Another World Cup is behind us, which will certainly be remembered as one of the best. It is quite certain that it is one of the most uncertain, because if we look at all the matches from the ¼ final, ½ final, bronze final and grand final, only one match was not uncertain, all the others were within one ball. Unbelievable. At the same time, neither Australia, nor Scotland, nor Italy, nor Japan made it to the ¼ finals.
A large number of people watched the Rugby World Cup, many of them live. There was a lot of talk. There is still a lot of talk. Here, after some 8-9 days, we gathered rugby players in a round table to hear their opinions. At the very end, they should also be acknowledged, they saw off the World Cup, they endured our pressures, short deadlines, but in the end we succeeded. Together with this article, we rounded off the Round Table series in four parts.
South Africa defended the title of World Champions. What are your impressions of the match?
Nikola Orlandić: As I predicted in the previous article, it was a disastrous refereeing, too many mistakes, TMO intervention, wrong interpretations. Certainly unworthy of officiating a World Cup final, I’m glad Wayne Barnes has retired and I hope the rules are soon made in terms of Every TMO must intervene immediately.
The game itself was hard to watch, two different schools of rugby, only one essay, a red card, a lot of penalties…I wasn’t too keen on everything. SA played its classic game, hard, slow but technically excellent in defense. In my opinion, New Zealand played below expectations, disturbed after the exclusion of the captain, forced to change its way of playing and the system of defense and attack.
Milan Orlović: This time a more flexible and solid team won. The winning mentality made up for all the flaws and mistakes that the Springboks had in the final. The Allblacks were ready for anything, they were a great opponent, they read the outs, they parried the “bomb” scrum, they were dangerous in carries. They played more than their opponents and tried in various ways to get the try. However, the successful slowing down of the crabs, granite defence, pressure on the back line and the golden leg of Andre Pollard took the cup to Africa.
Nemanja Babić: A difficult match to watch. As well as all three SAs in the elimination phase. Excellent preparation of the coaching pool on the SA bench. It seems in the end that the Springboks from game to game knew exactly what they were doing, where they wanted to attack the opponent and how to defend. Should I talk and comment on the defense of SA? How much enlightenment and detail, aggressiveness… It seemed that they simply knew 3 steps ahead of the opponent when defending against each team. Enough controversy about the judging and whether the judges favored the Springboks, I wouldn’t be brave enough to comment on that, I would just say: They deserve the title!
Predrag Vraneš: As expected, the game progressed until the very end, without many spectacular moves. Somehow the impression is created, and this was also seen in the previous play-off games, that South Africa always emerges as the winner in equal games, and that in some way it dictates the pace of the game, let it be so, for one possession, that is, in this case literally by 1 point, because the Springboks just won all 3 games by that margin, which is really unusual in the world of rugby. New Zealand played more than well, considering the circumstances, a player less for almost 60 minutes and it would perhaps be a big surprise if the All Blacks achieved a triumph, because at this level, having a player less is a really big handicap. Bottom line, a tough game all the way, in which South Africa, deservedly or not, they lift trophy 4 times as a world champions.
Bogdan Mihajlović: I am delighted with the match itself. South Africa deservedly won, they played fantastic defense and all the players were at a high level. Tactically, the South Africans also played very well and they can only be congratulated.
Dragan Petrović: I personally expected such a final as we had the opportunity to see. The day before the game, I predicted 15-10 for South Africa on my Facebook profile and I was very close. I expected a low number of points and assumed that the game would be quite even. Simply, these two teams are old acquaintances and know each other very well. Both teams play great defense and are tactically very well prepared. South Africa played their game as expected so I’m not too surprised by the final game and the performance of both teams. I think the final lived up to expectations because it was uncertain and exciting until the end with a lot of emotions, fighting, which the spectators want to see, so we all had the opportunity to enjoy a good and fighting game, which is what a final should be, even if not much was achieved an tries.
Jovan Kostić: The Springboks are back on the World Throne, fully deserved, all for one point in the playoff games, truly incredible. Luck follows the brave, persistent and fighting. But on another day it could easily be a different result. I personally supported the All Blacks and expected them to win and I think they were very close despite the fact that they had a less significant part of the game. A shot decided it again, first a converted conversion, Barrett missed for the lead at crucial moments, while Pollard at the other end proved once again that he is a master of taking shots. The result itself speaks for the course of the game, a battle in the trenches where discipline played an important role and which had to be at a high level in order to reduce the opportunities for making penalties because every point was worth its weight in gold. Lots of kicks, few tries.
