Rugby World Cup 2019

**Bettyboo** · 26-10-2019, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

So here's Boo's tip for the winner.

England. Or Wales. Or South Africa.

Or a draw.

&, I'll tell you something else, for free, the All Blacks will be back for some next WC - if I was a betting man, I'd have money on them now...

I said this a few days ago, and I wasn't joking, picking a combined New Zealand/England team, I'd have at least 8 English players in the team. Today's game, more than 8 English players would have made the combined team; May was injured and probably shouldn't have been starting (he couldn't run at 75% pace); Jack Nowell for the final is a very good replacement.

This game will do New Zealand good, their front row, centres and wingers were not All Black standard; Retallick was not match fit; Whitelock and Reid are just a bit over the hill (both superb players). The 10/15 experiment is not a good one, 10/12 ball players works much better. New Zealand have such good individual skills, especially good at using space to finish tries that they kinda papered over the cracks. If England could use the space in the final third as well as All Black teams we would have put a big score on them today 30+ points win. I also think that they were so good against Ireland that it was bound to work against them today; in the same way, this superb English performance might work against us next week (I hope Biggar isn't playing against us next week...).

&, thanks go to Warren Gatland. We basically tweaked his Lions approach to playing New Zealand, and the likes of Sincler, Lawes, George, Itoje, Watson and Daly have beaten the All Blacks playing that style of rugby. Thank you Warren, we could not have done this without you.

I'll throw one out there for Ant: Retallick has been the best lock in the world for years, for several years he was clearly the best player in the world - do you think Itoje's performance today was up there with Retallick's best?

**panama hat** · 26-10-2019, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Aussie math?

That's why it's Awestralia

**panama hat** · 26-10-2019, 08:03 PM

England seems to have become a bit of a juggernaut . . . as much as it galls me to say it

**AntRobertson** · 26-10-2019, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Switch

I just read the NZ Herald response to their beloved all blacks losing.

Hilarious. 路[at]♂️

...

2019 Rugby World Cup: All Blacks dumped out of World Cup by incredible England

26 Oct, 2019 11:00pm 4 minutes to read

Under a glorious night sky in Yokohama, the sun has set on the All Blacks' dream of winning three World Cups in succession, England deservedly going into next Saturday's final with a completely dominant performance which simply squeezed their opponents out of the game [...]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/new...ectid=12279985

**Dillinger** · 27-10-2019, 02:24 AM

Surreal. A different class. Australia put up a bigger fight

It's coming home

**Saint Willy** · 27-10-2019, 07:52 AM

Rugby World Cup 2019-d6d21f70-adb1-44aa-b44a-3279366712fe-jpg

**Loy Toy** · 27-10-2019, 08:06 AM

Probably one of the best all-round team displays I have ever seen.

Thank you England and as a Rugby fan that was a joy to watch.

**PlanK** · 27-10-2019, 10:29 AM

Even with the TMO in their pocket the ABs couldn't win that one. Absolutely suffocated by the Poms. I'll try not to watch it in a pommy pub next time, the racist obscenities being shouted at the screen against the ABs was appallingly bad form for 'fans' of the game.

Well done to the English team, well deserved.

**happynz** · 27-10-2019, 10:33 AM

Wales and Boks up later today. Boks with their rush defense should have the edge.

Boks by 13.

**AntRobertson** · 27-10-2019, 10:43 AM

Fascinating game that one. I'd like to see a SH team in the final but Wales v Eng would be pretty epic too.

**Loy Toy** · 27-10-2019, 10:44 AM

If Wales win and move on it will be the first time 2 Northern Hemisphere sides have moved through to the final.

That would be great for the game globally.

**Bettyboo** · 27-10-2019, 10:44 AM

I wouldn't like to call it, Wales have done nothing this WC, but are still there - I'd expect a performance from them today, with a dodgy ref at the breakdown and if they have 15 fit players, I'd reckon Wales.

Or the Bokks.

Or, perhaps a draw.

I just hope that neither that ugly little Bokk 9 nor Biggar make it to the final...

**Bettyboo** · 27-10-2019, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

If Wales win and move on it will be the first time 2 Northern Hemisphere sides have moved through to the final.

That would be great for the game globally.

Ireland didn't put their best foot forward, and Scotland are what they are.

But, it seems that the gap between the SH & NH is minimal at the moment; last WC it was too large in the SH's favour. Wales, France & England have been competitive with Australia, NZ and the Bokks (we will see...). Argentina and Ireland not really at the races this WC.

If England don't win the final then I'd rather a team that hasn't won it before does, and that means Wales. I would not be surprised if what happened to NZ happens to England - a great game followed by a flat game.

**AntRobertson** · 27-10-2019, 10:54 AM

Irrespective of the opponent if England play like that again -- albeit with changed game plan I guess -- then they'll win. Remains to be seen if they can though, might be an element of already having played their final.

What's the deal with Farrell also? Seemed to pull up lame during the game?

**Loy Toy** · 27-10-2019, 10:57 AM

If England play as well as they did yesterday in the final they have the win in the bag whoever they play.

