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Glennsallnighter
09-06-2007, 08:32 AM
With the Rugby World Cup starting tomorrow and with a lot of us from countries with participating in it I thought I'd post up a thread on it. I'll put in the matches of the Group stages, and if anyone wants to post in results, observations, predictions or just comments, please do! The Wackier, the better!

Dates are all in September
Pool A

8th England v USA 5pm
9th SA v Samoa 3pm
12th USA v Tonga 1pm
14th England v SA 8pm
16th Samoa v Tonga 3pm
22nd SA v Tonga 1pm
22nd England v Samoa 3pm
26th Samoa v USA 7pm
28th England v Tonga 8pm
30th SA v USA 7pm

Pool B
8th Australia v Japan 2:45 pm
9th Wales v Canada 1pm
12th Japan v Fiji 5pm
15th Wales v Australia 2pm
16th Fiji v Canada 1pm
20th Wales v Japan 8pm
23rd Australia v Fiji 1:30 pm
25th Canada v Japan 5pm
29th Australia v Canada 2pm
29th Wales v Fiji 4pm



Pool C

8th NZ v Italy 12:45
9 th Scotland v Portugal 3pm
12th Italy v Romania 8pm
15th NZ v Portugal 12pm
18th Scotland v Romania 8pm
19th Italy v Portugal 7pm
23rd Scotland v NZ 7pm
25th Romania v Portugal 4pm
29th NZ v Romania 12pm
29th Scotland v Italy 8pm

Pool D

7th France v Argentina 8pm
9th Ireland v Namibia 7pm
11th Argentina v Georgia 2pm
15th Ireland v Georgia 8pm
16th France v Namibia 8pm
21st Ireland v France 7pm
22nd Argentinav Namibia 8pm
29th Georgia v Namibia 5pm
30th France v Georgia 2pm
30th Irelandv Argentina 4pm


Times are in Irish which is GMT + 1 hour, so the times are really only a rough guide! You'll have to do the Maths yourselves!

As I put in the different nations it just occurred to me how many of our countries are acually represented! And for those who aren't, you can always 'adopt a country' ............Such as Ireland!! :D
Predictions as to the winners and runner -ups (or is it runners up?) are particularly welcome at this stage. So get them in! Now I'm off to buy my shirt! I've seen a particularly nice one to add to the two I already have!!

EasyFeeling
09-06-2007, 09:01 AM
how many of our countries are acually represented

I also thought that but couldn't find Germany. Anyway, I've never heard of a German Rugby team. :wink:

Before I adopt a country please could you post a picture of the team with the best looking players. :twisted:

Glennsallnighter
09-06-2007, 09:03 AM
I'll find an Irish photo as soon as I can :D

Mrs Frey
09-06-2007, 10:17 AM
[quote]
Before I adopt a country please could you post a picture of the team with the best looking players. :twisted:

Now if you're looking for hunky rugby players, EF, look no further than the South African rugby team. My personal favourite (and he's been my fav for a number of years now!) is fullback Percy Montgomery. He has a physique to die for and the looks to match. He is blonde and has green eyes. To give you an idea of what he looks like, he resembles (IMHO) the actor Eric Close, who stars in "Without A Trace". The only difference is, he is more muscular. Okay, perhaps only I can see it, but there you go. :wink: He's a pretty amazing rugby player too! If all goes well, and he plays through the World Cup without injuries, he will better the all-time record for caps in a South African rugby team. He made his Springbok debut in 1997 and he is 33 years old.

Other hunky players to look out for include Jean de Villiers (inside centre), Ruan Pienaar (scrumhalf) and Bob Skinstad (Eighth Man). Jean and Ruan are particularly gifted players too. They're rather like our Glenn :heart: - looks AND talent... :D

Thanks for starting this thread, GA! Great idea. I'm not about to make any predictions, but of course I'd like to see South Africa take the cup again. We last had that honour in 1995, when we hosted the World Cup. We certainly have the players - it's just a matter of them playing as a team, and of course, avoiding injuries, which isn't always easy.

I'd just like to say best of luck to all the teams involved, and may the best team win.

