Big day of action as we saw the quarter finals in all divisions.
Open Division
This was an exciting slate of games on the schedule but the first 3 played didn’t really live up to that. In the first timeslot US took care of Canada comfortably, while Australia blew open their quarter final with a 5 point run to take half 8-3, and while Germany clawed a couple of breaks back in the third quarter of the game they weren’t able to get within touching distance.
The next timeslot saw GB take on Colombia and similarly, a big first half run and a big second half run saw them run away with this game.
The last quarter final made up for the lack of fireworks elsewhere.
Japan vs Belgium was a match I was really looking forward to in pool play, and Belgium impressed in winning that 14-12, but a bracket play game was everything on the line for both teams was always going to be a different type of game. The matchup is such an interesting contrast on paper: Japan a team with the majority of their big names in their 30s vs a young Belgium team with a core under 25 years old. Belgium a huge team physically, with big skies and high throws against a Japan team that uses speed, low throws and pinpoint shaped hucks. And Belgium who had thrown themselves at everyone during pools, flexing their abilities as they marched to the top of their pools, vs a Japan team who had looked like they were maybe holding back for this stage of the competition.
So, of course we went to universe point. There are many ways to get to universe point. Most commonly two teams are fairly close all game with 1-2 point leads until we run out of time. Sometimes one team goes up big and gets reeled in by the other. Then you have games like this which see-saw back and forth. A 3 point run here, a 5 point run there. Both teams going through spells of imperious flowing offence followed by droughts where every pass looks fraught with danger.
Similarly, normally offences score in a recognisable pattern and most goals a team score will look pretty much the same. You'll be hard pressed to find 29 scores with more variation than we saw in this games. There were a few constants: Tobe Decraene was ruling the skies. De Maree was everywhere on defence and controlling every phase of offence. Arakawa was still the fastest receiver around. And Matsuno was Matsuno: defying age like he defies gravity.
The real star was the Japanese D line. They showed incredible coordination, skill and calmness all throughout the game, playing a much more consistent and secure style of offence than their own O line. And I can't say enough about how they maintained that under the immense pressure of mounting a 3 break run to win a quarter final of worlds on universe. That is unbelievable. The patience to reset the disc multiple times in the downwind endzone followed by two brave, precise and backbreaking throws is emblematic of what this stage can showcase - brilliant players needing to pull out their very best.
For Belgium it’s a devastating loss. There’s no sugarcoating the fact that they had this game in their grasp and lost it. It’s one thing to lose a game of this magnitude because you were beaten by a better team, or you just didn’t ever show up, but they did all the hard work and that’s so difficult to take. Sports are savage and seeing that familiar thousand yard stare on their faces after the goal went in brought me right back to some of those feelings from my own career.
Semi Final Preview
Two rematches in the semi finals.
Both these games were not close earlier in the competition, so let’s hope we get something more exciting in these games. USA beat GB 15-6 in a very windy pool game where both teams had already qualified for the next stage - so I expect more of a fight from GB. Australia beat Japan 15-5 (!) earlier.
Mixed Division
Similar to the open division, 3 big wins and one thriller.
USA-Italy was for a while the game that looked the closest of these quarter finals. Italy played magnificently in the first half - going up a break and earning the disc a couple of times to give themselves more chances. Their offence was really clicking with the spacing, speed of disc movement and accurate deep throws resulting in a lot of easy looking scores. Both teams went into half a break each with USA up on serve. In the second half however, the US quickly took control scoring 5 in a row from 9-8 up.
France had their own 5 point run in quarters, but they did it from 0-0 to seize control of the game. From there, Germany fought hard and earned a couple of breaks but the French offence is too good to give up leads like that.
Canada and Singapore was slow, full of calls and I didn’t watch it much because of that.
I mentioned earlier that Italy-USA seemed like the closest game during the first half (all games were at the same time), and once the US started to run away with that I took one look at the current scores before going to sleep when I saw Australia had earned a couple of breaks back to tighten the game back to 9-7. They kept chipping away with Japan’s offence was holding firm, only giving up one more break and at 14-12 it looked like there was little chance Australia would manage to force enough errors. Australia held their offence smoothly to make it 14-13. Japan marched the disc downfield, under intense pressure but looking calm. Then in one of the more bizarre sights I’ve seen, Bex Palmer thinks a swing pass has hit the turn and runs off deep in transition…but it hasn’t and Japan have a window of 7-6 with 30 yards to go. Palmer recovers but only to a cross match with Shima, one of the top Japanese MMP. He then throws a lead pass to Takada who is not looking into that space at all. Pure craziness all round. John McNaughton doesn’t mess around and hits the huck upwind to the favourable matchup. Two lefty backhands into the wind for the huge break - pretty handy having those options!
On universe point Japan again do an amazing job moving the disc upfield, keeping cool under pressure and executing into tight windows. Before AGAIN a miscommunication between the thrower and receiver in the endzone causes the turnover. Absolutely heartbreaking to have done all the hard work, displaying patience and skill and grit to put yourself into position to close out a quarter final TWICE and turn like this…devastating for the Japanese team.
Semifinal Preview
Unlike in Open we haven’t seen these matchups yet in this tournament so these are complete unknowns. You would think USA will be too strong for Australia like they have been for everyone else so far, but it’ll be a raucous home crowd and maybe that energy will boost the Australians.
France and Canada have both looked pretty smooth and comfortable all tournament so this one really could go either way.
Women’s Division
Pool Play Wrap-up
The pools finished in the morning with no surprises. USA and Colombia were already through to semis but finished strongly with wins over Canada and Australia. In Pool D, the crucial game was between Germany and New Zealand to decide the final crossover spot and Germany took this one as expected.
Quarter Finals/Pre-Semis
That set up our quarter finals/pre-semis/crossover matchups. These saw repeats of earlier pool play matches. Australia beat Japan by exactly the same scoreline as earlier in the tournament, opening up a lead early in the second half and holding on to it despite a late break from Japan.
Canada saw off Germany again, with a really strong display of their deep game as the poured in quick score from hucks on repeat. If the wind conditions allow a repeat of that then we might see them push the US team close, with the US struggling against Colombia’s deep game earlier in the tournament.
In a quirk of the schedule the semi finals are direct repeats of the games we had today between Australia/Colombia and US/Canada. That feels weird, right? Colombia did get pushed hard by Australia, only winning by 3, so with a full Aussie home crowd cheering them on there could be potential for an upset there.
