{"id":95266,"date":"2023-10-30T00:10:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T00:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/?p=95266"},"modified":"2023-10-30T00:10:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T00:10:48","slug":"chris-foys-good-bad-and-ugly-from-the-rugby-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/rugby\/chris-foys-good-bad-and-ugly-from-the-rugby-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Foy&apos;s good, bad and ugly from the Rugby World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>CHRIS FOY&#8217;S RUGBY WORLD CUP HIGHLIGHTS: Portugal&#8217;s progress gets Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s seal of approval, Antoine Dupont&#8217;s injury grips a nation, Fiji steal hearts and was France vs South Africa the greatest Test EVER?<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>South Africa retained their World Cup title\u00a0with 12-11 win over New Zealand\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The tournament in France has thrown up some brilliant stories and moments<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mail Sport&#8217;s Chris Foy selects his highlights &#8211; good, bad and ugly &#8211; here\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Latest Rugby World Cup 2023 news, including fixtures, live scores and results<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Rugby World Cup has reached its conclusion and South Africa are champions again following their dramatic 12-11 victory over New Zealand on Saturday night.<\/p>\n<p>The tournament in France threw up many highlights, no shortage of controversy and some astonishing stories which resonated around the globe.<\/p>\n<p>Mail Sport&#8217;s rugby correspondent CHRIS FOY selects his highlights &#8211; good, bad and ugly &#8211; from the past few weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/11\/77125749-12685319-South_Africa_have_now_claimed_their_second_successive_Rugby_Worl-a-94_1698579059953.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>South Africa retained their Rugby World Cup title with a dramatic 12-11 win over New Zealand<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/13\/77141761-12685319-image-a-23_1698584757581.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>All Blacks captain Sam Cane became the first ever player to receive a red card in the World Cup final<\/p>\n<p><span>Random highlights:<\/span> Portugal hooker Mike Tadjer&#8217;s incredible touch kick, Samoa scrum-half Jonathan Taumateine&#8217;s leaping finish v Chile \u2013 and his peroxide hair-off v Joe Marler. The beach in Le Touquet. Parisian brasseries. Massive Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna&#8217;s massive performance v South Africa.<\/p>\n<p><span>Worst bits:<\/span> Crowd crush outside Stade Velodrome before England v Argentina. Rip-off (or absent) taxis. Antagonistic, over-zealous stewards. Ludicrously excessive security (using this event as a dry run for the Olympics). Strikes and gridlock.<\/p>\n<p><span>Favourite game attended: <\/span>Fiji v Portugal in Toulouse. So many Portuguese fans were there for their country&#8217;s maiden World Cup win, unleashing glorious bedlam. The post-match press conference in a marquee by the stadium was a write-off \u2013 it was hard to hear a word over the joyous din outside.<\/p>\n<p><span>Favourite game overall:<\/span> France v South Africa. Ridiculous, frankly \u2013 especially the first half. Insanely ferocious and adventurous, endlessly compelling and high-calibre. It was rugby to the max; maybe the greatest Test ever played.<\/p>\n<p><span>Biggest story:<\/span> Not even close; the injury to Antoine Dupont. The plight of the France captain, who suffered a broken cheekbone, brought the whole host nation to a standstill. It was wall-to-wall news on every screen, radio, website and all over social media. Interest in every update was astonishing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/11\/77140055-12685319-image-a-107_1698580393941.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Portugal&#8217;s passionate fans brought a splash of colour to all of their matches in France<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/11\/77139903-12685319-image-a-104_1698580243264.jpg\" height=\"356\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The injury to Antoine Dupont in the group game with Namibia had France on tenterhooks<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/11\/77139901-12685319-image-a-105_1698580273337.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, their quarter-final defeat to South Africa could be the finest game ever played<\/p>\n<p><span>Lessons for 2027:<\/span> Cut out the late (9pm) kick-off times. Improve transport links, crack down on hotel profiteering, let fans bring water into stadiums. More volunteers for info, more signs, more toilets. Fewer jobsworths. Better flow of fixtures. Traditional kits if at all possible \u2013 identity matters. Better marketing of the event, which was decidedly low-key in many parts of France.