FROM BEHIND THE BENCH TO BEHIND THE POSTS

Well sometimes you wait all day for a bus and then 2 come along together! Thanks to BTB who also wrote a review of the first round of the RWC (unbeknown to me) - so the site lives and you don't need to read the other one!

A review of three matches from the opening weekend of Rugby World Cup 2015

If one of the biggest truths is that it's not how you start, it's how you finish, England proved it as they claimed a bonus point win with the last play of the match in their opening tournament encounter with Fiji at Twickenham, and New Zealand did likewise on Sunday.

Friday evening began with the opening ceremony, and though nothing will ever surpass Danny Boyle's Olympic 2012 masterpiece, it was a stirring nod to the history of the game getting underway with a short film about the origins of the game at Rugby School in 1823. With a cameo by Prince Harry which drew cheers, we then had copious quantities of an updated " World in Union". The giant traditional brown rugby ball in the centre of the pitch, taking pride of place on The Times' front page on Sarurday morning transformed into an updated England2015 branded one which was opened to reveal the stars of the introductory film and of course the Webb Ellis Cup. In his opening comments, Prince Harry referred to the "inspiration" the tournament looked to provide to current and future players. But, also, given the intention that this will be the most inclusive World Cup ever, it was fitting to refer to the iconic moment in 1995 when Nelson Mandela presented winning South African captain Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup. A parade of 20 legends representing each participating country complemented this well. This set the tone of the role Rugby Union can play in society, in front of a partisan but knowledgeable crowd. In an era where ancillary entertainment has increasingly trickled towards idiocy with the likes of Zorb balls and the new low of gunge tanks at T20 Blast cricket matches when a wicket falls, we instead had intelligent analysis from Nick Easter before the match and at half time. After all, people were there to watch a historic  match rather than gawp at a 35 year old dressed  as Yogi Bear or how long the pointless beer snake can get (although a Mexican Wave did break out during the Ireland vs Canada game the following day).

Beyond the genuine enthusiasm and good nature of the crowd, the similarity with the Olympics was striking in many ways - in particular the volunteers, styled as "The Pack" and successfully reprising the success of the 2012 Games Makers. In other aspects too, the enhancement to public transport has been repeated too, with extra shuttle buses provided alongside a Travel Demand Management marketing campaign to try and get commuters to avoid using the busy Waterloo to Twickenham line for the Friday night opener, although the post match service was disrupted when a man was injured at Twickenham when he was hit by s train. Back in the stadium, all of the food outlets inside were unbranded, though the tiny domino on my sauce carton confirmed where my pizza came from.  But it also meant that the 02 Wear the Rose campaign, which featured charmingly drawn cartoons of the England side, and an advert which popped up in the ad break of Made in England 90 on Channel 4's website last week, came to a shuddering halt within the confines of the venue. Picked up a nice poster of it on the walk to the ground, though.

So, to the game. On a damp Twickenham night, England were good in patches, and George Ford got the first points of the night - as reliable with the boot as Fiji were poor. The host nation eased to a 15-0 lead as a penalty try was augmented by a fine sweeping right to left move finished off by Man of the Match Mike Brown. Fiji were back in the game thanks to a fine crossfield kick which saw  Nemani Nadolo outjump Anthony Watson just after their scrum half Nikola Matawalu had been denied what would have been a fine try after a soaring break from a scrum. It was 18-8 at the interval. A performance which was disjointed at times from England kept Fiji in the game, although the visitors were let down by poor kicking. In the event, a strong ending from England delivered the third and fourth tries, as firstly Brown capped another excellent move through the hands and Billy Vunipola barged over in the last play of the game after Fiji had lost possession with just seconds to go. Not a coincidence, perhaps, that there were more Saracens on the pitch at the end of the match than at the start, given the aptitude for closing out big games which they have amply demonstrated in recent seasons. England up and running then, but common consensus is that there are areas for improvement. But not off the pitch, though.

Part Two was an early start to get to Cardiff for the afternoon match between Ireland and Canada at the Millennium Stadium, generally a happy hunting ground in for the Irish, although scene of their only 6 Nations defeat earlier this year. A different sort of atmosphere than the previous night, this match didn't sell out entirely, but still had 68,000 in attendance, mostly of the green persuasion, but with a healthy number of Canadian fans dotted around. Cardiff benefits from its compact nature on rugby days, not least when you're in a hurry to get to the ground. The castle has had a giant rugby ball attached to it, whilst Cardiff Arms Park, thankfully returned to use by Cardiff Blues, was a sensible location for the fanzone. As ever, Westgate Street was full of vendors with half and half scarves, and, programmes, which are fully priced at £10, seemingly with a new issue for each match. For avid collectors of sporting memorabilia (aka tat), ie me, this would mean spending nearly £500 on the whole set. Even for someone who has tried, in vain, to accumulate a set of Saracens match day balls, that seems a bridge too far. A minor point, though, and a far better £10 spent was on the upgraded version of a Ref Talk radio, which, at the time of writing, is still going strong after three matches (Now I've said that, it will probably be as dead as a dodo for the midweek double in Stratford).

