Archive for ‘Match Previews’
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007
Scotland vs Romania
Forwards coach George Graham claims Scotland should “win handsomely” in the Rugby World Cup clash against Romania at Murrayfield but insists there is no danger of underestimating the visitors.
Scotland have have not let Romania’s performance in their 24-18 defeat to Italy in Pool C pass them by.
Nor have they ignored the potential, after Georgia came close to defeating Ireland on Saturday, for another huge shock in the pool stages.
But Scotland are a confident camp and have always expected to beat Romania, and that belief still looks unshakeable.
Graham said: “I think every team is potentially a threat in the World Cup. It’s a one-off thing and any team on any day can beat any other team.
“Having watched nearly every single match that has been played in the World Cup so far, the so-called minnows who have not been given much of a chance have all performed very, very well.
“I think that’s down to them being given time together to work as a team.
“With a lot of the smaller teams their players tend to be scattered all over the world and I think the World Cup affords them time to get used to playing with each other, and that has been shown in the way they have pitted themselves against more organised teams.
“As for Romania, they are renowned for having a very good pack and being very good scrummagers.
“The fact that we have played them twice in the last two years, once quite recently in the autumn internationals, means we have a good understanding of what they are capable of, and we are very aware of how they going to pitch themselves against us.
“What I have said to the forwards is that this is a full Test. They’ll give us a fair game and we have to be focused and play our game to get the right result.
“I think they’ll take heart from the fact that other so-called minnow sides have had a chance of an upset. I don’t see this game being an upset, but Ireland against Georgia was as close as you’ll get to major shock.”
Graham was not concerned by the disruption caused through Scotland having to travel back from France.
They take on Romania and then face New Zealand on Sunday, before returning to France next Monday.
There have been voices within the Scotland camp expressing disappointment that they have had to leave the ongoing World Cup party behind, but the matches and the strong home support should make up for any lingering sense of longing for France.
Graham said: “The only loss we have suffered since coming back over here is about 15 degrees in temperature.
“If anything it probably gives us a bit more of an edge because we’re used to playing here, we’re used to training here, this is our natural surroundings. We’re very confident coming back here.
“We’ve had a fantastic week in St Etienne. We’ve trained very well. We identified the problems we felt we had against Portugal and we’ve worked hard to try and iron them out.
“I’m never one for predicting huge scores, but I think we’ll win and I think we’ll win handsomely.”
Since the 56-10 win over Portugal, it has been suggested that Scotland’s top players might be afforded a rest after the Romania match, in preparation for the team’s crucial encounter with Italy on September 29.
Graham refused to be drawn on the question of whether head coach Frank Hadden would consider picking a second-string side to face the All Blacks.
He said: “As games are coming thick and fast, we’ve gone down the path of picking teams that we think will do a job for us.
“It’s not a matter of resting this player and picking that player. We believe every one of our 30 players is very important and has a part to play.
“We’re not resting players, we simply pick the team that we think is best for that game.
“I agree with Frank that the squads should be larger.
“We’ve had a few injuries, not too many, but given the enormity of the next two games we can’t afford any more. We’re the same as any other side - we just can’t afford to pick up injuries in key positions.”
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Saturday, September 15th, 2007
Fiji vs Canada
Canada flanker Jamie Cudmore knows the meaning of tough - and it is not the sight of a 19-stone Fijian thundering at him on a rugby field.
A decade ago Cudmore, standing 6ft 6in, was the cash collector for a drug dealer in his home town of Squamish in British Columbia on Canada’s west coast.
Cudmore turned 18 while serving a year in a juvenile detention centre after being found guilty of assault.
His name was linked to trouble again after a New Year’s Eve party at his parent’s house in 1997, even though he was not involved. Cudmore was not there when a neighbour came to investigate the noise and was beaten to death by two men.
He realised then he had to leave Squamish and moved to Vancouver where rugby became the “biggest part” of his life.
“I had a bit of trouble growing up,” said Cudmore ahead of Canada’s World Cup clash with Fiji in Cardiff.