Stevan Ilijašević: I had the opportunity to watch two World Cup finals live in 2015 and this year. I watched the video of the match twice, and I think I will watch it a few more times. The main impression is definitely the fantastic preparation of the match by South Africa. The defense was at a very high level, at the end of the match even at a fanatical level. New Zealand was unlucky. First a red card for Kane, and then midway through the first half they had a chance to score a try, when Jordy Barrett kicked over the defense, where the Ardi Savea was on the ball which bounced a few centimeters to the side and straight into the hands of Willemse. That’s what the rugby gods brought back for the situation in 2015 when Beauden Barrett got the perfect ball from the shot where he scored perhaps even the decisive try. The rugby gods intervened in the second half of the match when the wind started to blow before Jordie Barrett’s shot, from which he was later inaccurate. At the end of the match, I was impressed by Kvagga Smith and Faf de Klerk who were dying on the field defensively, the players who managed to stop the All Blacks machinery.
Did Sam Kane's red card decide the match?
Nikola Orlandić: He certainly decided how the game would look for the next 50 minutes and slightly added wind to JA’s sails, although the South African captain should have been sent off for the same thing a little later. Of course, the refereeing was uneven, at times and completely wrong to the detriment of one team, which was still in the shot for the title, but Jordi Barrett was of course not up to the task and will have to live with it for the next 4 years.
Milan Orlović: It was bad luck, but I don’t think it decided the match. First of all because of the way the Springboks played. The focus was on crabs and dominant knockdown. If the situation had been reversed, it might have affected the game more. If we look at all the details individually, we have to say that the Allblacks simply did not take advantage of their chances. They had plenty of them, but they simply did not manage to materialize them.
Nemanja Babić: He definitely changed the game for both OB and the Springboks obviously had an easy job. It is interesting that the same player also received a red card in the preparatory game, AB then suffered a big defeat.
Predrag Vraneš: It certainly is. Honestly, I really don’t think there was a need for a red card, because I think a bit rougher play was allowed in this World Cup, not to mention throwing in the crab and hind legs. Playing the final of the World Cup with a player less than half and a half, while chasing a result, is an almost impossible mission. One gets the impression that both South Africa and New Zealand were completely equal in every segment: attack, defense, scrum… which is one more reason to conclude that the player more in favor of Spinboks still had the upper hand.
Bogdan Mihajlović: Ugh, what would have happened if there was no red. The red card may have shaken New Zealand at first, but I think they recovered quickly and continued with a great game. If we look at the fact that they had a chance to win and they missed two shots while the South Africans missed none. But probably the course of the game would have been different had it not been for the red card.
Dragan Petrović: I think so. Surely this red card affected the further course of the game, but let’s not forget that Africa had yellow cards, so the All Blacks, despite that red, had the opportunity to play 14 on 14 with Africa and change the course of the game. Simply, Africa is an experienced team, 10 players from Africa played at the World Cup in Japan and you can hardly beat them with 14 players, even if they were the All Blacks who were close and had a chance to do it, but they didn’t succeed. There is always that “but” so Sam Kane’s black card must have affected the result of the final game.
Jovan Kostić: I am of the opinion that the All Blacks did more than well with one less player. I believe that they had possession, they had chances, they did not use the shot and that on another day the result could easily be different. I will venture to say my subjective opinion that the Springboks were a little bit lucky and that “fortune was on their side” at some important moments. Cane’s departure from the field probably made the challenge more difficult, but the All Blacks showed they could match with a smaller player.
Stevan Ilijašević: A red card cannot fail to disrupt the game system of any team in the world. Especially in the final match. New Zealand played so well that it was hard to tell that they had less players, they fought like lions. If they were complete, they would have definitely had a different game than the one we won. Kolbe almost became a tragedy when he received a yellow card at the end of the match, when he deliberately intercepted a pass by the All Blacks that would certainly have put them in a good situation. As we have already mentioned, Jordy Barrett missed that penalty, so Kolbe will avoid a lifelong feeling of guilt.
England had a very good tournament with a score of six wins and one loss by 1 point against South Africa, how well did they live up to expectations?
