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Rugby World Cup 2011

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  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    Has anyone made a 'start the reactor' joke yet, because Cooper just seemed to shut down for the last twenty.

    Also, did anyone hear the ref barking at the Australians when they complained that Weepu had come back on after being subbed; 'It's a blood substitution, it's in the rule book, LOOK IT UP'

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    The_Scarab wrote:
    Has anyone made a 'start the reactor' joke yet, because Cooper just seemed to shut down for the last twenty.

    Also, did anyone hear the ref barking at the Australians when they complained that Weepu had come back on after being subbed; 'It's a blood substitution, it's in the rule book, LOOK IT UP'
    Yep, that was hilarious. Elsom's an idiot.

    Joubert has to be the best ref in the world at the moment. It'll be complete bullshit if Rolland refs the final just because he knows French. I'd say Walsh should get the 3rd/4th playoff but he's technically Australian now, so is ineligible. Pity, he's better than Rolland.

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  • L|amaL|ama Registered User regular
    psyck0 wrote:
    Yeah. That's how the ABs have always played, and it's the reason I hate them. I have to say, to their credit, they have done far less of it this world cup than they have historically, but it'll take longer than 7 matches in a world cup for me to like them again after their history of playing so dirty.
    I'm sure they'll cry themselves to sleep tonight.

  • DramDram Old Salt Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    I just got back from my honeymoon in time to watch the semi-finals. I must say I'm quite surprised the boks lost to Australia while I was away. I pictured the final being AB vs. Boks.

    Dram on
  • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
    Joubert is laissez-faire in the extreme and refs towards preconceptions. His performance in the Wales-Ireland game was shocking. every 50-50 went Ireland's way until Wales got 10 points ahead at which point he switched to favouring Wales and screwed Ireland into the floor.

    From what I saw of him today he was letting the attacking side plunge over the ball in a way that destroyed a fair competition for the ball.

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  • LouieLouie Registered User regular
    Wales didn't look as good as they have done and Australia were playing better.

    Barnes should have started against NZ, he was phenomenal.

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  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    Wales look like they're at sea without a rudder when Warburton, Adam Jones and Priestland aren't playing. Couldn't even beat the walking casualty ward that is the current Wallabies lineup. They just don't seem to have any depth.

    As for the game, blah. Ugly mess. Neither team wanted to be there, it was utterly pointless.

    Oh and has everyone seen Elsom's brain explosion from last week? It's not pretty. He just goes nuts, tries to Mandible Claw Conrad Smith.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2NeKBJPl8o

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  • THAC0THAC0 Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Watched it while pretty drunk at the pub tonight but Wales really looked lost tonight. Wallabies looked like they deserved this one

    THAC0 on
  • AnteCantelopeAnteCantelope Registered User regular
    Cooper's injury was excellent, but happened at the wrong end of the tournament. It sounds callous, sure, but after watching him sabotage the team for the last few months, and listening to the commentators defend him (understatement of the tournament goes to "Cooper suffering in confidence a bit as the tournament wore on"), he needed to be taken off the team, and if the coach/selectors won't do it, injury will have to do it.


    Things like the Welsh forward pass leading to a try, the inconsistency of calls in the scrum, and all the other shitty refs all tournament have convinced me that Rugby won't be a good game until they replace the ref with a team of refs and cameras everywhere. There's simply too much shit going on for the ref to see it all, and the players abuse that. People often complain about the ref blowing their whistle too much and interfering with the game, but if the players could just be convinced to stop cheating for once the ref could maybe step back a bit. Rugby used to be my favourite sport, I've sort of backed away from it lately, and this world cup has convinced me I was right to. All the rhetoric about Rugby being the 'sport of kings' and being honourable is just a lie, every player out there pushes the rules as much as he can when the ref's watching, and even further when he isn't. Fuck it, maybe I'll try again next world cup.

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Wow. Bitter much?

    I think Cooper is a prick and over-rated but being happy he was injured? Seriously? It's not like he's the reason you were booted out of the tournament. Put Larkham at his best in that 10 jersey and the result still would've been the same, though it may've been a little closer. The real reason Australia lost that game was because the All Black forwards dominated the game in every aspect. Breakdown, scrum and lineout. At that point you're basically relying on luck to create a gap in the defence, make the refs calls go your way a couple of times, etc. It's not a platform to win.

    Besides, Cooper was actually pretty good in the second half of the semi final and his 20 minute appearance in the 3rd/4th place game. Best rugby he's played all tournament.

    And am I meant to take the second part seriously? Oh no, players push the rules? Welcome to sport dude. Would you mind naming me a sport where this doesn't happen? The reality is, rugby is a pretty complicated game and it's pretty easy to 'cheat' when there are as many laws as there are, each with various interpretations. Where refs basically need to have their eyes everywhere and make quick decisions on the spot. I'm all for introducing things that might help out the process (maybe experiment with 2 refs like League does, get the assistant refs to consistently watch the offside line, etc) but what you propose is laughable. It'd slow the game down to a crawl and be a logistical nightmare.