EasyFeeling
09-06-2007, 11:40 AM
I'll find an Irish photo as soon as I can :D

Ok. :D Meanwhile I post photos from players MF likes :wink:

Percy Montgomery... uuuuuuuuuuhh :drool:
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l76/elafo/percy_jack300.jpg

Jean De Villiers :yay:
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l76/elafo/DeVilliersJeanPoseNewJersey07Vbg.jpg

and Bob Skinstad :thumbsup:
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l76/elafo/BOB20SKINSTAD1.jpg

Very cool, MF. :D GA, now it's your turn. :wink:

glenneaglesfan
09-06-2007, 01:38 PM
Great idea for a topic, GA, and for once we can tell our husbands that we are discussing sport! :wink: Thanks for taking the time to post the matches in. And who could fail to support a team called the Eagles!

I'd actually love to see Ireland doing well, but of the Six Nations teams I think France could go the furthest, if they only hold their nerve. Sometimes when it comes to the crunch they come out with an awful game. My loyalties are divided. I should support England, and not much can match the thrill of the last final in 2003, when Jonny Wilkinson and Elton Flatley of Australia were matching kick for kick, until Jonny's triumphant drop goal in the dying moments. England have not really come back from that. My real team is Wales. My dad is Welsh, and my mum, though English, was born in Cardiff. So I'll be supporting Wales, and feeling their pain as ever!

As for good-looking players, I'm totally with you with Percy Montgomery. I must admit having a bit of a thing for Joost van der Westhuizen, but he's retired now. My picks are Jason Robinson for England - just an all round clean living guy with wings on his feet.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c96/Glenneaglesfan/robinson.jpg

The new fly half for Wales, James Hook, is rather nice. He looks better on the field.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c96/Glenneaglesfan/hook.jpg

But my star prize goes to an Italian player, Mirco Bergamasco.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c96/Glenneaglesfan/mirco.jpg

and if you want to see why, click on this link, but not if you are of a nervous disposition!

http://boutique.stade.fr/boutique/fiche_produit.cfm?type=12&ref=ref83&code_lg=lg_fr&pag=1&num=4

Freypower
09-06-2007, 06:54 PM
This is funny. Some of you know how I love rugby league so you'd think I would be a Union fan too, wouldn't you? No, I'm not, and haven't been since the Ella brothers retired. The current team does nothing for me and I don't think they're good enough to win it. My heart will as always be with Ireland and with anyone else, frankly. I think New Zealand will win it.

I do have some favourite rugby players. Rugby LEAGUE players. :twisted:

sodascouts
09-06-2007, 07:21 PM
GEF... that link...

:jawdrop:

Glennsallnighter
09-06-2007, 08:50 PM
Gosh, FP, thats the second world cup this year that you're supporting Ireland in. Thanks so much, even if your head says NZ could win it. Ireland are in a tough enough group. A win over France would boost our chances immensely, but thats very unlikely given that fact that we're playing on French soil. Still the impossible can and does happen, and I'm sure there'll be some surpeises in this world cup too!

GEF! I loved that link! :hilarious:

sodascouts
09-06-2007, 08:53 PM
Apparently the French rugby team does nude calendars EVERY YEAR.

Here's more "revealing" photos of him (warning, bare butt is shown!):

http://blog.livedoor.jp/sakichiga/archives/15257296.html

http://dievxdvstade2005.skyrock.com/pics/78320407.jpg

JoeFan
09-07-2007, 03:33 AM
GULP. That man has one hell of a body. Looked better with dark hair though.

