Another round of rugby has come and gone. This time around, the games had a little something for everyone. Whether you were looking for a blowout, or a come from behind victory, these games did not disappoint. One thing is for sure. This year’s Rugby World Cup has not disappointed.
England v Scotland (16-12)
At the start of the Rugby World Cup, a lot of people were questioning if England really had what it took to win the whole thing. Sure, the team was getting wins, but they were sloppy wins. I know, fans are saying a win is a win. However, playing sloppy leaves a lot of 
questions open. Like, how long can they get by playing sloppy ball?
Well, during the England v Scotland game, England wanted to prove that they have what it takes to overcome even the toughest challenge. This time, England had to see what it felt like playing from behind. Before half-time, Scotland was actually up on England 9-3.
Lewis Moody, who is the captain of the England team, said it was a fantastic performance by his whole team. He went on to say that they knew Scotland was going to come out on fire, but England was able to counter it in the second-half. Overall, England was able to come out on top in a few scrums. Scotland played a great game, but England came out on the right side.
One thing that hurt Scotland for sure in their 12-16 loss to England, was the loss of Ruaridh Jackson. He hobbled off the field in the fourth minute. After that, he was replaced by Dan Parks. This is not to say that Parks had a bad game, but it did force Scotland to change-up its game plan.
Ireland v Italy (36-6)
Although the Ireland v Italy game was not as close as the England game, it was still a great
Brian O'Driscoll
match-up nevertheless. Of course, there was never really any point during the game where it looked like Ireland was not in control of the game. Going into half-time, Ireland already had a 9-6 lead. This was a lead that they would go on to extend in the second-half.
The game was still close at half-time, but it would soon be out of reach for Italy as they lost 36-6. This means, Italy never scored again after half time. Brian O’Driscoll, who is the captain of the Ireland team, said that they knew they were going to have to be patient. Ireland had to go out and grind Italy down, and that is just what happened. By the second-half, Italy was completely worn down.
Mr. O’Driscoll found himself scoring in the 47th minute. Not long after that, he was followed by wing Keith Earls. It was pretty apparent that Italy was just being completely outdone by Ireland at this point in the game. It is hard for any team to fight back from being behind like that. This goes double when the team feels as deflated as what Italy did by the second-half. In the end, Italy was just completely outplayed during this entire game.
Wales v Fiji (66-0)
Now some of the games we talked about today were pretty close. Even the Italy v Ireland game was close until after half-time. Then there was the Wales v Fiji game. This was not really a game so much as it was a complete domination. In the end, Wales just completely overpowered Fiji to win 66-0.
Unfortunately, it is hard to note many positive things for the Fiji team. The only notable thing to say was that Fiji failed to ever really get going, and that is putting it nicely. They failed to move the ball, and even coughed it up.
Warren Gatland, who is the Wales coach, said that his team knew that they were a tough group. The first goal for Wales was to win a few games and make the quarter-finals. Now the goal is to go on and prove to the rest of the world just how great Wales is.
It would have been great to say that Fiji still had a chance in this game when the second-half came around. However, that would be a lie. When the two teams stopped for the half, Fiji was already down 31-0. Then, when Fiji came back out to play the second part of the game, it seemed as if they already knew the game was over. They had lost what little bit of fire they had when the game started. From there, Wales just ran away with it to finish with 66 unanswered points.
*Eoghan McNally / Shutterstock.com
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