“It was a very, very sad time and a very unfortunate incident but I wish I would have been there to stop it.
“In a sense, yes, rugby saved me. It gave me an outlet. Rugby got me on the right track. I’m certainly glad it did.”
Cudmore did not take up rugby until he was 17 but it was always in his make-up. He relishes the physical contact.
He once illegally tackled an opponent running to home plate in a junior baseball game.
“In rugby you got rewarded for that kind of contact. So for me it was something I had been looking for all my life. You can run into people and people can run into you.”
Cudmore spent a year with Llanelli and and now plays in the French Top 14 for Clermont Auvergne.
He enjoyed a huge game in Canada’s World Cup clash against Wales, scoring their first try as the Cannucks opened a surprise 17-9 lead.
Wales eventually proved too strong for the Canadians, but they enter tomorrow’s clash with Fiji full of confidence.
Coach Ric Suggitt has added a physical edge to his side by including lock Mike Burak and fly-half Ryan Smith in order to combat Fiji’s free-running, open style of rugby.
“Watching Fiji we saw how dominant they were and where they attack with their runners,” said Suggitt.
“I don’t think anyone is more mobile than the Fijians and at any given time they can turn nothing into something. That’s their strength from one to 15.
“Ryan is an excellent tackler and he’ll bring the defensive line with him. Mike Burak is a big forward. He’s very physical and we know it’s going to be a tough, physical game to begin with and we have the other guys to provide mobility.”
Fiji arrived in Cardiff on the back of a bruising 35-31 win over Japan and boosted by the news that Gloucester-bound flanker Akapusi Qera is fit to start.
Samoa vs Tonga
Samoa coach Michael Jones believes Tonga will have a “point to prove” when the World Cup rivals clash in Montpellier on Sunday.
Samoa head into the Pool A contest looking for a morale-boosting victory following their thumping against South Africa last Sunday.
And although injuries sideline Brian Lima, Justin Va’a and Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, while prop Alfie Vaeluaga is serving a one-match ban, Samoa still start as favourites a week before facing England in Nantes.
Jones said: “We know Tonga very well - we play them a lot - and they know us very well. We’ve just got to play a very smart game plan, and we’ve got the personnel to play and execute that game plan.
“We will have to do it well, because the Tongans will be up for it.
“They have got a point to prove and they can go home successful if they beat us. That’s what it comes down to.
“But we are really happy with the squad we’ve got. We definitely have the right team for the game-plan we’ve drawn up.”
Jones has switched Gavin Williams from centre to full-back, while other changes include starts for wing Sailosi Tagicakibau, plus centres Elvis Seveali’i and Seilala Mapusua.
Tonga opened their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought victory over the United States last Wednesday, and they have also made changes.
“We have a competent squad and a squad that can rotate, but these tactics need to be secret so we can walk up with a few things up our sleeve,” said lock Inoke Afeaki.
“Playing against Samoa is very special, but we have been on the losing side against them for too long.”
Captain Nili Latu is a doubt for Tonga, having not trained since the United States game due to a hamstring problem.
Tonga made three switches to the side that started the match against America, with hooker Ephraim Taukafa replacing Aleki Lutui, Afeaki taking over from Lisiate Fa’aoso and scrum-half Enele Taufa replacing Soane Havea.
Prop Taufa’ao Filise remains absent from the squad, having returned home following the death of his father.
France vs Namibia
France coach Bernard Laporte has warned his players the clock is ticking as Les Bleus seek to atone for their disastrous start to the World Cup.
Overcome by stage fright, France’s tournament curtain-raiser against Argentina ended in an embarrassing 17-12 defeat.
The result has left them with no margin for error if they are to qualify for the knockout stages, cranking up the tension for Friday’s crunch showdown with Ireland.
But first they must dispatch Namibia in Toulouse with Laporte demanding the Africans, ranked 24 in the world, feel the backlash of a week’s frustration.
“To say that we enjoyed ourselves against Argentina would be a lie,” he said. “It got to such a fever that we didn’t enjoy ourselves. Everyone was affected. We have to rediscover this pleasure.