Mrs Frey
09-07-2007, 07:27 AM
Thanks for those pics of some of the Springbok hotties, EF! I've never seen them before, and I especially like the one of Jean de Villiers. I was afraid he would miss some of the World Cup matches, as he got injured recently in a warm-up match against Scotland. Thankfully, he's been given the go-ahead. He's a brilliant player - he doesn't only score tries, he CREATES them. He also has a knack for interceptions. He's very fast for a big man (he's 6 foot 5 and weighs 98kg), powerful and puts in some crunching tackles too. All that and then he's HOT too... :sigh:

GEF, I also had a crush on Joost van der Westhuizen! He does commentary now, so I see and hear him quite regularly on rugby talk shows these days. I think he's hotter now than he used to be, actually... He's married to one of our top female singers, Amor Vittone. Yes, she's a babe. :jealous: I'm glad you also like Percy Montgomery. The pics of the English players you posted look nice! As for that (almost) nude French player... :shock: Nice bod, though! :twisted:

FP, I'm sorry, but I don't know any of the Rugby League players, unfortunately. It's a pity you feel so negatively about your Australian team - I suppose they're not quite the force they used to be, but you never know; they might just have a few surprises in store for us, particularly with it being the last matches that George Gregan and Stephen Larkham will be playing for them, and those players are legendary. Mind you, I think Stephen is quite hunky, too...

GA, my pick from the Irish team will have to be Brian O'Driscoll. Just like Jean de Villiers, he's one of the best centres in world rugby, and he's cute, too!

glenneaglesfan
09-07-2007, 10:11 AM
MF, I'm glad to hear that Joost is still around. They used to have a take on the Nike slogan "Joost Do It"! Bob Skinstad sometimes commentates on Sky Sports, so I have seen him recently.

I had the great privilege of seeing some of these international players at Twickenham, when the Northern hemisphere team took on the South in aid of the Tsunami appeal in 2005. George Gregan captained the South, and with Andrew Mehrtens kicking and Tana Umaga scoring tries everywhere, the North were soundly beaten. Other players there included Lawrence Dallaglio, Chris Paterson of Scotland, David Humphreys and Donncha O'Callaghan of Ireland, and Mirco Bergamasco. :shock: (By the way, although he plays for a French club team, he will be playing for Italy in the World Cup). Sadly, Brian O'Driscoll wasn't there as he was injured - he is a truly inspired player and his presence always seems to lift the Irish team to greater things.

Soda, thanks for those links!! Honestly, I only stumbled on that website while trying to find out about the Stade Francais kit. :D Not only can you order the calendar, but it seems they have dvds of the making of the calendars too! :shock:

glenneaglesfan
09-07-2007, 05:37 PM
Shock result for the first match. France lost to Argentina 12-17. This World Cup could be wide open. Argentina have been gradually improving since the last World Cup, and could be the dark horses.

Glennsallnighter
09-07-2007, 06:33 PM
Shock result for the first match. France lost to Argentina 12-17. This World Cup could be wide open. Argentina have been gradually improving since the last World Cup, and could be the dark horses.

Yes! and if they are we could be the ones taking an early flight home!

glenneaglesfan
09-10-2007, 06:24 PM
Actually, after rewatching the match tonight I think Ireland could beat both of them. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Well, we’ve had the first weekend of the tournament, and so far no surprises apart from France’s defeat to Argentina. The southern hemisphere teams are looking all powerful.

Saturday’s results:
New Zealand 76 – 14 Italy (one try scored by Bergamasco :shock: )
Australia 91 – 3 Japan
England 28- 10 USA (England not looking impressive here)

Sunday’s results:
Wales 42 – 17 Canada (After a slow start, it became a bit of a rout)
South Africa 59 – 7 Samoa (for MF - Percy Montgomery scored 29 of these points!)
Scotland 56 – 10 Portugal ( Portugal have never been in the competition before, and only have one professional player – on Friday they meet New Zealand….)
Ireland 32 – 17 Namibia (Again, a bit of a slow start, but once they got going, looking ok. I think people have underrated Namibia)

Interesting that there was an article in the Sunday Times yesterday about how rugby is appealing to the female audience in France, and that calendar was mentioned! I’ll try and scan the cutting and post it when I get the chance.

Glennsallnighter
09-10-2007, 08:20 PM
Actually, after rewatching the match tonight I think Ireland could beat both of them. I'll keep my fingers crossed.


Ireland 32 – 17 Namibia (Again, a bit of a slow start, but once they got going, looking ok. I think people have underrated Namibia)



After Ireland's performance against Namibia, they would need to improve a lot to beat France and/or Argentina. However I will say I have often seen substandard performances from Ireland in the earlier stages of a competition (such as the 6-nations) change into superb play as the competition progresses. So anything's possible. However Ireland did not play a good second half and if they don't tighten up their defense a more experienced team will walk over them.

