*** The Official Rugby World Cup 2015 Thread ***

platypus said:
Historical reasons are a convenient excuse if you ask me. It's tribal, etavistic behaviour that you'd think people would have grown out of by now.
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People are still tribal about lots of things, you can hope that they'll grow out of it but as a species we're pretty slow about making advances sometimes.

Freefaller said:
Thanks for the explanation. I still think it is a daft behaviour when we want to keep some sort of unity. A bit of friendly rivalry is great and necessary but the clear disdain for one another I find strange and a shame.
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It's a noble sentiment that we should all stick together and I really hope we would but the people who are anti-English quite possibly aren't the ones who want to keep unity in the Union. It is important to remember it's just a game though and I rather think that sometimes we get rather too invested in it.

Participant said:
By comparison a big deal for Scottish rugby is if they narrowly beat Argentina in the 6 nations.
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Darn tooting, it's a big deal. I'd go so far as to say miraculous, Argentina aren't even in the 6 Nations.

I'd take the point that Scotland's expectations are lower but I'm fine with that, the consistently inconsistent performances from our national sporting teams (with the possible exception of curling) mean that it pays to enjoy the rare wins when they come but not to get too carried away either, a loss is probably just around the corner. Scotland's national teams don't half encourage a sense of perspective and realism about their relative place in the world and I like that about them.
 
I am Welsh and I was hoping for a Australia win Saturday not because I have an irrational hatred of the English but just that I don't see Wales beating Australia next week. They looked rather good Saturday and I can see them getting into the final. I was disappointed with Ireland yesterday after two emphatic wins (albeit against weak opposition) they looked rather lethargic against Italy.
 
MikeTheNative said:
I am Welsh and I was hoping for a Australia win Saturday not because I have an irrational hatred of the English but just that I don't see Wales beating Australia next week. They looked rather good Saturday and I can see them getting into the final. I was disappointed with Ireland yesterday after two emphatic wins (albeit against weak opposition) they looked rather lethargic against Italy.
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That has more to do with the big game looming next week, lose and you're in the difficult half, win and it's theoretically an easier route to the final. Players and coaches may say they prepare for the opposition in front of them and it's all about the next game but you can guarantee all Irish prep has been for the game against France with very little for any of the other games.
 
I did find it somewhat odd that Yesterday's Ireland Italy match had a French referee.
Given that the France Ireland decided is due to be played next week.
I thought they could have staged the groups so the referees were all from alternative pools.
That is often the process.
 
I watch rugby on occasion, especially during events like this.
Although I find it really odd that foreign (and when I say that I mean non English Premiership) refrees fail up penalise the breakdown correctly.

Players like Pocock, Hooper and Mccaw are lauded for their playing; but they are breaking the rules doing so and it's not being picked up.

It equally frustrates me that at low level many teams are penalised for line outs / scrums for put-ins not being straight and at the World Cup spinning the ball into your second row so your hooker doesn't actually need to do anything seems perfectly reasonable behaviour.
 
Deathjester said:
I watch rugby on occasion, especially during events like this.
Although I find it really odd that foreign (and when I say that I mean non English Premiership) refrees fail up penalise the breakdown correctly.
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All referees interpret the breakdown differently, the English refereeing of it is some of the worst and one of the reasons that players who are used to a particular style in the premiership look like clueless baboons at International level as the bad habits are set in stone. Every breakdown could be pinged for multiple offences from both sides, the ref has to use his interpretation to allow the game to "play" fairly.

Deathjester said:
Players like Pocock, Hooper and Mccaw are lauded for their playing; but they are breaking the rules doing so and it's not being picked up.
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They're playing to the referee and not doing anything wrong, they are very intelligent footballers and masters of their art, they know exactly when to go in and when not to and don't get egg fever, it's a pleasure watching them at work.

