Rugby: All rugby discussion

[member 305909]

Argentina gave France a fright but France pulled through.

Routine win for Australia against Fiji.

Pool B is settled after one match.

 

[Morozov]

Argentina gave France a fright but France pulled through.

Routine win for Australia against Fiji.

Pool B is settled after one match.

The ref pulled France through.

"routine win" is a pretty generous description of that Aussie victory.

Sadly we are already seeing so much poor refereeing.

Most importantly though, I'll take that AB's win thanks, but Garces is f***ing horrible.

 

[Morozov]

Expected much more from England given we keep getting told they're a threat to win the tournament.

 

[Kiwi]

Expected much more from England given we keep getting told they're a threat to win the tournament.

It's still early in the tournament and you don't want to be playing your best yet

I went to the All Blacks Tonga and Namibia games at the last world cup and they were bloody awful but they built as the tournament went on and won reasonably comfortably

 

[Morozov]

It's still early in the tournament and you don't want to be playing your best yet

I went to the All Blacks Tonga and Namibia games at the last world cup and they were bloody awful but they built as the tournament went on and won reasonably comfortably

Eh I'm not buying that. We didn't need to play our best Rugby against Tonga a couple of weeks back and look what we did do them. We had a first five on debut for half the game, rookie wingers, guys like Crotty coming back from injury and it was a stroll. Tonga are woeful and England limped their way to a bonus point against them. If they're as good as some make them out to be, they should have given them a comprehensive belting. But they didn't, and even the English media have quickly identified how poor that performance from them was. 77 minutes to get the bonus point against Tonga that isn't good enough.

 

[Kiwi]

Eh I'm not buying that. We didn't need to play our best Rugby against Tonga a couple of weeks back and look what we did do them. We had a first five on debut for half the game, rookie wingers, guys like Crotty coming back from injury and it was a stroll. Tonga are woeful and England limped their way to a bonus point against them. If they're as good as some make them out to be, they should have given them a comprehensive belting. But they didn't, and even the English media have quickly identified how poor that performance from them was.

Tonga in a warm up game weeks before the world cup even starts and these tier two team in the world cup with all eyes on them are two completely different animals, Japan vs South Africa last world cup jumps to mind about how those teams climb a level

What England does now means absolutely nothing, how there playing in a few weeks time when the quarters start is when the tournament starts getting decided, England will be a very difficult out later in the tournament

 

[Morozov]

Tonga in a warm up game weeks before the world cup even starts and these tier two team in the world cup with all eyes on them are two completely different animals, Japan vs South Africa last world cup jumps to mind about how those teams climb a level

What England does now means absolutely nothing, how there playing in a few weeks time when the quarters start is when the tournament starts getting decided, England will be a very difficult out later in the tournament

It really isn't that different though. You don't think Tonga elevate for playing against the All Blacks in a crowd full of Tongan's just a short drive from South Auckland lol? of course they do. How many tiers of elevation do you think a poor team like Tonga has? they simply aren't a very good team.

You shouldn't need to be at your best to run over these teams. England are all talk as is the norm. Did you watch the game? Tonga looked gassed super early and England were not good. New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland would have blown them away. They were lucky to even get a bonus point, their ball handling was dreadful. Holding onto the ball, especially against a rubbish team, is something a good team will consistently do, it's a fundamental thing not something that "comes right later in the tournament".

 

[I am not exposed]

Argentina gave France a fright but France pulled through.

Routine win for Australia against Fiji.

Pool B is settled after one match.

The All Blacks are pretty much guaranteed a semi spot. They will most likely play Scotland in the quarters. Whilst South Africa will play Ireland! The All Blacks winning that game against South Africa was huge, as it is a far easier route.

 

[Morozov]

The All Blacks are pretty much guaranteed a semi spot. They will most likely play Scotland in the quarters. Whilst South Africa will play Ireland! The All Blacks winning that game against South Africa was huge, as it is a far easier route.

The All Blacks now don't play for 10 days and really they won't play a game that is anything close to competitive until the semi-final, it's the easy path but it's going to be a long stretch of not getting pushed much at all.

 

[Kiwi]

It really isn't that different though. You don't think Tonga elevate for playing against the All Blacks in a crowd full of Tongan's just a short drive from South Auckland lol? of course they do. How many tiers of elevation do you think a poor team like Tonga has? they simply aren't a very good team.