Mrs Frey
09-11-2007, 06:57 AM
Sunday’s results:
South Africa 59 – 7 Samoa (for MF - Percy Montgomery scored 29 of these points!)
Ireland 32 – 17 Namibia (Again, a bit of a slow start, but once they got going, looking ok. I think people have underrated Namibia)


Thanks, GEF! I was very proud of the 'Boks (as we call them over here) - they played extremely well, and Percy certainly earned his "Man-of-the-Match" award. His place-kicking rate was over 80%, and his two tries were superb. He was everywhere and coming into the backline continuously. His touch-kicking let him down a bit, but I'm sure he will work on that. He certainly has enough experience.

The 'Boks as a whole missed a few opportunities, but it's still early days, there is room for improvement, and I'm sure that coach Jake White and company will work on the areas that need improvement. Devastating news for the team, and for me too, as I'm a fan, is that Jean de Villiers is injured again (and I feared that it would happen, since Samoa is such an overly physical team), and looks to miss the rest of the tournament. Replacing him is not an easy task, but Francois Steyn looks to be the man for the job. He's still a bit raw, but has loads of potential. Jean is a tough act to follow, though, and I'm bitterly disappointed. He seems to be injury-prone, sadly (see, I don't just like Percy and Jean for their looks! :wink: ).

As for Namibia being underrated, I'm not sure I agree with you there, GEF. I didn't see their match against Ireland, but I've seen them against SA and they are a pretty weak team. Perhaps Ireland also needs to gather some steam before they hit their peak. They have been struggling of late, unfortunately, having lost in Test matches to Argentina and Scotland within the last two months or so. I'm behind Ireland, though - they're a gutsy team and I hope they do well.

glenneaglesfan
09-11-2007, 03:37 PM
MF, sorry to hear about Jean de Villiers' injury, but it sounds as if he has a good replacement. South Africa looked all conquering in their match. Personally, if I have to see a Southern hemisphere team win, I'd like it to be them. Happy memories of 1995, and another amazing final.

GA, I guess the Ireland group is the most contested, as there are three top teams in there. I hadn't quite grasped the 'pool of death' connection. Let's hope the guys rack it up a bit, and France continue to be indecisive.

Glennsallnighter
09-11-2007, 05:11 PM
I'm behind Ireland, though - they're a gutsy team and I hope they do well.

You better be behind Ireland MF!

glenneaglesfan
09-12-2007, 05:07 PM
Italy looked a bit vulnerable tonight against Romania, but came through in the end with a victory 24-18. Italy's kicker, Pez, missed a couple of penalties, and that's where the crunch comes.

Other results: Japan 31 - 35 Fiji. After a promising start, Japan buckled under to Fiji's superior speed and experience.

Sadly, the Eagles :D lost to Tonga 15 - 25.

Mrs Frey
09-13-2007, 06:16 AM
I'm behind Ireland, though - they're a gutsy team and I hope they do well.

You better be behind Ireland MF!

:shock: GA! Do you doubt my loyalty? How do you know me? :wink:

My priorities will always lie with the Springboks, though!

More disappointing news for us South African supporters is that Schalk Burger has been suspended for two matches due to a dangerous tackle. It was originally a four-match suspension, but coach Jake White appealed against the decision. It's still a big blow, considering that we're already minus Jean de Villiers. They're also the only players representing the Western Province, which I support as that's where I live! :(

Glennsallnighter
09-13-2007, 08:28 AM
I'm behind Ireland, though - they're a gutsy team and I hope they do well.

You better be behind Ireland MF!

:shock: GA! Do you doubt my loyalty? How do you know me? :wink:

My priorities will always lie with the Springboks, though!



Of course they will my dear! :D But its always handy to have a 'back up' team!
Of course I don't doubt your loyalty, and you know who's my second favourite!

glenneaglesfan
09-14-2007, 09:32 AM
Crunch time for England tonight! I know you girls will be supporting the Boks, so I'll have to cheer on the underdogs here!

