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The Occasional RUGBY Thread...

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 6:56 pm
by demolition23
36 days until kick-off!

World rankings as of today:

1) New Zealand
2) Ireland
3) Australia
4) England
5) South Africa
6) Wales
7) France
8) Argentina

It’s hard to pick a winner at this point. The All Blacks remain the favourites (pending tomorrow night’s clash with the Wallabies), but having lost last week, who knows? We’re definitely a little long in the tooth – I didn’t expect Carter, McCaw or Nonu to still be around for this World Cup. The experience is great to have, and they won’t feel a fraction of the pressure they did playing for the title at home in 2011, but the fact remains that we have a good chunk of our team that are clearly past their best. Only thing is, nobody has really stepped up as a clear favourite. Ireland are as high as the rankings as they’ve ever been, and if the Aussies win tomorrow, that will give them a big psychological boost, but I’m not convinced by either yet. As always, if the All Blacks can’t do it, I’d love to see Argentina somehow pull it off.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 6:59 pm
by demolition23
As a side note, tomorrow night’s All Blacks/Wallabies match at Eden Park will likely be the last home Test ever for six of New Zealand’s best. Between them McCaw, Carter, Woodcock, (Conrad) Smith, Nonu and Mealamu have played 668 tests. Remember when 50 was a milestone?! By the end of the Cup they'll have all played at least 90. None have been on the losing side more than 15 times.

Also, if the All Blacks do repeat as Champions, McCaw will surely go out as the greatest international captain ever. He’s already generally considered the greatest All Black ever.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:29 pm
by pieceofme
I figured either me or you were going to start this thread!

I will be going to England to watch the England vs. Australia game! Very excited to say the least!

Really nervous about England's group.

New Zealand are favourites, but not as much as previous tournaments.

What is happening with South Africa! Lost 4 games in a row.

And yeah, I begrudgingly admit McCaw is up there. Didn't realise he was generally considered the greatest All Black ever. Pretty damn impressive!

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 1:21 am
by demolition23
Well, the old boys have some life left in them. Nonu, Carter and C Smith cut the Aussies up tonight. Of course, the Wallabies were tinkering with their lineup a bit so perhaps shouldn't read too much into it. If they were though, giving our guys space to find form may prove costly.
pieceofme wrote:
And yeah, I begrudgingly admit McCaw is up there. Didn't realise he was generally considered the greatest All Black ever. Pretty damn impressive!
The England/Aussie match will be great - that pool is the pool of death and then some.

Nobody doubts McCaw the greatest of my lifetime, and I'm 38.
For me, the guys who come close are Michael Jones (greatest flanker to that point) and Sean Fitzpatrick (greatest captain and most capped All Black to that point). He has outstripped both of them. Most capped test player and captain ever. Dan Carter might have given him a run to his money but has had too many injuries and too much time off.

McCaw is in the conversation for greatest ever.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 5:06 am
by demolition23
I got a little verklempt...
http://youtu.be/5gz1uCfjAi8

Very humble for an athlete of his stature.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 9:05 am
by pieceofme
demolition23 wrote:Well, the old boys have some life left in them. Nonu, Carter and C Smith cut the Aussies up tonight. Of course, the Wallabies were tinkering with their lineup a bit so perhaps shouldn't read too much into it. If they were though, giving our guys space to find form may prove costly.
pieceofme wrote:
And yeah, I begrudgingly admit McCaw is up there. Didn't realise he was generally considered the greatest All Black ever. Pretty damn impressive!
The England/Aussie match will be great - that pool is the pool of death and then some.

Nobody doubts McCaw the greatest of my lifetime, and I'm 38.
For me, the guys who come close are Michael Jones (greatest flanker to that point) and Sean Fitzpatrick (greatest captain and most capped All Black to that point). He has outstripped both of them. Most capped test player and captain ever. Dan Carter might have given him a run to his money but has had too many injuries and too much time off.

McCaw is in the conversation for greatest ever.

