2015 Rugby World Cup

[JackRabbitSlims]

your forwards need to have pretty damn good ball handling skills as well

looks like Stu Barnes agrees with me: -
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11533993

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Jeez - what a titanic battle!!

Pretty happy the All Blacks make the final, but could have gone either way with 10mins to go.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Jeez - what a titanic battle!!

Pretty happy the All Blacks make the final, but could have gone either way with 10mins to go.

Pretty good from a neutrals perspective, but felt that after the turnover inside the 22 then the lost line out from the boks the all blacks were in control. I think if south Africa's line out had been cleaner (the first one inside the 22) then Lambie could have gone for a drop goal as it wasn't particularly difficult. Would've made for a very interesting last 10 minutes.

 

[Brullnux]

Looking forward to Australia vs Argentina tomorrow... Come on Los Pumas!!!

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

great game!!

Amazing defence from the Aussie's and Pocock was on another level.
4 try's to none but I loved the way the Puma's never gave up.

Word number 1 team to play world number 2 team in the WC Final!

 

[Brullnux]

I feel Pocock is wasted at 8, he is a natural 7. Although I guess this is the best possible way for Australia to go forward, they have no better No. 8, a very good 6 in Fardy and another fantastic 7 in Hooper. I suppose moving Hooper at 6 might be possible. Good stuff from Australia. Their scrum, though, had been crap in the knockout stages. Why England didn't put more pressure on it I don't know; the second to worst scrum in the 6N beat it, now the best scrum in the world hammered it. NZ will be licking their lips, although their scrum isn't quite as good as Los Pumas'. Argentina to finish third, I have no idea about the final though.

That Adam Ashley-Cooper third try was a farce. Not because it was a forward pass, but because that was possibly the worst defending o have seen from a semi final team ever. Mitchell just ran around about 49 gazillion tackles with basically no effort.

 

[avanti]

I'm not a American football fan nor a rugby fan but I happened to watch some of the NZ vs. SA game yesterday. I gotta say I found rugby much more exciting than football.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

I doubt they'll change their lose forward trio for the final unless there is injury concerns. It's working very well for them. Agree that Pocock isn't a classic No 8 especially in terms of physique......usually a bit taller and a line out option as well. Still, you have to play him with that sort of form. Some crushing tackles as well as pinching the ball at the breakdown.

The breakdown will be huge in the final and I expect the All Blacks will not contest some of them for fear of penalties and sucking in too many unnecesary players....it'll be a case of picking the battles very carefully.

Yeah, the Puma's were suffering fatigue big time in the last 15mins and of course the defence will start to fall apart.

Man for man across the park and then on to the bench, I don't think the Wallabies can match the All Blacks. AB's tight 5 are playing very well - loose forwards can pretty much cancel each other out.
Very different attacking styles in the respective backlines - should be a great game if it stays dry and the ref lets them play good, open, running rugby!

 

[Brullnux]

Nigel Owesn so I should think so

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Re:

Nigel Owesn so I should think so

Yes, good point.

Wayne Barnes had a good game I thought.

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

I doubt they'll change their lose forward trio for the final unless there is injury concerns. It's working very well for them. Agree that Pocock isn't a classic No 8 especially in terms of physique......usually a bit taller and a line out option as well. Still, you have to play him with that sort of form. Some crushing tackles as well as pinching the ball at the breakdown.

The breakdown will be huge in the final and I expect the All Blacks will not contest some of them for fear of penalties and sucking in too many unnecesary players....it'll be a case of picking the battles very carefully.

Yeah, the Puma's were suffering fatigue big time in the last 15mins and of course the defence will start to fall apart.

Man for man across the park and then on to the bench, I don't think the Wallabies can match the All Blacks. AB's tight 5 are playing very well - loose forwards can pretty much cancel each other out.
Very different attacking styles in the respective backlines - should be a great game if it stays dry and the ref lets them play good, open, running rugby!

