English hooligans and Welsh choirboys

A major talking point at the World Cup has been the off-field antics of some of the players that have got their names in the headlines for the wrong reasons, can we expect any more shenanigans at this late stage?

England have been the biggest culprits of courting controversy with Mike Tindall getting the party started by cavorting with a ‘lady friend’ at a Queenstown bar, but Martin Johnson’s men were not done there.

After a few more silly sideshows young Manu Tuilagi capped everything off by jumping off a ferry into the Auckland harbour, for which he was fined (his second of the tournament) and severely reprimanded by team management although teammate Ben Youngs dismissed the incident as ‘a bit of banter’.

Another player who came under the spotlight was All Blacks wing Corey Jane who spent a boozy night out on the town with injured teammate Israel Dagg just days before New Zealand’s quarterfinal against Argentina.

The pair were whisked into a restaurant kitchen to wait for scrumhalf Piri Weepu to come and give them a lift back to the hotel, but not before they had a quick cigarette.

One team that has managed to avoid off-field controversy has been the Welsh team who prefer to practise their choral singing rather than hit the bottle after their games. The Welsh choirboys have been led by impressive young skipper Sam Warburton who claims that he has not had a drink during the tournament.

The only question left is whether we will see any more controversial off-field incidents?

* Check out our World Cup Bad Boy XV for a full rundown of all the culprits!

Four nations hold their breath:

As the four teams left standing at the World Cup get ready to contest the semifinals fans across the globe are crossing fingers and holding thumbs that their star players will be fit.

Just about every team has an injury concern hanging over one of their key players, which is somehow fitting given that injury concerns have been a dominant theme at the tournament.

Australia are hoping like hell that their elusive fullback Kurtley Beale overcomes his hamstring strain in time to face the All Blacks on Sunday while Wales are sweating on the fitness of their flyhalf Rhys Priestland who took a knock to the shoulder late in the their quarterfinal win over Ireland last week.

Frnch scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili, who dominated England in his time on the park last week and has been named in the starting line-up once more, only started running again on Wednesday after suffering deep bruising to his thigh in their quarterfinal but he claims to be confident that he will be able to start against the Welsh on Saturday.

Finally the sensitivity of the New Zealand public towards injuries in the All Black camp was demonstrated on Wednesday when the nation started a collective panic at the sight of young openside flank Matt Todd training with the squad in Auckland.

All Blacks fans have already lived through one of their worst nightmares with the news that Dan Carter would not feature in the rest of the tournament, and the possibility that skipper Richie McCaw’s foot injury would keep him out of the semifinal showdown with the Wallabies sent the nations blood pressure soaring once more.

The All Blacks were quick to explain that Todd was only at training in order to provide opposition, but the storm in a teacup indicated that New Zealand is on edge after seeing a number of senior players fall by the wayside in recent times.

No rest for the wicked:

It would seem that there will be no time for players whose teams have been dumped out of the World Cup to reflect on their failed campaigns with many of them going straight back into provincial rugby.

Samoan wing Alesana Tuilagi played for the Leicester Tigers in their defeat to English Premiership front-runners Harlequins on Sunday and it looks as though the Currie Cup will be flooded with Springbok talent this weekend as well.

It is understandable that after the heartbreak of being dumped out of the World Cup some players may be keen to get stuck in and have a go at lifting some silverware to take their minds off the pain, while their provincial coaches will certainly not turn down the opportunity to have their stars back in the mix.

By the numbers:

1 – The first semifinal between Wales and France will be their first meeting at any Rugby World Cup tournament.

6 – New Zealand will play in a record sixth Rugby World Cup semifinal when they face Australia for the third time in Sunday’s second semifinal.

33 – The age of South African referee Craig Joubert who will take charge of the semifinal clash between Australia and New Zealand. Joubert is only three years younger than All Blacks lock Brad Thorn.

Welsh dragon roars back home:

As World Cup fever spreads like wildfire through the country, the clamour for tickets for a free breakfast-time screening of Wales’ semifinal against France at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday has sent the Welsh Rugby Union’s website into meltdown.

All 25,000 freebies for the broadcast, dubbed Wake Up for Wales, were snapped up within hours of their release but the governing body has now made another 20,000 available by opening the middle and upper tiers of the East stand.

The stadium will open at 07.30 and alcohol will be served from 09.00 when the match kicks off. All present will be hoping it is a case of beers, cheers and no tears.

Quade’s Nana from heaven:

Quade Cooper may have been public enemy No.1 in New Zealand during World Cup but news that he has the support of the patrons of Kaikohe Bowling Club, in the Far North of the country, has gladdened his heart.

The Australia playmaker’s 76-year-old grandmother Millie, who calls Kaikohe home, has reportedly spent the last few weeks doing the rounds at the club to drum up Kiwi support for him.

Cooper says he has since been inundated with text messages from his beloved Nana. “She sends me a lot of messages that all of her friends from the local bowls club are right behind me,” he said. “So that gives you a very heart-warming boost of confidence.” 

Bryce Lawrence fan club?

If Cooper is public enemy No.1 in New Zealand then Kiwi referee Bryce Lawrence can confidently lay claim to that title in South Africa.

The resentment for Lawrence’s handling of the Springboks’ quarterfinal defeat to the Wallabies seems to have no boundaries, and this doctored picture below – sent in by one of our readers – is just one of the less controversial items going around.

While there may be some people in South Africa who are glad to see the back of outgoing Springbok coach Peter de Villiers, award-winning cartoonist Zapiro is certainly not one of them as he points out in his latest effort below.