Glennsallnighter
09-15-2007, 01:34 PM
Sorry the match last night was a little one-sided GEF :( . Its Ireland v Georgia tonight!

glenneaglesfan
09-16-2007, 11:50 AM
Ouch, England were completely outclassed. I take some pride in Wales making a bit of a comeback against Australia in the second half, in the end losing 20 - 32, which wasn't such a bad score.

What happened to Ireland against Georgia? :? I missed the match but the score looked scarily close!

Glennsallnighter
09-16-2007, 04:59 PM
Ouch, England were completely outclassed. I take some pride in Wales making a bit of a comeback against Australia in the second half, in the end losing 20 - 32, which wasn't such a bad score.

What happened to Ireland against Georgia? :? I missed the match but the score looked scarily close!

Extremely close and very scary. Everyone here is asking the same question! Georgia to be true have some professionals on their team and looked like they eat their mammy's dinners to this day, so would never have been considered 'walkovers'. With 4 mins to go, the score was 14-10 in favour of Ireland, with Georgia poised to score a try. That they attempted but (luckily for us) it wasn't valid. They were right on the line to score again!! Luckily we survived! At this stage we wouldn't have been able to score again with so little time remaining. I know the adrenaline was pumping through my veins and at least one other Border members during that final phase!
We live to fight France on Friday!

Well done to Wales, GEF, that was quite a respectable score, and of course MF, the boks did themselves proud on a great match on Friday.

Mrs Frey
09-17-2007, 10:25 AM
Georgia to be true have some professionals on their team and looked like they eat their mammy's dinners to this day, so would never have been considered 'walkovers'.

:lol: I really enjoyed that expression, GA!

In all seriousness, I was concerned about Ireland, as they appeared somewhat flat-footed against the hard-tackling Georgians. I was impressed with the latter - they don't appear to be the "minnows" they were four years ago. They play solely with their forwards, which was enough unfortunately to put Ireland completely off their stride. They needed to spread the ball wide more often - it was the only way to deal with Georgia's devastating, "in-your-face" tackling. They scored a try as soon as they did so. They need to look at alternate game plans to deal with teams like Georgia. They were one-dimensional, I'm sorry to say.

As for the Springboks, I couldn't be more proud of them! No penalties against them, great defence, great forward play and great backline play! The complete package! I hope they can keep up this quality of rugby. GEF, I'm sorry for your part, though, that England was so poor. True, the Springboks didn't give them much of a chance to flourish, and one only plays as well as one's opponents allow one to, but they were, like Ireland, one-dimensional.

Freypower
09-17-2007, 08:07 PM
Can I add that Australia as usual have been less than convincing. 91-8 against Japan or whatever the score was isn't convincing.

Someone said they didn't go one day since the tournament started before they heard the word 'minnow'. Funny - it isn't used at all in the real World Cup. :twisted:

Mrs Frey
09-18-2007, 09:42 AM
FP, I still think the Australian team will surprise you. England are the World Champs and yet lost so badly against South Africa. I will never write the Aussies off. They're still competitive.

Glennsallnighter
09-21-2007, 08:05 PM
Well need I say anything? Ireland 3 France 25. We have a mathematical possibility of moving into the next round, but unless we beat Argentina convincingly it'll be the plane home for our lads next weekend :(

Good luck to SA who play Samoa tomorrow.

Also to Namibia who play Argentina tomorrow as well. Namibia could do us a favour here :wink:

Or is it later today?

glenneaglesfan
09-29-2007, 01:18 PM
What an up and down weekend so far. Wales came back from certain defeat in the first half of their match against Fiji, only to lose in the last few minutes. :(

England have at least managed to scrape into the quarter final after a good match against Samoa.

GA, I'll be gunning for Ireland tomorrow, but they haven't given us much confidence so far.

glenneaglesfan
09-30-2007, 01:02 PM
Commiserations to Ireland, who just got beaten by a better pack in the end. Scotland won't stand a chance in the quarter finals.

