Argentina v South Africa
England v France
C'mon Argentina or South Africa.
A nation in depresssion.
Hmmm that would hurt if Australia was still in it, but you aren't so its bearable.
Might be worse to learn that I'm English, though![]()
mac nerds talking about rugby, like any of you have a clue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(i hope to be a demi god one day, but i have to leave my computer from time to time to play footy)
I actually thought NZ played really well. The match stats demonstrate that - 70-something percent possession, territory, they won about 50% of France's own lineouts. It's just a shame there were so many injuries and penalties, and I'm sure I don't need to mention the referee. Who, incidentally, will NOT be refereeing any more matches in this tournament it was announced today. The IRB appears to have reviewed the poor chap's performance and have apologetically defended their decision to field him on the virtue of the game between the AB's and Italy which he also ref'd. It really should've been the TMO, Chris White, on the field that day. He might be a bit of a whistle blower, but he's fair. The main problem I saw with the All Blacks performance was the way they handled the last few minutes of the game. McAlister's drop goal attempt at 50 metres was really a massive error of judgment. They had the possession and drive to push the ball up to at least 35 metres where he would've had a much greater chance of slotting one over. But drop goal tactics don't come naturally to NZ teams - Daniel Carter for example has only ever slotted one drop goal in test rugby! But alas, the All Blacks will now be suffering for the next few years, since almost half the 1st-15 team are leaving for European club teams. This means they are no longer eligible to play for the All Blacks.It's definitely been an interesting weekend!
NZ were completely out of sorts - and out of kit, that gray thing wouldn't exactly scare anyone - and seem to have thought all they needed to do to get through is turn up... and you can't do that against France. They may not be the counter attacking genius of a couple of years ago, but they will always prove a surprise... good or bad.
This game was nearly physically painful to watch. How many handling errors can one team make in 80 minutes? That's what Australia seemed to try to find out! But it is concerning that England never looked even remotely close to getting under the posts for a try. Pivoting the whole tactical angle on the boot of Jonny could bring about a similar downfall to the AB's try scoring obsession. (An obsession we love though).The England/Australia game was intense. Watched it with a big group of mates in what has to have been the only pub in SW London which wasn't 90% Australian, although heading to the Walkabout in Wimbledon afterwards was a little tempting. It was a masterclass in scrumming, despite the ref's stupid calls against us. Andrew Sheridan is a legend. Hard fought and played with heart, leaving the Aussies only jibes about not scoring any tries. Yawn.
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But alas, the All Blacks will now be suffering for the next few years, since almost half the 1st-15 team are leaving for European club teams. This means they are no longer eligible to play for the All Blacks.
Seems a short-sighted and silly stance to me, especially in the professional era... I'm not sure if other unions have the same policy but other sports would suffer tremendously if they adopted similar policies.
Do you know what the justification is for this?
They played well for any other team, but not to All Black standards... the rest of the world has higher expectations of themI actually thought NZ played really well.... <snip>
This game was nearly physically painful to watch. How many handling errors can one team make in 80 minutes? That's what Australia seemed to try to find out! But it is concerning that England never looked even remotely close to getting under the posts for a try. Pivoting the whole tactical angle on the boot of Jonny could bring about a similar downfall to the AB's try scoring obsession. (An obsession we love though).
rtjstevens said:2. Ikea is opening a new range from Europe in Oz today. It's green and gold in colour and is sold 'flat pack' for convenience!
Whats flat pack supposed to refer to? Sorry, Im slow today.
NZ joke:
What the difference between NZ and Viagra?
At least Viagra gets you to a semi.
Think about it.........Now it's your turn as I'm not sure I understand your joke. How does viagra get you to a semi(final)
RTJ
rtjstevens said:Ikea furniture is usually sold in flat-packs - i.e you have to assemble it yourself. The joke refers to the way the Ozzie pack was flattened....
Now it's your turn as I'm not sure I understand your joke. How does viagra get you to a semi(final)?
BW
RTJ
Urghh - just got back in from celebrating England's win. Bad head, but great result.![]()