Rugby World Cup

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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:29 am

I've been meaning to create this thread for a while now, but now we're fully back online it's probably a good opportunity.

Here's your chance to talk about the Rugby World Cup that's happening at the moment in France. NZ and Australia have both got off to pretty good starts, beating Italy and Japan very easily. South Africa were also pretty impressive in their opening match versus Western Samoa, although they were aided by a shocking performance by referee Paul Honiss (nothing new there!)

The same can't really be said about the northern hemisphere teams, with France losing to Argentina, England barely beating the USA and Ireland, Wales & Scotland not really being that impressive in their opening matches.

Before the tournament started I thought that semi-finals of NZ v Australia and France v South Africa were a lock-in, with the tournament pretty boring up until that stage. However, with a few unusual results who knows what might happen now. NZ v France in the quarter-finals looks like a distinct possibility.

Chat away!

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:30 am

Go Bokke!

Nkosi sikelel i'Afrika

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:35 am

New Zealand v South Africa final appears most likely on the cards, would you agree lotta?

I think South Africa is the only team that can match the All Blacks when it comes to talent and also depth. Hopefully they'll keep playing that blockhead Butch James at flyhalf rather than Andre Pretorious when they play the ABs Wink

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:45 pm

i think you will be lucky to see france in the quarter finals the way they played in the opening game.

NZ,Aus and S africa are definite s to get through to last couple of stages.who knows after that.

i must raise my glass to the fine performances from USA and Canada from what ive seen they certainly will be a force to be reckoned with over the next couple of years.

i really dont think any of the UK teams will managed any greatness this time.
which saddens me.
i still cheer england on

Razz

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:58 pm

remmy223 wrote:

i must raise my glass to the fine performances from USA and Canada

And Namibia! (Un)fortunately, depending on your POV, the old imbalance between North and South seems to be back again.

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:37 pm

I'm a huge Bokke fan! What can I say. Having played rugby all of my school life as well as at university I cant get enough of it!

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:53 pm

Wow lots of Springboks fans here. Is it just me who thinks that Butch James is useless??

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:06 am

y'know, this yank is a Springboks fan too! I got to travel to Capetown a few years ago on business and in the evenings, I would sit in the hotel bar and watch the Springboks play on TV.

I love this game much more than American football. It's full of action and doesn't have the start-stop-start-stop of our football. In the US, rugby is a huge secret that might get out someday.

Now if I could just watch a few games that don't come on at 2 am on a Tuesday morning....

Sid

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:10 am

Rugby can be really awesome game to watch, as long as the referee is on to it. I think the biggest problem with the game is that it has far too many rules, and that it's far too dependent on getting a good referee. You would struggle to play a proper game of rugby in the park with a few mates like you could with Soccer.

There are some new rules being trialled in Australia at the moment which supposedly speed the game up and mean that there's far fewer stoppages and generally just less rules. It'll be interesting to see if those are brought into the international game.

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:44 am

Hmm..rugby. Is that the sport that's kinda like Football but not as good? Smile

GO SEAHAWKS!

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:50 am

Well it's the game which is 80 minutes long and you generally get more than about 15 minutes of proper action, if that's what you mean Wink

... and the one where people playing it are hard enough to survive without helmets and body pads twice the size of the person wearing it Wink

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:54 am

Grimlock wrote:

Hmm..rugby. Is that the sport that's kinda like Football but not as good? Smile

GO SEAHAWKS!

It's the game that the "big boys" play Laughing

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:55 am

Yeah I reckon Carl Hayman or Os Du Randt could eat an NFL player for breakfast.

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:25 am

Josh wrote:

Yeah I reckon Carl Hayman or Os Du Randt could eat an NFL player for breakfast.

I think Sean "Lights Out" Merriman would disagree with that statement. Smile

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:30 am

Wow I can smell the steroids from here..... Laughing

^^Jerry Collins.... now there's a hard man!

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:25 am

C'arn the All Blacks!!!

Hmmm... mugu rugby world cup...?

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:15 am

^^^^^

i think its yours for the taking

Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:53 pm

Half time: SA 20 England 0

Go bokke!!!!

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:00 pm

AMMA BOKKE BOKKE!!!

http://www.pinner-rugby-club.co.uk/bokke2.jpg

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:49 pm

oh dear
we got thumped from one end to the other

well done SA

Sad

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:20 pm

South Africa 36

England 0

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:56 am

Josh wrote:

^^Jerry Collins.... now there's a hard man!

I met Jerry collins in a bar and drank tequila with him!! I have a photo somewhere, Ill try and find it...

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:04 am

Oh my God England were pathetic this morning. I was watching a Air New Zealand Cup match this afternoon and one of the commentators said that 6 and 7 year olds could have played better than England did.

I thought that South Africa played well, but at the same time they had some weird tactics. It seems as though they're so caught up in a history of forward power and kicking that they forget their backline is actually pretty damn good. They have probably the best halfback and the best winger in the world, as well as a damn good midfield. I reckon if they'd played a more expansive game they could have easily put 50 points on England. It would have helped if they'd stopped trying to kick drop-goals all the time. Drop-goals are such a lame way to get points.

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:18 am

Pointe are points and points make prizes!!

That's how we won the world cup last time. The beautiful Jonny Wilkinsons right boot.

I'm in a quandry now though coz I want the All Blacks t win. Can't help it when you live here!

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:34 am

Rugby is the only sport where I support Australia when they play England.

'Nuff said