Oceania crisis at Rugby World Cup
For New Zealand it is already a matter of “life and death”
September 28, 2023, 7:15 p.m
New Zealand and Australia are to rugby what Germany is to football: large nations that are not thinking about a preliminary round exit at the World Cup. But this fate awaits the two nations from Oceania at the tournament in France. “It’s a matter of life and death,” they say.
There is a lot of excitement on the other side of the world these days. The proud rugby nations Australia and New Zealand are threatened with a historic exit at the World Cup in France. Never before has one of the two highly decorated teams failed in the preliminary round, but this time at least one will probably get caught – it would be a sensation.
“It’s a true playoff game, it’s a matter of life and death,” said New Zealand playmaker Aaron Smith before the game against Italy on Friday (9 p.m./ProSieben Maxx) to the point: “And that’s how we have to approach it.” A defeat against the talented Azzurri – and the All Blacks would be out.
However, if the three-time world champion wins, and this is likely to happen, New Zealand will push the Italians out of second place. The chances of reaching the quarter-finals are good. During the week without games, the team “put things to the test,” explained winger Dalton Papali’i: “We needed that.”
All Australia has left is hope
Unlike the All Blacks, Australia no longer has its own destiny in its own hands. What’s more, the Wallabies are in complete chaos. After the miserable 6:40 against Wales, the first round exit is as good as sealed. If Fiji wins against Georgia on Saturday with a bonus point, that’s it. The final group game against Portugal on Sunday would be meaningless.
Under star coach Eddie Jones, who took over Australia for the second time and is supposed to build a powerful team for the home World Cup in 2027, the two-time world champion lost seven of his eight games. Jones traveled to the tournament in France with the youngest of all teams, leaving important veterans at home. It took revenge.
“This is the most painful time, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also the best learning time for young players,” Jones said after the Wales game. The 63-year-old himself caused unrest. A few days before the World Cup, he is said to have had a job interview with the Japanese association, as the Australian daily newspaper “The Sydney Morning Herald” revealed.
Since then, the rumor, which Jones did not deny, has been omnipresent in the Australian camp. A dismissal of the coach, who is never at a loss for a word, after the World Cup would be logical. Jones had only signed a five-year contract with the Wallabies, whom he led to the World Cup final in 2003, in January.