    Refs make mistakes but that's just part of the game. Quit whining.

    Unco-ordinated on
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  • THAC0THAC0 Registered User regular
    I think we can all agree that Friday was the 2nd/3rd place game. If France win tonight (please no) they can have like 2nd and a half or something. If they lose they get 9th.

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    This fucking build up. I'm getting more and more anxious.

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  • DramDram Old Salt Registered User regular
    France closed the gap during the haka. I expect a good match.

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    Yeah that was awesome. Pity it went straight to a freaking ad break though. Just completely kills the tension.

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  • L|amaL|ama Registered User regular
    I sit down, we get a try. You're welcome.

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    The tension's going to give me a heart attack. C'mon ABs!

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  • AddaAdda LondonRegistered User regular
    edited October 2011
    All the bad behaviour at the breakdown but none of the usual intensity/quality from the AB's. They really need to pull their fingers out and put some points on this game.

    3 unmentioned swinging arms at head height as well ;-)


    Well big congratulations guys, far from your best performance but you got the job done.

    Adda on
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  • THAC0THAC0 Registered User regular
    Thank fuck for that! 1 point? I'll fucking take it!!

  • LouieLouie Registered User regular
    Don't get me wrong. I really wanted the AB's to win but the number of high tackles and other stuff the ref missed was shocking.

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  • L|amaL|ama Registered User regular
    Extra police presence around all greenpeace boats to prevent revenge rainbow warrior-ings i hope.

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    Louie wrote:
    Don't get me wrong. I really wanted the AB's to win but the number of high tackles and other stuff the ref missed was shocking.

    Agreed. Not Joubert's best game. The breakdown was a complete clusterfuck. French feet flying everywhere, even if they're completely offside. Was pretty ridiculous. Though it's not like Barnes or Rolland would've been any better. Still don't know why Mark Lawrence wasn't even at the tournament, he's the best ref in the southern hemisphere.

    But still, fuck yes. 24 years and we've won another cup. Brilliant. I'm so fucking stoked. Stephen Donald's a fucking legend. Rescued us from Weepu's fuckups.

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  • AddaAdda LondonRegistered User regular
    Oh yeah, Richie must have the toughest set of ribs :D

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  • THAC0THAC0 Registered User regular
    Yeah that last 20 minutes was a total clusterfuck. The ruck was just flying fists and knees. Richie in particular seemed to cop a lot of knees in the head. But even with that much possession against them the All Blacks defended so well. I didn't like the kicks off the back but they held the line to the end.

  • KalkinoKalkino Buttons Londres Registered User regular
    Took me for ever to find a pub that played the game in Milan, but I got there in the end. Too full of French to really see the screens well, but still good I guess. Good to see we got it back on the end

    Freedom for the Northern Isles!
  • psyck0psyck0 Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Jeez, I had to watch this on NBC because TSN Canada didn't have the final (!!!!!). You poor american bastards, those commentators are atrocious. Half the things they say are just wrong. I think one of them hadn't even played before and the other guy had to keep correcting him.

    There is absolutely no way that McCaw's knee to Parra's head was not intentional. Not a chance. That miserable cheating slimeball. Someone should give him one of those back one day.

    A shitty game from the all blacks and a mediocre one for France. When they actually held onto the ball, they did well, but they kicked far too much. Disappointing. The better team probably won, but I can't say they much deserved it either.

    psyck0 on
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  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    Like a broken record. How the hell was that intentional? He came in to challenge for the ball, someone he's done thousands of times throughout his career and Parra's head just happened to be in the wrong place. And you're a complete joke if you don't think he doesn't 'get those back', McCaw's given more off the ball 'niggles' than any other player in the world. Or were you completely oblivious to the French boot and knee to his ribs?

    And yes, we clearly didn't deserve that win after dominating rugby for the last few years and going through the entire tournament undefeated.

    To almost anyone else I wouldn't gloat like this but piss off. We won. Suck it.

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  • psyck0psyck0 Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Oh, the ABs were the best team going into this tournament, for sure. I don't know that they were the best team during the tournament- it was certainly a lot closer than over the past year- and it is debatable whether they were the best team of this particular match. They've been getting noticeably worse over the course of the tournament. Probably their performance in the first half made up for the way they disappeared in the 2nd, but if the French had run the ball more instead of kicking it away all the damn time I think they'd have scored at least one more try,. The AB defence was full of holes, and their offence was nothing more than "kick the ball into the French end and hope we get lucky off a misread on a line-out, or get a few penalties in front of their posts on questionable calls". It was some good kicking for position but absolutely no initiative running the ball. They virtually never looked likely to score a try, and the try by Woodcock was due to a stupid error by the French, not skilled play by the ABs.

