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Exile
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:10 am Post subject: Rugby World Cup 2007 |
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It didn't have a thread and we're almost at the final! I know it's not the most popular sport out there on this site but still it's a big event and now England are actually in the final I have a good enough cause to make this thread I suppose.
It's been a pretty crazy run for my nation's team as they were thrashed in the opener against the South African team then went on to beat a much fancied Australian team and the the host nation France just last night in a tense, nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat kind of finish to the game.
There have been plenty of upsets not least the two mentioned with regards to England but also France beating the favourites to set up that semi-final clash, the All Blacks (New Zealand for the uncertain). Now Argentina are going to go up against the South African team and are looking to join the list of teams to overturn the odds and reach the final to play England. I hope they do almost because England lining up against South Africa again after getting thrashed by them once already isn't the most enticing idea for me but still I think if it did happen again the game would be way closer since the England team have really built up to playing much better.
If they could repeat as champions that would be an amazing feat after being so written off not just abroad but in our own press and media outlets too. I hope they can do it but I won't hold my breath, it almost seems like too much to ask to see them upset three teams in a row.
I'll likely try and watch the Argentina against South Africa game later tonight if I can but I may be out and about, it kicks off at 8.00PM GMT so if you get the chance I advise you give it a watch, it should be a tough hitting game considering the teams involved. _________________
Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day. |
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Fundertaker
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:21 am Post subject: |
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Since New Zealand was eliminated, South Africa is now my pick to win the cup. Of course, England has Johny Wilkinson so that makes them an instant danger.
BTW, not to sound too much of a patriot (not that there's something wrong about it), but Portugal had the Cinderella story in this one, being this the first time we ever qualified for the World Cup and being the only truly amateur team of the tournament. Of course we were squashed left and right by mostly everyone, but we played with all of our pride and the players became almost instant celebrities, with some already signing with professional teams. _________________ Tinto: Kicking Asses is our Speciality
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Exile
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:24 am Post subject: |
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Yeah Rugby isn't to huge across continental Europe really so it's nice to see teams like Portugal getting involved, it's a great sport to watch if you ask me, I love the physicality of the game and players like Jason Robinson are amazing to watch as they burst through tackles with those runs they make. _________________
Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day. |
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zincbrain
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:30 am Post subject: |
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I honestly think that the match could go either way but I say 65% in favor of England though South Africa has the top scorer so far. _________________ "An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind" Mohandis K Gandhi
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Goldy
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:52 am Post subject: |
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Ireland never turned up for the Rugby World Cup......*cough*.......they were terrible throughout and in the warm-up matches before the tournament began!
South Africa 'should' win.......then again just about everyone thought New Zealand were going to have this in the bag!
I will be watching the Final tomorrow night. |
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Falcon Critical
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 3:56 am Post subject: |
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I'm a kiwi and yep the nation is pretty gutted that we lost and so early in the cup too... then again its a habit of the All Blacks, we play awesome throughout the 4 years between world cups then make stupid errors and get knocked out in the World Cup itself.
This year we were eliminated in the quarter finals, which is the earliest exit from a world cup for our nation EVER. That's pretty impressive really, but yeh I'm more into the football myself. That's a positive of us losing the rugger, people will come home and watch the footy instead and we can get the world's sport to take off in our nation, after numerous stunted attempts. _________________
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Acheron
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 4:39 am Post subject: |
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I was rooting for the All-Blacks and I was shocked and sad to see them lose. I'm new to the sport, I just started playing for my schools Club, and they were my favorite team. Part of their Haka is used in my war quotes right now.
Predictions and hopes? I think South Africa will beat Argentina, fairly soundly. I want England to win though, over South Africa. I just think the locals in England would party better if they won than the locals in South Africa and with as much as I know about the two teams and the game that's enough for me to make my decision. |
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Falcon Critical
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:35 am Post subject: |
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Ermm... predictions and hopes? The final was this morning, South Africa beat England 15-6. I'm happy with that because after both NZ and Aussie got KOed early on, it was nice to see one of the tri-nations teams get through and win to keep some respect down here in the southern hemisphere XD
Plus we can't have England winning twice in a row >.> _________________
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Exile
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:51 am Post subject: |
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Things were so nearly different after that great Tait run through the South African defence and Cueto's almost try. We'll be watching that replay for ages a lot of people still aren't convinced by the decision I think because his foot kicked upwards as it reached the line.