“The World Cup doesn’t last a year - there are only a few matches. We left the Argentina match frustrated that we hadn’t played well and managed the situation badly. It is now time to rectify that.”
Laporte is desperate to put the Argentina debacle to bed, but only a handsome victory over the Namibians will give him breathing space.
France demolished Wales and England during an ominous build-up to the tournament but their fitful, error-strewn display against the Pumas left them traumatised.
“What is important is winning the next game. There is no point going over the Argentina match 50 times,” he said.
“We are focusing on the next match, which should allow us to rediscover the enthusiasm, passion and dynamism that we had in our three preparation matches.
“We have to get going because there are only three matches left. It is imperative we win tomorrow and take the bonus point.
“We had two difficult days in the 48 hours which followed the Argentina match but that is all in the past.
“Our destiny is now in the next three matches.”
Namibia performed heroics against Ireland last Sunday and even won the second half before a dubious late try gave Brian O’Driscoll’s side a 32-17 final scoreline they failed to justify.
Whether the Namibians, who are largely made up of amateur players, can scale those heights again looks doubtful but Laporte is wary of the threat they pose.
“We saw Namibia’s match against Ireland. We don’t know more than that. They are a good team and they posed problems,” he said.
“That means we will have to perform well. We mustn’t say to ourselves that it will be easier than against Argentina.
“We are preparing for this game like any other. The aim will be to construct our match and put things back in order.
“The defeat to Argentina hasn’t changed that.”
Namibia number eight Jacques Burger admits France are red-hot favourites to dismantle his side - but insists the outcome is no foregone conclusion.
“Everybody is going to be a giant challenge. I always look forward to playing guys you look up to like Sebastien Chabal,” he said.
“We don’t want to respect them too much, but we will look forward to the challenge.
“It is going to be difficult. France are the favourites hands down.
“It’s a funny old game though and they shouldn’t be too confident. They should watch out as you never know what will happen.”
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Friday, September 14th, 2007
New Zealand vs Portugal
New Zealand are expected to become the sixth team to get into triple figures in a World Cup match when they take on Portugal in Pool C in Lyon on Saturday.
In the previous five editions of the tournament, England (in 1999 and 2003), the All Blacks (in 1995 and 1999) and Australia (in 2003) have all passed the 100 point mark.
Graham Henry’s Kiwis - the tournament favourites and the world’s leading side - are being tipped to add to that list when they come up against the lowest ranked team in the competition.
The All Blacks have the record of scoring the most points in a World Cup match, 145 against Japan in 1995, and even that could come under threat.
Jerry Collins, who will captain New Zealand at the Stade Gerland in the absence of Richie McCaw, simply wants to get the basics right against the Portuguese.
“This week has been purely about nailing what we want to nail,” said the powerful flanker.
“If we start thinking about how many points we want to score, we’ll forget how to score.
“The score will take care of itself if we play the way we want to.
“The enthusiasm has been really good this week. Everyone is pushing for a spot in the team so you can’t take anything lightly. The boys are really looking forward to it.”
The likelihood of the All Blacks amassing a huge score this weekend increased after seeing them demolish Italy 76-14 last Saturday.
Henry has made 11 changes to the team which hammered Italy.
The only back retained is Mils Muliaina, who switches from centre to his usual position of full-back.
Conrad Smith and Aaron Mauger are the new midfield partnership, while Isaia Toeava and Joe Rokocoko will be on the wings instead of Sitiveni Sivivatu and Doug Howlett.
First-choice half-backs Dan Carter and Byron Kelleher are rested, meaning a run-out for fly-half Nick Evans and scrum-half Brendon Leonard.
Three players - locks Chris Jack and Ali Williams, as well as Collins - are retained in the pack.
Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore and Greg Somerville are the all-new front row, while Chris Masoe and Sione Lauaki come in at the back of the scrum with Richie McCaw and Rodney So’oialo rested.
Portugal - playing just their second World Cup game - are without forward Juan Severino Somoza, who was this week banned for a month for head-butting Scotland’s Nathan Hines at the weekend.
