Rugby World Cup: And the Winner is...

[finbar]

England score a try from a lucky bounce and barely threaten again, the French outside centre drops yet another simple pass in a glorious position, and the French chip-kick their way to oblivion. Tonight the tournament entered the realm of farce.

[kittenOFchaos]

Originally posted by finbar
England score a try from a lucky bounce and barely threaten again, the French outside centre drops yet another simple pass in a glorious position, and the French chip-kick their way to oblivion. Tonight the tournament entered the realm of farce.

Yeah, right, barely threaten again.

We almost had the get up and go for a drive over scrum, we almost had Robinson and Hipkiss through the French and Tait could have perhaps done more with a similar situation.

Just nice to see your colours Finbar...whatever happens we have got, Johnny Wilkinson and you have not

[finbar]

This has turned into a World Cup of lemmings. Australia to a lesser extent, certainly the All Blacks, now the French.

[kittenOFchaos]

Just checked out the prices I could get a World Cup ticket and I'll be staying at home!

Easily cost £1000, that can buy alot more pleasure elsewhere tbh!

Edit: I'm actually getting tempted, be a great start to my half-term holiday...wonder if I can get my dad to go and start looking at a deal to get that £1000 a ticket down to around £500. Any tips?

[kittenOFchaos]

Originally posted by finbar
This has turned into a World Cup of lemmings. Australia to a lesser extent, certainly the All Blacks, now the French.

Turned?

The Aussies were well beat and should have been beaten by more, NZ were kinda robbed with that forward pass but should have put France away. The Welsh just let Fiji back into it...but to be honest, the appeal of this World Cup has been how close games have been and with Wilkinson England do play better and can edge games that otherwise they'd lose.

Scotland were very lazy and should have beated the Argentines to set themselves up for a tonking by SA.

[finbar]

I stirred from my slumber this morning, and in that brief, hazy moment between sleep and waking, I thought I'd dreamed that France had played the tactically dumbest game imaginable, handing the semi to a team that relies on penalties and drop goals to win matches. No. No. Sadly, no. The dream had been an actual waking nightmare.

I can only pray to rugby God Zinzan that the Boks win tonight, hence not exposing the limited Argie game to the penalty-drop goal duet and allowing at least one finalist who actually plays real rugby.

[kittenOFchaos]

The French didn't score any tries, England kinda did, aren't aren't they rather more limited? Hell, at least England weren't trying drop goals from the half-way line.

[finbar]

My point exactly. The French committed tactical suicide. I wish B. Laporte a long and very unhappy life in the bosom of M'sieur Sarkozy.

But just to prove that I'm not entirely down on England, I liked what I saw of D. Hipkiss. I suspect he's the #13. I like M. Tait, I think he has real skills, but I don't think he's strong enough for #13. Maybe wing is his slot - in front of the over-rated Sackey - or, if his kicking is good enough, full back.

[Havak]

Well yes - Hipkiss at 13 and Tait on the wing would do nicely for me too.

I understand Finbar's frustration - England played very little rugby. What they did have was commitment - in spades.

On the flip side France played snatches of rugby but were, day I say, very "flat". LdiC's worst nightmare came to life - Les Bleues got their mental state badly wrong again in the follow up game from a big performance.

It is a concern that were are not scoring more tries in open play. It is more of a concern that our number 8 keeps blowing tries with poor control at the base of the scrum!

In all honesty Finbar if the boys manage to win next week with just penalties and drop goals I won't care in the slightest.

In all liklihood it will be the Boks we face. On paper we will have no chance at all there. But I've given up trying to predict this RWC. A lot would need to go right for us - and a lot would need to go wrong for them. But everything is possible in knock out rugby.

In any case I will be cheering the Pumas tonight because they have fully warranted being where they are now (arguably unlike my own countrymen) and because I love an underdog too.

Victoire!!!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
On the flip side France played snatches of rugby but were, day I say, very "flat". LdiC's worst nightmare came to life - Les Bleues got their mental state badly wrong again in the follow up game from a big performance.

Last week wasn't a big performance. They pinched a win against befuddled oppo. And learned nothing from the experience. Or at least the coach didn't. Last week they almost kicked the game away. Last night they did.

In all honesty Finbar if the boys manage to win next week with just penalties and drop goals I won't care in the slightest.

Of course not. In your boots, I'd be exactly the same. It's just a shame for rugby that much of the latter stages of this tournament is happening by default.

[finbar]

Cripes, Leicester go down to Sarries with T. Croft on the bench. What's he doing on the bench?

[finbar]

Finally, a better team wins, even if somewhat by default. The Argies made the Boks' job so much easier with their multitude of errors. Interesting to see the Argie scrum pushing around the Bok scrum. The Bok pack hasn't been the force of old through the entire tournament.

[LDiCesare]

It is a concern that were are not scoring more tries in open play.

It's a general concern since the quarter finals began.
The only nation to score tries was South Africa, and even then many tries were in counters. Fiji scored some, France and the All Blacks too (btw please stop commenting the forward pass between Traille and Michalak and look at the forward pass between Carter and Mc Allister on NZ's first try) but most of that match was spent kicking. England and Australia showed one try. Argentina vs Ireland I didn't see wholly.

France played a kicking game which isn't theirs and didn't even keep kicking to play in England half when they should have. And indeed Marty showed once again he was very good at knocking forward.

This game has been domincated by kicks, up and unders and kicks. I'm afraid the final will look the same, because England can't really do much with its centers, and South Africa can attack from afar with its wingers but not Montgomery. The match for the 3rd place is anyone's guess, depending on who gets selected, and whether the French try to play their game for a change.

[finbar]

I haven't mention the Michalek forward pass in ... several days. I haven't even thought about it in ... several minutes.

But, yes, the amount of kicking has been amazing, even from teams who don't normally play the kicking game. Interesting that those teams - the usually non-kickers - have come off second best. There's a lesson.

B. Ashton is being offered a new contract. Well, well, well.

[Havak]

Quelle Surprise eh?

What's he doing on the bench?

Nothing. More’s the pity.

From what I hear Mr Goode is not having a good run of form right now. I suspect the new coach might show him the door.

Finally, a better team wins, even if somewhat by default.

Absolutely ruthless in punishing the Pumas errors – and that does make me very nervous.

I’m also not convinced either France or Australia were better teams than England in those games – I think your exasperation led to an incorrect statement (very rare for you). England have won two games as the “less poor side” if I can put it that way. One thing they have done is play for each other – bodies have been put on the line in both games and I guess I couldn’t ask much more. They were not going to become a total rugby side like the ABs or Boks (or an expansive side like the Wallabies) in the space of four games.

because England can't really do much with its centers,

Picking Hipkiss at 13 would be a brave attempt to change that. The boy looks more at home there than Matthew Tait ever has. Lewsey is almost certainly out so Hipkiss at OC and Tait on the wing would be what I would like to see.

Let me be clear – I’m a dogged old Englishman and I will be cheering my team on. I would hope you would all expect nothing less of me.

I’m not stupid however. I know their form over the last four years means they are not particularly deserving of being world champions. I can’t blame England so much as point the finger at undoubtedly better sides that got knock out games badly wrong? It isn’t really England’s fault that higher ranked teams got beaten – those teams must look at themselves? It’s been a strange RWC all around.

Realistically I also fear that the boks have far too much in the locker for English passion and effort to overcome. They have played the better rugby throughout for sure. We could easily be very heavily stuffed.

So it’s a mountain to climb. But I still have to cheer them on and hope they climb it. As I say above it goes with the blood – sheer Anglo Saxon stubbornness. Come on England!