Deathjester said:
It equally frustrates me that at low level many teams are penalised for line outs / scrums for put-ins not being straight and at the World Cup spinning the ball into your second row so your hooker doesn't actually need to do anything seems perfectly reasonable behaviour.
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This frustrates me as well but believe me, even at amateur level it's equally as bad, nobody calls a squint feed or "foot up" anymore, I hooked for 32 years and 15 of those I just became another bloke in the front row to push, all the art was squeezed out of the position, thankfully some of the so called "Second tier" nations have demonstrated a resurgence in the proper scrummaging, It's been an absolute joy watching Canada hook route 1, with an 8 shield and Scrum Half clear, all happening in 1 or 2 seconds from ball entry.
 
Hooper has been banned for a week for the clearout on Brown, which means he misses the group decider on Saturday.

Thought he'd get away with a warning personally, unless he'd already had warnings earlier in the tournament. Might help us a bit but I'm still worried about that pack.
 
danclivo said:
Hooper has been banned for a week for the clearout on Brown, which means he misses the group decider on Saturday.

Thought he'd get away with a warning personally, unless he'd already had warnings earlier in the tournament. Might help us a bit but I'm still worried about that pack.
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Not bothered from an England point of view, but it's an absolute joke with the amount of TMO interference these days that players can still be cited after the game for incidents that were clearly captured on TV. The TMO should miss a game too for that, it was a clear yellow on TV yet got glossed over.
 
One More Solo said:
Not bothered from an England point of view, but it's an absolute joke with the amount of TMO interference these days that players can still be cited after the game for incidents that were clearly captured on TV. The TMO should miss a game too for that, it was a clear yellow on TV yet got glossed over.
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This is what I don't get... It was so obvious that it was a yellow, yet no-one spoke out. Okay the ref was never going to speak out (he would have let Farrell get away with his, which in my opinion was less of an offence) but the TMO picked up on Farrell and should have done so against Hooper. Could have easily changed the game at the start of the second half... But alas some times the cards go your way, sometimes they don't

/Welshman still bitter about that fateful red card... :p
 
One More Solo said:
Not bothered from an England point of view, but it's an absolute joke with the amount of TMO interference these days that players can still be cited after the game for incidents that were clearly captured on TV. The TMO should miss a game too for that, it was a clear yellow on TV yet got glossed over.
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sbi5ar said:
This is what I don't get... It was so obvious that it was a yellow, yet no-one spoke out. Okay the ref was never going to speak out (he would have let Farrell get away with his, which in my opinion was less of an offence) but the TMO picked up on Farrell and should have done so against Hooper. Could have easily changed the game at the start of the second half... But alas some times the cards go your way, sometimes they don't

/Welshman still bitter about that fateful red card... :p
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Shaun Veldsman has a bit of a history and I really don't understand why World Rugby allows his licence. He's almost a TMO version of that prat Steve Walsh, cares more about the world knows he's doing the game than the game itself.
 
TheMightyTen said:
I think Wales playing North as a centre is a mistake and a waste of his talents, I also think Australia will exploit him.
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I agree it's a shame to lose his impact from the wing but he's had a few outings at 13 before. He moved there in the England game two weeks ago when we had that wave of injuries during the 2nd half, and was solid. Also had a game there vs Australia last Autumn or the one before, scored a try and did pretty well. Gatland has hinted in the past that he might start playing him more at 13 when needed, but I think Liam Williams regaining fitness is probably what has made up his mind. North at 13, Liam on the wing with Anscombe at FB makes sense considering the players we have left. Tyler Morgan is still inexperienced and was only called into the squad once Scott Williams and Cory Allen got injured.

My biggest worry in the backline is still Cuthbert. Good finisher but he's been out of form for a while and his defence has never been great. I was quite relieved he didn't have to go up against Nadolo in the Fiji game.
 
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Rumours that All Blacks and Tonga will be allowed to perform the Haka and Sipi Tau at the same time in challenge to each other tonight. It's created a very special atmosphere when it's happened in the past so I hope so :D :D

St James' won't know whats hit it!



I also think Eddie Jones has dropped the first subtle hints that the RFU have made tentative approaches to him ;)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/34485554

If I didn't know better I would say he is laying his position out over the issue of the RFU policy of no overseas players (i.e. Stefan Armitage ;) ;) )
 
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