Rugby World Cup

What a cracking game today; by Wales that is. It's nice to get one over on the Irish Team after they have broken our hearts so many times in so many competitions. Well done to the whole Team!!! :icon_razz::icon_razz::icon_razz:

As for England and France - a really poor game with low standards and not much cohesion at all in the English side. At least the English could have injured a few of the key French players for us!

Can't wait for next Saturday - imagine...... Wales in the semi's!!!!
 
The Wales side are working very hard & playing very well. If they can continue in that vein they could very well be lifting the WC in a couple of weeks.

England, woeful yesterday. They tried to play the game and failed.
 
I expect Wales to beat France, and I would give them a real chance of beating any other team in the final including New zealand, they dont look the same team without Carter, the semi final is the first time New Zealand have played a real game, wouldn't be surprised if Australia turned them over, my tip before the World cup began, as I said in a earlier post regarding England, there's not much about that team if you were honest you would expect that team to be broken up and totally rebuilt, you need better halfbacks, inside centre is a big problem for England, your backrow is mediocre, if you are to make the most of Tualagi you need a better 12 to make him less predictable, or from now on he will be a big target by the oppistion, England also need a southern hemisphere coach, Martin Johnson was a great player but tactically England look clueless once a team match them up front as did France, that's where the Southern Hemisphere coach would put greater emphasis and detail into the England backline, even since England won the world cup the game as moved on faster with different laws ball in play for greater periods of time than ever before, the international backrow in the top internaional teams now are skillfull full of running and have the handling skills of halfbacks, England must be brave and go into the six nations with a different set of players and a different game plan.

Jamie.
 
Australia were fortuitous against SA and you're doing Argentina a complete diservice to to say the AB's haven't played a real game, did you actually watch it? The AB's only pulled clear in the last quarter when the Argies tired and got the wrong end of some decisions, up until then it was pretty tight and brutal and that semi will be a question of who has recovered best. AB's by a nose I suspect. Wales are naturally favourites for the other semi but I'd expect whoever comes through the other semi to beat Wales or France.

The game hasn't changed that much has it? Back row are still basically ball winners, spoilers as well as support players and yes you need to be quick but you still require a platform to function and England seemed to have neither in the scrum or lineout for whatever reason.
It's terribly easy to pick over the carcass of a failed campaign and believe that an almost complete change is required, it rarely if ever works but Shawn Edwards is very welcome.
 
I think if you look back Tony at some of my earlier observations you will see that i'm hardly picking over the carcass, I am trying to be as unbias and fairly constructive as possible really, I think you will find that when England finish thier enquiry into their failure at the world cup, it will be a case of not just tactics but the squad team and coaching staff will all be found wanting, the backrow as no real balance, Steve Thompson should not have even been considered, Johnny Wilkinson is yesterdays man, Foden not reliable enough for international rugby Mike Tindall, well when you look at the creativity Flutey brings at 12 then it makes you wonder how on earth Tindall got the job, there's enough quality young English players in the Avvia premiership to make england a force come the next world cup, but not if they decide to stick with Martin Johnson as a coach and a 10 man game they have played since Johnson as been there then it will just prolong the enevitable.

Jamie
 
Forecasting in sport is a bit pointless. And it's silly to talk teams up or down in the early stages of cup competitions. I'd be shattered if England had lost the way Wales did today. France won because they took their chances, didn't make mistakes when it mattered and showed more discipline.

Australia to beat New Zealand tomorrow?

The winners? Surely France will run out of luck. So it's southern hemisphere. On the other hand...
 
Strangely enough, the referee was correct in his decision - reading the rules and the instructions to referees, there ought to be a red card every game (and that's not sarcasm - it's pretty much dictated by the rules). The events of today stood out not because that referee was unduly harsh but rather because almost all of his colleagues are (according to the rules) far too lenient. Having said that, I think the way the rules are written is daft. Of course dangerous tackles must be discouraged, but, if all referees applied the rule correctly, you'd have games with 14 playing 14 or 13 on a regular basis, and players would be making powder puff tackles for fear of being red carded.
 
Eh? What happened to...

pugh-the-special-one said:
You must never look back in sport or life, and think what or maybe, you cannot re-write history take it on the chin and move on.
Click to expand...

Chris, I agree. I immediately thought that it was a dangerous tackle by Warburton when I watched it in real time, couldn't bear hearing the commentators saying the ref had ruined the game. He hadn't, on the contrary it ruined Wales's chances but it made for a compelling match and arguably Wales really should have won with a man down. I actually think Union should take a leaf out League's book and reduce the number of players to 14 or even 13, defenses are too good and players are ultra fit. Lose the fullback, No. 8 or both, scrums can be contested with 6 men as a flankers go to No.8 and the backline, open the game up a bit.
 
You're right I meant to say I disagree.

If the ref's don't take it too literally they'll have to stop the game anyway to allow for medical attention, after a few sendings off the players will soon learn.
 
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