Thread: 2011 Rugby World Cup. Who will win?

Originally Posted by Koojo

For me the last three minutes were the most bizzare moments of sports I have ever seen, with the score so close the All Blacks having gained possession but not playing the ball, running down the clock by basically standing over the ball on the ground swatting away any froggies who dare try to get near it.

I agree and I thought NZ should have been penalised for it, 'ungentlemanly play' in my book. For me the better team lost.

Originally Posted by superman

I agree and I thought NZ should have been penalised for it, 'ungentlemanly play' in my book.

laughable....

One thing for sure come out of this tournament and that is the talent/ability gap between the hemispheres has shrunk.
In my opinion Wales being the stand out team with the brightest future with Richie being the stand-out player. I also doubt that he will be around for the next WC and they will have a job to find a player to replace him. Without him yesterday they probably would not have won the game.

No team can compete at the highest level without a first class fetcher, Wales only look this good now we have one.

Lose him and it's back to square one.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

No team can compete at the highest level without a first class felcher

So, if they could get Papillion interested (he is after all a top sportsman as can be appreciated from his That Boxing thread...) then Belgium would be right up there, so to speak...

Butterfly's lot are already in fine shape with Dusatoir

I thought he was player of the tournament. Outstanding in the last 3 games.

He was exceptional yesterday.

Some of the other candidates for player of the tournament didn't shine at all, Weepu, Kaino and Nonu had all done well up to that point.

McCaw is obviously still up there with the best but compared to his highest standards he's looking a little battle weary to me. They'll be looking to replace him within 18 months I reckon.

^ maybe sooner. Depending on how serious his injury was and how many drugs/painkillers he was taking to get through the tournament, he might not play again.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

They'll be looking to replace him within 18 months I reckon.

If so, keep the name Matt Todd in mind.

The one who was illegally in camp?

How could we forget?

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Lose him and it's back to square one.

Captured a lot of attention in this tournament. Looks to me to be a top team when all players are fully fit and on the field. What's the depth like? Expectations going forward?

Depth is better than before in some positions but no depth at 7, Tipric at the Ospreys is probably the next best bet.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

The one who was illegally in camp?

That's the one!

I don't reckon that RWC will stay long in the memory
Very poor fare overall.

Good job the Poms turned up to liven the competition up a bit, thats off the field not on it.

A team loses 2 qualifying matches, plays 14 for an hour to get there , then bottles it at the last, losing by 1 point, is symptomatic of a poor competition.

Hope its a better show in 4 years in Pomland.

Rougerie has been caught on camera eye gouging Richie McCaw.I'm sure it will be on youtube soon.

And this is the prick that sued Phil Greening for a throat injury that he rec'd a few years ago.

Kunt!

^ the Kiwis are pretty much the worst whingers around, especially as they're at it nonstop... The Kiwi media actually runs the British media close for the worst and most biased media around...

This makes me laugh. The Kiwis are allowed to do their ridiculous gay dance before every game, but the French get fined for daring to take the piss out of it.

Once again the IRB prove themselves to be nothing but a bunch of silly wankers.

France fined by IRB

Updated: 17:16, Tuesday October 25, 2011


France have been fined 10,000 pounds for advancing on the New Zealand haka before Sunday's Rugby World Cup final.
The International Rugby Board handed down the ruling stating Les Bleus had failed to stay the required distance from the haka, behind the 10-metre line in their own half.
France captain Thierry Dusautoir led his teammates in a V-formation as they steadily progressed towards the customary war dance from the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland.
Speaking before the fine, Dusautoir said the team wanted to make a bold statement and believed it was a worthwhile exercise despite the narrow loss.
'At one stage we were so close to them that they wanted to kiss the New Zealanders, but I told them to take it easy. It was a great moment and a moment we will remember all our lives,' Dusautoir said.
France coach Marc Lievremont said Dusautoir tried to stop his teammates from encroaching too far and believed the fine was unjustified.
'He tried to stop them, there was a bit of movement bringing them forward.'
'But a fine? I don't know.'
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw expected something unusual from the French and saw their challenge as an indicator of things to come with the French pushing New Zealand all the way in a 8-7 loss.
'We talked that they'd bring something different and they did, but the game doesn#8217;t start until the whistle blows does it?' McCaw said.
'If anything, it showed us what we were in for and that's exactly what we got.'
'They were right up for the game as we expected and they certainly made it tough.'
France are not the only side to deploy similar tactics, Ireland famously advanced past the halfway line when facing the haka in 1989.

^ true, no place for eye-gouging.

The Kiwi media do complain non-stop about everything whilst wearing their blinkers and having one eye closed...

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

This makes me laugh. The Kiwis are allowed to do their ridiculous gay dance before every game, but the French get fined for daring to take the piss out of it.

Once again the IRB prove themselves to be nothing but a bunch of silly wankers.

Harry, stick to the Apple threads mate.

The law was brought in to stop biffo before the game started.....as what happened before a Samoa V Fiji game a few years ago when they were doing their respective ridiculous gay dance.This one ended up as an all in brawl...!!

^ who won? Do you have a link - I'll have a quick look on youtube; I didn't know about that incident, sounds interesting...

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

The Kiwis are allowed to do their ridiculous gay dance before every game, but the French get fined for daring to take the piss out of it.

The Kiwis make the Frogs look masculine.