Somoza is one of nine players missing from the team that lost 56-10 to the Scots.
Highly-rated centre Miguel Portela is recalled, while Pedro Carvalho - the winger who scored Portugal’s try against Scotland - is retained.
Portugal coach Tomaz Morais believes his team will have to show an improvement if they are to avoid a mauling.
“Against Scotland, we showed we are physically prepared to play in a World Cup,” he said.
“But we are talking about two different games, you can’t compare them.
“Scotland are a good team, but New Zealand are a world champion team.
“We are going to have to control the ball better so we don’t lose by a big margin.”
Wales vs Australia
Australia suffered a major injury scare on the eve of their crunch World Cup game against Wales when Stephen Larkham aggravated an old knee injury in training.
Larkham is rated as having a “50-50″ chance of playing at the Millennium Stadium and faces a fitness test on Saturday morning.
The 33-year-old felt his right knee lock as he practised restarts at the Welsh Institute of Sport and was immediately taken to hospital for scans.
Head coach John Connolly said: “Stephen aggravated a knee injury this afternoon in training. He had scans which indicate it was an aggravation, no more than that.
“He will have a run tomorrow morning and we will make a decision after that whether he plays. At this stage it is probably 50-50 but it has settled down well.
“This close to the game you always fear the worst. It did lock up on him but it has freed up now.”
If Larkham is ruled out, head coach John Connolly indicated Queensland Reds rookie Berrick Barnes, who only made his Test debut last week, could be given his first Wallabies start.
“We have a couple of decisions. We could run with Stephen depending on how it is, we could substitute Berrick Barnes straight in or put Berrick on the bench,” said Connolly.
“Three or four weeks ago, Matt Giteau was the back-up 10 and still may be long term but he hasn’t trained there all week and has trained well at 12.
“Berrick has trained with Stephen all week and we were happy what he did last week.”
Meanwhile, Wales’ James Hook admitted to being hurt at being dropped to the bench for the vital with the Aussies and spent a couple of hours sulking.
The 22-year-old paid the price for a disappointing performance in last weekend’s win over Canada and lost the coveted number 10 jersey to his senior rival Stephen Jones.
But Hook insists the setback has made him more determined to inspire a famous Welsh victory over the Wallabies.
And Australia will know just what to expect. They have recent experience of Hook’s potency off the bench after his stunning performance in last November’s 29-29 draw.
“I am bitterly disappointed. It is hard not to be involved - especially when it’s Wales’ biggest game for the last couple of years - because of one bad game,” said Hook.
“I was sulking but now I am just really excited for tomorrow. Whenever the opportunity comes I will grab it.
“It would be a dream to come on and win it for Wales. A win for Wales is the priority but to come on and play any part in a victory for Wales would be great for me.”
When Hook came off against Canada, Wales were trailing 17-9 and he had thrown an intercept pass which resulted in an 80-metre breakaway try for the Cannucks.
It was not his greatest afternoon in a Wales jersey - but Hook feels hard done-by.
“It was a tough 50 minutes against Canada. It is unfortunate that when I got taken off, the game did open up a bit,” he said.
“If I hadn’t thrown that interception pass we would have scored and been 10 or 12 points up and the game might have gone a different way. We might have been looking at something different,” he said.
“But that’s rugby for you. Gareth has gone with the experience of Stephen. He is a great player.
“It just makes me more determined now to do even better.
“Substitutions will be made. I am disappointed to be on the bench but I am excited and I am all the more determined.”
Ireland vs Georgia
Eddie O’Sullivan has demanded an end to the post mortem into Ireland’s abysmal World Cup opener on the eve of another potentially hazardous contest.
O’Sullivan has voiced his frustration that the morale-sapping 32-17 victory over Namibia is still being picked apart a day before Ireland are due to face Georgia.
Pool D, the tournament’s most challenging group, has proved even more punishing than first feared and O’Sullivan insists improvement will only be seen if last Sunday’s horror show is put to bed.
“It’s time to forget about Namibia,” he said.
“We have a match against Georgia and if we go into that with the Namibia performance on our backs then we’re not going to play well.