    The angle I saw clearly showed McCaw drop his knee onto Parra's head as he went into the ruck. He's too good a player not to know that Parra's head was there.

    psyck0 on
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  • ahavaahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    so last night was in queenstown, and went to one of the several bar/pub places to watch the game.

    Now, I have never been in a bar/pub type setting for anything resembling a sporting event, or actually hardly ever before. So to say that last night was the most intense experience....

    it doesn't even cover it. Seriously.

    I'm not familiar with Rugby all that much, and I didn't understand some of what I was watching, but that game... my god that game.

    Not a graceful win, not even a particularly good win, but a win nonetheless. Surrounded by a few hundred crazy screaming cheering drunk kiwis all dancing and hugging and hi-fiving and things. How can you not get caught up in that and feel something?

    Absolutely one of the top nights/experiences of my life.

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    edited October 2011
    If Weepu had kicked all his goals, the score would've been 16-7. If Weepu hadn't done that stupid little kick, the French wouldn't have scored their only try. So what? You can go on about what ifs all day if you want, it's not going to change the result. Were the All Blacks poor last night? Sure. But they were still mentally tough enough and smart enough to absorb everything the French gave us. The All Blacks completely deserved that win.

    But if you're really going to go into this, who were the best team during the tournament then? France? Wales? Australia? South Africa? Ireland? England? Who were clearly better than us and were eliminated unfairly? As far as I'm concerned, Wales are really the only ones that can feel any grievance because of that red card but even then, the lack of depth was obvious once Priestland and Adam Jones were out. Otherwise, I really do think the All Blacks were clearly the best team in the tournament. Maybe not on the back of last nights game but the 6 weeks beforehand? Yeah. And I've no clue what you're going on about saying they've gotten worse as the tournament went on. Last week they played the best game they've played since they beat the first round of the Tri-Nations.

    Oh and no, I've seen a couple of replays of that 'knee' and there was very little in it. The hits on McCaw on the other hand, were pretty deliberate and, if I recall correctly, on the opposite side of the ruck as the ball. If you can't spot that McCaw gets far worse treatment than he ever dishes out then I'd hate to ever have you ref a game I'm watching. Ideally refs should have two eyes, not one.

    Edit: Haha, that's awesome lonelyahava.

    Edit #2: Oh and the AB try from the stupid French mistake? That was a set move the ABs have scored tries off before. So it's not like they fluked it.

    Unco-ordinated on
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  • THAC0THAC0 Registered User regular
    Yeah I was sitting in a room with English, Australian and New Zealanders and we all thought the French got pretty dirty when they couldn't convert their possession in to points in the last quarter or so. I mean I am biased as buggery but I still think the French where starting to lose their cool big time and the All Black pack did well not to retaliate strongly and lose penalties.

    All that stuff aside though it was still a great game. Despite the absolute heart in throat nature I am glad that the French really showed up and played the game with a lot of courage and fire. Was a really worthy final to the cup.

  • ahavaahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    heart in throat....

    ohman. I had no idea what was happening most of the time, but the crowd around me certainly let me know what was good or bad. Plus the crash course in rules I got beforehand so that I wouldn't ask in the middle of the game "what just happened".

    but man, heart in throat is about right. and nervous as all hell that the country would become massively homicidal/suicidal if they lost.

    Friends and I were talking before the game, we were saying first try would be from Dagg or Nonu, the score would probably go over 30, and the first score would be off a penalty kick. Also that they wouldn't do Kamate, and that Hayley Westenra would sing the national anthem.

    .... We were right on two of those and they were the only two that I was adamant on. Also, the French response to the Haka was absolutely electrifying. The Haka (I'm sorry I don't know the name of that one... ) that they did, personally, is more intimidating than Kamate and got the buzz in the bar... It was astounding. Some people stood for the french anthem. Everybody stood for the NZ Anthem, and there was a general buzz in the air of excitement, anticipation, but as soon as Piri started chanting that Haka, the bar went dead silent. Dead silent. The only noise was the All Blacks at first, then the French answered the Challenge and the bar went crazy with hooting and hollering and clapping, and never really died down from there.

    Let me tell you, 80 minutes seems like a long time objectively, but with as many emotions and an entire nation's energy riding on this, 80 minutes was NOT fast at all. And there I was, this crazy American girl who fell in love with a Kiwi and moved down here to be with him, soaking up this pure Kiwi moment. I think at one point I actually started to tear up. It was...

    I don't have words for it.

    Of course that poor guy who got turned into a flamingo (Cruden?) was a bit.... yeah. But I don't think I'll be able to go back to watching American Football quite the same way....