Nikola Orlandić: In my opinion, they justified more than expected, with a rejuvenated team, a new coach and a lot of challenges in the preparatory matches. It is good that England is still strong, that they are always ready for a good game and intend to be in a high position considering that now the situation is quite complex and there are also Ireland, Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan and of course Australia. I think that they played the semi-final technically and tactically excellently and that they were only a little away from the final this year. They had an excellent offense and tough defense, good organization, it’s clear what anyone is doing and I think they are still side by side with the finalists and it will be interesting to follow them in the next four years.
Milan Orlović: When we look a little closer, that bronze shines like gold. It’s just that the draw was very favorable, and the Pacific Islands were sketchy in the games against them. With all due respect, the best game was in that loss. In the other games, it can be said that they satisfied with their defense but not with their attacking arsenal. All in all a great result, but hands full in making the team for the 6 Nations, where they will be and where they aspire to be even third.
Nemanja Babić: Competitive team. Full of experienced players, many said goodbye to the jersey with a rose on their chest at this World Cup. They changed their coach a few months before the competition, had bad luck with injuries and suspensions, but made solid results and in the end, I think 3rd place is not a disappointment. I’m glad that Steva can be happy and I believe that his heart is in the right place 😅.
Predrag Vraneš: A more than good result for the English. In the 6 Nations Cup, in the first half of the year, a very bad edition, two wins and three losses. Counting the last 2 rounds of this year’s edition of the 6 Nations, and 4 preparatory friendlies, the English recorded only 1 triumph. Certainly perhaps the most painful loss to Fiji at Twickenham. However, it seems that the English have timed their form exclusively for this WC. First round, immediate derby against Argentina and total dominance. After that, 3 easy wins. Although I supported Fiji, I think Enlesi is more than a serious team to lose 2 times in a row, precisely to Fiji (quarter finals of the World Cup).
In my opinion, the expected defeat by South Africa, although the English could very easily reach the final. They say that it is very difficult to win the same team twice in one competition, the English managed to do it, defeating Argentina, and deservedly won the bronze medal.
Bogdan Mihajlović: Maybe the English were not given that many chances, but they have a very good squad with a strong bench. They played the entire tournament very precisely and I think they could have easily reached the final. There wasn’t that much fanfare around them and I think they liked that. From the Europeans, a lot was expected from the Irish and the French, and therefore the English fell into the background and used it in the best possible way.
Dragan Petrović: Honestly, the English were a little lucky and I don’t think they expected to win the bronze either. They had a weaker group and thanks to it they went further and if they played not very great rugby they reached the semi-finals. Just remember the game against Samoa. Too bad Samoa didn’t beat them. I think that rugby fans in England are not very happy with the performance of their national team when we consider all the games. Their best game was against South Africa and they played it brilliantly. England is a superpower in rugby and I always expect a lot and a good game from them, which they didn’t really show at this World Cup except against Africa. I think they exceeded their expectations.
Jovan Kostić: To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations from the English from the very beginning of the tournament, I thought they were the version from the 6 Nations Cup with Eddie Jones, but they showed the exact opposite in the tournament. They proved that the traditional rugby nation is up to the challenges of major competitions, but also that their very good result, in my humble opinion, is also due to the “magical hand” of coach Steve Borthwick.
Stevan Ilijašević: I am looking forward and my heart is in the right place! The English were not at a high level throughout the World Cup, they did not play good rugby that is pleasing to the eye. But that’s why they were extremely disciplined and concentrated, and oriented to the result. Epilogue? Six wins and a loss by 1 point in the semi-finals against the World Champions. When you add to that the fact that they changed their coach a few months ago, these 6 wins gain importance. If you look at the continuity, the English have already been at the top for two World Cups. A lot of players will end their national team career, but there are youngsters who performed very well in the tournament.
Which players do you think marked the tournament?
Nikola Orlandić: In the attack, certainly the wings, Colby, Jordan, Peno, but also Mounga as the creator of the game of New Zealand. In defense, of course, wing players Steph de Toit, Savea, Sam Kane. Although from the tactical side, using the rules and dodging penalties in almost every hard game, it turned out that the most important players are the included posts and tacklers who know the rules well and are ready to knock down the scrum and the opponent’s post at the right moment. In the end, it’s so holy and they got a new old champion, but I believe there are serious questions for the organization itself to eliminate some things, because currently too much is destroying our sport and bringing the game to banality. High tackle, was there mitigation and intentions, angles and under what pressure the contact was made, the referee’s own interpretation and of course all the camera angles, where some contacts really look terrible but basically they were almost just part of that beautiful game called RUGBY.