“It defies all logic of sports psychology to keep talking about that game. We have to stop dwelling on the past and what went wrong.
“We know what went wrong and now it’s time to fix those mistakes.
“Five days later it’s time to park Namibia and concentrate on Georgia.
“We can’t go into tomorrow talking about what happened six days ago, nobody does that in sport.
“I was up front about Namibia and didn’t dodge any hard questions. But now we have to move on.”
Ireland must reproduce the standard set in the second half of the Six Nations against Georgia or else risk seeing their confidence deteriorate further ahead of the pivotal clash against France next Friday.
An impressive display would also spell the end of any suggestions discontent is setting in and O’Sullivan today bristled at claims some players are not enjoying the World Cup experience.
“I haven’t heard from any players that they’re not enjoying it,” he said.
“They wouldn’t have enjoyed playing like that against Namibia. Overall the mood in the camp is very good. The hotel has been brilliant.
“I’m shocked anyone would have said they hadn’t enjoyed the World Cup, although I understand why they wouldn’t have enjoyed the game against Namibia.”
Ireland will be fielding their most capped line-up of all time, containing a combined total of 796 appearances, against Georgia and O’Sullivan takes comfort in their experience.
“We’re a very seasoned team and that comes into play tomorrow,” he said.
“If you look throughout the squad we’re carrying a huge number of caps and the knowledge that we’re a better team than last weekend is important.
“We have to stay focused and be sensible. We can’t make the mistake of thinking we’ll win this game in the first quarter.
“We have to battle away and set the foundations for maybe the last quarter. To be fair to Argentina, they did that against Georgia.
“They fought a really hard battle for 50 minutes before breaking the Georgians. Once they’d done that they went on to get the bonus points.
“You can say they did that by the skin of their teeth, but they still put themselves in a position to do it.
“Sometimes you have to do that - you take what’s thrown at you.”
Georgia will be playing their second match against one of the world’s top six ranked teams in five days and have rung the changes accordingly.
There are 11 new faces following the 33-3 defeat by Argentina, producing a marginally weaker side.
Amazingly, however, all but one of the team are still professional players contracted to French clubs.
O’Sullivan added: “There are quite a few changes. I suppose it could see it as their weaker team.
“We saw them in the European Nations Cup and there isn’t a huge difference between their first and second choice squad.
“Most of them play in France here. I expect them to be fresh and firing against us. I don’t think it will be an easy ride.”
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Friday, September 14th, 2007
Martin Corry claims England will “draw strength from adversity” when they go into battle as huge World Cup underdogs against South Africa on Friday night.
England’s preparations for their biggest Test match since the 2003 World Cup final have been decimated by injuries and suspension.
Fly-halves Jonny Wilkinson (ankle ligament sprain) and Olly Barkley (hip) are both sidelined, while skipper Phil Vickery starts a two-match ban following his citing for tripping United States centre Paul Emerick in last Saturday’s Pool A opener.
Leicester forward Corry takes over the leadership reins at Stade de France, while England head coach Brian Ashton says Mike Catt will start in the number 10 shirt, with ex-Great Britain rugby league captain Andy Farrell alongside him as first choice goalkicker.
Against such a backdrop, South Africa - even though banned flanker Schalk Burger is unavailable - start as red-hot favourites, but Corry believes England, whose last World Cup defeat came against the Springboks in Paris almost eight years ago, can defy the odds.
He said: “You want to draw strength from adversity, and we have had our share of adversity this week. It has drawn the squad closer together. We will take any motivation we can, and the ideal game for us is South Africa. Nine o’clock tomorrow night can’t come soon enough.
“We’ve had the rollickings after our performance against the USA last weekend, and we deserved them. We let our supporters, we let ourselves and we let the country down.”
To have any chance of stunning the Springboks - and taking pole position in their qualifying pool - England will need to dominate the physically-punishing breakdown area.
And with match citing commissioners having already made their mark on the tournament, it is also about keeping discipline in the heat of battle.