England, Scotland and France through from the Northern Hemisphere. Let's hope they keep up the spirit!

Glennsallnighter
09-30-2007, 04:53 PM
Well, sadly GEF, you were right. Argentina were certainly the better team on the day. So we bow out gracefully! :(

I suppose of the Northern Hemisphere teams France probably stand the best chance of progressing furthest!

Me? I'm changing my allegience to.......South Africa! :D

Mrs Frey
10-03-2007, 05:34 AM
I was disappointed at the way Ireland lost to Argentina (and the way they've played in this whole tournament so far). They are a much better team than that - I've witnessed them giving the Springboks many headaches over the years. However, with their pivot, flyhalf Ronan O'Gara in poor form, one cannot expect the team to fire. Most teams rely heavily on their flyhalf (especially New Zealand) - he dictates whether there will be any kind of backline play or not. Because of Ronan's poor form, he made poor decisions, kicking the ball away instead of retaining possession, and his kicking (place kicking and territorial) also left a lot to be desired. As a result, poor Brian O'Driscoll couldn't get going either.

I'm just happy that the Springboks are still in with a fighting chance. They didn't play as well as they could have against the USA - too many missed opportunities and loose play against a team nowhere near their league - but hopefully they will learn from their mistakes and play to their potential from here on in.

Glennsallnighter
10-03-2007, 05:35 PM
I totally agree MF! The only consolation we can take from the group stages is that we were the only team to score tries against Argentina (Brian O'Driscoll and Geordan Murphy). It didn't help either that we were in a 'Group of Death' with both France and Argentina seeded ahead of us. That said, we underperformed and cannot make any other excuses.

glenneaglesfan
10-06-2007, 11:41 AM
Wow - England were 50 to 1 to win their quarter final against Australia, and they did it!! 12 - 10.

They went in fighting in the first half, with good possesion and rucking, winning two penalties. Andy Gomersall and Mike Catt were firing at scrum half and fly half; Paul Sackey was ready on the wing and only just missed a try. The England forwards totally dominated in the scrum, and for most of the match, they were deserving to win. Jonny Wilkinson missed a couple of penalties, as did Berrick Barnes for Australia, but in the end it was the result we hoped for.

France v New Zealand tonight! Wouldn't it be great if France won?

Freypower
10-06-2007, 11:21 PM
Well, well. GEF, you must be happy! Both Australia and New Zealand lost! I'm secretly relieved because Australians can be so obnoxious about this sort of stuff, especially when it comes to England. Perhaps some of our more jingoistic types may realise that England's World Cup win was not a fluke after all.

And as my husband constantly reminds me, Australia is highly unlikely ever to win the REAL World Cup. I'm going with Argentina now.

glenneaglesfan
10-07-2007, 05:24 AM
Yes, FP, I'm delighted about England, and completely amazed about the All Blacks going down as well. Now if Fiji could spring a surprise against South Africa (sorry MF and GA :twisted: ), we could have the most remarkable semi-finals in the history of the tournament!

Mrs Frey
10-08-2007, 08:13 AM
Well, I must say I was very surprised that England pulled it off against Australia. I couldn't watch the match, but I believe they were far more impressive in that match than they were in the Pool game against South Africa, in which they were just plain awful (sorry, GEF :( ).

FP, I must say I felt sorry for Australia - George Gregan and Stephen Larkham deserved a better send-off than that, but from here on in Australia are going to have to think about strengthening their tight five. They have been getting away with it up until now, but the run has finally ended. England, however, rely heavily on their forwards, with not much of a backline to speak of.

I was also surprised that France pulled it off against New Zealand, although I thought it possible as they've done it before. They certainly are determined enough, being the hosts of this World Cup.

As for South Africa against Fiji, I was not particularly impressed with my team. Granted, Fiji was better than people expected, tackling well and giving South Africa nothing, but our guys need to learn to do FIRST TIME tackles. They let Fiji get away with a lot, and had us all sweating profusely at times.

