Rugby - Hemisphere Wars!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Frozzy
I guess... but to rub it in some people had to vandalise the Chiefs logo!

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...54#post1776354

Heretics!

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Havak
If I take that bet and Cal’s I won’t have much left for the tri-series or warm up games?

Who cares about how much gold you have left? You can always go into the negatives...

As close as those results in 72 and 78 were I have no doubts the Welsh sides in between those dates were a better side than the ABs.

Since we have nothing to base it on then we'll just take your word for it shall we?

I’m not daft – I see it for what it is, a twofold strategy of securing a huge oil reserve for US use and even more critically a son trying to correct his fathers career ending error. I truly believe the latter is more the driving force myself.

Sorry mate, neither of those are a factor, in fact it's France and Germany's lucrative oil deals with Saddam that are influencing their decision to delay the war. To suggest that the US is just going to march in and take all the oil they want is ridiculous. If it was about oil then they would have kept the reserves they had control of in the first Gulf War. This war is about America defending itself, and liberating the Iraqi people.

You guys might have fun bashing America, but every country has the right to defend itself and the link between Saddam and those who carried out the 9/11 attacks are undeniable.

At the same time I would shed no tears to see Sadam out of this world.

Then why do you oppose the war? 12 years of UN resolutions and 7 years of inspections didn't do a thing. In a recent interview with in an Egyptian newspaper, Saddam brags that all he has to do is buy more time until the "American and British street" remove the threat of armed action against him.

[Caligastia]

I hate to go into politics with you guys, but I'm getting sick of the awful attitude to you have towards America. I live here and am married to an American, and guess what - Americans are human too. Havak and Finbar - please stop with the constant demonising of this country.

[Caligastia]

This is why I wanted to keep politics out of this thread! You guys have pissed me off!!! I knew this would happen!

[Caligastia]

From now on this thread will stay strictly ON TOPIC or there will be consequences!!!

[ravagon]

Originally posted by Havak
And yes it sucks that the US say jump and the world says how high – but the big dog rules the pack, the world has always been that way?

To avoid dredging it all up again I'll respond with only one point.
It could've been a helluva lot worse if the big dog happened to be somebody else ...



LMAO @Frozzy.
I take it that was supposed to be a patu before it was so ruthlessly butchered?

[Tamerlin]

Sorry you feel angry about us Caligastia but:

1 - You were supposed to be less active on the thread because of the web management policy of your company.

2 - Most of our critics are targetting the american government and not the americans themselves, the others are generally jokes (bad taste ones of course).

3 - The US government is playing the Sorcerer's Apprentice since the post WW2 era and the world now have to deal with the worst consequences of its acts.

4 - Though the US government has the right to defend itself this does not mean it has the right to attack another country which is not a direct threat to the safety of its citizens without the consent of the UN, the US government is more or less turning the UN into the old Société des Nations and we all know what were the consequences.

5 - Today is the last day of the first French Championship phase, the Stade Toulousain is playing against the Sporting Union Agenais. What promised to be a tough and entertaining game will almost be a friendly game as whatever the result the two teams will end first (Agen) and second (the Stade Toulousain ) and most of the internationals will be put to rest.

6 - Without the americans I would not play Role Playing Games as the good and best ones are coming from this country, I wouldn't play the greatest tabletop wargames and boargames in the world as they are designing them (I would be certainly more successfull in business but I would have a boring life), I would not listen the what is IMO the best music in the world (be it Jazz or Hardcore rock), I would not play wonderful PC games like Call to Power 2, Sid Meier's Alpha Centaury, Space Empires 4 Gold or People's General, I would not read SF or fantasy books as they are writing the best ones (C. J. Cherry, Tim Powers, Ursula Le Guin, Larry Niven, Robert Heinlein...), I would not have the opportunity to enjoy the movies from the golden era of the 1950s and 1960s (though the french movies of this time were also exceptional) along with some gems produced nowadays (though most of the movies coming from the USA are today, IMO, pure dogs)...

7 - To sum up I love the americans but I don't support their government

8 - Can Havak and I still talk about the European Community?

9 -

...am married to an American

Nobody's perfect...

10 - Are the americans humans?

I think so!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
please stop with the constant demonising of this country.

Certainly not the country, definitely not the people in it, but its government. I demonise the government in this country. I'm even-handed in my demonising.



ON TOPIC

Crusaders 34 -d- Queensland Reds 6

Crusaders were very effective, at times outstanding. The Reds verged on impotent. Mehrtens went off with a knee injury. Next week the Crusaders tackle the Blues which, on exposed form, should be a humdinger.