The All Blacks certainly have more depth but the Wallabies have a couple of players with real X factor - Folau, Giteau, Pocock and Hooper can flip a game on it's head in minutes. If Hooper and Pocock can both play then the Wallabies have a real chance by targeting the breakdown.

Hopefully the Wallabies scrum improves, Argentina were almost shoving them around at will. The AB's will be merciless if it continues, Carter will have too much space to work with.

My gut feeling is the All Blacks to retain the trophy with a 5 point win off the back of storming performances from Savea, Williams and Nonu. They are just that little bit too polished and better all-round.

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

I'm not a American football fan nor a rugby fan but I happened to watch some of the NZ vs. SA game yesterday. I gotta say I found rugby much more exciting than football.

My only problem with American Football is the lack of flow. The action is great when it happens but there's too much down time IMO.

Rugby Union on the other hand is still quite strategic but the game moves along more constantly. I've always thought it's the best combination of speed and strategy, unlike American Football (too strategic and stop/start) and Rugby League (geared entirely towards speed and spectacle for easy TV viewing).

 

[The Hitch]

Rugby as a game can be more interesting than American Football, due to the free flow.

But where American Football truly defeats all is the system.

What I mean is a salary cap and draft systems that promotes equality, maximizing the ammount of interesting match ups week in week out.

Meaning there is no team like NZ or Aus or RSA that has 15 all stars on the team.

In NFL, a team can have 2 or 3 great players but they can't have a full roster of great players, and then go up against teams with rosters of merely good players or mediocre players.

So as great as rugby is, in the whole rugby world cup we are left with about how many good matchups? Eng vs Wales, Eng vs Aus, Wales vs Aus, NZ vs Arg, Italy vs France (though was worth little since both qualified), Wales vs RSA, Arg vs Ireland, Arg vs Aus, Nz vs RSA, Aus vs NZ.

That's 10 good matchups on paper over a 5 week tournament. And even in some of these there was a clear superior team on paper. NFL can beat that on one Sunday.

Club games might be more interesting, but that's not the blue ribbon. And its divided between north and south so there is no single champion of all champions competition.

Rugby needs to expand. Especially that little pocket of South Eastern Europe where its kind of popular - Georgia, Romania. Offer them a chance at the 6 nations. Give the best pacific nations cup side a chance at the 4 nations every year. Maybe Argentina can win the world cup next time round and popularize it a bit in Lat Am.

A few more good sides and it would be a lot more fun.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Re:

Rugby as a game can be more interesting than American Football, due to the free flow.

But where American Football truly defeats all is the system.

What I mean is a salary cap and draft systems that promotes equality, maximizing the ammount of interesting match ups week in week out.

Meaning there is no team like NZ or Aus or RSA that has 15 all stars on the team.

In NFL, a team can have 2 or 3 great players but they can't have a full roster of great players, and then go up against teams with rosters of merely good players or mediocre players.

So as great as rugby is, in the whole rugby world cup we are left with about how many good matchups? Eng vs Wales, Eng vs Aus, Wales vs Aus, NZ vs Arg, Italy vs France (though was worth little since both qualified), Wales vs RSA, Arg vs Ireland, Arg vs Aus, Nz vs RSA, Aus vs NZ.

That's 10 good matchups on paper over a 5 week tournament. And even in some of these there was a clear superior team on paper. NFL can beat that on one Sunday.

Club games might be more interesting, but that's not the blue ribbon. And its divided between north and south so there is no single champion of all champions competition.

Rugby needs to expand. Especially that little pocket of South Eastern Europe where its kind of popular - Georgia, Romania. Offer them a chance at the 6 nations. Give the best pacific nations cup side a chance at the 4 nations every year. Maybe Argentina can win the world cup next time round and popularize it a bit in Lat Am.

A few more good sides and it would be a lot more fun.

Good post - I agree with most of what you say.

The Japan / Sth Africa game should be included in there as well.
Argentina are young side and if they continue with this momentum they will be a serious threat for the next WC in Japan.
They played some pretty outrageous finals Rugby in the first 15 mins of todays game, yet in the final 20mins they had most of the momentum.

