![]() ĭespite his amiable nature on the surface, Rekka had a dark, malicious, and manipulative side. Saying that he was getting "fired up" was a particular favorite phrase of his. These qualities were what led Tamaki Kotatsu to admire him and eventually develop romantic feelings for him. ![]() He abided by the etiquette of the Company 1 as much as he could, but the moment any excitement started up, especially a fight, his more flamboyant nature came out and he was not shy about praising others for their abilities. Kick heavy or batten down or roll the maul or get into a demolition derby: Jones’ choices at nine and fifteen will tell a tale.In contrast to the other leaders of Company 1, Rekka was an eccentric and enthusiastic individual who was always confident and expressive in his speech. Saint-Etienne may be an elbow or bum or axila of a town but this week it is the belly of the rugby beast: the only match in the tournament which offers a look right into the soul of two proud unions joined in rugby, but desperate to walk off the pitch victors at the other’s expense. Win or lose but in a blaze of glory: this could fit both narratives, and preserve the most options as well. Jones has a history of the fey denial, but reports he is exploring the head coaching job in Japan (batted away as rubbish, just as 2022 reports of the USA and Australia jobs were), even if they have an inkling of truth, point to a man well aware his job has always had two polar sides: drum up interest in union at home (the Chief Marketing Officer) and win pretty soon (if not now, soon). Go down with the ship, or make history with a rousing rout. Yet Wales survived, because they played big, tough, and stuck to it, waiting for nearly inevitable errors.Īs Gatland wrote this week in the Telegraph, the analysts have conclusively proved it is better to let go of the ball at a midfield breakdown than squeeze it and risk a penalty due to the ensuing four minutes of red zone pressure fighting to keep possession will give you. Nine-penalty Fiji built 130 rucks versus Wales, with plenty inside the Welsh half, and made 655 metres from 176 runs. This sounds more like the 2023 Wallabies: trading tries, yet tackling at record rates, kicking a modest 24 times rather than a French level (44) out of hand, and living off the turnover to strike and dot down. And won.Īfter early wide strikes, taking Fiji on at its own strength on the wing, Wales ceded Fiji over 60 percent of the ball and the field, buckling down to attempt 253 tackles (missing 34), and survived 17 penalties. Ceding possession and territory is a dangerous game.īut in the first pool match, the Wallabies lifted 40 kicks into the Georgian backfield. Tackle counts off the charts (nearly 300 against Argentina) in Pretoria and Sydney resulted in injury and cards. This is where the big starting pack for Australia could perhaps improve most over England, using the English way.Įngland seems to have rectified their losing patterns: kicking 43 times to see off Argentina, and refusing to provide the Pumas space, or even much time at all in the English 22.Įven if it sounds logical to use a more Brumby method than a Red, it seems Australia tried the Twickenham version of the Borthwick methodology in the first three Tests of 2023 and it did not suit them. Their three tries with impeccable Caleb Muntz work off the tee allowed them to overcome nineteen lost turnovers, insufficient territory, and 15 hot scrums.Ĭritical to Fiji’s win was their tidy work at ruck and set piece (just seven penalties). His 1:4.5 kick-to-pass ratio plan resulted in the Flying Fijians (1:6) having a load of windup runs (117 carries) with a whopping 361 post-contact metres, and slick passes (122) galore. Steve Borthwick entered the Cup on even shakier ground than Jones, courtesy of his team’s shock loss to Fiji on the Cabbage Patch.
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