Rugby World Cup 2003 - The Rugby Widows Weep!

[Andydog]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
I am sorry but I don't agree, I have seen one of the worst game of Rugby this year. Several knock-on each minute from both teams, unimaginative Tonga players bumping into a wall of AB that didn't need to organize themselves to stop them, inefficient AB mauls unable to move forward with 5 or 6 All Blacks blocked by 2 or 3 lazy Tonga players, unpushed scrums...

Utter poppycock!

If your forwards have been good it is certainly not in the phases where they are supposed to use their strength... As usual they have been used to pierce through the opponent's defense, a job I agree they do fairly well.

I've been concerned as much as any AB fan about the flimsy technique of our driving and rolling maul play. I know it was only Tonga, but we exhibited the patience and technique required to set up men, bind correctly, hold the ball at the back (bound - unlike Neil ) and get the shove on, all while maintaining perfect control. The Tongans threw everything they had against it, so we’d just spin it out wide and run through the resulting gaps.

There was a try by Daniel Braid that resulted from our maul driving him over the line, and a penalty try awarded for a Tongan’s preventing a guaranteed push-over try.

Clive, Eddie and Rudolf must be more concerned than anything else about this aspect of our improvement, as there was a chink in our armour that they could expose.

You all continue to underestimate our forwards.

IMO you definitely need to reassure yourself and you are thus clinging to what you can.

You can believe that if you want to. Why don’t you spend an hour or two head bashing to Metallica – you obviously need to up your supply of ’s.

[Frozzy]

Of course everyone has forgotten about the NPC

Auckland -d- Wellington 41-22

Very entertaining game, many line breaks and thundering tackles. Been a very close NPC without the All Blacks.

[LDiCesare]

Wales - Italy half time : 20 - 9
Poor performance from the Italians. They spend most of the time with the ball in the Welsh part of the field but are unable to do anything. Wakarua is quite bad, he doesn't set his attack line in position to do anything, and his poor defense led to the second Welsh try. Also, Troncon coughed several balls, and the Italian lineout is generally bad.
Still, they showed a few good things, Parise and Canale look dangerous, but considering how they leave themselves open to counters and are generally more tired than their opponents, I feel the Italians will have a very hard time in the second half.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar
Is it true that, shortly after receipt of a package from a San Diego laboratory, you were timed to run the 100m in 7.7 seconds?

First the package was coming from Jamaica, second there is a 0 too many in your sentence.

Final score:

Wallabies 142
Namibia 0

I suppose that you owe your victory in this tight game to the quality of your forwards.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Andydog
Why don’t you spend an hour or two head bashing to Metallica – you obviously need to up your supply of ’s.

Metallica is metal for the pussies...

[LDiCesare]

Wales 27 Italy 15.
Italy's pair of halves made too many bad choices and bad passes. Troncon gave the ball back to the Welsh by kicking far too often.
The Welsh defended well, and countered the Italians well, but they will be reduced to pulp by the AB next week.
Now on to France - Scotland!

[Myrddin]

Italy looked very effective in the first half - a simple game plan, keep running big men at the Welsh defence at speed. It should have worked but the Italians tired faster than the Welsh defence because of their impossible schedule.

Wales still look strangely rusted and stilted - as if the players don't quite get the gameplan and don't adjust to what is actually happening on the field

Hopefully actually qualifying for the Quarter Finals will take some pressure off, except the next 2 matches are NZ and England - we'll be lucky to keep under a hundred aggregate for the 2 games

[LDiCesare]

France Scotland half time 19 - 6.
The Scots kick the ball and tackle high, they also catch most of the balls in lineouts, causing some problems to the French there. They don't look very dangerous though, so unless Rougerie fumbles too many ball receptions, the game should be won by France.

[LDiCesare]

YES! The French just took a ball from a Scot scrum and scored a try immediately afterwards! There are still scrums in rugby!

[LDiCesare]

Final score:
France 51 - 9 Scotland
Very good match from the French, though they never opened the ball wide on the centers.
Michalak, Dominici and Betsen in particular were excellent. The pack ruled in scrums, though they had problems in lineouts. There were too many balls lost by the French, but Scots are notorious for stealing balls (legally).
The last try by Brusque was a nive personnal feat, which reminds of Blanco. They are both full back of Biarritz Olympique and France, after all.

Now, again, Scotland is far below the likes of England or South Africa. The question is now who will the French play against: Ireland or Argentina (it seems highly unlikely that Australia could lose against Ireland)?

[Tamerlin]

That was real forward play...

To the exception of the first half and the last 10 minutes (because of the too many replacements) the french played very well...

[finbar]

Originally posted by Frozzy
Of course everyone has forgotten about the NPC

Auckland -d- Wellington 41-22

Very entertaining game, many line breaks and thundering tackles. Been a very close NPC without the All Blacks.

I didn't forget about it! I watched some of it! I only stopped because Mrs finbar, knowing I'd already booked the TV for 3 WRC matches, started to mutter under her breath!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin


First the package was coming from Jamaica, second there is a 0 too many in your sentence.

Or even two.

I suppose that you owe your victory in this tight game to the quality of your forwards.

Yes, and my name is Andydog.

The match was a farce. Two players who started today will start against Ireland. Giffen, who came on in the second half, will if he's fit enough.

[Tamerlin]

See you Monday gentlemen, I am away from home for the week-end...

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
That was real forward play...

To the exception of the first half and the last 10 minutes (because of the too many replacements) the french played very well...

Fine performance by the French. They jogged along in the first half and went like the clappers in the second. I have to tell you, for what it's worth, several of the Australian TV commentators are big fans of the French. They think the French capable of going all the way.

And Matt Williams needs his head read for agreeing to coach Scotland next season.

Tonight's match also bears out, I think, what Doug Howlett said prior to the tournament about the French being the big threat via their unpredictablity. Havak, of course, completely misunderstood the comment, thinking it reflected badly on England.

But it was interesting to watch a match between two NH teams, with a NH ref, which contained more unpenalised forward passes than any other match thus far. And that's saying something!