Steve Deane scours global media for an offbeat look at rugby's biggest show.
REVENGE ATTACK?
Irish flanker Sean O'Brien's sucker punch to the guts of French ruffian Pascal Pape looks just a little like a case of justice delayed. Pape was suspended for 10 weeks for kneeing Irish No. 8 Jamie Heaslip in the back in a Six Nations match in February, fracturinghis vertebrae.
"It's not a concern for me, or for him probably," Pape told the Belfast Telegraph when asked about pending rematch between the pair. "I don't know how to take the question, it's not important for me. It wasn't a problem." It seems unlikely O'Brien felt the same way. Footage of the incident hardly makes it look like an accident.
You can count on the BBC to uphold the standards of journalistic fairness and accountability. In a story detailing Ireland's injury woes (which are indeed quite woeful) the Beeb noted that "flanker Sean O'Brien could face a citing for an alleged punch on Pascal Pape". Alleged punch? Pretty sure it was an actual punch. This ain't a freaking murder trial. But if you must go all "innocent before proven guilty" on us, O'Brien's act will become an alleged punch only in the event that he is cited. Until then maybe we should all refer to it as the curious piece of play where Pascal Pape fell over after appearing to run into Sean O'Brien's fist.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
Courier company DHL is getting in on the free publicity act by providing signs upon which fans can write witty slogans. According to the Irish Independent the best one spotted so far is Claire Doyle's "My friend is looking for a shift". Fair to say there was some bafflement in the Herald newsroom as we attempted to figure out what was funny about an Irish person announcing a desire to relocate. Turns out shift is Dublin slang for 'snog'. Oh, got it. Still not a patch on "I'm with dickhead" and an arrow pointing to your mate and certainly in the same league as Let's Gone Warriors, if you ask The World's Cup.
The sign the Irish Independent dubbed the best one spotted so far.
CASSEROLE DATE
Looks like we Kiwis aren't the only ones stewing about a quarter-final rematch with the dastardly French at Cardiff. Under the headline "Noir, C'est Noir" ("Black, It's Black" for those who did woodwork in school), French sports daily L'Equipe mulled: "The appointment of Cardiff between France and Ireland was burning. In the casserole Millennium, the XV Clover announced as the favorite, held his rank, dominated (and the word is weak) and the Blues won a logical victory (24-9) to ensure first place in the pool D and look Argentina in the quarterfinals on Sunday. For the losers of the day, this will be the day before the All Blacks in the same enclosure."
Ah yes, Cardiff's imposing casserole Millennium. Anyone else starting to suspect Google Translate provides a less-than-perfect service?
SMILING ASSASSIN
French captain Thierry Dusautoir's comments following the loss to Ireland will send a shiver down the spine of Kiwi rugby's fans. "We are very tired, but we have a big game ahead, against the biggest team in the world," L'Equipe reports Dusautoir as saying. "New Zealand are the favorites but you never know rugby. Play the All Blacks so early, it was not the aim (smile), but Ireland deserves his victory and has no choice now." Smile? Smile? We know that smile. That's the "aw shucks we haven't got a chance" public smile that cunningly diverts from the fact they've been plotting our downfall for years. That's the "we're going to play like men possessed and have no doubt we'll roll those saps" smile. That's the... we're doomed.
