Rolling Rugby Thread

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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Of course (you missed the first two tests, we acclimatised gradually to the tense nature of it all! At the end of the second test, I was laid out on the floor in nervous exhaustion - most nerve-shredding game since Pretoria 2009... Well, actually, there was that matter of a 2011 WC semi-final, forgot about that momentarily.) I didn't mean the atmosphere for me, rather the atmosphere among the players at 80 minutes. It was so strange, unlike anything I've seen - almost silence. Personally I shared that feeling a little despite the previous excitement - I would have preferred extra time to get a winner. I wanted the excitement to continue...

As if in the numerous football World Cup finals, they'd just gone - well, no winner after 90, I guess that means we just share the trophy, eh? A nice touch in terms of sportsmanship/mutual respect, but I felt a bit shortchanged.
 
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craner

Beast of Burden
OK, yeah, fair enough. Technical rugby aside, it seemed like a superb occasion to me. And a big achievement, really, for the Lions.

Jon Davies getting Lions Player of the Tournament was really sweet, because we've always valued him in Wales. Seems like the Welsh boys put a good stint in during this tour.
 
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craner

Beast of Burden
WC Semi in 2011 is still the greatest lost moment in Welsh Rugby history. They would not have beaten the All Blacks, but, boy, did they deserve to be in that final. And missed it, with one man down, by a rare Halfpenny 20cm wide long kick.
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
craner said:
OK, yeah, fair enough. Technical rugby aside, it seemed like a superb occasion to me. And a big achievement, really, for the Lions.

Jon Davies getting Lions Player of the Tournament was really sweet, because we've always valued him in Wales. Seems like the Welsh boys put a good stint in during this tour.
Click to expand...

He deserved it, true class player. The only other candidate was Itoje, who was disadvantaged by not starting in the first test. He'll be one of the best British players ever if he continues as he's going - titanic in the last two tests.

Warburton did very well as captain, but Liam Williams doesn't have the all-round game to be a full back (though he's a great attacking player) - Halfpenny can count himself unlucky. Faletau was decent but not at his very best, surprisingly cos he's a big game player. Brilliant, brilliant try in the second test though - he's a better finisher than most of the Lions' backs division.

And we could see a fourth test (of sorts) in November - Lions under Barbarian colours as a kind of homage to 1973, so some suggest.

The WC semi is still traumatic. As you say, they should have won it. Bizarrely France pulled off a similar self-sabotaging trick in the final, when they could've/should've won themselves.
 
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craner

Beast of Burden
Wales vs Scotland was hilarious.

Humiliation for Scotland on a scale to compare to Wales vs England at the last World Cup, if not Brazil vs Germany at Brazil's ridiculous football fiesta!

Most of Wales best players out of action, yet the patched together team demolished a much-feted Scottish side. Back to school Rob Roys!
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Craner, Luka....anyone watching Australia-Ireland?
After a fallow period, seems like international rugby is coming back to life. Australia and South Africa much, much better than they have been recently, even though that's not necessarily saying that much.
I continue to be impressed by this Irish team, though on the fence as to whether there's any chance of them unseating the ABs in the 2019 WC.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
i was working. nz could very well lose the next world cup (probably not to the irish though they underperfom on that stage) but i dont like the focus on the world cup at all. devalues test matches too much.

i'm out of touch with nz rugby. last time ive had a good look was the lions tour which went much the way i expected it to. it was the weakest nz side in a long time and i doubt theyve improved at all since then, the competition on the other hand (england in particular) as gone backwards so the gap is as large as ever.

the one game i did get to see was france vs nz in the under 20s and france absolutely demolished them with brutal forawrd power. scrums were as one sided as any ive seen.
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Certainly wasn't my intention to over-prioritise the World Cup - in fact while watching IRE-AUS I was thinking about the different cultures of rugby and football, and the way in which the Test Match series concept gives life to fixtures that in football are just dreary pointless friendlies. As in cricket I suppose? The intensity of 3-5 matches against the same opponent - seems very primal. To me, Lions' tours will always >>> the World Cup (the idea that they might have cancelled them after 2017 is mindboggling).

For the good of the game, I'd like to see Ireland win some series in the SH and close the gap with NZ. This series vs Australia has showed how far they have to go, but the decider will likely be a thriller

I saw highlights of the U20s after you flagged it on Facebook. Odd to see the All Blacks suffering that much
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Rugby World Cup predictions, please.

Mine: Japan's victory over Ireland won't herald a shift in the game, and they may well end up being shafted at the pool stage again due to the bonus point farce.

England vs New Zealand and Australia (or Wales, but probably Australia not to tempt fate) vs SA in the semis, leading to the nightmare scenario of a possible post-Brexit England victory on November 2.

I'm just supporting NZ so that doesn't happen.

Also: many, many more tacklegate controversies that threaten to consume the actual rugby. Owen Farrell to lose his entire nose.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
England Wales NZ all in with a shout. SA a lot of pundits favourites but I dunno. Haven't managed to catch any matches yet. I'd be happy to see Wales do it. Gatland has performed miracles in his time there. NZ are flakier than they've been in almost twenty years.
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Massively pleased with the win today, but it ended up being poor ball retention on Australia's part that won it for Wales. Poor kicking by both sides at the end too.

From Wales' point of view, avoiding the All Blacks til the final was the most important. Job done, excluding a massive shock. Tho equally I don't see that team beating SA without a significant shoring up of intermittently poor decision making (poor kicks into open field, mostly)

I'd say Australia might have a chance if they could keep the ball better. Their backs look electric, esp Kerevi. But I would back England (presuming that's the QF) to grind them down and not give them the chances Wales did today; they have a very good record vs Aus in big games as well of course. forgetting 2015 when they were execrable all round.
 
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IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
I hope Wales win really. My great aunt is a huge fan and basically she's 80 something now and has cancer and has been told she has about six months to live so I'd be glad for her to go out with a bang kinda thing.
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I'm really sorry to hear about your great aunt. It would be lovely for her to be able to see a Welsh win.

After 2011, maybe Wales are overdue a final appearance, at the least.
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Playing the World Cup at the end of typhoon season doesn't seem like a great idea right now....Brexit levels of planning
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
I don't follow this properly but am I right in saying that cos of the typhoon they simply cancelled some games and... did what? Awarded them to the higher ranked team or something? Is that really what happened? That's fucking ridiculous if so.
 
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