Being duly tackled by a winger from the blind side admittedly was not pleasant for any former player but it was part of the game and forced better technique and attention, but today handing out red cards for a shoulder tackle when a player slips into the box and directly influencing the course of the game is bad in my opinion. Both tacklers and the tackled player are equally important for safety. We will see what comes after this cup, hopefully better things and smarter solutions.
Milan Orlović: The tournament was long, so the form fluctuated a bit. Every team had good individuals. One gets the impression that South Africa made the best use of its squad and best deployed its strength, primarily because it played against the strongest opponents. Pollard demonstrated what a champion he is and how cool he is when making a decision. Du Tot and Eben are also machines that don’t stop. Jody Barrett had a superb tournament, except for the final where he had to help in the scrum and was neutralized by Du Tot. Ardi Savea really showed that he is the best in the world. Also worth mentioning are Kremer, Guyot, Aki, Ferrell, Gipson Park, Tuisova, Botia, Aldrith and Penauld.
Nemanja Babić: The question can turn into a long analysis. With this, I will only list the players without going into their analysis.
Bondi Aki
Juan Cruz Malia
Beauden Berrett
Henry Pollard (not the tournament but only the semi-final and final match😊😁).
Predrag Vraneš: Certainly the most famous name in my opinion is Handre Pollard, a man who somehow got more and more minutes from the shadows and in the end stood out as a match-winner player, scoring all the points in the final for his team, and before that he won the final I shoot South Africa from almost half the field. I would also like to single out Pierre Steph du Toit from South Africa. I haven’t seen anyone make 30 tackles in a game for a long time, and he did it in the finals. Maybe not that noticeable, but I have to mention Springboks kicker Bongi Mbonambi. Bongi played 75 against France in the ¼ final, and in the ½ final, the entire match, which is almost impossible for the first line at this level.
Among the other players, I have to mention Ben Earle, the England stopper, who played really well this WC, and was almost unstoppable on several occasions. I think England have got perhaps a team leader for the next 7-8 years. In addition to all the mentioned players, I would single out the center tandem of Ireland Ringrose-Aki it andem All Blacks Will Jordan and Ardi Saveu.
Bogdan Mihajlović: I will briefly list: Faf le Clerc, Pollard, Kolbe, Savea, B. Berrett, Farrell, Dupont, Penault, A. Smith.
Dragan Petrović: There are more of them at this World Cup. Will Jordan scored 8 essays and certainly marked the tournament with that. The bench of South Africa where I would not single out anyone in particular because they changed the course of the games when they entered the field. Bundi Aki played great in this WC as well as Damian Peno who played great. I have to say that I liked the play of Aaron Smith and Faf de Klerk as experienced players. Montoya, Kremer and Boffelli also played all games brilliantly for Argentina. I think that Dupont, despite being injured, played well throughout the World Cup. I liked the performance of Owen Farrell and Tom Curry from England and Rhys Zammit from Wales.
Jovan Kostić: Given that the tournament was won by the Republic of South Africa and that their results against the French in the quarter-finals, the English in the semi-finals and the All Blacks in the final were by one point of difference, and where they triumphed with a precise shot, it may be ungrateful, but according to me the “golden boot” goes to Pollard. I wouldn’t single out the names of the big players who stayed behind him in the group stage, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, but I personally value practicality the most, and that’s precisely Pollard.
Stevan Ilijašević: Several players left a very positive impression on me. First of all, Ardi Save, who showed that he was rightly awarded the player of the year award. Mark Telea and Will Jordan were excellent. However, Telea was consistent throughout the tournament, Jordan did score 8 tries, but he was not seen in the final when it was most needed. After the injury, Peter Steph de Toat looked like a pale copy of himself, yet at the tournament he proved to be the best winger in the world. I was particularly intrigued by the Andrea Pollard saga, where I still think part of Rasi Erasmus’ tactic was to invite him to the World Cup afterwards. Among the English, I was delighted by Ben Earl, who showed that the future of England is at stake. Marcos Kremer was like a robot in defense and one of the most deserving of Argentina’s placement in the 1/2 finals. Bundy Aki and Gary Ringrose, the best pair of centers. Dupon fantastic on demi. Levani Botia, along with de Toat and Savea, would form my dream team in the third line of the World Cup.
