RWC – now it get’s a little bit exciting….

First on Carter:

Eddie Butler in the Guardian:

For all the encouraging noises that the wounded player and the team that he leaves behind were obliged to make, there was no hiding a sense of foreboding at his farewell session. All those present knew what three sets of World Cup opponents know, that the All Blacks without Carter are not the same. When he went down, New Zealand went down and not many on this bleak day felt like bouncing back to their feet.

On the appalling treatment of tier two nations:

The New Zealand Herald;

The IRB continues to stack the draw against the smaller teams, giving them less rest leading up to big matches. This simply has to change because the World Cup should be a level playing field.

(Herald fantastic on rugby – read it every morning…)
Plenty more stuff to read – add your links in the comments.
Ireland v Wales:
Giddy Ireland from the Irish Times.

The Western Mail reviews what everyone else is saying about Wales….

It’s going to be a long week…