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    Haha, I think your friends needed a prediction chicken.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqfkZVrck78

    And yeah, it was Cruden that had his leg bent all out of shape, which brought our 4th choice first five on, Stephen Donald. With Weepu, Dagg and Nonu crumbling under the pressure, he brought it home with a cool head, straight running (when Cruden and co had been crabbing sideways all game) and smart kicking (when Weepu and Dagg had, for the most part, performed horribly in that area). Best back on the field last night. The man's a legend.

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  • Redcoat-13Redcoat-13 Registered User regular
    Now the world cup is over, I have to say I'm incredibly disappointed in the England team. They didn't play well in alot of those games, and then there was all the antics off the pitch. The team's attitude as a collective was horrible. Going off on nights out getting drunk? Really? In this day and age? I just don't know how they thought they could get away with it in addition to everything else.

    Just embarrassing really. It seems to have been this way for a while now, certainly in 6 nation games. Maybe now with the England sponsors saying the team's behavior is unacceptable and these results, something can be done (Johnson going being one of them).

    Anyway, congrats to New Zealand for winning the world cup. Can't help but smile seeing the reaction of the country; had a rough time with the earthquake and that oil tanker, and being told before this world cup it would be unlikely they'd be hosts again.

    PSN Fleety2009
  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    I still don't understand the logic of starting Wilkinson in the quarter final. It was obvious throughout the pool stages that the English backline would be garbage when he was on and dramatically improve when Flood came on. A lot of this has to do with Wilkinson's insistence on standing so far back that by the time he gets the ball makes it to the centre, the opposition defence have all rushed up and England have at best, not gained any ground and at worst, lost ground. And yet despite his horrendous kicking, Johnson still wouldn't let his old buddy sit on the sideline where he belonged. Just outright stupid. I really hope for the sake of England's fans that Johnson is shown the door and that the RWC 2015 promo isn't a sign of things to come because Johnny should be long gone by then.

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  • Lord_SnotLord_Snot Живу за выходные American ValhallaRegistered User regular
    As sad as I am that England went out that early, I am pleased that New Zealand won it, as Redcoat said, they've had a rough time recently, so I'm pleased they won. I reckon most of England's problems can be traced back to Martin Johnson, but how his management worked in the Six Nations, and not in the world cup is inexplicable. Why did he allow the team to go out and get smashed during the biggest tournament in Rugby?

  • Redcoat-13Redcoat-13 Registered User regular
    Did his management work in the six nations though? England have only won it once since he took over in 2008. Yes they won the last one, but it was hardly a great display. And things haven't been looking great for quite a while with regards to results against the Tri-nations.

    The rather limp display in this world cup didn't really come as a surprise to me, but the player behavior going out and getting drunk, offending hotel workers did. It's like they're football players who think they're alot better than they actually are. I'm pretty sure I read a story with regards to Land Rover lending the England players vehicles and they'd use video footage in their ads, but due to their "antics" Land Rover were unable to make anything from it.

    Passion and respect play a fair pair in rugby, but with the exception of a few, I've not seen that from England players.

    PSN Fleety2009
  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    Yep, I heard that story as well. Land Rover apparently filed an official complaint over it. Add that to all the other stuff and the English squad don't really come across well, especially given how poor their on-field performances were.

    Anyway, some footage of poor Rougerie fingers being assaulted by Richie McCaw's eyes has surfaced. What a miserable cheating slimeball McCaw is. Only footage on youtube is a really bad off-screen video but I imagine someone will come up with a better video soon.

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  • THAC0THAC0 Registered User regular
    I see France is getting fined for their V-formation thing which is kinda bullshit. The All blacks manager has said that's retarded. Can we get some changes at the IRB by 2015 please.

  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Yeah, neither team are allowed to cross the 10m lines on either side during the haka. Ridiculous really.

    The IRB do pull off some good stuff (like putting a lot of money behind the smaller countries like Canada and Georgia) but when it comes to the fines and disciplinary meetings, they're a joke. Dirty play often goes completely unpunished because they only give 2 days to cite incidents (which just isn't long enough to get a lot of the bits that aren't completely obvious) but hey, so long as huge fines are given out to teams that wear the wrong mouthguards or cross the 10m while the haka is being performed, that's okay. It's laughable.

    Edit: Thought I'd post this video because I thought it was awesome. Kahui taking his boots off and going off to look for a kid to give them to is just brilliant stuff. Classy guy.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Nmef-dQJM

    Unco-ordinated on
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  • THAC0THAC0 Registered User regular
    That's great! Mealamu cracked me up.

    Speaking (vaguely) of up and coming teams I can't wait to see Argentina after a few years playing in the expanded tri-nations. They can play this well now just think what they will be able to do with a few years of regular hard tests under their belts.

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