That silly line out mistake which gifted the Blacks a try will not be repeated.

**Bettyboo** · 27-10-2019, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Irrespective of the opponent if England play like that again -- albeit with changed game plan I guess -- then they'll win. Remains to be seen if they can though, might be an element of already having played their final.

What's the deal with Farrell also? Seemed to pull up lame during the game?

Farrell looked like a dead leg, muscle type injury, might recover with treatment - I thought he had a very good game and is important for us (Ford played well too though and Slade can come into 12, so we play a similar gameplan...). I reckon May will be out with Nowell in (that'll be fine), and I expect a couple of other injuries (maybe Mako?) because it was a really tough encounter. I hope our 6&7 are both fit...

Despite our dominance and territory, the Kiwi defence was strong, and we only managed the one try.

Experience is so important, if Smith and Crotty were anything like fit, they should have at least been on the bench, and imagine the benefit to bringing Owen Franks onto the pitch after 50 minutes yesterday - shocking error by the Kiwi management, you cannot replace/ignore experience/grit/quality that he has. We bought on Marler and Cole who did just what was required in a similar way to Franks could have although neither is the player he is...

**PlanK** · 27-10-2019, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Ford played well too

That guy seriously needs to change his name. Annoying AF when the ball's going through the hands and the commentary teams are calling out "Forward", "Forward"

**Dillinger** · 27-10-2019, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Despite our dominance and territory, the Kiwi defence was strong, and we only managed the one try.

I'm sure I saw 3 in yesterday's drunken haze

**Neverna** · 27-10-2019, 01:13 PM

Two were disallowed.

**AntRobertson** · 27-10-2019, 01:15 PM

Rightly so though, not sure why the TMO is getting grief for that from some quarters.

**David48atTD** · 27-10-2019, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Neverna

Two were disallowed.

Nev ... I didn't realise you were a Rugby Fan ... which team do you support?

**Bettyboo** · 27-10-2019, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Rightly so though, not sure why the TMO is getting grief for that from some quarters.

Because he is a cheating kunt... Not the ref, but the video ref - time and time again against England he sees everything any Englishman does and nothing the opposition does; inconsistent and just biased.

I saw three pretty bad neck rolls from the Kiwis (I won't even mention forward passes or playing the players arm at the lineout...), it happens, fine, but if they had been English players then we'd have been spotted by the video ref and he'd be suggesting yellow cards too - 100% sure. That Marius Junker is an utter kunt; it's not just his calls, but his inconsistency for one team against another. The same with the French refs, they get it in their mind that one team is dominant (99% sure it's the home team, so in a WC they have no 'standards' to base anything on...) then give every penalty to that team regardless of what is actually happening; I've seen it time and again with French refs at Twickenham giving us the calls and away from home (against Wales a couple of months ago was an extreme example) giving everything to the home team.

The video reffing has been a hindrance to this WC. Actually the refs from the quarter finals onwards have been sensible and tried to let the game flow mostly ignoring or over-ruling video refs apart from where it was really needed, but even then kunts like Junker try to be very forceful, you can hear it in his voice he is not offering advice he wants to change the game. I'm glad there were no stupid cards and for a very competitive game the ref mostly played advantage in the game yesterday, talking to the captains. Decent reffing yesterday (although rather lenient on Kiwi infringements in their own 22 after he'd given a final warning, but that's fine the game was there to be fought for and it was tough at the breakdown), terrible video ref - as always from that utter kunt Junker...

**David48atTD** · 27-10-2019, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Rightly so though, not sure why the TMO is getting grief for that from some quarters.

Because the decisions were widely acknowledged as poor decisions?

**AntRobertson** · 27-10-2019, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by David48atTD

Because the decisions were widely acknowledged as poor decisions?

There was clear obstruction in the first instance and the ball went from the player behind into the one at front in the second so both clear-cut.

Not sure how poor decisions even factors into it, they were objectively the correct calls.

**Bettyboo** · 27-10-2019, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by David48atTD

Because the decisions were widely acknowledged as poor decisions?

The second try was a try. The player had the ball under his control at all times, his hand attached to the ball and mostly his body too - the player behind tried to take the ball, but didn't; the player in front continued to have control of the ball. It was a try.

The Kiwi try had Retallick going up for the ball and playing Itoje's arm. I think it was close to being fair because it was a bad throw, and you gotta expect Retallick to go at the ball - but, he missed the ball and got Itoje's arm where the ball was aimed and would've been close to (not sure if Itoje could have touched the ball back to the England side...) Itoje playing it. I can accept the try there, no problem. If that'd been England scoring in the same way Junker would have called it up as playing the arm not the ball...

After checking, I think that was Itoje's arm playing Retallick's...

Funny how things look different in the heat of the moment. I now look back at the third Lions test and wonder why the ref didn't give offside when the stupid Irish fella picked the ball up after a knock on; I remember Reid saying to the ref at the time "but that's the rule" and he was right; the ref at the time made a new rule up all by himself...

Edited for correction (& to...)

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