The Samoans could do it IF the ducks aline. When they had possession against the Boks they gave their defence enough trouble to suggest that in similar circumstances England would be cracked. They were holding theirown right up to half time against the Boks and had a try disallowed just after half time...ref fluffed it ,I was sat right in line to see it go over..BUT from that moment their heads went down and they were never really in it after that....Samoan indiscipline and ball possession will be the key elements for England playing them...if we have the Wilkinson boot on the pitch and get domination in the set pieces we will win ,but I would rather we didn't on this occasion.
I see no circumstances in which we currently have the measure of the Aussies anymore than I thought we could take the Boks...had the Boks chosen to force the game the scoreline would have been heavier against us,but they looked content to just capitalise on our errors. They were so comfortable they took Botha off and saved him for the future.
Ashton's faith in Farrell is beyond me. I don't understand it at all. His play shows his lack of experience in this code and his speed ,or lack of it, must be apparent to all by now.
Well,we'll see soon enough. Back off over there in a few days to do something more 'chumpish' ..LOL sucker for punishment BUT I wouldn't have missed Robinson for anything...he played out of his skin trying to raise the team...the bok next to me said 'it's Jason Robinson plays SA" and he was spot on...when he had to leave the pitch the SA and the English stood to applaud him ...it shouldn't escape attention that England's best player is listed under club "unaffiliated" and is due to retire..what a sorry comment on the state of affairs.
I see no circumstances in which we currently have the measure of the Aussies anymore than I thought we could take the Boks...had the Boks chosen to force the game the scoreline would have been heavier against us,but they looked content to just capitalise on our errors. They were so comfortable they took Botha off and saved him for the future.
Ashton's faith in Farrell is beyond me. I don't understand it at all. His play shows his lack of experience in this code and his speed ,or lack of it, must be apparent to all by now.
Well,we'll see soon enough. Back off over there in a few days to do something more 'chumpish' ..LOL sucker for punishment BUT I wouldn't have missed Robinson for anything...he played out of his skin trying to raise the team...the bok next to me said 'it's Jason Robinson plays SA" and he was spot on...when he had to leave the pitch the SA and the English stood to applaud him ...it shouldn't escape attention that England's best player is listed under club "unaffiliated" and is due to retire..what a sorry comment on the state of affairs.
JTrader
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Yep, it is hard to believe how a group of well paid, high achieving professional English rugby players could be so bad, against a group of equally professional, presumably equally fit & South Africans 
.
PS. I thought the World Cup was in France. So why the hell are Wales playing at home Is it being co-hosted it does sort of make a mickey mouse of the competition!
.PS. I thought the World Cup was in France. So why the hell are Wales playing at home
Is it being co-hosted it does sort of make a mickey mouse of the competition!
JTrader
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20/20 - it does kind of devalue the 50/50 world cup doesn't it!
Perhaps they'll start having a 3 day test championship to run alongside the 5 day!
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It certainly was a low key build up to this RWC.
Sure, the Olympics is often not exactly 4 years apart. It may be 3 years & 11 months etc. But its the OLYMPICS!
The rugby & cricket world cups do themselves no favours IMO - in that they may be 3 years/10 months or 3years/11 months apart.
At least you know that the soccer WC & Euro championships will take place throughout June, and into July (with the WC anyway), every 2/4 years.
Sure, the Olympics is often not exactly 4 years apart. It may be 3 years & 11 months etc. But its the OLYMPICS!
The rugby & cricket world cups do themselves no favours IMO - in that they may be 3 years/10 months or 3years/11 months apart.
At least you know that the soccer WC & Euro championships will take place throughout June, and into July (with the WC anyway), every 2/4 years.
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Jack o'Clubs
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Yac,
did you catch the game ?
Went pretty much tactically the way I thought it might.
9 wilkinson kicks pretty much say's it and the scoreline flatters.It was tighter.
Tonga looking like a surprise package though. They're either going to have drop a notch ,or we will have to raise it a notch if we are to win that match. Expect it to be very tight.
Captain Currency
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Ireland - All do do against Argentina!
Dear o dear, my team Ireland love to make their next match as difficult as possible, typical Irish! The French media seem to be out to get O'Gara claiming he has 300,000 worth of gambling debt. I believe he has a gambling debt, just inpossible to say for how much.
Kind Regards,
Captain Currency
Dear o dear, my team Ireland love to make their next match as difficult as possible, typical Irish! The French media seem to be out to get O'Gara claiming he has 300,000 worth of gambling debt. I believe he has a gambling debt, just inpossible to say for how much.
Kind Regards,
Captain Currency
Yes, I watched it in between the 20/20 cricket semi finals.
Samoa were not as threatening as I had expected and I was pretty confident throughout most of the match that England would come through. They had a very good start, went somewhat off in the middle and had a pretty strong finish.
Tonga may be more difficult but my prediction is that it will be very similar to the Samoa game and that England will come through it.
I think that the basic ingrained professionalism of England will usually see them through these kinds of games.
Not so against Australia in the quarters ( if we get there ) I'm afraid.
Hey, the India vs Australia 20/20 cricket match was great entertainment.
It may not be cricket as we know it but it just might be better.
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I think Argentina will win the rugby WC. I hope they do, as this will make a mockery of world rugby union. Argentina do not play in any tri-nations/six nations type event, as they are not considered good enough. If they win it, things will have to change! They're currently top of their group, played 3, won 3.
LOL...JT what odds will give you give me that the Argies will not win the WC ?
