Pool C - Australia, Ireland, Italy, Russia, United States

[centurymaker]

Good suggestion in the Dom Post this morning. Take the teams that finish 3/4 in the group stages and let them have their own knock-out "Shield" competition. You've brought these smaller teams all the way over here, why not? Reckon you'd get a full house for a Shield final.

Would give the little teams a bit more to play for in the last couple of round robin games. 5th placed team goes home.

agree.
someone suggested that in The Telegraph aswell.

 

[Somerset]

Good suggestion in the Dom Post this morning. Take the teams that finish 3/4 in the group stages and let them have their own knock-out "Shield" competition. You've brought these smaller teams all the way over here, why not? Reckon you'd get a full house for a Shield final.

Would give the little teams a bit more to play for in the last couple of round robin games. 5th placed team goes home.

I quite like that idea. Even if you took just the teams that finished third in each pool and had them play off, it'd still raise some interest. Theres relatively large gaps between the knockout matches so you could schedule those matches in those gaps without any clashes.

 

[Hurricane]

Good suggestion in the Dom Post this morning. Take the teams that finish 3/4 in the group stages and let them have their own knock-out "Shield" competition. You've brought these smaller teams all the way over here, why not? Reckon you'd get a full house for a Shield final.

Would give the little teams a bit more to play for in the last couple of round robin games. 5th placed team goes home.

Two thumbs up

 

[TT Boy]

No Pocock for the Aussies. Ireland have a chance.

 

[BoyBrumby]

No Pocock for the Aussies. Ireland have a chance.

Feck. A zip for me dream team then.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Beale looks like a *** case with that tache. Magnificent grab off his own garryowen tho.

The early ambition from the Micks was nice, but the execution was awful. Passing and handling was dire.

Hadn't realised Moore was out too; my dream team is buggered this round.

 

[Athlai]

Awesome pressure from the Irish.

 

[BoyBrumby]

You worry ***ton's misses will hurt Ireland in the second half.

Wobblies went in at 6-6 v Johnny Eyetie last week too.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Thought Oz had a scrum now?

Pitiful effort from their tight five.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Thought Oz had a scrum now?

Pitiful effort from their tight five.

I liked how they got away with one of the most skewed put-ins I've ever seen and they still ended up giving away a penalty. We really need to invent a new sport so Australia have something they can be good at again.

 

[Athlai]

Someone to make a gif of Cooper passing behind his back and the intercept that followed it.

Well done IRELAND!!!

 

[BoyBrumby]

Great result for us, tbf. Moves Australia into the same half of the draw as NZ & SA.

Probable QF v France and SF v Wales or Ireland.

 

[weeman27bob]

Great result for us, tbf. Moves Australia into the same half of the draw as NZ & SA.

Probable QF v France and SF v Wales or Ireland.

Means that there can only be one of Australia, NZ and SA in the final then?

 

[Somerset]

Awesome performance from the Irish forward pack. Scrum always had the potential to undo Australia and whilst they got away with it last week against Italy, that was their downfall this evening. Certainly Australia looked a bit directionless without Moore and Pocock, their two best and in form forwards IMO. This also completely opens the draw up for England and Ireland now - those two teams, all other things going to plan, could meet in a semi-final, with Australia vs South Africa in a quarter! Winner of that to face New Zealand - not sure if thats a good outcome for us or not yet.

 

[Hurricane]

Thought Ireland won it at the breakdown. Australia barely competed there all night. Absence of Pocock was significant.

 

[Somerset]

Means that there can only be one of Australia, NZ and SA in the final then?

Thats the way I read the draw, yup. Basically guarantees a NH team in the final (unless Samoa go on a rampage against NH sides).

 

[Somerset]

Thought Ireland won it at the breakdown. Australia barely competed there all night. Absence of Pocock was significant.

Yup they definitely had the upper hand at the breakdown. I hardly noticed McCalman at openside, whereas Pocock's constantly slowing down ball and winning turnovers for his side. Samo also was really quiet - a shadow of the storming performance he had against us in Brisbane.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Means that there can only be one of Australia, NZ and SA in the final then?

Well, unless NZ or SA lose one of their group games.

NZ v France not an absolute given. Les Bleus won in Dunedin in 2009.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Yea mentioned the probable draw in he knockout thread... of course if this were a football World Cup England would manage to somehow **** things up and end up in the half with South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

 

[Hurricane]

Well, unless NZ or SA lose one of their group games.

NZ v France not an absolute given. Les Bleus won in Dunedin in 2009.

I fear France in a knock out game but not in the group stage. When their back is against the wall they are incredible.