Rugby world cup!

pinsman wrote:Well Beale is out for the game... Pockock was awesome and him against Maccaw is going to be epic! I actually can't wait to see this game Maccaw is my hero. By Donald duck do you mean Donald? surely the overseas thing should apply there hes at Bath isn't he???

Wales are a cert for the final now I would think.

McCaw is looking very dodgy for this match and there are strong rumours he won't play - even if he does, his foot injury looks like it is troubling him.

Donald's overseas contract doesn't start until after the World Cup which is why the NZRFU will let him play.

I don't know if I can watch the AB v AUS match - too nervy

Donalds not a bad player at all really, he's still no Dan Carter though... Maccaw is really bad according to radio over here. A screw has come loose in his foot and he's limping everywhere! Such a shame because I would love to see him go at Pockock 100%... I was saying to my mates that if New Zealand loose Carter and Maccaw during the world cup they wouldn't win and it looks to be the case.

I'm starting to think Wales could possibly do this you know, and if they do what a fecking turn around!!! I'll be rooting for them tomoz, as much as it pains me!

pinsman wrote:Donalds not a bad player at all really, he's still no Dan Carter though... Maccaw is really bad according to radio over here. A screw has come loose in his foot and he's limping everywhere! Such a shame because I would love to see him go at Pockock 100%... I was saying to my mates that if New Zealand loose Carter and Maccaw during the world cup they wouldn't win and it looks to be the case.

I'm starting to think Wales could possibly do this you know, and if they do what a fecking turn around!!! I'll be rooting for them tomoz, as much as it pains me!

Where did you here that about Mccaw? That would be a real shame for the tournament if he is to miss the game, but I'm thinking the same as you NZ without Carter and Mccaw are beatable and i really would fancy are chances to beat the Australia in the final.

I'm glad you'll be rooting for Wales, i was talking to a mate yesterday who said he doesn't tihnk many English fans will want us to win. I couldn't really understand it, I mean surely Wales are more likeable than the French?

Fuck me yeah! Rather a taff than a frog! (my nan is welsh too so im not allowed to bad mouth) I would love a NZ v Wales final, but I can see it being Oz V Wales and if it goes that way ill be supporting wales... Great oppertunity for some players to sign off there careers with a winners medal.

Pinsman that made me laugh mate! If there's 1 thing Brits can agree on it's that we don't like the frogs.

I'm actually bricking it for tomorrow, if we win I think the whole of Wales will come to a stop for a full week! Atleast you got a bit of interest in the game even if it is just coz your nan is from Wales?

ANYONE BUT AUSTRALIA



Just could not bare it.

McCaw is playing but under a huge injury cloud. Robbie Deans, who knows him better than most, has said that Richie will be huge and they are expecting a big performance from him.

If NZ win I would prefer to play France in the final and bury the ghosts of 99 and 07 for good (or lose again to another inspired french performance )

I really like Wales and used to be a fan of Jonathan Davies, one of my favourite rugby memories is Paul Thorburns sideline conversion to beat the Aussies in the bronze final at the first World Cup BUT of course, I wouldn't want them to beat the All Blacks. I would support them against Australia if that was the final but there would something galling about having a team who hasn't beaten NZ in over 50 years being called world champions.

GSPfan11, if I remember correctly, when Graham Henry coached Wales he was called the Great Redeemer (??) or something like that. If Gatland wins it, does he become God??

3 out of 4 teams left have NZ coaches - would England ever consider that? They certainly need something....

Roland I hope you fucking die!!!

Crazy to think if hooky hadn't bottled it we'd be going in at HT winning!

Ging I don't think even god can help us now!

Wales were unlucky. If we play like that again in the final we'll get spanked by NZ or Oz!

Well it's safe to say the favourates are going to answer their critics... France were a shower of shit against Wales and deserved to lose. I'm actually really excited to see NZ destroy them in the final!

Wales.... well Sam you got the red nd i'm sorry but rules and rules and you deserved to be sent off, great performance though and gave it there all, very unlucky!

I'd like to congratulate New Zealand on winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

France don't stand a chance.

Wales were absolutely robbed IMO. That was never a red card, a yellow at best. Even with 14 players and without there best players, Wales deserved to win. France might be the worst team to ever reach the world cup final! They were lucky to make it out of there group!

