Rugby World Cup 2015
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SOUTH AFRICA TEAM TO PLAY JAPAN IN WORLD CUP
South Africa named the following team to face Japan in the opening Rugby World Cup Pool B match at the Brighton Community Stadium on Saturday:
15-Zane Kirchner, 14-Bryan Habana, 13-Jesse Kriel, 12-Jean de Villiers (captain), 11-Lwazi Mvovo, 10-Pat Lambie, 9-Ruan Pienaar; 8-Schalk Burger, 7-Willem Alberts, 6-Francois Louw, 5-Victor Matfield, 4-Lood de Jager, 3-Jannie du Plessis, 2-Bismarck du Plessis, 1-Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16-Adriaan Strauss, 17-Trevor Nyakane, 18-Coenie Oosthuizen, 19-Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20-Siya Kolisi, 21-Fourie du Preez, 22-Handre Pollard, 23-JP Pietersen.
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Old head on Youngs shoulders, England scrumhalf wins 50th cap
Reuters UKBen Youngs still looks as if he should be playing in the Under-17s but the fresh-faced England scrumhalf will win his 50th cap in his second Rugby World Cup on Friday and, at 26, is one of the squad's older statesmen. -
Fiji offer England a tasty World Cup starter
Reuters UKFacing the sport's ninth-best nation would normally be a pivotal Rugby World Cup fixture for a top seed but such is the depth of quality in Pool A that England's tournament opener against Fiji on Friday is a relative hors d'oeuvre. -
France go under the radar in lifeless Croydon
Reuters UKFrance hooker Dimitri Szarzewski has played down the importance of his team's opening Rugby World Cup Pool D game against Italy at Twickenham on Saturday. -
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Everyone is talking about the usual suspects in terms of who are going to win the tournament; the New Zealands, the Englands, the Irelands, the Wales. The problem is they forget about the Polynesian South Pacific Island boys and those guys have a game or two that they will upset a team somewhere along the line."
- All Black great Jonah Lomu, speaking to Reuters. -
The hallowed turf where rugby grew its roots
Reuters UKSimon Brown's 'office' is so steeped in rugby history that some of the sport's biggest names recently turned up for a visit and could not resist pocketing a few cheeky souvenirs. -
Wales start their campaign against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday and defence coach Shaun Edwards is trying to ensure his players have the right attitude against the weakest team in the pool.
"The biggest danger is their unpredictability," he said. "The players are not household names but it is very important that we don't under-estimate them."
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6:34 PM - 16 Sep 2015
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Referees told to get tough on diving players #RugbyWorldCup http://t.co/OhL3dhCLDG http://t.co/cFbp3AZjie
11:44 AM - 17 Sep 2015- Reply
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England in 'shape of their lives' to face Fiji - Rowntree
Reuters UKEngland are in the "shape of their lives" for the Rugby World Cup, will peak from the opening game and can handle the pressure of being tournament hosts, forwards coach Graham Rowntree said. -
Former England captain Martin Johnson arrives with the Webb Ellis Cup, trophy of the Rugby WorldCup, in Downing Street in London, Britain September 17, 2015. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
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We're peaking now for opening night. Data doesn't lie. The guys are in the shape of their lives... hitting pbs (personal bests). We're ready for tomorrow."
- England forwards coach Graham Rowntree, speaking to a news conference on Thursday.
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3:04 PM - 17 Sep 2015
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Ghiraldini to skipper Italy in Parisse absence
Reuters UKHooker Leonardo Ghiraldini will captain Italy in Sergio Parisse's absence for their Rugby World Cup Pool D opener against France at Twickenham on Saturday. -
For the next six weeks images of mud-clad men wrestling each other for an egg-shaped ball will flash up on television screens around the globe.
Do not be alarmed. Do not adjust your sets. This is 'rugby union' and starting on Friday teams from 20 countries will compete for the sport's World Cup in England.
Hookers, grubbers and cauliflower ears - a beginner's guide -
Georgia scrumhalf becomes youngest World Cup player
Reuters UKGeorgia’s teenaged scrumhalf Vasil Lobzhanidze will become the Rugby World Cup’s youngest competitor when he plays at scrumhalf against Tonga in Gloucester on Saturday. -
Hookers, grubbers and cauliflower ears - a beginner's guideFor the next six weeks images of mud-clad men wrestling each other for an egg-shaped ball will flash up on television screens around the globe.