You shouldn't need to be at your best to run over these teams. England are all talk as is the norm. Did you watch the game? Tonga looked gassed super early and England were not good. New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland would have blown them away. They were lucky to even get a bonus point, their ball handling was dreadful. Holding onto the ball, especially against a rubbish team, is something a good team will consistently do, it's a fundamental thing not something that "comes right later in the tournament".

That game meant nothing, do you think the Tongans were going to put your bodies on the line weeks before the world cup against a vastly better team on there home ground? Yeah that's a big no

England won't run teams over like us, that's not how they play and they don't have the players to do that like we do

What they do have is a world class, large pack of forwards, a set piece and inside backs that can keep the ball in front of them and kick goals

You can win like that and whilst we beat South Africa we showed some weaknesses against that type of game and have done over the last 18 months

 

[Morozov]

That game meant nothing, do you think the Tongans were going to put your bodies on the line weeks before the world cup against a vastly better team on there home ground? Yeah that's a big no

England won't run teams over like us, that's not how they play and they don't have the players to do that like we do

What they do have is a world class, large pack of forwards, a set piece and inside backs that can keep the ball in front of them and kick goals

You can win like that and whilst we beat South Africa we showed some weaknesses against that type of game and have done over the last 18 months

Yes, have you met a Tongan person? down the road from South Auckland is basically a home ground for them too. Tongan's don't hold back lol, it's body on the line at any opportunity. I've never played with a Tongan in over 30 years of playing who didn't want to hammer someone anytime they took the field.

Except they do have backs capable of running up scores. What stops them doing that is having a horrible, slow, sluggish game where they couldn't hold the ball. Again, did you watch the game because when I asked there was no answer? they have the players that they shouldn't need to wait until the 77th minute for an individual spark to secure a bonus point against a team that is ranked lower than the USA. Did you watch the Six Nations this year? 57 points on Italy, 44 points on France, they can score points.

Their pack of "large" forwards is overrated and ultimately done very little. Feel free to continue to talk them up though, but again I'm not buying it. Poor performance from a team that is meant to be a threat but didn't look it at all and evidently even their own fans and media agree that they weren't good enough.

If we limp through like that and barely get a bonus point against a team ranked that lowly we won't be happy either.

 

[Kiwi]

Yes, have you met a Tongan person? down the road from South Auckland is basically a home ground for them too. Tongan's don't hold back lol, it's body on the line at any opportunity. I've never played with a Tongan in over 30 years of playing who didn't want to hammer someone anytime they took the field.

Except they do have backs capable of running up scores. What stops them doing that is having a horrible, slow, sluggish game where they couldn't hold the ball. Again, did you watch the game because when I asked there was no answer? they have the players that they shouldn't need to wait until the 77th minute for an individual spark to secure a bonus point against a team that is ranked lower than the USA. Did you watch the Six Nations this year? 57 points on Italy, 44 points on France, they can score points.

Their pack of "large" forwards is overrated and ultimately done very little. Feel free to continue to talk them up though, but again I'm not buying it. Poor performance from a team that is meant to be a threat but didn't look it at all and evidently even their own fans and media agree that they weren't good enough.

If we limp through like that and barely get a bonus point against a team ranked that lowly we won't be happy either.

Can you live in New Zealand and not meet a Tongan person? Of course I've meet and played rugby with people of Tongan decent and I also know that them getting there ass handed to them by us before the RWC even starts is in no way any indication of anything

It was a nothing game

Yes I watched England just like I've watched the All Blacks and anybody thinking there not going to be a tough nut to crack is out of there mind

The amount of confidence your displaying is quite frankly astonishing, our set piece looked bloody poor against South Africa and us living off scraps and counterattacking is fine but I've got doubts England will be stupid enough to help us out like the SA did

England is a major threat

 

[Morozov]

Can you live in New Zealand and not meet a Tongan person? Of course I've meet and played rugby with people of Tongan decent and I also know that them getting there ass handed to them by us before the RWC even starts is in no way any indication of anything

It was a nothing game

Yes I watched England just like I've watched the All Blacks and anybody thinking there not going to be a tough nut to crack is out of there mind

The amount of confidence your displaying is quite frankly astonishing, our set piece looked bloody poor against South Africa and us living off scraps and counterattacking is fine but I've got doubts England will be stupid enough to help us out like the SA did

England is a major threat

Then you'd know that Tongan's don't go into a physical contest half assed and it's body on the line at all times.