For a team that was written off at the beginning of the tournament England played brilliantly in the games that mattered, they were thrashed 36-0 by South Africa in the first game some time ago so just look at how they turned things around to make it to a final and lose 15-6 (a scoreline that probably doesn't quite justify how tight the game was in that it could have gone either way up until about the 75th minute).
I was sad to see Jason Robinson have to leave the final with an injury, he has been my favourite player for a long time, I love his running. Mind you his replacement did play well and Robbo had been a bit quiet, he was injured early in the tournament too so maybe that played in a little bit, I don't know. Regardless of the loss the team will be welcomed back to England with a big reception of proud fans, they are still heroes in the media and among the fans. Unlike our shitty football team. _________________
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Goldy
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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I still think it was a try.....before the ball was grounded his foot was on the ground but his foot kicked up before it crossed then he grounded the ball.....it was a tough call but i think the video ref called touch because his toe touched the line before it was kicked up.....hard call. |
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Futch
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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I'm just happy Argentina nailed France... there was so much trash talk before the game you wouldn't even believe it! _________________ DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! |
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Falcon Critical
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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Soo... what's worse - losing because of a should have been try being disallowed, or losing due to a blatant forward pass.
France have played badly the whole competition and apart from that win over NZ never really looked like they were up to scratch. The Pumas beat em easily in the 3rd/4th playoff, its only ol' NZ cracking under pressure that lost to them.
Its a trait of NZ rugby really, we have the skills and the depth of players - but what's missing is the passion. In all honesty if we played France in a friendly tomorrow, we'd smash them easily by 40+ points... but if we played them tomorrow in a world cup elimination match, it would be a 50/50 match that could go either way. Teams like France and England have the PASSION to pick themselves up and play out of their skins when it matters, NZ is totally passionless, all the fans just expect to win and this rubs off on the players, which leaves them unsure of what to do when they're losing like they were to France.
Its something we'll have to address, because otherwise we're never going to win a world cup. There are nay-sayers going around now saying that the All Blacks need to start playing rugby like we saw in the final, all defense and penalties - a forward pack hard slogger. If that does happen its going to be a blow to rugby fandom to be sure - I mean does anyone remember the football world cup a few years ago when Brazil played dull and sensible football? People watch teams like Brazil and the All Blacks to see flair and running and the kind of players one dreams of being like. _________________
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eXistence of Fly
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 3:23 am Post subject: |
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Falcon Critical wrote: |
Soo... what's worse - losing because of a should have been try being disallowed, or losing due to a blatant forward pass.
France have played badly the whole competition and apart from that win over NZ never really looked like they were up to scratch. The Pumas beat em easily in the 3rd/4th playoff, its only ol' NZ cracking under pressure that lost to them.
Its a trait of NZ rugby really, we have the skills and the depth of players - but what's missing is the passion. In all honesty if we played France in a friendly tomorrow, we'd smash them easily by 40+ points... but if we played them tomorrow in a world cup elimination match, it would be a 50/50 match that could go either way. Teams like France and England have the PASSION to pick themselves up and play out of their skins when it matters, NZ is totally passionless, all the fans just expect to win and this rubs off on the players, which leaves them unsure of what to do when they're losing like they were to France.
Its something we'll have to address, because otherwise we're never going to win a world cup. There are nay-sayers going around now saying that the All Blacks need to start playing rugby like we saw in the final, all defense and penalties - a forward pack hard slogger. If that does happen its going to be a blow to rugby fandom to be sure - I mean does anyone remember the football world cup a few years ago when Brazil played dull and sensible football? People watch teams like Brazil and the All Blacks to see flair and running and the kind of players one dreams of being like. |
The All Blacks aren't the only ones, the Wallabies are a bit like that in really the only close games we have where it comes down to "do we really want it" comes down the minimal tourneys (such as the Tri Nations) and we flunk it big on the large scale as soon as it comes to that. (case in point the England game, really we had everything but the desire to stick it up them which we should have had considering the history) I think it's rather humorous that as soon as the Wallabies returned home all this talk about "oh they failed because of this, that, whatever, you're getting fired, so are you so are you and dammit I'm just angsty and maaaad!" was thrown around. If you rebuild from scratch, fail once are you always going to them lop off appendages until you get some sort of Frankenstein?
Really I've always liked the Springbox, and I just can't like the kiwis since it's an Aussie thing, :P so it was good to see that they won it eventually, since to me they play a far more enjoyable brand than England do. _________________
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