Those are two names that I thought would be up there.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:26 pm
by demolition23
pieceofme wrote:
demolition23 wrote:Well, the old boys have some life left in them. Nonu, Carter and C Smith cut the Aussies up tonight. Of course, the Wallabies were tinkering with their lineup a bit so perhaps shouldn't read too much into it. If they were though, giving our guys space to find form may prove costly.
pieceofme wrote:
And yeah, I begrudgingly admit McCaw is up there. Didn't realise he was generally considered the greatest All Black ever. Pretty damn impressive!
The England/Aussie match will be great - that pool is the pool of death and then some.

Nobody doubts McCaw the greatest of my lifetime, and I'm 38.
For me, the guys who come close are Michael Jones (greatest flanker to that point) and Sean Fitzpatrick (greatest captain and most capped All Black to that point). He has outstripped both of them. Most capped test player and captain ever. Dan Carter might have given him a run to his money but has had too many injuries and too much time off.

McCaw is in the conversation for greatest ever.

Those are two names that I thought would be up there.
How old are you? Michael Jones peaked late 80s/ early 90s so predates the pro era and the current wealth of rugby broadcasting. He was, locally at least, considered the best forward in the world in his prime. Religious guy, he didn't play Sundays, but did score the first try in the first two world cups.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 5:41 pm
by pieceofme
demolition23 wrote:
How old are you? Michael Jones peaked late 80s/ early 90s so predates the pro era and the current wealth of rugby broadcasting. He was, locally at least, considered the best forward in the world in his prime. Religious guy, he didn't play Sundays, but did score the first try in the first two world cups.
32. One of my first sporting memories was the rugby world cup 91 when England lost to Australia. :(

I do recognise the name btw.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 8:14 pm
by UtahRatt
ALL BLACKS!


Wonder if it's televised....Must...Find....Out.....

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2015 10:50 pm
by demolition23
UtahRatt wrote:ALL BLACKS!


Wonder if it's televised....Must...Find....Out.....

http://usarugby.org/mens-eagles-news/it ... year-to-go

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 5:46 pm
by BootyDaddy69
Aussies will win it all

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 9:12 pm
by pieceofme
BootyDaddy69 wrote:Aussies will win it all
They won't even make it out of the group stage :wink:

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 6:30 pm
by demolition23
And we're underway! Fiji/Englamd game sounds like it wasn't too much of a spectacle thanks to the ref. Of course, I'm in Mississippi right now. Won't be catching the first couple of rounds.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:12 pm
by pieceofme
demolition23 wrote:And we're underway! Fiji/Englamd game sounds like it wasn't too much of a spectacle thanks to the ref. Of course, I'm in Mississippi right now. Won't be catching the first couple of rounds.
It was a little scrappy and disrupted by constant video reffing. If Fiji has been more clinical in with kicking it would have been closer.

Interestingly this was the lowest point total that Fiji have ever scored against England. I feel bad for them, because they are the 9th ranked team in the world but have us, Australia, and Wales in their group. I think they will cause Wales and Australia some problems.

Mike Brown was easily the best player for England. But in all fairness he has been for a few years now.

We need to get better at the scrum and make smarter decisions to get past Wales and Australia. Happy with the bonus point win which we secured right at the end of the game, but we did look disjointed. I blame world cup nerves. At least I hope that is it!

Btw how easy is New Zealand's group!

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:15 pm
by pieceofme
I just read your first post demolition23and I think it would be good if Argentina won it.

Yeah blah blah we had the Falkland war against them, but when it comes to rugby, I want them to do well.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:18 pm
by pieceofme
I'll we watching as many games as possible. I'll be in England for two weeks of it!

But in Vancouver for the rest of it. It's on TV, but I don't have cable, and the weekday games are when I am at work!

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 4:08 am
by demolition23
pieceofme wrote:
demolition23 wrote:And we're underway! Fiji/Englamd game sounds like it wasn't too much of a spectacle thanks to the ref. Of course, I'm in Mississippi right now. Won't be catching the first couple of rounds.
It was a little scrappy and disrupted by constant video reffing. If Fiji has been more clinical in with kicking it would have been closer.

Interestingly this was the lowest point total that Fiji have ever scored against England. I feel bad for them, because they are the 9th ranked team in the world but have us, Australia, and Wales in their group. I think they will cause Wales and Australia some problems.