Corry added: “It (contact area) is a big area for controlled aggression. At times, there will be a bit of mayhem there. We want to be taking the physical edge right to the limit, but not beyond it. We have got to make sure we have 15 players on the field all the time.”
Ashton has confirmed that 35-year-old Bristol prop Darren Crompton is on temporary stand-by, should anything happen to England’s remaining available props - Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens and Perry Freshwater.
If any of that trio are injured between now and kick-off, then Crompton would go on to the replacements’ bench.
Butch James, meanwhile, claims World Cup revenge will not be on South Africa’s agenda when they tackle England at Stade de France on Friday.
The Springboks’ 2003 World Cup hopes were effectively derailed by England winning a crucial pool clash in Perth four years ago.
The roles have been reversed this time around though, with South Africa going into the Pool A encounter as firm favourites to send England packing.
But fly-half James said: “Not one thing has been mentioned about revenge. A lot of the guys here weren’t even there in 2003.”
South Africa will be without star flanker Schalk Burger for the game, although there was a degree of good news surrounding his future tournament participation after a four-match ban was reduced to two on appeal.
It means Burger will now be available to play in South Africa’s final pool game against the United States later this month, whereas his initial suspension would have sidelined until the semi-finals.
Wickus van Heerden takes Burger’s place in the starting line-up, with Francois Steyn replacing ruptured bicep victim Jean de Villiers, while prop BJ Botha is preferred to CJ van der Linde.
Botha said: “It was a shock to lose Schalk, but it is a World Cup, so things like that may happen. England will want to scrum and drive us in the lineouts, but we are prepared for that and we are looking forward to facing them on Friday.
“They are strong up front, (with) a strong lineout they form their game around, so we have to be prepared for that.”
South Africa have won their last three Tests against England, including a Twickenham triumph last December that cost Andy Robinson his job as red rose head coach.
They also recorded a points half-century in both Tests during the summer in Bloemfontein and Pretoria, although England were considerably under-strength on those occasions.
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Posted in Match Previews |
Tuesday, September 11th, 2007
Argentina vs Georgia
Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda will demand from his players a repeat of last week’s Stade de France heroics when they take on Georgia in Lyon on Tuesday.
The Pumas took advantage of a stage-struck France to open the tournament with a stunning 17-12 defeat of the host nation in Paris on Friday.
Suddenly their passage to the quarter-finals in what has been dubbed the ‘Group of Death’ looks a lot more straightforward, especially with Ireland - the other major player in Pool D - struggling for form.
The South Americans are expected to notch a bonus-point victory against Georgia, who are playing their first game in the tournament.
But with just four days between his side’s first two fixtures, Loffreda has called on his men to keep their game heads on at the Stade Gerland.
“It isn’t straightforward playing again so quickly,” said the future Leicester Tigers coach.
“Besides, we are the only one of the top eight teams (in the IRB rankings) to play two games in four days. And we are expecting another battle.
“Georgia aren’t an easy team to play against - they are solid up front.
“It is for this reason that even if we really haven’t had enough time to recover, I have decided to trust the majority of the team who won against France.”
Indeed, Loffreda has kept faith with nine of the players who started the gruelling contest with Les Bleus on Friday.
The pack selected for Georgia is identical to the one that finished at the Stade de France, so only hooker Mario Ledesma is retained.
Marcos Ayerza and Santiago Gonzalez Bonorino are the new props, while Rimas Alvarez Kairelis comes in at lock and flanker Martin Durand is given the nod in the back row.
In the backs, Gonzalo Tiesi replaces Manuel Contepomi at centre and Federico Martin Aramburu comes in for Horacio Agulla on the left wing.
Scrum-half and captain Agustin Pichot will resume his new half-back partnership with Juan Martin Hernandez, a full-back by trade.
“We need to play together to find more out about each other,” said Pichot.
“We haven’t got 30 matches together behind us.”
Pichot believes concentration will be the key as the Pumas look to build on their tremendous start to the World Cup.
“We can’t ruin in one match all the good things we did in the victory against Les Bleus,” added the former Stade Francais number nine.
