The Quilter Nations Series continued to provide drama and excitement with another round of thrilling internationals, most notably in Cardiff where Wales secured their second win of the year thanks to Jarrod Evans’ last minute penalty.
The Quilter Nations Series continued to provide drama and excitement with another round of thrilling internationals, most notably in Cardiff where Wales secured their second win of the year thanks to Jarrod Evans’ last minute penalty.
England demonstrated how far they have developed with a 33-19 victory over New Zealand, and South Africa again survived losing a player early on to beat a team in blue, this time it was Italy who lost, 32-14.
Ireland heaped more misery on Australia with a 46-19 win thanks to a Mack Hansen hattrick, and France won their first match of the autumn, 34-21 versus Fiji.
Over in Dubai, Samoa and Belgium set up a winner takes all match in the final round of the RWC 2027 Final Qualification Tournament, after they defeated Namibia and Brazil.
Here’s our favourite soundbites of the week…
“I was hiding away. I could see him take the kick, but not the posts. You could hear the crowd. I didn’t say anything. I was thinking: Oh my god. When you win like that, you feel like it. But I felt we could do better to win the game.”
Wales coach Steve Tandy was under his desk when Evans did his thing:
“All I had to do was pick the ball up and run over the line after a load of work from the boys. I wasn’t born here, but this feels like home to me, and I love playing or this team. People expect a lot from us, so it’s not good enough to win games, we have to win games well.”
Hansen sets the bar high after Ireland’s victory:
“George is a brilliant player, an outstanding leader and an even better person. He made brilliant decisions and executed perfectly. I am pleased for him and all the players. They should enjoy themselves tonight and have a good night out.”
All hail King George IIV, England coach Steve Borthwick heaps praise on George Ford:
“We've been bombarded with messages from all our fans this week, and that's understandable. We hear it: we have high ambitions, and we have to win our matches. On Saturday night, we took a step forward, and we need to take another one next week (against Australia).”
France captain Gregory Aldritt reveals that the fans have been having their say:
“There were so many situations that made me proud of the team, not only for their heart and ability to work for each other, but also for the quality of some of our play. For 80 minutes, we were able to put ourselves in a position to win, and we feel we could have done even better.”
Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada feels the pangs of regret after defeat to South Africa:
“What I can say is that it’s sad that our captain, who had to make that sacrifice in his 100th game and in this game. I always thought we wanted to get to 20-minute red cards, and we have to re-check on that, but it’s not my place to talk about it. However, for a captain to twice in a week to suffer for us to win is sad.”
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus says his piece about back-to-back red cards:
“Siya (Kolisi) embodies everything that is great about rugby. Rugby is a game that unites people regardless of where they come from. Siya has not only excelled on the field but has endeared himself to both his teammates and the wider rugby community and in his country with his attitude off the pitch.”
Game recognising game, as one double World Cup winning captain, Richie McCaw, salutes another:
“It is a massive blow. He’s a world-class player, he’s huge for us and we know how much he loves playing for Wales and how he leads the team.”
Wales add injury to insult after captain Jac Morgan is ruled out of the autumn tests with a shoulder dislocation:
“Spain will now be watched by more people. It is a great event and a great opportunity for those players who’ll be a part of it. It is one thing to be happy to be part of the World Cup. However, you want to compete, you don’t want to get a hiding. So, I am hoping they will be competitive.”
Ex-Spain international and PREM winning wing Oriol Ripol hopes RWC2027 opens more doors for his compatriots:
“I think the only relief I’ve got is I now don’t need to lie to my wife. I told her nine different stories of what ended up, so when she got to the final, she was as surprised as anyone was.”
Former England prop Joe Marler really bought into life on Celebrity Traitors:
“When you analyse it in cold blood, you realise the thrashing we got. They humiliated us, crushed us. Erasmus plays chess, (Fabien) Galthié played checkers. (Rassie) Erasmus is always one step ahead, it’s incredible.”
France great Denis Charvet doesn’t hold back when comparing Les Bleus to the Boks:
“We showed spirit, we showed character and we didn't give up, which was what we intended to do since the beginning. So very, very proud, very humble, and very, very happy to be playing the final (round) against Samoa on Tuesday.”
Belgium coach Laurent Dossat cannot wait till his side take on Samoa for the big prize:
“We've had a few players come in and they brought their experience and just a calibre of where they play, and probably the main stays of our team - that's coming. So, it’s been good for the other players that were involved in the last campaign to see the level of these players and where they need to get to.”
Samoa coach Tusi Pisi knows his team have set their expected level: