By Andy Capostagno
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, as the World Cup got off to an intriguing start — even if it was played in more than two cities.
The host nation, France, opened proceedings with a stuttering performance that was, nevertheless, good enough to hand New Zealand their first-ever defeat in pool play.
Much the same could be said of the Springboks, whose flinty defence was far too good for a Scotland team that had no ideas. For the defending champions, it was a case of job done, but they know they can play far better.
At the same Marseille venue 24 hours earlier, England put themselves in the race by using a Ford instead of a Ferrari.
George Ford’s outing at flyhalf was exactly the sort of no-nonsense display that England teams used to be famous for. It was ironic that his chance only came due to the three-week ban being served by Owen Farrell.
Which brings us to the worst of times. It was predictable, but dispiriting nonetheless, to see the off-field officials bringing down the tone of what should be a glorious occasion.
The so-called Bunker reviews foul play in real time. It sticks to the letter of the law, but let’s face it, the law is an ass.
Stakeholders should hold an urgent meeting to sort out the issue of head-to-head contact. Tom Curry did absolutely nothing wrong, but his red card condemned England to 14 men for most of the match.
Jesse Kriel, by contrast, can thank referee Angus Gardner for not getting his marching orders. Gardner was seriously out of his depth and had little clue what was happening at scrum time.
The good news is that there was plenty of sparkling rugby on display, but most of it among teams not expected to reach the knockout stages.
Fiji, Georgia, Chile and Japan relished their moments in the sun, something worth remembering long after we have forgotten the law enforcers.
Pictured above: Springboks taking on Scotland
Image source: Springboks