On paper, South Africa is good enough to beat any team in this competition, as they have it all: great forwards, a great backline and great goalkickers (Francois Steyn is blossoming alongside the reliable and excellent Percy Montgomery). They just need to believe in themselves and put it together.

glenneaglesfan
10-13-2007, 05:19 PM
Good grief! Beyond all expectations they are through to the FINALS

Sorry to France, but that first breakaway try was superb!

South Africa v Argentina next

Freypower
10-13-2007, 10:44 PM
Even my husband raised a smile.

By the way:

What's the difference between a teabag and the All Blacks?
The teabag stays in the cup longer.

And yes I know you could say that for the Wallabies too but NZ are even more humiliated by their exit than we are.

glenneaglesfan
10-14-2007, 02:58 PM
Good one, Fp! I had to switch the telly on this morning to see if I'd dreamed about the match result last night!

Glennsallnighter
10-14-2007, 05:05 PM
Well done to the Boks MF. Hopefully we are in for a good final next weekend and a closer match than the group stages match.

JoeFan
10-14-2007, 05:14 PM
I don't even like rugby, but even I am excited, good show England!

Glennsallnighter
10-21-2007, 05:07 AM
Well Done to
SOUTH AFRICA

The Springboks are now the
:yay: :yay: :yay: RUGBY WORLD CHAMPIONS :yay: :yay: :yay:

MF! You must be delighted. Enjoy the celebrations.
Cape Town has been renamed 'Partytown'

Comiserations of course to England who it must be said played a lot better than the (tryless) 15-6 scoreline suggested, and put up a gallant defence of their crown. They were very unfortunate in having a try disallowed early in the second half. IMHO it looked perfectly legal to me!

And GEF, to be runners up in such a hard fought competition is no mean feat!

Freypower
10-22-2007, 12:13 AM
Congratulations to South Africa but I thought that no try was a try too. Did you see Princes William & Harry's faces? :shock:

Mrs Frey
10-22-2007, 01:34 AM
WOO HOO HOO!!! THE BOKS ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!!!

Wow, I am so happy for them - they really deserve it after all they've been through during the last four years.

Thanks for the congratulations, GA and FP. I must, however, disagree with you both over that disallowed try. When a player's foot touches the line while the ball is in hand, the try cannot be given. The player's foot was certainly in touch, as all replays proved. In fact, I was doubtful of the validity of the try before I saw any replays. Danie Rossouw did brilliantly to put in that try-saving tackle.

The match may not have been "grand stand rugby", but cautiousness is to be understood in the context of the game. In a must-win situation, the Boks weren't taking any chances playing New Zealand-style attacking rugby. They did what they had to do against a one-dimensional England team, who were relying only on their forwards and Jonny Wilkinson. England defended brilliantly, however, and tested Percy Montgomery with the high ball, but Percy was magnificent, as he's been all tournament, and his kicking was deadly accurate.

Unlike England, South Africa's was a team effort, with the defense being almost impenetrable (except for the slip that nearly resulted in a try). A special mention has to go to Francois Steyn for his monstrous 50m penalty, as well as his brilliant break which left poor old Mike Catt stranded. A local headline read "Catt runs out of lives". LOL! Well, that was youth versus experience, and youth won the day.

Okay, I will stop gloating now :wink:. I must say that England was MUCH improved from the pool match in which South Africa white-washed them, but there were a lot of positives for them coming from the Final. However, they will have to start building a new young team for the future if they wish to continue being competitive.

Glennsallnighter
10-22-2007, 03:38 AM
Oh you have every right to gloat MF! :D And enjoy every minute of it. Today is your day on this thread.

As regards the match not being 'grand stand rugby' I think your comments are perfectly valid. I also think that many finals in many sports are played like this. Quite honestly both teams (or players in individual sports) realise how high the stakes are, and are reluctant to take the risks they might do in less important matches. That said SA were in control from the start, and never allowed England to go ahead.

Again Well Done
South Africa

glenneaglesfan
10-22-2007, 04:34 AM
Congratulations to South Africa!! I thought it was a good game - pretty evenly matched in the end. Jonny's magic boot was just not working for him, but I'm proud of how England has developed through the tournament, and to reach the final was an awesome achievement on the back of several dismal years. We need some bright new young players now.