Mike Brown was easily the best player for England. But in all fairness he has been for a few years now.

We need to get better at the scrum and make smarter decisions to get past Wales and Australia. Happy with the bonus point win which we secured right at the end of the game, but we did look disjointed. I blame world cup nerves. At least I hope that is it!

Btw how easy is New Zealand's group!
I don't understand the groups at all. I know they were drawn some time ago, but at no point was that English pool not twice as hard as ours. To look at it another way, that pool has three of the five teams to ever beat the All Blacks.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 11:33 am
by pieceofme
Japan wow. Biggest upset in world cup history. Rugby history. Sporting history! It was a great game as well.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 2:10 pm
by demolition23
I just ca, here to say that. Sure, the Springboks aren't great right now, but yeah... Easily the biggest upset in rugby history. And well deserved too - Japan often put up a good fight at the World Cup but never get the results.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 1:35 pm
by demolition23
Pretty amazing to see 89,000 in attendance for an Argentine/NZ match in England. Pretty average performance from that All Blacks, but as is so often the case, they found their stride when they needed to. Now to get through the rest of pool play with no major injuries...

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 5:35 pm
by pieceofme
demolition23 wrote:Pretty amazing to see 89,000 in attendance for an Argentine/NZ match in England. Pretty average performance from that All Blacks, but as is so often the case, they found their stride when they needed to. Now to get through the rest of pool play with no major injuries...
Highest attendance of all time.

Yeah I was hoping for an upset, but I knew the All Blacks would find an extra gear. Good to see Barnes penalising McCaw. That guy gets away with so much crap.

So it will probably be either Ireland or France for you.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 8:06 pm
by demolition23
pieceofme wrote:
demolition23 wrote:Pretty amazing to see 89,000 in attendance for an Argentine/NZ match in England. Pretty average performance from that All Blacks, but as is so often the case, they found their stride when they needed to. Now to get through the rest of pool play with no major injuries...
Highest attendance of all time.

Yeah I was hoping for an upset, but I knew the All Blacks would find an extra gear. Good to see Barnes penalising McCaw. That guy gets away with so much crap.

So it will probably be either Ireland or France for you.
If your loose forwards aren't getting away with murder, they're not great loose forwards. McCaw gets picked up a lot for it though - it's not like refs don't sting him when they see it. That was a silly one too.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 12:43 pm
by demolition23
England/Australia has been a great game so far, but simultaneously shoulder charging and headhunting two guys that didn't have the ball probably just eliminated England from the World Cup.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 12:44 pm
by demolition23
And Japan whips Samoa! I'd love to see them make the quarter finals.

The All Blacks looked awful against Georgia. We're certainly not in Cup-winning form right now, although hopefully we get a relatively easy quarter. Loved the reaction when that Georgian was announced as man of the match.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 9:50 pm
by demolition23
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/arti ... d=11523364

This was stupid yesterday. Today... :wink:

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 3:58 pm
by BootyDaddy69
hahahaha that was funny

I think its going to be Australia v NZ in the final, hopefully the Aussiesget the win, we have been playing great, just hope it continues

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:54 pm
by demolition23
BootyDaddy69 wrote:hahahaha that was funny

I think its going to be Australia v NZ in the final, hopefully the Aussiesget the win, we have been playing great, just hope it continues
Chieka (sp?) is the best coach Australia have had in a while. That seems like the most likely final at this point, although a lot of rugby between now and then!

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 1:37 pm
by BootyDaddy69
Another win for us and apparently that puts us into the easy lane into the finals although there are never any easy games in the World Cup

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 4:51 pm
by demolition23
Good win by Australia, although the glory of fending off Wales with only 13 men is tempered somewhat by the fact that they got down to 13 men.
BootyDaddy69 wrote: there are never any easy games in the World Cup
Well, except for roughly half the pool games.

Re: 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2015 2:35 pm
by BootyDaddy69
demolition23 wrote:
Well, except for roughly half the pool games.
Ask South Africa and England about that


:lol: :lol: :lol: