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/ 21 September 2007
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There have been times during his tenure as Springbok coach when Jake White must have wished he were Bernard Laporte — but this is not one of them. At the same time that White and his charges are relaxing after a job well done, the coach of France is wondering if his team will still be in the World Cup on Saturday morning.
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/ 19 September 2007
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Italy recorded their second unconvincing win in as many World Cup group-C matches when they were made to work hard for a 31-5 victory against minnows Portugal at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Wednesday. It was hard to believe that Italy had thrashed Portugal 83-0 as recently as October.
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/ 16 September 2007
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There is no question of the South Africans taking their feet off the pedal after two convincing victories in their opening World Cup matches said coach Jake White on Sunday. The inspirational 43-year-old handler admitted they were on a high but would not now lose their way.
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/ 14 September 2007
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All Black coach Graham Henry on Friday called for consistency from the International Rugby Board (IRB) when it dealt with incidents of foul play after a severe clampdown in the opening games of the World Cup. With the tournament barely into its second week, the IRB has sent out a firm message to the teams that foul play will not be tolerated.
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/ 8 September 2007
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Hot tournament favourites New Zealand got their World Cup campaign off to the ideal start at the Stade Velodrome with a scintillating 76-14 rout of rivals Italy. The contest was dead and buried after the first 20 breathless minutes, during which the All Blacks scored five converted tries against an Italian team shown up to be woefully inept in their early defensive alignment.
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/ 7 September 2007
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The Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on Friday. As has happened so often in the past, questions have been raised as to whether some of the potential mismatches between established nations and amateur nations are any good for the game. Ian Robertson and Stephen Larkham assess the pros and cons.
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/ 7 September 2007
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Finally, after all the waiting, we are here. This is the week when France suddenly becomes the centre of the world for rugby fans. So it’s time to dust off the old Castaignède crystal ball and make some predictions about what is going to happen in the coming weeks. It’s not an oval crystal ball so I’m not sure it’s totally reliable, but this is how it sees the tournament working out.
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/ 3 September 2007
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Jake White’s Springboks were due to leave for the World Cup in France later on Monday in an upbeat mood in stark contrast to the disastrous build-up to the last edition in Australia. In 2003 there was general discontent in Rudolf Straeuli’s camp after players were sent on the infamous military-style Kamp Staaldraad, while claims of racism rocked the squad.