Tell that to the waves of Tongan fans who were around for the game that it was nothing.

Not really seeing the maths here if you're saying you watched the six nations but you're saying England don't have the firepower to light a team up even though they lit better teams up in the six nations? There's a difference between not having the players to do it and not being able to do it.

Why wouldn't I be confident we're the best team, we just beat the team who is our biggest threat. They're the clear tournament favourites at every betting agency for a reason.

Just like they were last time huh lol. They won like half their games in 2018, they weren't the best team in the six nations, they aren't a major anything. They didn't look good enough in the Six Nations for me to see them as a major threat and they don't have the tournament pedigree to get any extra benefit.

There's two major threats, us and South Africa. Those are the only teams I'm entertaining. Loosely Ireland because the style of game they're capable of playing and the belief they have helps potentially put them up a level.

England will need to worry about France and Argentina and taking a big step up from their last game before I entertain them doing anything.

 

[member 305909]

I guess there is no such fear in rugby as in soccer that they would make the mistake of expanding the world cup to include more teams. 20 teams is absolutely maximum as half of the matches are blowouts.

Wales started today and expectedly beat Georgia.

I must say Georgia is the strangest country in international rugby. I wonder what the history of introducing the game there is.

 

[I am not exposed]

I guess there is no such fear in rugby as in soccer that they would make the mistake of expanding the world cup to include more teams. 20 teams is absolutely maximum as half of the matches are blowouts.

Wales started today and expectedly beat Georgia.

I must say Georgia is the strangest country in international rugby. I wonder what the history of introducing the game there is.

 

[member 305909]

Thanks mate. That was awesome!

 

[I am not exposed]

Thanks mate. That was awesome!

No worries. There is a video for every single team in this years world cup! Worth checking out. The only misstep is when he does a musical one for Samoa!

 

[Siamese Dream]

England are not winning this and the almost football-esque levels of overconfidence on display from some of the former player turned pundits in the media is laughable

Give them a better 9 and a real 7 and they'd be a realistic contender. The other thing is now the world cup is here and people still can't decide whether Eddie is right to go with Ford/Farrell at 10 and 12 with Manu outside them or take Ford out and put Slade in, or which position Elliot Daly should play

 

[Siamese Dream]

I'm usually the first to complain when they hand out soft reds for whatever strict liability offence they decide to enforce every other year, but that 2nd Samoa yellow card just has to be a red. They say the Russia player slightly dipped down but it wasn't even close to not being to the head. Hopefully they don't bottle a decision like that in a big game.

 

[member 305909]

Samoa beats Russia 34-19. It's a good result. I have a feeling that rugby is a bigger thing in Samoa than it is in Russia.

 

[I am not exposed]

Samoa beats Russia 34-19. It's a good result. I have a feeling that rugby is a bigger thing in Samoa than it is in Russia.

34-9.

The recent story of Samoan rugby is very sad.

 

[Kiwi]

Samoa beats Russia 34-19. It's a good result. I have a feeling that rugby is a bigger thing in Samoa than it is in Russia.

Russia is a great place to play, it's not a big sport but the Russians involved were passionate about the game and it did seem to be growing

Although that was largely being driven by expats, the locals did seem to be developing an interest in the game when i was over there

 

[flyingkiwi]

34-9.

The recent story of Samoan rugby is very sad.

Absolutely. Pretty tough to see the game still somewhat limping in the Pacific despite how much they love it.
I'm cheering for Tonga this year as an old mate has made the team, gotta love growing up in South Auckland. Sadly another one didn't make the Samoan team. I was really hoping they'd do a little more damage against England. Cheering for Tonga like crazy among a crowd of English supporters in an Irish pub in France was an interesting experience.

In other news we have our first upset with Uruguay taking down Fiji. Shows you need excellent goal kicking to get anywhere.

 

[Morozov]

Fiji looked so good for a lot of the Aussie game too.

 

[ecemleafs]

i could watch rugby nonstop for years and still not understand what is a penalty and what isnt.