Do not be alarmed. Do not adjust your sets. This is 'rugby union' and starting on Friday teams from 20 countries will compete for the sport's World Cup in England.
The aim is simple. A group of 15 men try to get the ball to the opposite ends of the pitch to score points. The other team try to stop them.
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Wary South Africa unsure of Japanese threat
Reuters UKA wary South Africa are unsure of what lies in wait for them when they take on Japan but are conscious of the need for a bright start in their opening Rugby World Cup game in Brighton on Saturday. -
Good luck to the @EnglandRugby team tonight for their first game of the @rugbyworldcup. Looking forward to watching it9:51 AM - 18 Sep 2015- Reply
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Thirsty World Cup fans to get the beers in
Thirsty beer drinkers will sink over 25 million extra pints in public houses during the six-week Rugby World Cup, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) predicted on Thursday.
Rugby fans are renowned for their capacity for alcohol consumption and the showpiece, which starts on Friday when England take on Fiji at Twickenham, is expected to provide a big boost to turnover in pubs.
The BBPA said total impact on turnover for pubs, in beer sales alone, would be around 86 million pounds ($133.50 million).
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Fiji target chinks in England's armourFiji have identified weaknesses in the England team which they intend to exploit in the World Cup's opening match at Twickenham on Friday.
The Pacific Islanders' coach John McKee admits that the tournament hosts have a strong team but he believes Fiji can expose some frailties in the Pool A game.
"We have had a good look at England over a number of competitions now and we recognise that they are a very good side across the board and they have got a number of strengths," McKee told reporters on Thursday.
"Maybe there are some chinks in their armour which we will keep for ourselves. Maybe we will keep that up our sleeves and see if things come off for us tomorrow."
McKee believes that England might struggle to cope with the pressure of being heavy favourites to get their campaign off to a winning start.
"The real pressure is on England and, for us, it's everything to gain through our performance," he said.
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France hope to rediscover flair against Italy
Reuters UKFrance could regain their flair and put Italy to the sword in their Rugby World Cup Pool D opener at Twickenham if coach Philippe Saint-Andre's efforts to relieve the pressure work. -
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.@tomyoungs87 & @benyoungs09 describe the incredibly special feeling of singing the national anthem together.
https://t.co/OTqJpDkBQ810:35 AM - 18 Sep 2015- Reply
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Joseph and Jessie are ready to cheer on the boys!! @EnglandRugby #WearTheRose #carrythemhome http://t.co/ZoiTuPBQbt
10:25 AM - 18 Sep 2015- Reply
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All Blacks laugh off 'insensitive' haka spoof
English Rugby World Cup winner Matt Dawson's lampooning of the haka in an advert for a clothing company has riled plenty of New Zealanders on social media, but the All Blacks synonymous with the traditional dance on Wednesday laughed off his spoof.
Dawson's video features a version of the haka called the 'hakarena' where Dawson combines the traditional ancestral war cry with a Spanish dance song, the Macarena, and the result is a camp and comical 'mash-up' of the two.
New Zealanders reacted on Twitter, accusing Dawson of cultural insensitivity, and former co-leader of the Maori Party in New Zealand hit out at the mocking video.
"The haka is very meaningful to us," Pita Sharples told the Daily Mail website. "To actually mimic it and deliberately bring it into ridicule is, to me, insulting."
Jacamo, the clothing company behind the video, moved to defuse the situation, responding to one of the Twitter complaints with the message: "sorry if this has caused offence, was not our aim. The haka is awesome & wanted to show how silly the English version would be"
The All Blacks, however, shrugged off the issue.
"It's actually quite funny seeing him do it," hooker Keven Mealamu told reporters at the team's World Cup base.
"It's obviously just something he's lifted. The haka's part of what we do but it's not actually what we do as a rugby team. We're out here to play the game."
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Two Nations: England's World Cup rugby players - 20 from fee-charging schools, 11 state. Wales 26 state, 5 private!by Kevin_Maguire via twitter 9/18/2015 9:53:48 AM -
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10:38 AM - 18 Sep 2015
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4:16 PM - 17 Sep 2015
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Kerry defends diplomacy as Russian-backed forces pound Aleppo
CARTAGENA, Colombia/BEIRUT U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry defended his efforts to negotiate with Moscow over the war in Syria on Monday, despite the collapse of a ceasefire that has led to a massive Russian-backed assault on the besieged rebel-held sector of Aleppo.