Match-wise, it was a combination of forward power and intelligent play in the backs, in equal measure, which led to Ireland's eventual 43 point winning margin, and if Georgia's win over Tonga in the lunchtime match at Gloucester, events in Brighton later, emphasised that nothing can ever be taken for granted. Johnny Sexton got things underway with a penalty, in a match refereed efficiently by former Sarries' fly half Glen Jackson, then, with Canada captain, and Clermont Auvergne lock, Jamie Cudmore in the sin bin, a rolling maul set up the opening try for Sean O'Brien, whilst a close range lineout set up a first international try for Ulster's Iain Henderson and try number three came through a scintillating break from Sexton. The try bonus point was duly wrapped up five minutes before the break as an overlap was worked on the left giving Dave Kearney an easy finish. It stayed 29-0 for longer than expected, as Paul O'Connell was sin-binned for offside and the Irish performance hit a bit of a lull. Indeed, it was the 67th minute before the fifth try arrived, when Sean Cronin finished off a rolling maul. However, it yielded a fine individual try from winger DTH Van der Merwe, whose time at Saracens was blighted by injury, but who went on to play a key role in the Glasgow Warriors resurgence for seven seasons before joining the Scarlets in the close season. The Irish had the last word, though, as excellent back play saw Keith Earls break to set up a try for Rob Kearney and Ian Madigan did likewise for Jared Payne as they hit the half century.

The trilogy was completed on Sunday, with New Zealand vs Argentina, and a morning dilemna in HA8. What to wear? Friday wasn't a problem: coming stright from work. Saturday: Ireland (in case you wondered). Sunday, although plenty of Saracens shirts were on display at the match, I've only got the blue and silver one from a few seasons ago. An impulse buy from April proved the answer, as a maroon and white Racing Metro short bought in the immediate aftermath of Marcelo Bosch's kick in Paris, all the better as he took his place at 13 this afternoon, although no kicking duties this time. Once arriving at Wembley, I noticed that the outside of the ground had the five key values of the Rugby World Cup on a large sign: Integrity, Respect, Discipline, Passion, Solidarity. Can't be certain, but I'm sure I've seen this novel idea somewhere before, perhaps even at Wembley. Meanwhile in the Fanzone, there was a sense of "it couldn't happen again, could it", as Uruguay took a 6-0 lead against Wales, but eventually succumbed to a 54-9 loss. The spread of Argentina and New Zealand fans seemed roughly equal, although the former group were far more lively at this stage, and there were huge pockets in the stadium, which seemed to visibly lift their side. Again, the atmosphere was different to Saracens at Wembley for example, and whilst not seeking to justify the high ticket prices, it was good to see a new tournament record crowd of 89019, a sell out, fully engrossed in what they were watching. The only slight quibble is that the legacy of encouraging participation in the sport after the World Cup, either through playing or watching local sides, has not really been addressed at each venue, a stand from local amateur side Kilburn Cosmos at Wembley being the only exception. Surely it would have made sense to allow Saracens (or Harlequins) to promote themselves in some way.

The contest which emerged was probably the most enjoyable of the three matches, as it remained that until the closing stages: a contest. New Zealand eased to a 9-0 advantage inside 20 minutes through a trio of Dan Carter penalties, with Argentina down to 14 men for some of that time when flanker Pablo Matera was sin-binned. Instead, though, the Pumas turned the game on its head after 21 minutes, when a patient build-up and some craft on the left culminated in a close range finish for lock Guido Petti Pagadizabal, which was duly converted. TMO intervention, which has been a feature in all three games, alerted referee Wayne Barnes to a trip by Richie McCaw seven minutes later, and Nicolas Sanchez duly nudged the Argentines a point in front. They briefly led by four points, and the All Blacks down to 13 men for a few minutes when Conrad Smith handled in the ruck to halt a purposeful and menacing move by Argentina , but Carter closed the half to make it 13-12 to the Pumas at the break. However, just after the break, they were four points in front again as they dreamt of a first ever win against New Zealand, and the longer they kept them try-less, the more plausible it seemed, given Argentina's determination in defence and attack, and that they were largely secure under the high ball. In practice, though, and even more so than Friday, the introduction of replacements proved decisive. The All Blacks' attacking game finally got going, they began to offload, and claimed two tries, whilst blowing the chance to have at least two more and secure a bonus point which seemed well beyond them. On 57 minutes, scrum half Aaron Smith darted over from a scrum following a spell of concerted pressure for a converted try and a 19-16 advantage, and what proved to be the gamebreaker came none minutes later when the ball went through the hands to the left to allow replacement Sam Cane to cut in and score beneath the posts. A whole host of chances were missed to make the game truly safe, but in truth, the All Blacks will just be happy with the win.