB fans have the nerve dismiss this and compare it to the 2007 forward pass that was missed in the quarter final against france. Which in my opinion the AB’s should have had in the bag by half time but the final point is the bad call cost you a possible final with the boks.
You got screwed by one call, we got screwed the whole bloody game, big bloody difference.
Anyway, doubt we would have beaten the AB’s the following week, they were hot against Oz and completely killed them.
19 Nov 2012, 11:09 am
@goodstuff-24:
This is where you need to wait and think, especially if you reckon that 2007 RWC was all about one pass. It was not.
The whole 2nd half France fouled,hands in ruck,players lying all over it collapsing, you name it, it happened but Barnes refused to call it. Now you have been told this before but seem not to believe it. Forward pass was the final nail in the coffin…yes but there were 20 more nails before that one pass.
As for the average stats for mistakes, i am sure Bakkies would love to hear that, sort of puts his 2 years of bagging the refs a bit of a waste of time.
19 Nov 2012, 11:14 am
@goodstuff-24: You don’t even acknowledge these other factors
- your coach was there for non-rugby reasons
- your flyhalf was there for his kicking
- your captain was there for his decision making and turned down a kickable penalty after 30 minutes. He was pulled off after 50 minutes. How many world cup winning captains can’t survive 80 minutes?
– you had injuries to Brussow, Habana, F Steyn, Botha
- JdV can’t pass properly
You had a problem in every part of the team front row (Smit), locks (Botha), back row (Brussow), halves (Steyn), centres (Steyn), outside backs (Habana)
Tell me, does that seem like a world cup winning formula?
Not to mention
– Bryce allowed Habana an early charge on O’Connor’s conversion, which he then missed (3 pts)
– Bryce missed the final line out penalty, called by the AR, that won them the game (3 pts)
19 Nov 2012, 12:33 pm
@goodstuff: sa can’t addapt to the refs they would rather stand and cry like soccer players. Bryce had a bad day yes but why didn’t sa addapt.and for the 2007 wc go and analize that game and then make comments. Wonder why wayne barnes didn’t ref for 3 years after that wc just a thought
19 Nov 2012, 12:49 pm
@Hurricane-25: Ok if you say so, as a neutral I didn’t notice that way, but that could be possible considering the AB’s beat the French the previous NH tour by like 20+ points. I do however believe that the WC curse still had it’s grip on the AB team in 2007.
On adapting refs, can’t see how you can adapt to Ozzie scum playing the ball on the deck on your goal line, a missed call that gave the convict scum their try that contributed to our loss.
But you fellas believe what you want.
19 Nov 2012, 13:03 pm
@goodstuff: i agree bryce gave pocock freedom but why didn’t sa do the same. I didn’t see boks get penalized if they played the ball on the ground. And this average of 4 penalties the refs miss per game is bull wayne barnes missed more than 40 in ab’s exit in 2007
19 Nov 2012, 13:21 pm
@goodstuff-28:
Well goodstuff…as a neutral i was one of the ones that believed SA were ripped off.
But i also believe SA blew the game themselves as well.Many chances to end it, like the ABs of 2007 but didnt take the opportunities.
I have even said it was an embarrassment for Kiwi fans that Bryce was awarded the ref of the year…. it was a slap in the face and not needed to the SA fans.
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