Rugby Union World Cup 2011: NZ Sept & Oct

[Chip and Chase]

It was all over as soon as the kick off sailed wide. Disappointing.

 

[ssar]

Goodbye Wallabies for another RWC, unfortunately.
We were lucky to beat the Springboks in the QF, and hardly made any honest claim to a win in that SF.
All-Blacks too good, too strong, scrummaged well, lifted for the occasion, caught & kicked well, competed in the lineouts well, defended well - deserved Finalists.
The Irish & Springboks will be reflecting on the past fortnight and thinking they would have put in better performances than the Wallabies sadly.
Go All-Blacks now I guess, can't barrack for the French!

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Quad Cooper, what a player

He only plays well under Ewan McKenzie. What a masterstroke by john O'Neill to sign robbie Deans for another 2 years before the world cup.

Deans must be paid even more by the new Zealand rugby union than we are paying him

Deans is still considered a super coach over here, plenty of people around Canterbury still support the Wallabies 4 years on because he is there

All Blacks were bloody clinical last night, an impressive team effort other than the showpony in the 22 shirt. Dagg is a superstar, and Cory Jane is probably my favorite rugby player and he had a blinder. Brad Thorn is a machine, still going strong at 36

 

[tookey]

Dean' record with the crusaders is phenominal but his record with us has been inconsistant.

We win one game then lose one and never seem to be building up momentum. Our loss to samoa before the world cup showed we were not going to win it.

Mackenzie is our best provincial coach by a mile and should have been given a chance now if we didn't win the world cup. New Zealand would never reappoint a coach before the world cup as results determine if they are kept on.

Not sure if Deans' heart is still in New Zealand but we have only won i think 3 games againts NZ since he has been coach. A very ordinary record.

NZ played really well last night and deserved their victory. Our forwards were totally domintated and Cooper was a lost cause before he ran onto the field.

I cannot understand our tactics in the last 15-20 minutes when the coach should have given instructions to run the ball and yet all we did was play into NZ hands by continually kicking the ball back to them in their 20 metre.

The final will be an anti climax as Wales would have given NZ a real run for their money. France will be lucky to get within 15 points of NZ

 

[Chip and Chase]

Israel Dagg carved us up last night, quality No 15 that boy. A RWC title is about the only thing that has eluded Brad Thorn in his football career, he's done just about everything else in both codes. Good luck to him, he's perfomed at the highest level for years now and will go down as one of the all time greats IMO.

Wallabies were pretty ordinary last night, got smashed at the break down and just made plain bad decisions with the ball. Coopers kick choice was poor again. Anyway we probably lasted a week longer than we were entitled to, but nonetheless a pretty insipid display. At least die trying and run the farkin ball, Ioane and O'Connor made ground when they got the ball in a bit of space, but we insisted on trying inside balls through the middle too much. Also Genia spent too much time running sideways and cramping outside men.

The All Blacks will be thinking about the 1999 RWC Semi Final where everything bounced the way of the French and they choked on another one.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

I couldn't believe Deans was reappointed prior to the cup, especially on his results the past few years. There would have been outrage here if Henry was extended prior to the Cup

Are quite a few blokes I would be really happy for if they do get up on sunday. Thorn is quality all round and thoroughly deserves it, just like McCaw. Dagg getting this after beating cancer would also be a nice story as well

The biggest difference between this version of the All Blacks and all the previous versions, is the ability to completely change their game. In the past, it has been toss the ball around no matter what, in the knockout stages of this the game plan has completely changed into the grinding, knockout style game and it has paid dividends

I would love to see them go back to the open style and unleash Dagg, Jane, Nonu and co this weekend but doubt they will

 

[ssar]

France played suprisingly great rugby in that final standing up well to their opponents, was a pretty intense 2nd half.
Congratz All Blacks, thought they'd win by a big margin, well done to France who can hold thier heads high.

 

[Chip and Chase]

Good on the French for taking it to the All Blacks. Ended up feeling a bit sorry for them because they got no favours from the ref, seriously didn't see McCaw roll away from one tackle all night. At least the French threw it around and played the more entertaining game. All Blacks certainly didn't dominate, may not have even been the best side on the night.

 

[Cameron]

Amazing scenes post game good on them they finally got the monkey off their back.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Well done to the Frogs for coming with a different gameplan and having a real crack at it

All Blacks defence was massive all night, defended their way to victory and did it well, pretty impressive feat to win with the 4th string number 10 on the park for most of the match

 

[Garts]

I cant believe I had to resort to cheering on the bloody French. They did bloody well from the bits I watched, I thought they would get spanked. I was hoping the choke was coming on once more then only to be disappointed. Oh well, they had to win it at some point, good to see they can only do it at home

 

[tookey]

Well done to the Frogs for coming with a different gameplan and having a real crack at it

All Blacks defence was massive all night, defended their way to victory and did it well, pretty impressive feat to win with the 4th string number 10 on the park for most of the match

And without any meaningfull input from SBW either. When he fell off the tackle late in the game I had vision SBW missed tackle cost the kiwis the world cup.

He can now add world cup winner to his CV and watch him go to the highest bidder now.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

The boys were cracking up at me when $BW hit the paddock because I was going off, especially with him coming on in the midfield

Fresh off the bench and all he could do was miss a basic tackle

Can't wait for the announcement he is buggering off

I'm sure the McCaw "I'm absolutely shagged" line will go down in folklore now

 

[Chip and Chase]

He shouldn't be tired, with the amount of lying around at the back of the French ruck he did he should be well rested.

I was hoping that SBW would drop another shouder charge on a Frog at the end there to give away the penalty to cost them the game.

 

[tookey]

Full credit to Henry who originally wanted SBW to come to union in NZ and then when he found out that he wasn't as good as his press made him out to be out him rightfully put him on the bench.

I am sure SBW would have made his feelings known about being on the bench but Henry stuck to his guns and has been proven correct.

 

[Cameron]

pains me to say this but what a great deserving victory to the all blacks.

I have to say Mccaw seems like a really good bloke.

I have to say rugby has improved as a specticle i intended on watching a few more reds games next year

 

[Matabele]

I have to say rugby has improved as a specticle i intended on watching a few more reds games next year

I disagree. The standard of games at this RWC were rubbish. Super 14 is better, but until they get rid of the tedious nature of the stoppages the game is turgid. 20 years ago scrums were packed in seconds and line outs not much longer. It might be time to stop lifting in the line-out, get rid of the touch, crouch, pause, engage nonsense and bring back proper rucking. McCaw would have been much more shagged if he'd been slippered the way we could ten years ago. Anyone sealing off the rucks like he did would have been treated without mercy.

 

[Garts]

I have to say rugby has improved as a specticle i intended on watching a few more reds games next year

I disagree. The standard of games at this RWC were rubbish. Super 14 is better, but until they get rid of the tedious nature of the stoppages the game is turgid. 20 years ago scrums were packed in seconds and line outs not much longer. It might be time to stop lifting in the line-out, get rid of the touch, crouch, pause, engage nonsense and bring back proper rucking. McCaw would have been much more shagged if he'd been slippered the way we could ten years ago. Anyone sealing off the rucks like he did would have been treated without mercy.

Agree 100%. I love my Rugby although unfortunately my interest in the international game is slipping away.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

French up to their old tricks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQkwYfqDnU

 

[tookey]

Lucky for Mccaw they didn't use all their bag of tricks on him otherwise he would have had his balls squeezed, spat on and his head kicked as well. They went soft on him.

Richard Loe and troy Flavell must have a bit of french in them as well.