Knockout Stages

[GIMH]

BTW, we will win the WC, **** yes we will. I am no Rugby Expert, more of a 6 nations/WC man, delighted for the true Rugby fans of this nation, but we will win, believe me.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Thanks France and England for reinforcing why I don't like rugby...although this was better than 2003, at least England scored a try. What I want to know is, why do they bother running the ball (I know this happens very infrequently) in rugby at all? It's like basketball, so why not just let the other team a free run to your 40 metre line and then try to defend while they attempt to kick a field goal?

I understand that it serves a purpose, and rugby fans like to watch this sort of thing...but it's pretty boring.

 

[BoyBrumby]

You cut your cloth accordingly, basically.

We could try & throw the ball around and stand back and applaud as the teams with the more gifted backs carve us apart or we could shove the ball up our jumper & let our fly-half insert the knife. The latter option might not be pretty, but a team who was a national joke four weeks ago has made the WC final now.

It's seriously like a hack Hollywood film; gallant but piss-poor team are thrashed by the talented bullies, their injured hero is inspired to return by their wise but alcoholic (look at Ashton's cheeks, FFS) coach and they manage to jam their way to the final wherein they again face the bullies.

 

[Son Of Coco]

You cut your cloth accordingly, basically.

We could try & throw the ball around and stand back and applaud as the teams with the more gifted backs carve us apart or we could shove the ball up our jumper & let our fly-half insert the knife. The latter option might not be pretty, but a team who was a national joke four weeks ago has made the WC final now.

It's seriously like a hack Hollywood film; gallant but piss-poor team are thrashed by the talented bullies, their injured hero is inspired to return by their wise but alcoholic (look at Ashton's cheeks, FFS) coach and they manage to jam their way to the final wherein they again face the bullies.

I'm not just talking about England by the way, should have clarified this in my last post. I do understand why England play the way they do, and it was very successful for them at the last World Cup.

I'll also confess, I've never been a rugby fan.

I thought the England vs Australia game was a mess, and that wasn't England's fault.

Overall, I find it an immensely frustrating game to watch...and before people say 'why do you watch it then', I try to limit myself to a few games every 4 years and am quite successful at it

The only problem with the script is if Argentina win...although then it sets up the 'old foes' against each other again, so it's not really a problem at all!

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'm not just talking about England by the way, should have clarified this in my last post. I do understand why England play the way they do, and it was very successful for them at the last World Cup.

I'll also confess, I've never been a rugby fan.

I thought the England vs Australia game was a mess, and that wasn't England's fault.

Overall, I find it an immensely frustrating game to watch...and before people say 'why do you watch it then', I try to limit myself to a few games every 4 years and am quite successful at it

Spoken like a true league fan.

Seriously tho, I could see why it would be a turn off if you want to see end-to-end free-flowing Rugby, but me, I love the attritional stuff. The margins between defeat and victory are so slender; if Worsley had've missed his tap-tackle on Clerc with about 8 minutes to go we'd have been obliged to punt the ball to the corner when Szarzewski (sp?) caught Robinson high. As it was Jonny was able to slot the pen to give us the lead. Then he put the drop over meaning that when France got a pen, they did have to run it because we were 5 points to the good.

Tiny, tiny margins, as I say.

 

[GIMH]

Prospect of an England Argies final is enticing, alas I feel the Saffies will probably win tomorrow

 

[Perm]

Come on perm, I thought you were better than that.

Land of hope and glory, mother to us all

BTW, there is nothing better than being English. **** yeah. (ddrunk)

And I should've expected this from somebody like yourself, drunk or sober.

Like I said, full credit to England for reaching the final, but they're still ****.

 

[Perm]

Prospect of an England Argies final is enticing, alas I feel the Saffies will probably win tomorrow

Prospect of England being in the final makes it automatically less exciting.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

England making the Final is just bizarre. France choked. All the top sides are choking.
England were well organised in defence and put in some awesome scrums when the French were 5m out, but that's about it... The best performer on the pitch was Kaplan.

 

[Anna]

You're just bitter, the lot of you. It's all very well saying that teams like NZ & France are the best in the world, but they're obviously not when it comes to the crunch games, the ones that really matter.

 

[Johnners]

**** me, i know the English fans won't agree with me and say it's sour grapes etc., but if this team wins the WC it's the worst ****ing result for Rugby imo. I'm all for a close contest, but preferably one where it's actually a good spectacle, something you know it won't be the way England are playing atm. It does nothing to advertise the game in a good light, much like the Sydney Swans in the AFL.

 

[Anna]

Enough of the swearing, people!! Anyway, I don't see the so-called 'best' teams producing the awesome displays you seem to be looking for, so quit the England bashing, ok?

 

[Perm]

**** me, i know the English fans won't agree with me and say it's sour grapes etc., but if this team wins the WC it's the worst ****ing result for Rugby imo.

Certainly agree with this.

 

[Perm]

You're just bitter, the lot of you. It's all very well saying that teams like NZ & France are the best in the world, but they're obviously not when it comes to the crunch games, the ones that really matter.

Enough of the swearing, people!! Anyway, I don't see the so-called 'best' teams producing the awesome displays you seem to be looking for, so quit the England bashing, ok?

FFS England played two good games in a row, does that make them the best team under pressure? No. Yes France and Australia both succumbed to good performances by the English, but it doesn't hide the fact they're still ****.

 

[sideshowtim]

This English side is quite possibly the most boring in the history of rugby. Please let South Africa or Argentina win it.

 

[sideshowtim]

**** me, i know the English fans won't agree with me and say it's sour grapes etc., but if this team wins the WC it's the worst ****ing result for Rugby imo. I'm all for a close contest, but preferably one where it's actually a good spectacle, something you know it won't be the way England are playing atm. It does nothing to advertise the game in a good light, much like the Sydney Swans in the AFL.

Agreed. Plus it'll show you can go a long way with very, very negative rugby. Which will ultimately be bad for the game.

 

[Johnners]

I should probably add that no, Australia, NZ & France don't deserve to be in the final on the account that they either choked, or played **** rugby.

 

[BoyBrumby]

This English side is quite possibly the most boring in the history of rugby. Please let South Africa or Argentina win it.

Have you actually seen Argentina play? Fair play to them for getting this far, but they're even more forward-based than we are. Couple of phases of possession before Hernandez or Contepomi (F) hoists a high one or punts for field position.

France, supposedly the spirtual guardians of the devil-may-care, end-to-end back play, tried to beat us with an equally limited game-plan. They played a traditional "English" type kicking 5/8th in Beauxis rather than the more lavishly gifted but flakier Michalak & put a centre (Traille) to full-back solely because he has what dear old Bill McClaren would call a "prodigious boot". &, as we saw with the way he handled Gomars's box-kick for Lewsey's try (the only one scored, you'll note) that worked out really well for them.

I think it's not so much the style of Rugby people are objecting too as the team playing it.

 

[social]

Fair play to Eng- they've got to the final by playing to their strengths

However, if it's not too much to ask, could we please see a decent game of football before the end of the WC

With the exception of the odd game like Fiji-Japan, the games have been truly pathetic and the mistake levels are a sorry indictment on a professional sport

Compare the performances of the past few weeks to that of the OZ league team today - Kangaroo props would rate as skilful backs in union.

Simply amazes me that guys on hundreds of thousands per year cannot catch, pass or have even a basic understanding of attacking play

 

[James]

Major soar grapes here IMO.

England have played to their strengths and good on them. If New Zealand or Australia were playing this way and winning, somehow I doubt people would be saying the same thing.

Its all about winning and nothing more in the knockout stages of a World Cup and England have the experience and the guts to play out of their skins.