And Then There Were Four

The Rugby World Cup is down to the semi-final stage. The contest that was begun with twenty starry-eyed nations has been shrunk to just four. On Sunday, August 12, the question was posed to me, "So who do you think will win the World Cup?" I responded that I was really pulling for Argentina and that I would like to see them do really well, but I was honestly expecting the New Zealand All Blacks to win it all.

The opening game of the RWC featured the Argentina Pumas taking on tournament host France in what affectionately referred to by commentators as "the pool of death." Despite a profound French fan base, the Pumas ultimately upset Les Bleus in a 17-12 game that they were not scripted to win. This was only the beginning of an already unforgettable World Cup.

Enter October. The pool stages of the RWC are over. They were... emotional. Wales, the runner up favorite for Pool B, has been upset by the minnow nation of Fiji, and arguably the best Irish side ever assembled has been sent home after failing to survive the treacherous Pool D. This is the first time in several years for Ireland to get knocked out before the quarter-finals. Eight teams remain by this point. France, Fiji, Scotland, Argentina, the battered defending champions England, and of course, Tri-Nation powerhouses, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

By this time, England, Fiji, Scotland, and Argentina have already progressed beyond the expectations of many. Fiji was scheduled to take on South Africa, with the Springboks as heavy favorites. Though they delivered a very respectable performance, the Fijians were ultimately dismantled by the powerful South Africans, much as was anticipated. Argentina was expected to eke out a win against the struggling Scots, and much to my elation, they did just that.

The two remaining match-ups are slated to be mere formalities. The storied New Zealand All Blacks, tournament favorites, are scheduled to stomp across the French back line on their way to a World Cup championship, and the Australian Wallabies are to see a similar story against the shaky British side. For the record, I had too much confidence in Jonny Wilkinson to write off the England/Australia game, and so I paid attention to the set-up. At the end of the day, Wilkinson had scored 12 points for England, and the British pack had held Australia to only 10. England had won.

In a tournament of unthinkable upsets, I have to admit, I still had no concept of the All Blacks doing anything but dominating everyone in their path to the Webb Ellis trophy. I especially did not imagine the already once-beaten French side to find it within themselves to pull together and stop Richie McCaw's troops, a team that had beaten every opponent thus far by a margin of forty points or greater.

You've probably already guessed the punchline, by the end of the day, Les Bleus were victorious. For those of you who don't follow international rugby very carefully, that's kind of a big deal. All that now remain are South Africa, Argentina, France, and the defending world champs, England. Go Pumas.

I have two midterm tests this week. One of them is for Technology 620. If it comes up, please pray for me. That'd be awesome!

-Ryan