GIFT OF THE DAY
Stuart Lancaster spent his 46th birthday on Friday answering press questions about when he’d be sacked. His consolation a day later: going 3-0 down inside two minutes. It got better.
MEN OF THE DAY
Henry Slade, proving there’s life in England yet; and Australia’s Bernard Foley, who had one job to do, and did it, repeatedly. Kicked all their points in a full-on try-free thriller.
BEST HALF
Scotland and Samoa shared 49 points in the opening 40 minutes at St James’ Park – the most in any first half. And Pool B was supposed to be the boring one.
IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE …
At 9.49pm on 26 September, if Chris Robshaw had chosen the kick against Wales and Owen Farrell had slotted it, England’s bonus-point win last night would have taken them into the quarter-finals.
BIG SELL OF THE DAY
“Well there’s a dead rubber up next…” Craig Doyle on ITV, not doing much to appease agitated X-Factor fans.
MAKEOVER OF THE DAY
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium – given a no-frills one-off rebrand as ****** Stadium to keep the official paid-up tournament sponsors on side.
OPTIMISTS OF THE DAY
Pre-match entertainment organisers at the ****** Stadium trying to coax a doubtful crowd into a rousing warm-up rendition of Wonderwall. They failed.
LETDOWN OF THE DAY
More evidence of modern football’s greatest merchandising shame – the tourist’s choice half-and-half matchday souvenir scarf – spreading to rugby.
AND ONE TO WATCH
England’s £2.5m state-of-the-art facility at Pennyhill Park, with its replica Twickenham pitch, was described pre-tournament as being crucial to winning the World Cup. When South Africa move in this week, we’ll find out if the claim was correct.
