Rugby World Cup: And the Winner is...

[finbar]

Auguri!

(As they say here)

[Havak]

"Bottoms up" as the reply often goes here.

[Caligastia]

Any ideas for a new thread title?

In the spirit of misbehaving rugby stars everywhere:

Rugby - Drunk and Belligerent

[finbar]

Maybe a bit too negative. You might have missed an earlier couple of suggestions of mine in relation to a Kiwi now coaching the Wallabies:

Rugby - Australian Fush 'n' Chups

or

Rugby - Australia: Good As Gold

Only a Kiwi might fully appreciate the second one.

[Caligastia]

Actually, "Good as gold" is a fairly popular saying here in the U.S. too. Not that we have any Americans posting in this thread...

[finbar]

Yes, but I'm sure it doesn't appear in every sentence as it does in the south island.

Missed the Leicester defeat at the hands of my new favourite team. Neighbours came in for dinner and I was busy cooking. Gee, it's hard being a bangwagon-rider. I have to stop and think who I'm supporting every week.

[kittenOFchaos]

Originally posted by finbar
Missed the Leicester defeat at the hands of my new favourite team. Neighbours came in for dinner and I was busy cooking. Gee, it's hard being a bangwagon-rider. I have to stop and think who I'm supporting every week.

Hey, get your own team

[finbar]

No problems. Anyone who beats Leicester automatically becomes my new favourite team, so expect a poultice of new favourite teams over the coming months.

[finbar]

Wasps -v- Bath was interesting. Wasps had understrength Bath on toast in the second half. Tries and bonus points seemingly for the taking. Not so. Bath somehow grabbed control in the last quarter. Nose had a big game. First time I've seen D. Cipriani and N. Abendandon, apparently a couple of England's up and comers. Cipriani, playing #10, has nice skills but slack defence. I certainly wouldn't want Abendandon at full back in any team of mine. Prone to schoolboy howlers.

London Irish almost became my new favourite team.

[finbar]

Newcastle -v- Sarries was entertaining stuff. A sprinkling of decent talent in both teams but not enough to trouble the top sides, methinks. Despite one blunder, M. Tait looked good at full back. His lack of physical strength isn't as exposed as it is in the centres and his many skills can be used when he joins the line. I think he's well worth considering at full back for England.

[Havak]

I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Tait at Full Back for England. But then I prefer Cipriani at FB too. Abendanon is a great Sevens player but has yet to convince many people in the fifteen man game.

With respect to KoC the Sale game was a disaster for us. As poorly as Tigers played we should still have won (but Goode forgot where the posts were). But then most sides struggle up in Stockport – it juts isn’t a natural home for Rugby Union.

The Exiles game was far more interesting in that our new coach chose a very under strength side full of old crufters and injury returnees. And it paid off. Forget the scoreboard as Humphries had an awful kicking day on his return from injury – the important stat is that Tigers outscored Exiles by four tries to one. It was a fairly easy victory that was made to look laboured by the boot of Armitage.

One problem shone through from both games however – we have big problems with discipline again as we gave away far too many penalties.

[Havak]

It looks like Dallaglio was tipped off that he will be excluded from the 6N squad to be announced next week.

This retirement announcement is long overdue.

[Andydog]

I wonder if he's playing better recently knowing that the pressure is off. He looks to be having fun in his last season as a player - I haven't seen him voluntarily tackle himself in a few games, he is smiling a lot more, and this weekend when he burst off the back of the scrum and flipped a pass to Sackey it was reminiscent of the Dayglow of old.

I've never liked him much but he was a great player in his prime. He had a talent off the field for manipulating the media (in the 2nd part of his career obviously). His campaigns to get himself back in the England team were masterful.

Also I'll never forget how he managed to charm the NZ media early in the Lions tour and then say Stephen Joneseque bollocks on the same day when it was for the UK domestic market.

So we'll be seeing Haskell take to the turf this 6 Nations?

[Havak]

I hope so - talented player.

I'd like Crane to make the cut too though. Two excellent young prospects for the number 8 shirt at the same time, who would have thunk it?

[Havak]

One for Finbar - Sly Eddie has signed to replace Alan Gaffney at Saracens from next season.

Does this mean another tirade from Mr O'Neil about his lack of loyalty to Australia?