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POOL REVIEW: Best five matches
(Rugby News Service) Wednesday 3 October 2007
By Mick Donohoe
From Paris
PARIS, 3 October - There have been plenty of exciting matches at RWC 2007, none more so than Fiji's thrilling encounter with Wales.
Here are our top five in order:
1 Fiji 38-34 Wales - Pool B
Three tries in a frenetic 10-minute spell seemed to have set Fiji on the road to a first quarter-final since the inaugural tournament in 1987, but a yellow card for flanker Akapusi Qera on the stroke of half time nearly proved their undoing.
He left the field with Fiji leading 25-3, but by the time he returned the deficit had been cut to 10 points after tries by Shane Williams and captain Gareth Thomas for Wales, who then took the lead with another by Mark Jones.
Two penalties from fly half Nicky Little edged Fiji into a 31-29 lead, only for flanker Martyn Williams to intercept a stray pass and race away to score, giving Wales a 34-31 advantage with only six minutes remaining.
Wales though had not counted on one last Fijian push and a try for prop Graham Dewes, which was confirmed by the television match official, three minutes from time as Pacific islanders once again derailed Welsh world cup dreams.
2 Canada 12-12 Japan - Pool B
Another match that went right down to the wire before ending in only the second draw in RWC history was at Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux as Japan's Koji Taira crossed in injury time to set up a dramatic finish to their match with Canada.
Centre Shotaro Onishi calmly stepped up to slot the conversion from near the touchline, sending his team-mates and the Japanese fans into a frenzy after ending their 13-match losing streak in the world cup.
Japan had led only 5-0 at half time with Kosuke Endo had crossing for the only try, but hooker Pat Riordan soon put Canada back in the match when he burrowed over the line, before Dth van der Merwe strolled over the line in the 65th minute.
3 Ireland 14-10 Georgia - Pool D
Irish eyes were certainly smiling as they survived a huge scare against Georgia to keep alive their hopes in the tournament, Ireland denying their opponents a first ever RWC victory despite having their line pounded for phase upon phase.
Georgia couldn't find the breakthrough for the match-winning try and had to settle for Giorgi Shkinin's 70-metre run in that gave them the lead - 10-7 - after the wing intercepted Peter Stringer's weak pass to captain Brian O'Driscoll.
Ireland had taken 17 minutes to make the breakthrough, a drive parting for hooker Rory Best to dive over the line, and they only regained the lead when Georgia lost a line-out near the Irish line and they scored at the other end through Girvan Dempsey.
4 South Africa 30-25 Tonga - Pool A
Boosted by a first win over Samoa in seven years, Tonga set their sights on South Africa and gave their second-string side an almighty scare before the Springboks clicked into gear at Stade Felix-Bollaert in Lens.
Tonga had led this thrilling encounter 10-7 early in the second half and a major upset looked on the cards until Francois Steyn's penalty in the 54th minute started a run of 20 unanswered points in a devastating 15-minute spell for South Africa.
The Pacific islanders though were not finished yet and ensured a tense finale with tries by Sukanaivalu Hufanga and Viliami Vaki cutting the deficit to 27-22 with eight minutes remaining.
South Africa held on though to confirm themselves as pool winners.
5 France 12-17 Argentina - Pool D
Argentina caused a huge upset in the opening match of RWC 2007 with a 17-12 victory at the Stade de France, handing the host nation their first ever pool defeat in the process.
Fly half Juan Martín Hernández's pin-point kicking and the Pumas' resolute defence, repelling drive after drive, proved decisive as they turned a 17-9 half time advantage into the victory.
It could have been a different story, though, had David Skrela not missed a penalty attempt just before the hour mark and his replacement Frédéric Michalak then not skewed his first attempt with nine minutes to go.