“We must go into this game against Georgia in a serious fashion and with a desire to continue on the same path.”
Georgia head coach Malkhaz Cheishvili has picked a team that includes 11 players who played in the last World Cup in Australia.
Ilia Zedginidze, a lock, is the captain of a side noted for their power in the pack but with limited ability in the backs.
The entire team play their club rugby in France and will be eager to impress after an extended spell of preparation.
Clermont-Auvergne prop Davit Zirakachvili has not discounted his side springing a surprise in Lyon.
“We want to disrupt one of the best packs in the world,” said the front-row forward.
“We have nothing to lose. Argentina proved against France that it isn’t always the favourites that win.
“I am not going to say that we expect to beat the Argentinians but we aren’t going to roll over, that’s for sure.”
Georgia, who have been preparing for the match in Pizay - a small village 50km out of Lyon, are embarking on their second World Cup campaign.
In their first, in 2003, they failed to win a single group match and were thumped 84-6 by future champions England.
USA vs Tonga
The United States face Tonga in Montpellier with centre Paul Emerick’s World Cup effectively over after he received a five-week ban for a dangerous tackle on England fly-half Olly Barkley.
Newport Gwent Dragons player Emerick was cited by match commissioner Steven Hines following the incident during last Saturday’s Pool A game in Lens.
Referee Jonathan Kaplan yellow-carded Emerick, but he was summoned to appear before World Cup judicial officer Professor Lorne Crerar in Paris on Tuesday.
Emerick has 48 hours to decide on a possible appeal, but with the United States likely to bow out of World Cup contention at the pool stage, his tournament looks to have reached a grinding halt.
It promises to be a tough challenge for the Americans against Tonga, given they are back in Pool A action less than 72 hours after facing England.
The Eagles won acclaimed reviews for the way they competed against England, drawing the second-half 7-7 and finishing far stronger than their opponents.
Skipper Mike Hercus though, knows there can be no hangover from that performance against a Tongan side eager to make its mark.
Hercus said: “We gave ourselves a day to get over our feelings about the English game, but obviously now it is about the next task at hand. We have the rest of our lives to remember the English game, but we’ve only had a couple of days to prepare for the Tongan game.
“We have no illusions that the performance against England will transcend into the next game. There’s pressure on every game to perform, so we will meet that head on.”
Tonga received a late boost ahead of the game when captain Nili Latu was declared fit after recovering from hamstring trouble.
And Tonga are determined to clip the Eagles’ wings, given added motivation to serve up a quality performance for prop Taufa’ao Filise, who has returned home following the death of his father.
Latu said: “The hamstring has been a bit tight, so we were just being cautious.
“I didn’t train on Monday. It was too hot, so I thought I would just let the rest of the boys run around instead!
“We have worked so hard for this match, and we are excited and nervous. We must also win for our prop Taufa’ao Filise, who has gone back to Tonga because his father passed away.”
Coach Quddus Fielea added: “Our target is the quarter-finals, so this is a very important game for us. This is our opening game, so it is very important we play well too.
“The players are self-motivated. Being able to enjoy the next week knowing that we have won is enough motivation.”
Italy vs Romania
Pierre Berbizier wants to see his Italy side show their true colours when they take on Romania in World Cup Pool C on Wednesday.
The Azzurri’s campaign got off to the worst possible start when they were taken apart by a rampant New Zealand team in Marseille on Saturday.
They were 43-0 down after 28 minutes against the tournament favourites and only temporarily managed to stop the rot to prevent the All Blacks going into triple figures. The match ended 76-14 in favour of Graham Henry’s men.
The shell-shocked Italians will find it much easier against Romania, who will be playing their first game of the 2007 competition.
But Berbizier’s side will have taken a blow to their self-esteem and the French coach believes it is hard to assess where the land lies after the humiliation at the weekend.
“After the match against the All Blacks, it is very difficult to say Italy are favourites (against Romania),” said the former Les Bleus scrum-half and coach.
“I just hope to see the Italian team playing at our best - without thinking of who are favourites or outsiders. Those are things you can’t say before the match. I simply hope we play like we know we can.”
