Pool B review: England top testing group
The crunch games of Pool B may have lacked tries but there was no shortage of compelling rugby. High stakes make for high drama and the battle for the two quarter-final spots came right down to the final two matches.
The presence of England, Argentina and Scotland made this arguably the toughest pool, with the teams separated by only four IRB ranking places going into Rugby World Cup 2011. Even the most seasoned observer could scarcely have predicted how close it would turn out to be.
The combined winning margin of the three matches between those teams was just nine points, and until Chris Ashton’s 78th-minute try, England were heading for a quarter-final showdown with New Zealand.
The 16-12 final score left England top of the group and facing France in the final eight; Scotland were down if not completely out, requiring Argentina to fail to grab so much as a point against Georgia the next day.
The Pumas’ 25-7 victory meant Scotland failed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in World Cup history.
Solid if unspectacular
England’s pool stage performances were solid if unspectacular, the 67-3 win over Romania aside. Ashton and Mark Cueto each scored hat-tricks in that game but generally England relied on the power of their forwards to take them through the group stages.
An occasionally faltering game plan aside, England’s progression through the group stages was hardly plain sailing.
Off-field distractions came with tabloid headlines, while matters such as the ball-swapping farrago, the citing of Courtney Lawes and Andrew Sheridan’s exit through injury tested Martin Johnson’s stoicism.
Argentina’s 13-9 defeat by England in their first match upped the ante for every match since, having the effect of making each subsequent a must-win, with bonus points crucial.
The Pumas had performed heroically against England, leading until the 67th minute, but it came at a cost with Gonzalo Tiesi sustaining a tournament-ending knee injury and Felipe Contepomi missing the next match with a rib injury.
A 43-8 win over Romania followed by their nerve-jangling 13-12 triumph over Scotland set up the final-weekend pattern of events.
Run close
Scotland’s best form came against England; they were made to battle by Romania before winning 34-24 and a redoubtable Georgia ran them close before going down 15-6.
The Scots appeared well in control against the Pumas until slack defence allowed Lucas González Amorosini to weave through for a try. "That 30 seconds of madness is going to cost us," said coach Andy Robinson.
On a brighter note, Chris Paterson became the first Scot to play in four World Cups.
Georgia announced themselves as a burgeoning power in world rugby, and while the heavyweights of England, Scotland and Argentina proved a step too far for the Lelos, they gave a good account of themselves against all three.
In the scrap for bragging rights as the side most likely to challenge the established order, Georgia accounted for Romania 25-9. Georgia even found some record-breaking form: Mamuka Gorgodze became his nation’s most prolific try-scorer with 19 tries and Merab Kvirikashvili's 17 points saw him break his own team record for most points in a match.
Some satisfaction
Sadly, Romania lost by an average of just over 31 points in their four matches, though they did at least have the satisfaction of Ionel Cazan becoming the first Romanian back to score a World Cup try since 2003.
The scrum did at times show the benefits of former All Black Steve McDowall’s work as assistant coach.
For Romania their high point came in their first match, when they led Scotland 24-21 midway through the second half before Scotland summoned all their experience to pull away to win 34-24.