The Rugby Thread

[Paddingtonwolf]

Just a little. Especially for Carling and Andrew.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Maybe the margin a touch flattering in the end but the right team won. Brilliant tournament.

 

[Dinowolf]

Brilliant final. Best since 2003

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Well. Now it is done, time for some thoughts.

Choice of stadiums. At first I was really pissed at things like ignoring Welford Road to get a few thousand more in at the King Power, but overall the crowds filled the joints, and the atmosphere was excellent throughout

The matches - very very few abject slaughters like we have seen before. Tier two is improving and by 2019 I expect it to be even closer. Some awesome contests and a lot of free-flowing rugby to admire

The officiating - a couple of wrong calls for sure, and Joubert really did drop a clanger, but I felt overall it was fair, just and seemed to have the aim of allowing attacking rugby.

Organisation - pretty much perfect from start to finish. Well done to the organising committee for delivering a superlative tournament and festival of rugby.

The champions - New Zealand worthy worthy champions and a pleasure to watch them.

Match of the tournament - four candidates for me: South Africa v Wales, Australia v Wales, Scotland v Australia and South Africa v Japan. I will go for South Africa v Japan. A magnificent moment in world rugby.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Brilliant final. Best since 2003

Miles better. Only final that compares is 1987

 

[arklowolf]

Yep two great teams. With the kiwis the worthy winners

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Surprised you overlooked England vs Wales mate. A Herculean effort in the face of some appalling luck with injuries. Wrong result for me on a personal level but a compelling match and a great story.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I thought I would be taking the piss to put that one in. Make it five matches then!

 

[leedswolf]

I didn't watch the final, but I am happy that Australia were beaten.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Maybe the margin a touch flattering in the end but the right team won. Brilliant tournament.

Margin only that great as Aus threw caution to the wind at the end in an attempt to claw their way back in for the second time. Probably about right difference without the last try.

A deserving final for what has been a well organised tournament

 

[Dinowolf]

Brilliant final. Best since 2003

Sorry Paddy, I was being a WUM there.

This is the best final I can remember, and I agree about the game of the tournament being SA v Japan.

 

[leedswolf]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ru...ague-convert-hide-rugby-union-s-failings.html

 

[ROVERT47]

That's how it's appeared to me too, Andy Farrell massive League player who converted has also been a victim of the sniping.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ru...ague-convert-hide-rugby-union-s-failings.html

Load of shit, I read a couple of rugby forums and the almost complete feeling of English fans is that Burgess is a promising player who should never have been there as he wasnt ready and was extremely badly managed by Lancaster, none of them blamed Burgess for England's failures.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

That's how it's appeared to me too, Andy Farrell massive League player who converted has also been a victim of the sniping.

Nowt to do with Rugby League more to do with the fact that his son has been played ahead of better players in the teams he coaches, plus he doesnt bring much as a coach, specialises in defence but England have been pretty poor defensively.

Rugby League fans the Sports fan who suffers from "small man syndrome" always looking to pick a fight so that they can shout about how great their sport is, and cant understand that the game they love and cherish nobody gives a fuck about once you get out of sight of the M62.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

The Irish were singing 'fields of athenrye' in Cardiff at a game they weren't playing in. Nothing was said.

Fields of Athenry sentimental balls of a shit song

Swing Low even shittier song

 

[Donegal Wolf]

Sam Warburton looks at that and thinks "cheers Alain Roland".

Nope Warburton has told Rolland since that it was the correct decision, if Warburton had held on to the winger instead of completely dropping him, he would have got a yellow instead of red, unfortunate victim of the WR edict at the time to referees.

As for the tournament itself brilliantly hosted by England, I had my misgivings as well about some of the football venues but the way it was marketed and organised was a credit to RFU. Probably the best tournament ever, although the fact we could see all the games at a reasonable time (for instance I doubt many would have seen the SA/Japan game if it was in NZ at 4am) and the good weather helped.

This New Zealand must go down as possibly the greatest ever, losing 3 matches in 4 years and has 2 of the all-time greats in McCaw and Carter, will be interesting to see who they will rebuild when these 2, Nonu, Keino, Conrad Smith (vastly underrated due to the stars around him) etc go over the next 12 months, no doubt the replacements will be good but hard to see how they will match these. I think the list of games the Wallabies had (Fiji, England, Wales, Scotland & Argentina) eventually caught up with them a bit.

Agree about best final and game of the tournament is SA/Japan

 

[ROVERT47]

Nowt to do with Rugby League more to do with the fact that his son has been played ahead of better players in the teams he coaches, plus he doesnt bring much as a coach, specialises in defence but England have been pretty poor defensively.

Rugby League fans the Sports fan who suffers from "small man syndrome" always looking to pick a fight so that they can shout about how great their sport is, and cant understand that the game they love and cherish nobody gives a $#@! about once you get out of sight of the M62.

You're a fan and I agree there's no problem with the majority of fans accepting players from League, far fitter for a start off, the problem lies with Will Carlings 'old farts' I'm afraid.

 

[leedswolf]

Nowt to do with Rugby League more to do with the fact that his son has been played ahead of better players in the teams he coaches, plus he doesnt bring much as a coach, specialises in defence but England have been pretty poor defensively.

Rugby League fans the Sports fan who suffers from "small man syndrome" always looking to pick a fight so that they can shout about how great their sport is, and cant understand that the game they love and cherish nobody gives a fuck about once you get out of sight of the M62.

Awwwww, bless.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

Your a fan and I agree there's no problem with the majority of fans accepting players from League, far fitter for a start off, the problem lies with Will Carlings 'old farts' I'm afraid.

Oh there are old farts there of course as well, I agree with you there but thats the same in every sport.

Just get the impression that if somebody with RL connections moves to RU and gets critisised then the assumption is that its due to his roots when its not. Problem is now a lot of RL coaches have made a handy living from RU as defensive experts based virtually on the back of what Shaun Edwards did and I don't think many Farrell included (with the exception of Mike Ford) actually bring a lot to it, its highlighted now as the game seems to be moving on a bit, away from the defensive side as well.