Spear tackle = red card

pinsman wrote:Spear tackle = red card

Bit of a harsh call because he didnt drive him into the ground, when he was in the air he released him... he didnt continue the tackle and drive him into the ground...

Rugby players not allowed to tackle and Boxers being allowed to tackle... strange weekend!

rudeboyben84 wrote:

pinsman wrote:Spear tackle = red card

Bit of a harsh call because he didnt drive him into the ground, when he was in the air he released him... he didnt continue the tackle and drive him into the ground...

Rugby players not allowed to tackle and Boxers being allowed to tackle... strange weekend!

The decision wasn't nearly as ludicrous as the commentary team made out, personally I would have sin binned him but a red card wasn't hugely controversial. He lifted him and turned him the, crucially, let go didn't bring him down in a controlled way. Very, very, foolish tackle

Having calmed down a little bit i can see why the ref gave him a red, but for me the laws need changing as what happened on saturday is not worthy of costing your team a game. A dangerous spear tackle where there is obvious intent to injure a player should always be a red but fuck me to lose the semi final of a WC because of something like that is criminal. As some stupid cow in the pub pointed out we could have lost even if he stayed on the pitch but for me we would have won by 25+ points as France are crap.

Also what the fuck are the powers that be doing letting a referee who's father is French ref a game that France are involved in? I'm not claiming he only showed that red card as he's half french but surely there's a conflict of interest? My grandad is Irish and my mum lives in Dublin so if i was an international ref I highy doubt i'd be aloud to ref an Ireland game! He showed how bad a ref he was by trying to even it up by giving us that penalty with about 5mins to play (halfpenny's miss)

Anyway the final is gona be the most 1 sided final i think the rugby world has ever seen, but it would be so typical of the french to turn up and have the game of there lives.

Unfortuanantly after watching it again I thought it was a red... I've been tackled like that and it can cause serious injury intentional or not. Warbarton just caught the player perfectly in motion and due to the size differences he drove him the wrong way round... letting go of the player is prob worse than placing them down.

At the end of the day he is a 7, the best tackler on the pitch... he should know better than anyone else on the pitch the rules around the tackle area. If it was a winger i'd be like "ok bit of a silly mistake" but a 7... no simpathy.

The ref got it right mate and he had a pretty good game to be fair to him. Look at law 10.4...

New Zealand derserve this world cup they have been the best team in the world for god damn years! Fair fucks to them I say.

As i said i can see why he sent him off but it leaves a sour taste to lose a game like that. Its not as if warburton got any previous for doing things like this. Fair point about him being a 7 and should no better but i stand by what i said and the rules for me need looking at as things like that cost teams games and there really was no intenent to hurt him and he was very unlucky.

Cant agree with the ref having a good game, he gave Wales a few decisions we didnt deserve as i think he was trying to even things up. Fair play its human nature i suppose but France would be livid had they been knocked out of the tournament by that penalty at the end.

Definite red card unfortunately because the rules are very clear on that sort of incident.

As the biggest rugby fan your ever likely to meet, I'm understandably pissed that I'm spending all of Sunday morning doing sentry duty in a fucking Cambridgeshire ditch with the officer training corp.

That's a spear tackle boys, he drove him to the ground.

What Warburton did was dangerous because he didn't bring the player down safely but it wasn't a red card for me.

For you no, for me no, for probably most of the lads on this site no and for pretty much anybody that's every played a game of Rugby no. But we don't matter. For the morons who make the rules it is a red card. The ref had to produce the red. If he hadn't, he'd have been put on the blacklist for a while.

Ye you are right, it's a real shame though that ref has to fuck a teams chances like that because of some dodgy rule.

Congratulations to NZ, at long last. Funny how France's best game of the tournament came in the final, and that's the one they lost. Dusatoir was absolutely magnificent again. Unlucky.

Anfields5thKing wrote:I'd like to congratulate New Zealand on winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

France don't stand a chance.

Well in the end we were highly unlucky, looking at the final. Hopefully we earned a bit of respect with that dominant performance.

New Zealand almost blew it!

credit to France who played well, though i would have liked to have seen Wales in the final.
I watched in a bar full of french expats, great atmosphere ...up until the point where they lost.