Did the World Cup in France live up to your expectations?
Nikola Orlandić: It certainly is. It was a review of the current best selection, a lot of nice games, fighting with small differences in points. Beautiful surroundings and a beautiful view of the entire rugby world. I saw a lot of new technical things, ideas and concepts, good realization of solutions and some new approaches in the game and mental preparation of the teams. Personally, the best tournament so far, as we wished before the start. There are a lot of good games to watch again, learn something from them and maybe apply them in our game, improve our selection and move forward with domestic plans and good work. I wish Serbia and our boys a lot of success in the upcoming matches and I hope they will be even better after this beautiful rugby event.
Milan Orlović: Definitely. Great rugby was played and the championship was well organized. It remains a pity that the groups and teams are not more equal. I also expected more from the Europeans, although it didn’t spoil my impression, they were simply better and won no matter who we were rooting for. It was nice to see how Uruguay and Portugal prepared well, although Chile did not disappoint either. I expected more from Samoa and Georgia, but also from Japan. Fiji seriously shook the rugby world, announced their candidacy for Tier 1, where they belong. World rugby has a future, but it is necessary that Tier 2 teams have better and higher quality competitions as well as greater access to the financial pie.
Nemanja Babić: This World Cup not only justified it, but I can claim that it exceeded my expectations. How many matches not on one ball, shot or attack but on one point of difference. Tier 1 countries are very uniform and Tier 2 are slowly but surely catching up. It will be more than interesting to follow the developments in the next three, four years until the next tournament.
Predrag Vraneš: Maybe because it was played in Europe and because I have been involved in rugby myself for a long time, I followed this championship from beginning to end and the conclusion is that this is one of the most uncertain World Championships. Fiji almost won Wales, then won Australia, then lost to Portugal, a team with mostly amateurs in its ranks, and then the quarterfinals, where it could very easily have happened that the teams defeated in those matches could have reached the ½ finals. The ¼ final matches of this World Cup were truly incredible, each match tells a story for itself. The finale, tense to the very end. I think that after this WC, many teams will train even more and harder, because they have shown that they are very little short of defeating a team stronger than themselves.
The two best games in my opinion were played by South Africa, against Ireland in the group stage and France in the ¼ final. Honestly, I’m very sorry for Ireland, who couldn’t get past the ¼ final this time either. What he might change for the next World Championships is the draw system, because the best 4 national teams already met in the ¼ finals. However, all this does not diminish all the great matches we watched at this incredible World Cup.
Bogdan Mihajlović: Absolutely. The very organization that the French have worked really hard on, plus the spirit of the world championship could be felt everywhere and the feeling is simply unrepeatable.
Dragan Petrović: It depends in what respect. Personally, I expected better rugby and more uncertain matches as well as more surprises. In a global sense, as a global sports event, the World Cup has lived up to its expectations. I think that the French also justified the expectations organizationally, so all in all I think that the World Cup succeeded and showed why it is the third biggest sporting event in the world. I hope the next World Cup in Australia will be even better. Finally, I wanted to greet all the other participants of the round table. It was a pleasure to share the round table with them and to read their opinions and comments.
I really enjoyed reading the roundtable and thank you for the great and interesting questions. I hope that the readers also enjoyed reading what we discussed at the round table.
Jovan Kostić: The World Cup in France satisfactorily justified my expectations. It was a pleasure to hang out with you.
Stevan Ilijašević: RWC justified it. I enjoyed all the matches. I watched I think 90% of the matches. Good thing I wasn’t kicked out of the house. At this World Cup, we won the first uncertain final after 2011, where the World Champion was decided by a point advantage. Where do you get a better finish than that. A large number of national teams performed above expectations. Do not forget that the players of all selections spent a total of 4-5 months with the teams.
I am especially glad that all of us contributed to the coverage of the World Cup. On our portal, we regularly followed the results, the tables and the play. We published 17 articles related to the tournament in France. We even managed to record a podcast. But above all, we had a lot of fun, where it was quite interesting. We hope it was interesting for you too.