The budgets for those NFL teams are just incredible, along with some of the players salaries!!
Compare what the best Rugby player(s) earns per year, compared to the top NFL players (s)

True - Rugby Union needs to spread to other countries, but to compete with other very well developed and followed sports (Football / Soccer) is a tough ask.
Being able to play in "6 Nations", "Super Rugby" & The Rugby Championship" is great for the game and I expect you'll see the knock-on from that (scuse the pun) in the next WC.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Re: Re:

I doubt they'll change their lose forward trio for the final unless there is injury concerns. It's working very well for them. Agree that Pocock isn't a classic No 8 especially in terms of physique......usually a bit taller and a line out option as well. Still, you have to play him with that sort of form. Some crushing tackles as well as pinching the ball at the breakdown.

The breakdown will be huge in the final and I expect the All Blacks will not contest some of them for fear of penalties and sucking in too many unnecesary players....it'll be a case of picking the battles very carefully.

Yeah, the Puma's were suffering fatigue big time in the last 15mins and of course the defence will start to fall apart.

Man for man across the park and then on to the bench, I don't think the Wallabies can match the All Blacks. AB's tight 5 are playing very well - loose forwards can pretty much cancel each other out.
Very different attacking styles in the respective backlines - should be a great game if it stays dry and the ref lets them play good, open, running rugby!

The All Blacks certainly have more depth but the Wallabies have a couple of players with real X factor - Folau, Giteau, Pocock and Hooper can flip a game on it's head in minutes. If Hooper and Pocock can both play then the Wallabies have a real chance by targeting the breakdown.

Hopefully the Wallabies scrum improves, Argentina were almost shoving them around at will. The AB's will be merciless if it continues, Carter will have too much space to work with.

My gut feeling is the All Blacks to retain the trophy with a 5 point win off the back of storming performances from Savea, Williams and Nonu. They are just that little bit too polished and better all-round.

Always starts up front and if the AB's 1 through 5 are on form they lay out a great platform for the attacking backs - no rocket science there
Carter looks like he has plenty of time because of the quality and speed of pass from A. Smith - it's just a bit more snappy and quicker than anyone else.....half a second is huge in that aspect of play, especially considering Carter has lost a bit of snap and speed himself over time - still commands the play and backline with plenty of authority though.

Both loose forward trios are world class and Pocock seems to have elevated himself to another level altogether - the breakdown will be a fierce battle that is hopefully well refereed!

Yeah - the crash and bash from our big fella's against the crisp passing and beautiful running lines from the Wallaby backline. Should be a great spectacle.
Giteau has great vision and can put that ball on an absolute silver plate to his outsides....A.A.Cooper has one of the best finishes in world rugby....throw in Folau who is due a bit of blinder and it could be a serious roll of the dice to see who wins?

The final 20mins will be crucial - the bench, match fitness after weeks of tough footy and executing under pressure will decide the game.
Have to kick the goals, have to find touch when it counts, have to keep the penalty count to an absolute minimum!!

ofc, all in my most humble of one sided kiwi biased opinion

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

I doubt they'll change their lose forward trio for the final unless there is injury concerns. It's working very well for them. Agree that Pocock isn't a classic No 8 especially in terms of physique......usually a bit taller and a line out option as well. Still, you have to play him with that sort of form. Some crushing tackles as well as pinching the ball at the breakdown.

The breakdown will be huge in the final and I expect the All Blacks will not contest some of them for fear of penalties and sucking in too many unnecesary players....it'll be a case of picking the battles very carefully.

Yeah, the Puma's were suffering fatigue big time in the last 15mins and of course the defence will start to fall apart.

Man for man across the park and then on to the bench, I don't think the Wallabies can match the All Blacks. AB's tight 5 are playing very well - loose forwards can pretty much cancel each other out.
Very different attacking styles in the respective backlines - should be a great game if it stays dry and the ref lets them play good, open, running rugby!

