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James Standley

Ireland player ratings (194)

London - Ireland kept their World Cup campaign on track by the skin of their teeth as they edged past Georgia 14-10 on Saturday night.

The Georgians are ranked just 17th in the world but they produced the performance of a lifetime to push the Irish - who won the Triple Crown in the 2007 Six Nations remember - right to the final whistle

These are my ratings - do you agree?

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Bruce Pope

Wales ratings v Australia (121)

Cardiff - I was at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday as in a match that leaves the Wallabies in control of Pool B.

Here's how I rated the individual Wales players' performances. See whether you agree and let us know what you thought of the match.


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Alastair Eykyn

To axe or not to axe... (15)

Bordeaux - It’s a funny one, loyalty. Rugby coaches battle with it every week. Which is the preferred policy - the ?

The best in the business can administer both at different times, and with different people. An even-handed approach usually generates respect between the players and management. It also generally provides more consistent results. But what a tough balance it is to find.

When does loyalty cross over into blind faith?

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Bryn Palmer

England's head on the block (152)

In the country where the guillotine was the preferred method for dispensing with the great and not so good, England’s stay of execution at this World Cup could be brief.

Eight days to be precise, in which they must somehow lift themselves from the pit of despair into which Friday’s has sunk them, and find a way of beating Samoa in a likely winner-goes-through clash in Nantes next Saturday.

No easy task on the basis of what we have seen so far from Brian Ashton’s men, whose much-talked-about potential remains firmly unlocked.

Failure to beat the Pacific Islanders would in all probability see them become the first world champions not to reach at least the quarter-finals in the defence of their trophy.

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