Rugby World Cup 2007 - Twiddling Our Thumbs!

[Caligastia]

While we wait...twiddle twiddle, spam spam...

[LDiCesare]

Let's hide the fact that I'm posting here just to mark this thread:
The French championship semi finals are played on Friday and Saturday (while I play on Thursday evening, my match, being more important, has to be played first). The result of these semi finals is that the squad that flies for the tests against New Zealand will have something like 4 forwards who might play in a real France team and maybe 2 backs if I'm being generous.
The kiwis will thrash the poor Frenchies I'm afraid. Even with a full team it's hard, but this team stands no chance. Calling back Califano and Magne, while bringing two pairs of halves who must have a grand total of 1 selection of about 20 minutes the four of them together.
I think I'll be happy if they score a try.

[Caligastia]

Isn't it a bit early to be throwing in the towel? Of course, that hasn't stopped Havak...

[LDiCesare]

Well, it's early but:
-the front row may be ok but it's not the best props we have.
-the second row is half good and half unknown
-the backrow will be made of your pick between young unexperienced players, veterans who don't play much in the season, and Chabal who wasn't very convinving in his last matches with the French.
-scrum and fly halves should be paired as they are in club, and they are good players, but they are the best of the 5th and 6th French clubs. Of course, they'll face a pitiful player called Carter so that should make it easy for them.
The backs include players like Valbon, who played one of the worst matches ever in the blue jersey, and Grandclaude who played well on his few selections. The wingers are new players. Of the backline, only the full backs are near the top level with Castaignede and Laharrague. But even then, Laharrague may play winger since they also bring the young Thiery, who may be a good player but he's playing for one of the worst clubs in France today.
So, I kind of doubt the French will be able to do much.

[finbar]

I searched the grenouille team sheet for your name.

In vain.

Utterly inexplicable.

[Joe Kick Ass]

oh ffs gyppo you tw*t...


Gareth Thomas (Blues, capt); Chris Czekaj (Blues), Jamie Robinson (Blues), Sonny Parker (Ospreys), Aled Brew (Ospreys); James Hook (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Ospreys); Iestyn Thomas (Scarlets), Mefin Davies (Leicester), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Michael Owen (Dragons), Robert Sidoli (Blues), Colin Charvis (Dragons), Gavin Thomas (Scarlets), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys)

[finbar]

Originally posted by Joe Kick Ass
oh ffs gyppo you tw*t...

Ahhhh ... the lilting, melodic Welsh tongue.

[Joe Kick Ass]

..a lesson in set piece rugby....lol

[finbar]

I was ready to put a brick through the plasma screen at halftime. Yet another 40 minutes of inept Wallaby fumbling and stumbling. What on earth S. Moore is doing starting as hooker is anyone's guess. He's never been in the top three hookers in the country. The second half produced some more promising Wallaby rugby and I don't think it was all down to the reunion of the Gregan-Larkham-Giteau triumvirate. Apart from a couple of flubs, they actually held onto the ball. Which helps. The best thing out of the two Tests for me has been W. Palu's work at #8. Massive, very mobile, and can offload.

Missed the French-All Blacks encounter. The reports read pretty much as expected.

[LDiCesare]

I couldn't see the match, only heard it on the radio. I'm actually impressed that the French managed to score a try when they were 14 (the fly half having been yellow carded).
The journalist on the radio apparently thought Dickinson was really bad. I'd like to read more about this. He pointed out that Tana Umaga said that SH refs were bad. I know the unbiased point of view of our resident Englishman on that subject, and suppose he'll agree that Dickinson's performance was crap even without seeing the match?

[finbar]

Sky is replaying the match later on this afternoon. I'll have a look. The reports I read said Dickinson was crap, missing knock ons, et al.

Missed the last 35 minutes of Boks-v-England, unfortunately. Someone dropped in. Boks were dreadful in the first half, almost as though they thought they had it won after the anthems. England took their chances and capitalised. Good on them. Boks looked to be taking things more seriously just as the visitor arrived. The final scoreline looks like they took things much more seriously in the second half. M. Tait still looks like a goer, and I still like the look of N. Easter, too.

EDIT. I watched the replay. The French, though trying hard, were outclassed, and the ABs weren't at their best. The French scrum was under massive pressure the whole match. A couple of times the AB pack smashed them.

I've seen worse refereeing this season.

Neither of Sivivatu's two tries were legit. The first, given by the TMO, was obviously not grounded properly. Bizarre decision by the TMO. The second try followed an obvious forward pass. Bad refereeing.

The yellow card was valid. The French player tackled from an offside position within metres of the try line. Professional foul.

The French defence were offside for most of the patch and unpenalised. Bad refereeing.

But then I've seen all of the above reffing mistakes a lot this season. NH and SH.

[finbar]

For anyone remotely interested, Italy -d- Uruguay 29-5 in Montevideo.









Mmmm.

Thought not.

[LDiCesare]

Did Italy field most of its players who normally play in France and England? I don't think they did.
The Argentinans didn't when they crushed Ireland 16-0, but then again it wasn't the real Ireland team.
These tests aren't really like tests anymore. What's the point of having them the year of the World Cup if everyone sends a second team?

[finbar]

It was far from the Italian team that played in the 6 Nations. All the NH touring teams were so understrength that the results were meaningless. In the Boks' case, they will have built confidence. In the Wallabies' case, they learned how far they have to go. A very very long way.

What's the point? Ask the IRB.

[finbar]

England coach Brian Ashton says Lawrence Dallaglio could still figure in the World Cup later this year.

... fiddle fiddle fiddle ... Rome burns ...