<\/p>\n<p><span>UN diplomacy prize: <\/span>Dan Biggar \u2013 the Wales fly-half won over locals from the outset as he delivered a welcome-ceremony address in impressive French. Weeks later, having confirmed his retirement from Test rugby, Biggar patiently talked it through with media from various nations. What a class act.<\/p>\n<p><span>Favourite locations: <\/span>Tours \u2013 beautiful, historic town in the Loire valley. Aix-en-Provence \u2013 charming haven of tranquillity half-an-hour north of manic Marseille. Paris (east side) \u2013 areas of Republique, Oberkampf and Canal St Martin were a vibrant new discovery.<\/p>\n<p><span>Pacific passion: <\/span>Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui gave an evocative insight into what his team&#8217;s feats meant to the public back home, while Samoa counterpart Seilala Mapusua spoke with simmering angst about &#8216;unconscious bias&#8217; among officials and a lack of certainty re future fixtures.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/11\/77140089-12685319-image-a-108_1698580449394.jpg\" height=\"439\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Wales legend Dan Biggar bowed out of the Test rugby arena after their loss to Argentina\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/11\/77139905-12685319-Portugal_captain_Appleton_meets_Cristiano_Ronaldo_following_thei-a-97_1698580164608.jpg\" height=\"665\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Portugal captain Tomas Appleton meets Cristiano Ronaldo following their memorable World Cup<\/p>\n<p><span>Trendiest hotel:<\/span>\u00a0Mama Shelter, Lille.\u00a0Party central for the city&#8217;s in-crowd. Not the place to go for a good weekend night&#8217;s sleep but a magnetic location for the Instagram generation.<\/p>\n<p><span>Pantomime villains: <\/span>Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell, who were both constantly and harshly booed, every time they appeared on a stadium big screen. Johan Deysel of Namibia, for wrecking Dupont&#8217;s cheek. Kiwi referee Ben O&#8217;Keeffe \u2013 who was cast as the scapegoat for the French exit.<\/p>\n<p><span>Signs of progress: <\/span>The scenes at Lisbon airport, as thousands of fans turned up to greet Portugal&#8217;s heroes after their break-through campaign. Days later, rugby&#8217;s lift-off in the country was confirmed when captain Tomas Appleton was invited to a photo-call with Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n<p><span>Best fans: <\/span>Bronze \u2013 Argentina. Silver \u2013 Portugal. Gold \u2013 Ireland; for travelling to games in such huge numbers and creating a raucous, carnival atmosphere, as their renditions of &#8216;Zombie&#8217; became the primary sound-track of the tournament.<\/p>\n<p><span>Most entertaining interview: <\/span>Freddie Tuilagi. Met him in Lille to talk about brother Manu&#8217;s first Test encounter with Samoa. After a good lunch chat, the kingpin of the Tuilagi clan went outside to hug various passers-by and perform an impromptu street Haka.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/29\/11\/77139899-12685319-image-a-106_1698580298571.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Fiji&#8217;s Josua Tuisova played on at the World Cup despite the tragic death of his son Tito\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>Vital voices for change: <\/span>Former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot&#8217;s explosive interview with Mail Sport ignited a fresh debate about rugby&#8217;s stale status quo, then Samoa playmaker Lima Sopoaga railed against the new Nations Championship and Michael Cheika demanded better support for emerging countries. Good on them all.<\/p>\n<p><span>Courage in adversity: <\/span>Fiji centre Josua Tuisova, for playing on through extreme personal tragedy, after the death of his seven-year-old son, Tito, which unified the global rugby community in grief.<\/p>\n<p><span>So much for core values: <\/span>The racism storm after Tom Curry&#8217;s allegation of discriminatory abuse by Bongi Mbonambi brought out a toxic backlash which was a stain on the good name of the sport.<\/p>\n<p><span>Team of the tournament: <\/span>D Willemse (SA); W Jordan (NZ), W Nayacalevu (Fiji), B Aki (Ire), D Penaud (Fra); R Mo&#8217;unga (NZ), A Smith (NZ); O Nche (SA), P Mauvaka (Fra), B Tameifuna (Ton); E Etzebeth (SA), T McFarland (Sam); PS Du Toit (SA), A Savea (NZ), B Earl (Eng).<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/rugbyunion\/article-12685319\/CHRIS-FOYS-RUGBY-WORLD-CUP-HIGHLIGHTS-Portugals-progress-gets-Cristiano-Ronaldos-seal-approval-Antoine-Duponts-injury-grips-nation-Fiji-steal-hearts-France-vs-South-Africa-greatest-Test-EVER.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHRIS FOY&#8217;S RUGBY WORLD CUP HIGHLIGHTS: Portugal&#8217;s progress gets Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s seal of approval, Antoine Dupont&#8217;s injury grips a nation,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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