Berbizier has kept faith with nine of the 15 starters against the All Blacks, making four changes in the backs - one being positional - and three in the forwards.
That is more to do with the quick turnaround in matches rather than discontent regarding his players’ performance on Saturday.
Paul Griffen and Ramiro Pez will form the new half-back pairing, with Alessandro Troncon and Roland de Marigny dropping to the bench.
Gonzalo Canale starts at centre instead of Andrea Masi, who moves to the wing as a replacement for the injured Marko Stanojevic (leg).
In the pack, prop Andrea Lo Cicero, hooker Carlo Festuccia and blind-side flanker Josh Sole come in.
“We have two games in four days,” added Berbizier. “It is very important to rotate our players to be able to deal with the situation. We made this decision according to this situation.
“It was important to give new strength to the team, to recover our freshness. Even more so, considering this is going to be a match in which we will have to really battle. We hope to find the best mix of power and a flowing game.”
Romania’s game is based on forward power, as they usually struggle for creation in the backs.
Their entire side play for teams in the first or second divisions in France and they are a wily bunch up front.
But Italy should have enough about them to get their first win on the board, with Portugal to come next week.
“Now our true World Cup begins,” said Festuccia, who replaces Fabio Ongaro. “We are now playing the matches that are within our reach, and they start against Romania. We have a second chance, but at the same time it is our last one, so we have to be very focused.”
Romania head coach Daniel Santamans will be without Biarritz prop Petru Balan, who is sidelined with a knee injury, but he can still name a pack who are all into double figures in terms of caps.
Captain and lock Sorin Socol said: “Our forwards are strong but to play the match against Italy with just our forwards would be tough.
“We need to play a complete game with our backs and some good kicking. I hope people will have a new image of the Romanian team after the game.”
Romania, who are one of 12 teams to have played in every World Cup, won the last encounter against Italy 25-24 in Bucharest in June last year.
But the Azzurri have the better head-to-head record, having won 21 of the 40 games played between the two countries.
Japan vs Fiji
Captain Mosese Rauluni insists Fiji are ready to “pull out a really big one” in the World Cup clash with Japan after being inspired by the performances of fellow minnows.
Argentina stunned France but Namibia, Canada, Portugal, Samoa and the United States all gave more established nations a tough time on the tournament’s opening weekend.
And Rauluni revealed those performances - particularly that of Pacific neighbours Samoa against South Africa - have helped lift his team ahead of their first taste of action.
“I think it’s an advantage that Japan played four days ago,” said the Saracens scrum-half. “If we had started before everyone else it would have been a bit tougher - but watching all the smaller teams go well against the bigger teams has given our guys spirit.
“Seeing teams like Portugal and Namibia do really well has made our guys want to pull out a really big one against Japan.”
Japan have changed the entire starting XV following Saturday’s 91-3 defeat to Australia but the Fijians know exactly what to expect when the match kicks off in Toulouse.
Fiji beat Japan 30-15 earlier this year and recorded a convincing 41-13 win at the World Cup in Australia four years ago.
Rauluni added: “We know Japan didn’t put their strongest team out against Australia because they are aiming at us so it will be a very tough battle.
“They will aim for our forwards as history says our forwards and set piece hasn’t been the strongest but hopefully we can do it well after all our training. I think the match is going to be very fast and very hectic.
“We have to get on top of Japan in the set piece. We have to control our own set piece and control our own ball and keep them away from the ball because we know they can run it through.”
Japan have lost flanker Takamichi Sasaki, their captain in the defeat to Australia, for the rest of the tournament with knee ligament damage.
New Zealand-born flanker Phillip O’Reilly regains the seven jersey, while fellow Kiwi Bryce Robins starts at fly-half, a position he has not occupied for three years.
Fiji’s starting team includes nine players making their World Cup debuts and three from the Guinness Premiership.
Saracens provide Rauluni, fly-half Nicky Little and Kameli Ratuvou, who starts at full-back ahead of Norman Ligairi, while Akapusi Qera has signed for Gloucester.
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