[Havak]

I never react that well to being told I'm not entitled to offer contrary opinions either so *agreed* I'll try to stay on topic after this.

Not exactly healthy to get p***** off at alternative opinions though is it, and thats all I offered. Bad day perhaps?

I don't 'demonise' the US - I don't accept the US is always right either. You will note I criticise my own country and government whe I feel they are in the wrong. I reserve the right to hold my own opinions.
Occassionally they will be aired here. I'm sorry if that bugs you but I'll not stop doing it entirely - it's fundamental to who I am not to allow myself to be censored in that way.

Right, that said...Rugby.

Well what a game that was.

Steve Lander proves yet again he is the worst referee in England bar none. Gloucester reminded me why I dislike them and their fans so much.

Booing failed kicks Vulture? Isn't that rather unworthy of Rugby?

And that gamesmanship at the end taking a prop off to force uncontested scrums when you were all over the place in them - lets just say I am in a Tamerlin-like state of incandescent rage at it. Cheating sods.

Glaws 16 - a deperately unlucky Tigers side 11.

Thats what you get when you play 16 men I suppose.

And the worst part - now I have to support Northampton!!

[Caligastia]

Here's the thing guys, I started these rugby threads for one reason only - for the discussion of rugby. I like you guys, and for this reason I don't want to get drawn into an endless ***-for-tat political argument. I could argue my side of course, but I'm not interested in changing any of your minds, and you probably aren't interested in changing mine. I respect your right to hold different views from me, but I'm not interested in hashing these things out in a rugby thread. There are plenty of other threads on Apolyton where you can air your political views, so why air them in this one? For me this thread is a welcome break from the constant barrage of left-wing bile that is so prevalent in the OT forum.

I've nothing against some slight deviation from the topic every now and then, but when it's a constant one-sided political viewpoint I get very sick of it. I'm here to talk rugby, is that too much to ask?

BTW Havak, I don't want you to feel like I don't want a response from you to what I said, so feel free to PM me or respond to me in another thread. I don't mind having a political discussion with you guys, just not here.

[Frozzy]

Next week the Crusaders tackle the Blues which, on exposed form, should be a humdinger.

Shame this isn't later in the year...

[finbar]

Originally posted by Frozzy

Shame this isn't later in the year...

There will be a return match later in the season. The S12 comp plays home and away contests.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
You will note I criticise my own country and government whe I feel they are in the wrong. I reserve the right to hold my own opinions.
Occassionally they will be aired here. I'm sorry if that bugs you but I'll not stop doing it entirely - it's fundamental to who I am not to allow myself to be censored in that way.

Pretty much ditto.

Glaws 16 - a deperately unlucky Tigers side 11.

Thats what you get when you play 16 men I suppose.

And the worst part - now I have to support Northampton!!

*violins*





Not that I know the slightest thing about what happened in the match but when has that stopped me before?

[finbar]

I don't know much about these games because they were played at 2am and 4am my time.

Waratahs 48 -d- Cats 36

Looks like pretty ordinary defence all round.

Sharks 25 -d- Brumbies 17

All I've heard is that Stirling Mortlock had a very ordinary kicking day and Butch James didn't miss.

[Bearcat]

Here is the result of the Eastside-Tualatin Valley match.

I had forboding fears of a blowout by TV before game time as they were one of the better Oregon U-19 teams last year. But the game got off to a great start for us as we rucked well and pretty much kept the ball moving forward against them. They also got hammered by consistent penalties for diving over the ruck. We managed to put the first try on the board, when our outside center bludgeoned his way in, putting us up 5-0. That was the score at the half. The next half went more their way. They put a try on the board and converted to make it 5-7. We started having more difficulties with our rucks and had problems keeping the ball in forward motion. They put another try on the board near the final 10 minutes to make it 5-12. We started the ball upfield though on a great, long run by our flyhalf into their half of the field.

We managed to get inside their 22 and finally to their 5, as they kept getting consistent penalties for diving over the ruck and offsides among others. At about 5 out we took the tap kick and handed it to our very large #5 who took it in at the outside of the try area for 5. Our flyhalf converted to tie it at 12, which was the final score. It would have been nice to win, but I'll settle for a tie in this case, taking into account who the opposition was.

The match stayed fairly clean, although one of TVs players got sin-binned for diving over the ruck and I traded punches with one of their locks (I think it was a lock). All in all it was a good game, with fair skies and the ground was good. I look forward to next Saturday.

Oh, and go Highlanders