Weekend Rugby Wrap: 5 Takeaways

The Rugby World Cup is a mere 2 weeks away and the warm-up games are coming thick and fast. Bet Central brings the 5 takeaways from this past weekend.

Wales’ Struggles Persist

Despite 2 promising performances against fellow strugglers England, Wales were shown up by a strong Springbok performance as they were thrashed 52-16 at the Millennium Stadium. Welsh Rugby is struggling at the moment and their performance on Saturday should worry their fans.

Wales have had an incredibly tough season starting with a forgettable Six Nations and some tough losses recently. The next few weeks will be crucial for Warren Gatland’s side.

Canan Moodie Gives Bok Selectors A New Headache

In a superb performance, Canan Moodie showed just how tough a job Jacques Nienaber has on his hands in picking his starting wingers. Initially, at the beginning of the season, it looked like Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi would be 1^st choice, but the brilliance of Kurt-Lee Arendse looked set to change that.

But Moodie has thrown his name into the hat and on his last 2 games, he could start on the wing in the World Cup opener. The 20-year-old has been in sumptuous form for the Boks recently. 

Jesse Kriel Has Come To The Party

Lukhanyo Am’s injury has worried a lot of South African rugby’s stakeholders, but Jesse Kriel’s form has alleviated those concerns as he has shown up as an astute defender while contributing offensively. 

Kriel, who has been a part of the Springbok setup for almost 10 years, hasn’t always been a fan favourite amongst the Bok fans, but in recent seasons he has changed the perception mainly due to incredible improvements technically. He is now 1^st choice 13 and there is a lot more confidence in him now than was the case 4 years ago.

Ireland’s Efficiency Is 2nd To None

Ireland comfortably saw off England 29-10 at the Aviva Stadium as they continue their preparations for a World Cup where they will go in as one of the favourites. The development of their game is incredible and it doesn’t matter what personnel they employ, it is brilliant to watch.

The groundwork that was done by Joe Schmidt has seen Andy Farrell and his team add the shine to what is already an incredibly well-oiled machine. Despite the good form of France, South Africa and New Zealand, Ireland will still be the toughest to beat.

Fiji Pose Huge Threat In Their Group

When one considers how Wales and Australia have played this year, it would not be inconceivable that Fiji tops Pool C altogether. At least that is what the level of performance from the Flying Fijians suggests after an incredible game against France last Saturday.

Semi Radradra’s side were competitive for large parts of the game and showed they will give the bigger tier 1 nations a good run when considering their Pool opponents.