2015 Rugby World Cup thread

[Locke]

Originally Posted by KiwiFlame

It's pronounced 'Money Bill', mate

Where the hell have you been? This is literally your time to shine.

[undercoverbrother]

I was having my mid-afternoon poo today and was thinking about the NZ v SA game.

I suddenly remembered that there is a Calgary connection in the NZ camp.

Tawer Kerr-Barlow has an uncle here in Calgary. A buddy of mine bumped into him during the winter. He had a bum knee and was visiting them

I remember playing against his uncle years ago.

[Slava]

^ I think he was at a Flames game last winter as well.

[Party Elephant]

Originally Posted by KiwiFlame

It's pronounced 'Money Bill', mate

My first super rugby game people in Wellington were taunting him with "$BW" signs. This was just after he announced he was switching to league.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Slava

^ I think he was at a Flames game last winter as well.

[undercoverbrother]

It is Go Time

[Nyah]

Boks defense was stellar. That was a great game.

[ChuckieNZ]

My nerves are shot. Brutal game, could have gone either way.

[Locke]

That was amazing. What a game of Rugby that was.

Did you see du Preez's face? Thats no 'bruise' I'm betting he fractured his orbital bone or something. It was damned near the size of a Rugby ball.

I dont follow Rugby nuance or intrigue but being able to bring Sonny Bill Williams on 55-60 minutes is an unreal luxury.

The Boks put up a hell of a fight and I think executed their game-plan perfectly, 6 penalties from 6, but you have to score tries and the All Blacks just wont let you.

What a game, both sides having absolutely no regard for their own well being and just throwing themselves into it.

[undercoverbrother]

To very opposite approaches to the game. I hate the way SA play the game, no invention and only live of opposition mistakes.

NZ were creative and dominate in the line out.

I am a Beauden Barrett fan, like SBW, he is a luxury not many teams have on the bench.

Tomorrow will be another cracker!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

To very opposite approaches to the game. I hate the way SA play the game, no invention and only live of opposition mistakes.

NZ were creative and dominate in the line out.

I am a Beauden Barrett fan, like SBW, he is a luxury not many teams have on the bench.

Tomorrow will be another cracker!

I didnt really like the fact that SA werent creative in attack, kicking penalties was pretty much the only weapon in the arsenal.

The All Blacks owned the lineouts but SA was dominant in the scrums and the mauls, they have been all tournament, they excel at moving the opposition.

I just found that New Zealand could come at you in a myriad of ways, they could have their backs attack, they can kick, they can run and if you want to slug it out size for size they can play that game too.

The Boks were just too limited, if Pollard wasnt putting the ball between the uprights the Boks werent generating anything at all.

[KiwiFlame]

Originally Posted by Locke

Where the hell have you been? This is literally your time to shine.

I moved to Cardiff just before the start of the world cup, it's been crazy here man. The Welsh are just as nuts about rugby as they are back home. I'm a stone's throw away from millennium stadium too, the atmosphere on game days has been electric.

Loving seeing thousands of kiwis pour into town for the quarter final and the Georgia match. I actually went to that one so that's my second world cup I've been to now

There were lots of nerves yesterday haha think I'll be backing Argentina today. Who are you all supporting?

[Bagor]

Argies all the way.

Either that or hoping that if the whinging (I know) Aussies get to the final ye boys absolutely humiliate them

[KiwiFlame]

Can't believe Argentina are still in this. Only a try separates them

Their forwards have been dominating, I hope they can pull it off

[adc]

Ugh

Was pretty sure Argentina was going to lose but still sucks to see Australia in the final.

I have respect for the All Blacks but Australia-New Zealand is about the most boring final I think I could imagine.

Go All Blacks I guess as the lesser of two evils.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by adc

Ugh

Was pretty sure Argentina was going to lose but still sucks to see Australia in the final.

I have respect for the All Blacks but Australia-New Zealand is about the most boring final I think I could imagine.

Go All Blacks I guess as the lesser of two evils.

What? Why?

Both NZ and Aus play positive inventive rugby. I feel for the Argies, but there will be more to come from them. Only 2 players in their starting 15 over the age of 30. A great game, much better than yesterday's. Pocock was my man of the match all day long.

The final is going to be a cracker.

[adc]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

What? Why?

Both NZ and Aus play positive inventive rugby. I feel for the Argies, but there will be more to come from them. Only 2 players in their starting 15 over the age of 30. A great game, much better than yesterday's. Pocock was my man of the match all day long.

The final is going to be a cracker.

The game itself will be exciting, although I think the ABs win fairly easily, but from a favorites make it to the final and the same teams making it is boring.

I have seen Australia-New Zealand a ton of times and seen both these teams in the finals a ton as well. I would have preferred seeing an Ireland, South Africa, Wales, Scotland or Argentina in there instead. I think it is more exciting seeing upsets or a unexpected team make it. A chalk final, in almost any sport is boring to me.

Plus I hate Australia and am a little tired of hearing about the All Blacks so my personal bias comes into play here.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by adc

The game itself will be exciting, although I think the ABs win fairly easily, but from a favorites make it to the final and the same teams making it is boring.

I have seen Australia-New Zealand a ton of times and seen both these teams in the finals a ton as well. I would have preferred seeing an Ireland, South Africa, Wales, Scotland or Argentina in there instead. I think it is more exciting seeing upsets or a unexpected team make it. A chalk final, in almost any sport is boring to me.

Plus I hate Australia and am a little tired of hearing about the All Blacks so my personal bias comes into play here.

Fair enough and I am the same way to some extent. That being said I beleuve the two top teams have ended up here.

[adc]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Fair enough and I am the same way to some extent. That being said I beleuve the two top teams have ended up here.

I agree. If you made me bet my life on the final pre-tournament this is the match-up I would have chosen for sure and neither team has shown any reason not to think they are the best throughout the tournament.

[Locke]

The Argies arent one of the big boys yet. They've got a World Class kicker and some inventive strategies but for the most part they are a day late and a dollar short. Close but no cigar.

Three times they came close to the Aussie line, but all three times they were sent back.

I dont think its a coincidence that the teams that could score tries came out as winners.

That being said, what a sloppy, sloppy game. Lots of mistakes, the Argies threw two interceptions in the first two minutes!

As soon as Australia got their discipline under control and stopped giving away kicks to Sanchez they started to move the score-clock.

The Argies loved the little side-to-side fakes but they wanted to play the whole game in the middle of the pitch, any coincidence that three tries were scored from wide areas?

And finally, they werent attacking at pace, they wanted to do the fancy little runs while the Wallabies just went through them.

That being said I was impressed with some of the strategies, notably the Argentinian's ability to dominate the scrums.

But I dont see any aspect of the game that the Aussies are superior to the All Blacks in.

The thing thats really impressed me about the Wallabies was their 'bend but dont break' defence, but man oh man did they look out of gas at the end there. I dont know how much they're going to have left in the tank for the Kiwis.