Rugby - The Game They Play In Heaven II

[kittenOFchaos]

Right, time to lose more money betting in this RWC

And time to see Ali Williams hog the camera during the Haka

I'm supporting NZ...it is time the curse was lifted and the no.1 ranked team in rugby wins it. Plus, NZ will properly thrash France and I want to see that.

[kittenOFchaos]

A cracking half.

The All Blacks came out of the blocks at 100 miles an hour and it was looking like Australia would be blown away. However, Australians never give up and they've so much quality in attack they don't need much territory and possession to score points. Australia are creeping back into this and it is hard not to want to support the under-dog, particularly as the crowd is so partisan against QC.

At half-time, NZ 14 - Australia 6

May the best team win

[kittenOFchaos]

MoM performance by SBW.

[LDiCesare]

Cooper has had a really bad world cup.
Dagg's performance on the try was superb.
NZ should cruise past France in the final, but it should hopefully be a nice match.

[finbar]

Fair play to the ABs. Much too good. You can't hope to beat them with poor ball retention, poor discipline particularly in your own half, not standing up to them at the rucks and breakdowns, and, bizarrely, kicking away so much ball deep to the likes of Dagg who has a kick like a mule. If you need to score to win, why kick the ball away so pointlessly? Dumb tactics. I also sincerely hope it's the last we see of the McCabe-Faingaa midfield. It's a black hole to rival anything England has fielded. Cooper's tournament has been a real struggle. Ultimately, he lost all confidence but he was vastly let down elsewhere on the field.

[Havak]

And ultimately the "home-banker" RWC is playing out exactly as expected.

However just to make it doubly sure the French camp seems in total disarray - have you caught the latest statements by Lievremont? Calling your players spoilt brats a week before the biggest games of their lives? That is a very gallic motivational technique perhaps? Apparently the naughty boys went on the lash after beating Wales against their coaches orders.

[finbar]

A week after he said he bought slabs of beer to share with them and they declined to drink with him. Ah, the French. Wouldn't the world be a sadder place without them? Actually, it's all very very very Italian, too. Those inexplicable Latins ...

[LDiCesare]

He explained that it was a joke. Calling people names may sometimes be friendly. I could probably write a whole dissertation on insults not ment to be insulting and outrageous comments that are just said out of shyness because it's easier to criticise someone than express one's real feelings. I don't know whether this is a French habit, a flaw of mine or something more general.

[finbar]

What you're describing is universal. Mainly amongst men. Men being the emotional cripples that they are. You seem to be suggesting, though, that Le Fou was taking the mickey, taking the p*ss. I wouldn't bet on it.

[Havak]

I wouldn't bet on it either.

[kittenOFchaos]

Sporting Frenchies: http://www.rugbydump.com/

After another weekend of controversy, the referee for the World Cup final between New Zealand and France has been named as South African Craig Joubert. In other news, France will wear white in the final, so New Zealand can wear their traditional black.

In 2007 France famously beat New Zealand in Cardiff with the All Blacks forced to wear their alternate grey strip that clearly didn't work out too well for them. This year France won the coin toss to determine the home side, but allowed New Zealand to have the choice of wearing their famous black kit.

"We decided to allow the All Blacks the choice to play in black. For us it is a sign of respect and a way for our team to thank New Zealanders for a remarkable World Cup," said French team manager Jo Maso.

"It is an honour to play the All Blacks when they play in their black jerseys and it is logical with the World Cup final being held at Eden Park," he added.

The gesture seemed a little lost of Graham Henry though. "We're the All Blacks, we're playing at home and we wear black, so it's an obvious one. But I do thank him," he said.

[finbar]

If the French actually wore their traditional blue instead of this modern strip that's more black than blue it wouldn't be a problem. Sky Italy have been replaying old WC matches. Last night I watched some of the 1987 final. The French actually wore blue. It didn't remotely resemble the blue/black they wear these days. It was actually blue. Anyway, I would imagine the only people likely to be confused will be those with B&W TVs and they surely only exist these days in the wilds of Leicestershire.

Oh, and Serge Blanco's non-tackle on Michael Jones to let him through for the first try of the 1987 final was something to see.

[finbar]

Good grief. Does Gatland not have a filter between his brain and mouth? He has a history of verbal idiocy but claiming to have considered feigning injury to contrive uncontested scrums, then deciding against it, then claiming that as some sort of moral high ground - as against Rolland's moral low ground - is just bizarre.

[Havak]

He seems at times to act as if he is chatting to a group of friends who he assumes will honour his confidences?

I am more amused by the fact Graham Henry, like all Kiwis, constantly refers to his team via their trade mark not their nationaility. That one never gets old for me.

I think that blue worn of yesteryear was "French navy" possibly. A much lighter blue than the anglo saxon concept of navy. That said what does it matter what colour they wear. Not losing by half a century should be their main focus.

[LDiCesare]

Well, the current ugly blue shirt is certainly not much to my taste. Traditionally, the French shirt was 'bleu roi' (king blue) or, before that an even paler shade of blue. The dark blue was most certainly made on purpose to p*** off the all blacks in last world cup, and the current kit if a mix of the 2007 and 1999 colours... It should still be bleu roi in my opinion.
There are some nice pictures of the shirt history down the page.