All the action occurred on Saturday, when Samoa played South Africa in Birmingham and England took on Wales at Twickenham.
The Anglo-Welsh clash has dominated the sports pages across the weekend, not least due to how the game played out in its final few minutes, when England had their push for what would have been a winning try thwarted by Wales’s defensive effort.
Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood both put in massive efforts, with Lawes coming off at half-time. Kieran Brookes was a second half replacement, but the smiles at the final whistle belonged to George North and his Welsh teammates.
North, who started the game on the right wing, spent the final quarter in the centres after the injuries sustained by both Scott and Liam Williams, and he says that he would be happy to continue there in Thursday’s Cardiff clash with Fiji if called upon.
“If need be, I'll play centre. If need be, I'll play on the wing... that's the World Cup - you've got to adapt,” he said.
Earlier in the day Victor Matfield put in a strong performance to help South Africa secure their first win of the tournament, overcoming Samoa at Villa Park.
Kahn Fotuali’i and Ken Pisi both started for the Samoans, and when George Pisi came off the bench he helped make history by becoming the first trio of brothers to play in a Rugby World Cup match.
A blessing to get the chance to represent our country&play with my bros @KenPisi and tusi.Not the result we wanted but bring on next week??????
— George Pisi (@georgepisi) September 26, 2015
“We've been waiting for a while now and finally we got the opportunity,” Ken said. “I was like their tackle bag growing up. I learnt a lot from them. We used to play a lot in the backyard.
“We talked to mum and dad. They are very happy. They feel blessed.”
Samoa now move into the East Midlands, where they will face Japan at stadiummk this coming Saturday. That is one of three matches being staged in Milton Keymes, with France playing Canada on Thursday and Fiji coming up against Uruguay a week on Tuesday.
There is also a wide range of entertainment in the official Fanzone and Festival of Rugby, both of which are being held in Campbell Park, including concerts featuring some of the biggest acts of the 1980s as well as multi-Brit Award winning singer/songwriter Will Young.
For the latest news and information – including travel advice for those supporters heading to stadiummk – head to www.lovemkrugby.co.uk
