World Rugby - 2023 Thread

[happynz]

Crusaders smashing the hapless Auckland Blues in the first semi-final 42-8 with ten minutes to go. Edit: make that 49-8.

Brumbies in Hamilton to face the Chiefs tomorrow night.

[prawnograph]

Hapless. That's very polite of you!

49-8 and still a few minutes to go; has there been a bigger thrashing at semifinal time? I thought Blues were in with a chance.

I have a brother who retired to Auckland and decided to support the local team; expect he changed channel about an hour ago.

EDIT - final score Crusaders 52 - Blues 15
Will my prediction of the ACT Brumbies beating the Chiefs tomorrow be just as bad?

[Bettyboo]

Brumbies winning at the Chiefs - can't see it...

[happynz]

Final will be Chiefs v Crusaders.

Chiefs had to really battle against the Reds in the quarters and the Brumbies in the semi. The Crusaders beat the Drua by a wide margin an absolutely smoked a clueless Blues team.

The Chiefs are favoured in this match coming off a campaign where they lost only one game. Two of the Chiefs' victories were over the Crusaders. Can the Chiefs complete a clean sweep over the Crusaders? The bookies say yes.

In other NZ rugby union news All Blacks head coach Ian Foster and his fellow retarded selectors have named their All Blacks squad of 38 persisting with Clarke out on the wing (he didn't impress much) and Beauden Barrett at fullback. The Chiefs' Shaun Stevenson, who has been in form all year, misses selection and Foster makes some mumbling comment about Stevenson's defense. This, while the Blues' backfield of Clarke, Barrett, and Telea haven't impressed in defense. Their last game against the Crusaders exposed their defensive weaknesses.

Of course, Foster persists with the injury prone Sam Cane as captain. There's a better Sam for the captaincy and that's Sam Whitelock.

Sheesh. Good luck ABs. You're going to need it with Foster in charge.

[happynz]

It will be a sold out final this Saturday in the Waikato for the Chiefs - Crusaders match. With three days before the final the bookies have the Chiefs as favourites at 1.96 and the Crusaders at 2.10. So all in all, not much between them. The Chiefs, after a dominating regular season, had to really battle the Reds in the quarters and the Brumbies in the semi-finals. The Crusaders handily took care of the Drua and smashed the Blues.

The Chiefs don't have many, if any, weak spots that the Crusaders will be able to target. They are a side filled with great talent. They are still without Quinn Tupaea, unfortunately. The Crusaders, on the other hand, have many frontline players out due to injury. In the forwards, out are back rowers Ethan Blackadder and Cullen Grace. Veteran Crusader and All Black Sam Whitelock is questionable. Props out are George Bower, Fletcher Newell, and Joe Moody. In the midfield David Havili is out and try scoring machine winger Sevu Reese is also out for the year. Fortunately for the Crusaders they have a deep pool of talent and an outstanding coach. Goodhue slots in well in the midfield and Dallas McLeod has been solid out on the wing. In the forward pack there is the big unit Tamaiti Williams at prop. The back row of Havili Talitui, tackling wizard and poacher Tom Christie, and young Christian Lio-Willie who has been solid in offence and defence.

Still, as a Crusaders fan I will admit that the Chiefs are the deserved favourites here. Yet, Chiefs fans are not that comfortable and sure of their side lifting the Super Rugby trophy. I reckon it's going to be a cracker.

Go the Crusaders!

[happynz]

For the punters it's looking like the bookies reckon there's not much between the two sides.

[prawnograph]

^ Monday I got Crusaders @ 2.30 to win (now 1.92), and a wild one, Crusaders 13+ @ $6 (now offering $5.25)
Not bothered who wins, but $-wise pref the Crusaders

[happynz]

I wonder what has shifted the odds since Monday. $2.30 to $1.92 may not be a huge movement, but yeah.

[Bettyboo]

Crusaders to grind them down...

[happynz]

Yay, boo. I hope so.

[PlanK]

I'd be putting money on the Crusaders but cheering for the Chiefs.

[Bettyboo]

Yay, boo. I hope so.

I should have gone to a game when I was in Christchurch many years ago; a missed opportunity. Went to a game at Eden Park, but Carlos Spencer was playing, so I've always disliked the Blues...

[happynz]

Halftime

Chiefs 10-15 Crusaders

[Bettyboo]

The Crusaders, it's just like watching England (kinda depressing...).

