Category: Rugby World Cup

Wk2: My Favourite Highlights of the Rugby World Cup 2015

Posted on Posted in Rugby World Cup, SportsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Well well well…this was the week I was waiting for.

After all, I had tickets to the New Zealand v Namibia match at The Olympic Stadium and I wasn’t going to miss it. This is one occasion I was close to tears for sports sake. My childminder cancelled on me at the last minute and I had two tickets so that I could enjoy the experience with hubby dearest. It wasn’t to be the case.

As I am the rugby fanatic in our house (kids following suit), there was no way I was losing out on watching at least one rugby match with the World Cup literally at our doorstep.

So, I called a very close friend and we went to the game together. It was an experience I will never forget. For me, it was a bitter sweet match, because if Kenya beat Zimbabwe at the qualifiers, then I would have been there supporting two teams – defending champions All Blacks and my home team Kenya, but it wasn’t to be.

IMG_5532
View as I approached the stadium.

Last time I was at the Olympic Stadium I was actually on the field of play 3 years ago opening and closing the olympic games. So it was nice to be back. It certainly looked different. To be honest, I can now see why West Ham want to move here.

View from where I was seating.
View from where I was seating.

This was my first ever international rugby match and I didn’t know what to expect. The atmosphere was certain one I have never experienced and I can say that I have ticked this off my bucket list – watch New Zealand play live. Well the rest is history. New Zealand definitely won and I can now enjoy the rest of the world cup at the comfort of my sofa, but if I was to get a ticket to the final, I wouldn’t refuse.

Ohh…I had to sneak one or two pics with the Kenyan flag.

That random Kenyan rugby fan at the RWC 2015.
That random Kenyan rugby fan at the RWC 2015.

IMG_5569

Anyway, this week saw 11 matches being played and here are the results.

image1

image2

image3

image4

image5

image6

image7

image8

image9

image10

image11

I have to admit, I hardly watched all the matches this week as I was busy doing stuff, but I managed to catch a few either on the first or second half and of course going to watch the All Blacks live. The one that was interesting and still being talked about, is the England v Wales match. I think Wales has got to be the unluckiest and luckiest team this week. They have had the most injuries and yet, they still managed to come up tops and ruin England’s day with this awesome kick by MotM Dan Biggar:

And, there was a player from Romania proposed to his girlfriend at Wembley Stadium after their match against Ireland :

So my teams for this week are Wales and Ireland,  with New Zealand still up there as tournament favourites. Again, let’s see if this will change next week.

Videos: World Rugby’s Youtube Channel

Images: Own pictures and screen grabs via the RWC2015 Mobile App

Wk1: My Favourite Highlights of the Rugby World Cup 2015

Posted on Posted in Rugby, Rugby World Cup, SportsTagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

As a rugby fan, unless you live under a rock or are in a coma, you would fail to notice that the RWC 2015 has already kicked off.

I have been following this tournament since it was announced that England will be hosting. From attending the press launches, trophy tours, ticket design launch and the England 2015 kit launch.

My family had to be warned well in advance that whilst the rugby was on, the telly was MINE!!!

Finally the tournament kicked off on Friday 18th September with England playing against Fiji at Twickenham. The opening ceremony was short and sweet.

Opening Ceremony Video Highlights

Then came the match that kicked the whole tournament off.

England v Fiji 35-11 – Full Match Highlights & Tries

I have to say though the first game was marred by the amount of times the TMO (Television Match Official aka Video Ref) was used. It made watching the first game a tad bit irritating, but it was a brilliant opening match to kick off the RWC 2015 after months and years of waiting.

The objective of the television match official system is to ensure accurate and consistent decisions are made on the field in a timely and efficient manner. The TMO is a tool to help referees and assistant referees with their on-field calls and the referee remains the decision-maker who is in charge of the process.

A snippet of a statement released to the press by World Cup bosses via The Independent

Final score:

image1

Over the weekend, there were 7 matches – 4 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday – and here are the results.

image2

The jubilation of Georgia beating Tonga was clear for the fans to see.

image3

image1

This was the match everyone was, still are and will continue to talk about. The fact that Japan held out for a try instead of a penalty and managed to beat South Africa made for match viewing gold. This will be up there as the rugby history highlight of the tournament.

Full Match Highlights and Tries

image2

image5

image6

image3

This was the match I was waiting for as defending champions New Zealand took on Argentina. Argentina played well in the first half until the All Blacks outsmarted them towards the end.

So far underdogs Georgia and Japan are on my teams to watch, with New Zealand still up there as tournament favourites. Let’s see if this will change next week.

Videos: World Rugby’s Youtube Channel

Images: My screen grabs via the RWC2015 Mobile App