I wait with open chequebook.
Having said that ,
Cap,
if your lads need to score 4 tries against the Argies to go through it is looking like an uphill struggle on current form. The Argies, into the qtrs, will be a tremendous boost for them and thoroughly well deserved
I wait with open chequebook.
Having said that ,
Cap,
if your lads need to score 4 tries against the Argies to go through it is looking like an uphill struggle on current form. The Argies, into the qtrs, will be a tremendous boost for them and thoroughly well deserved
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I wonder how much the IRB has to shell out to include the likes of Namibia, Portugal - LOL - to get them to throw a team together, and practise on their own for 4 years, just to make up the numbers come the WC, and try and make it look like RU is a popular sport across the globe :idea:
you could take that view. Or you might consider that in the world of rugby we celebrate the game first and the level of success second in the sense that anyone playing it is encouraged and applauded..ever played it ? I doubt it (nothing personal) ,but what separates Rugby from say the nancy boys of football is our ability to kick the shti out of each other and then go and have a beer with each other afterwards ... you see we play the game as well as we can and to the level of our ability and doing that is enough.
Anyway enough twaddle...where's the bet ?
Anyway enough twaddle...where's the bet ?
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I played RL between 8 & 10, & again for school between 13-14. I then quit after breaking my leg practising conversions (not funny!). Never ever tried playing RU, even in PE lessons - it was always RL. RU always seemed like 2nd best.
If Argentina do win the WC I will be happy - as they are a decent team who deserve a better standing in world rugby. Their current form is good. But i'm not confident enough to bet on them!
If Argentina do win the WC I will be happy - as they are a decent team who deserve a better standing in world rugby. Their current form is good. But i'm not confident enough to bet on them!
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Seriously though, in sport, where the word "great" or "legend" is used to describe "good" performers, it takes a lot to impress me....But how good is Johnny Wilkinson. He racks up (Lebron James type) basketball points totals in every game he plays more or less. I think he is Awesome!
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Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!
Only just saw this thread..........
Mad rugby fan here. Of course I hope Australia wins. The last few years have been pretty trying as an Aussie rugby fan. However, I think we have improved immensely this year alone. On our day I think we can beat any team out there. I think we should beat England in the QF's if we are disciplined and don't give Wilkinson too many shots at goal. Then our real test will come against NZ in the semi's. We beat them in the first Bledisloe match this year and even all my Kiwi friends admit we were totally robbed by the ref in the second match and should have won that one too. That night was easily the worst refereeing display I have ever seen in my entire life! Add to that NZ's history of choking at the world cup and I think we can topple them if we really click.
As for Englands win at the last WC...........
They played to their strengths. They had a good forward pack and a good kicker. Their entire game play was built around holding onto the ball until the opposition gave away a penalty and then let Wilkinson kick a goal. If they occassionally managed to bash it up field and actually find the try line.........well that was a nice bonus. It was boring as bat droppings but it worked for them and more power to them.
What it did do is really show up the fact that rugby is far too technical and lends itself far too much to becoming a kick fest. When that happens it makes for a totally boring sporting spectacle. When sport is boring, people stop coming to watch it. When people stop paying to watch the game, the game eventually dies. Englands performance in the last WC was the single biggest catalyst for the ruling body deciding to simplify the game and really overhaul the rules.
Here in Australia the new ARC tournament being played now is being played under the new Stellenbosch rules. I must say I hope they bring them into play for all rugby asap. Certainly make the game flow better and cuts down on the opportunity for teams to just keep kicking penalties. Only rule change I don't like is being allowed to collapse the maul. The maul is integral to rugby and shouldn't be messed with!
Anywho, that's my two cents on the matters. Well probably more like 4 cents really!
Cheers,
PKFFW
Only just saw this thread..........
Mad rugby fan here. Of course I hope Australia wins. The last few years have been pretty trying as an Aussie rugby fan. However, I think we have improved immensely this year alone. On our day I think we can beat any team out there. I think we should beat England in the QF's if we are disciplined and don't give Wilkinson too many shots at goal. Then our real test will come against NZ in the semi's. We beat them in the first Bledisloe match this year and even all my Kiwi friends admit we were totally robbed by the ref in the second match and should have won that one too. That night was easily the worst refereeing display I have ever seen in my entire life! Add to that NZ's history of choking at the world cup and I think we can topple them if we really click.
As for Englands win at the last WC...........
They played to their strengths. They had a good forward pack and a good kicker. Their entire game play was built around holding onto the ball until the opposition gave away a penalty and then let Wilkinson kick a goal. If they occassionally managed to bash it up field and actually find the try line.........well that was a nice bonus. It was boring as bat droppings but it worked for them and more power to them.
What it did do is really show up the fact that rugby is far too technical and lends itself far too much to becoming a kick fest. When that happens it makes for a totally boring sporting spectacle. When sport is boring, people stop coming to watch it. When people stop paying to watch the game, the game eventually dies. Englands performance in the last WC was the single biggest catalyst for the ruling body deciding to simplify the game and really overhaul the rules.
Here in Australia the new ARC tournament being played now is being played under the new Stellenbosch rules. I must say I hope they bring them into play for all rugby asap. Certainly make the game flow better and cuts down on the opportunity for teams to just keep kicking penalties. Only rule change I don't like is being allowed to collapse the maul. The maul is integral to rugby and shouldn't be messed with!
Anywho, that's my two cents on the matters. Well probably more like 4 cents really!
Cheers,
PKFFW