The All Blacks certainly have more depth but the Wallabies have a couple of players with real X factor - Folau, Giteau, Pocock and Hooper can flip a game on it's head in minutes. If Hooper and Pocock can both play then the Wallabies have a real chance by targeting the breakdown.

Hopefully the Wallabies scrum improves, Argentina were almost shoving them around at will. The AB's will be merciless if it continues, Carter will have too much space to work with.

My gut feeling is the All Blacks to retain the trophy with a 5 point win off the back of storming performances from Savea, Williams and Nonu. They are just that little bit too polished and better all-round.

Always starts up front and if the AB's 1 through 5 are on form they lay out a great platform for the attacking backs - no rocket science there
Carter looks like he has plenty of time because of the quality and speed of pass from A. Smith - it's just a bit more snappy and quicker than anyone else.....half a second is huge in that aspect of play, especially considering Carter has lost a bit of snap and speed himself over time - still commands the play and backline with plenty of authority though.

Both loose forward trios are world class and Pocock seems to have elevated himself to another level altogether - the breakdown will be a fierce battle that is hopefully well refereed!

Yeah - the crash and bash from our big fella's against the crisp passing and beautiful running lines from the Wallaby backline. Should be a great spectacle.
Giteau has great vision and can put that ball on an absolute silver plate to his outsides....A.A.Cooper has one of the best finishes in world rugby....throw in Folau who is due a bit of blinder and it could be a serious roll of the dice to see who wins?

The final 20mins will be crucial - the bench, match fitness after weeks of tough footy and executing under pressure will decide the game.
Have to kick the goals, have to find touch when it counts, have to keep the penalty count to an absolute minimum!!

ofc, all in my most humble of one sided kiwi biased opinion

I agree with pretty much everything you said. It's the Aus backline and turnover against the NZ scrum and maul. In my mind Savea is the key. If he has another belter then NZ is already halfway there. So glad Cooper isn't playing against him, he'd be The Bus' first victim!

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Yip - Quade has some silky smooth skills, but I don't think he has the big (huge) game temperament.

 

[del1962]

Great stuff from NZ, deserved winners

 

[Brullnux]

Congrats NZ+ Jack, great win well deserved!

 

[Brullnux]

Your opinion on Man of the Match?

I think Beale, Pocock, Hooper, Milner-Skudder, Nonu and McCaw all had great games, but Carter for me.

 

[Irondan]

Great game! Congrats to the Kiwi's, the All Blacks played an amazing game.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

WOW!!

Great game and a real fierce battle right across the park.
Aussies right in the match until the final 10mins and I was on the edge of my seat and pacing around the room.

D Carter easily the man of the match for me, but many other stand out performances on both teams.

I'm a pretty happy man and will wear my All Blacks jersey with pride today.

Righto - have to get on the bike and get to work

Thanks for great discussions over the past couple of months.

Cheers.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

WOW!!

Great game and a real fierce battle right across the park.
Aussies right in the match until the final 10mins and I was on the edge of my seat and pacing around the room.

D Carter easily the man of the match for me, but many other stand out performances on both teams.

I'm a pretty happy man and will wear my All Blacks jersey with pride today.

Righto - have to get on the bike and get to work

Thanks for great discussions over the past couple of months.

Cheers.

Pretty tired day at work for you

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

yes - up at 4.50am for the rugby but not at work until 10am which is ok.

i'm predicting a very slow sunday morning here in NZ and the local bars will be cranking from midday onwards

bike shops...not so much

probably close early and head to the local for a few cold ones and enjoy the moment

monday morning will be slow here in NZ

thanks again for your discussions - i've enjoyed it

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

yes - up at 4.50am for the rugby but not at work until 10am which is ok.

i'm predicting a very slow sunday morning here in NZ and the local bars will be cranking from midday onwards

bike shops...not so much

probably close early and head to the local for a few cold ones and enjoy the moment

monday morning will be slow here in NZ

thanks again for your discussions - i've enjoyed it

My pleasure, and it was made much easier by your knowledge of SH (and 42 too) rugby, and the fact we seem to agree on most things