I bet HappyNZ was happy the ref called back that offside from the lineout after 20 minutes of kicking...

[happynz]

Crusaders 25 - 20 Chiefs

Crusaders champions!

[Bettyboo]

Wasn't the best of games, but a very tough battle in the packs. Glad the Crusaders won.

[PlanK]

Wasn't the best of games

That was one of the better finals I've seen. No boring ole 'up the jumper' rugby. I was waiting for slow parts in the game to go recharge my glass and was left thirsty on occasion.

And how could you not love D-Macs sinister smile?

[Bettyboo]

^ to be fair, I only saw the second half (because I got distracted by the Russian news...), and it started with 15 minutes of kicking back and forth.

[happynz]

Rugby Championship

South Africa Springboks v Australia Wallabies
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa
Kickoff: Thailand 8 July (22.05)
Odds: South Africa 1/3 Australia 11/4 Draw 33/1

Argentina Pumas v New Zealand All Blacks
Mendoza, Argentina
Kickoff: Thailand 9 July (02.10)
Odds: Argentina 11/2 New Zealand 1/5 Draw 44/1

[harrybarracuda]

"For Immediate ReleaseJuly 6th, 2023: London, UK

International rugby fans can look forward to five weekends of fixtures, featuring each of the Six Nations Rugby unions, when the Summer Nations Series kicks off on Saturday 29th July.

As the teams prepare for Rugby World Cup later this year, the Summer Nations Series will be the last chance for fans to see their sides in action before the tournament starts in France this September.

Joining each of the Six Nations Rugby unions in the Summer Nations Series, will be some of the biggest names in international rugby: South Africa, Australia, Japan, Georgia, Romania, Fiji, and Samoa.

To ensure fans all over the world will be able to enjoy the Summer Nations Series, extensive broadcast coverage will be on offer, spanning the UK, Ireland, France, and Italy, alongside 185 international territories showing the fixtures."

Autumn Nations Series | Summer Nations Series Fixtures

(The link includes tabs for Fixtures and Broadcasters).

[Bettyboo]

I've got fuk all interest in this shite England team, tbh. We'll be knocked out of the WC in the quarter finals by a very average Welsh team.

Since the last WC final when we were raped by the shite ref and cheating Bokke cuntz (endless illegal safety belt tackles, hands/elbows on the floor from the front row at every scrum), as well as our own arrogant manager/team not preparing for the final, dumb manager not taking Danny Care to the final when he was sorely needed - we haven't improved at all.

Still Saracens at the core of English rugby despite their cheating (basically giving top players houses/businesses as additional revenue streams outside of the fairplay rules - a tad more complex, but you get the gist...) - I find them toxic, despite being a childhood/young adult supporter and going to most of the home games back in the late 80s and early 90s because I lived close to Bramley Road and the brother played for this club (before moving to Kiwi-land, just low-level stuff as a 17 year old):





The changes to the laws have made matches boring to watch (kick to the corner then truck-and-trailer to the try line).

Even watching Ireland and the Kiwi club teams, it looks like they've dropped down in standard.

Endless huge gym monkeys charging up in defence is just boring.

Occasionally watch the super series games to enjoy the Kiwi teams beating the Reds (I've always hated the Reds...), but that's about it. Might not watch any games this WC. Don't care who wins it, as long as the cheating Bokkes don't (they've won WCs by poisoning the Kiwi team and cheating in finals against England with dire refs - bastards...).

[malmomike77]

I've got fuk all interest in this shite England team, tbh. We'll be knocked out of the WC in the quarter finals by a very average Welsh team.

will Wales be able to field a team given the mess its in.

[Bettyboo]

^ hopefully - I'd like to see them win a WC; they've given a lot to the game over the years.

It'll be a standard WC for the Welsh: get through a tough-ish quarter final then out in the semi final because of a lack of squad depth.

[AntRobertson]

I've got fuk all interest in this shite England team, tbh. We'll be knocked out of the WC in the quarter finals by a very average Welsh team.

I have a theory...

NZ, SA, France and Ireland are going to smash the shit out of each other in the 'hard' side of the draw whilst England and Australia are going to have a relative armchair ride through to the semis whereupon one or the other will spring an upset and make the final.

[Pragmatic]

Rugby these days is so boring I can't be bothered to watch it or talk about it. I'm in there somewhere.