Reply With QuoteThey would have been mad to kick, from the corner, when South Africa where down to 14 men!Originally Posted by RayTango
As an Irishman living in South Africa I had hold my tongue yesterday, the locals are not known to be gracious losers, they should get through the stages easily anyway. You could not help but hope for the Japs and will be interesting to see how this stirs the smaller teams on. As my Scottish mate said.....not sure if Japan winning was a good or a bad thing for Scotland.
They would have been mad to kick, from the corner, when South Africa where down to 14 men!
Great games so far - Japan were brilliant a real testament to indomitable spirit.
Hope the rest of the tournament lives up to those matches.
hardly negative josh, you seem a tad sensitive these days for a boxer?
anyway, as an aside, there are a few yarpies on board ship and they are all rightly disgusted with the scores but they are all discussing it is to do with the amount of black players put into the squad not really for their merit as players but because the south african workers union demanded that a certain number were included.
mike
The Japan vs SA game was fantastic to watch after such an abysmal afternoon of football. The pub I was in really got behind Japan, I guess everybody loves a good underdog story.
It's a shame That Japan does not have a lot or time to recover and have to face a fresh Scotland on Wednesday.
Japan were awesome, watch out Scotland!
I'd love to see Uruguay do the same today.
Well they couldn't have asked for a better start!
With a team of farmers, doctors and lawyers though I think we may be asking just a little too much!
^ Can't see it happening now.
Wales even with a mainly rested team will be too organised for Uruguay
Still gutted the best fullback in the world is out of the World Cup though. Yes I may be biased there,
Sloppy by Wales
Priestland back to form - missing two kicks into touch!!
Like watching Union, but I love watching League....
Rather uninspiring performance by Wales today and even more injuries to deal with now. I fear we may not win another game in this World Cup. :-(
Its getting crazy - Shane Williams will be out of retirement at this rate!!
Watched Samoa smash the yanks today at the Amex. Great atmosphere..........
NZ v Argentina, a good game to watch at Wembley - my first visit to the new stadium. Thought that the officiating by Wayne Barnes did disrupt the flow of the game, but could not really fault any of his decisions.
You asked a question so it would be rude not to answer - as someone who has been involved in Rugby for the last 45 years.
Much of it stems from 1995 and what happened to the All Blacks in the final. If you don't know look it up! But most stems from the way they play the game. Here is someone else's perspective from 2002.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/200...rugbyunionteam
A game I witnessed first hand.
Yesterday they tried the same aggressive and slightly cheaty approach, but were out battled at the breakdown and, for a change, unable to hoodwink the ref.
Add a head coach who is an arrogant twat, the whole political dimension of SA Rugby and some of their "fans" I have met at Twickers, (who behave like some of their players) and perhaps its explains my negativity towards them.
You might not consider these very good reasons, but they are still better than a "anyone but England" approach don't you think?
Last edited by Andyg; 20th September 2015 at 20:25.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
At our current rate of attrition Gareth Edwards will be getting a call up
Seriously, we are an injury or two (i.e. Biggar/Roberts) away from being unable to field a team able to compete at pro 12 never mind at the WC!
Looking very unlikely we'll get out of the group now, and if by some miracle we do we won't have much of a squad left!
Great starting weekend though.
jeff
I don't think many would disagree to be honest. Although Mike Brown is knocking on that door.
Salisbury lad - so I am biased
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Thanks, I appreciate you taking the trouble to explain. I too watched the 95 final BTW.
Wales were a bit flat today, and the atmosphere was subdued compared to when I've been before (mind you that was against England). Had good seats though :-)
You did indeed have very very good seats
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Rob Kearney might be giving you a call about that........lm also biased!
A very worthy candidate indeed.
But would still give it to Brown on the basis purely on the intensity of his game (2 tries and 173 yards against Fuji is not sniffed at).
One thing for certain is neither England nor Ireland can afford to lose either.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Link:
"Reported concussions in rugby have doubled in five years and a UK expert said on average one player at every Six Nations match suffered a brain injury."
Depending upon what he defines as brain injury that may sound worse that is really is, but it cannot be ignored...or can it?
Looking forward to Scotland v Japan this afternoon. Come on you Japs!
I was in the Edinburgh office yesterday and a couple of the jocks were not nearly so confident as they were pre japan - SA !
Roll on this afternoon, should be a close game!
Was a bit of a no win situation for Scotland. Lose and they are rubbish, win and its because Japan only had 4 days to recover. Have to laugh at folk saying its unfair on the smaller teams having to do this as Scotland are the 4th ranked team in that groupand will have a 4 day turnaround against the USA. Not sure but think only England and Ireland don't have a 4 day turnaround, just the way the numbers work out.
Enjoyed the game, Japan were good, refused to give up and kept moving it right up till the end. Had a wee chuckle at Eddie Jones who said he would not use the turnaround as an excuse if they lost. Then used it as an excuse.
Think the key game in this group will be Samoa V SA, still think SA will qualify though. On the other match today the Aussies look pretty good. Favourites now maybe?
Scotland have suddenly developed the ability to cross the whitewash - where did that come from?
That's a freaky thing - I'm in that picture!Wales were a bit flat today, and the atmosphere was subdued compared to when I've been before (mind you that was against England). Had good seats though :-)
Not that you could see me - we were almost on the corner in the pic, but up in the Gods.
I thought it was an odd atmosphere as well - I put it down to the roof being closed.
Not a classic game by any stretch of the imagination, but I really don't care, I can say that I've been to a World Cup game in my own country (well, I'm half-Welsh), and there's not many that can say that. It was Mrs. B and Little B Junior's first rugby match and we all had a whale of a time.
Cracking, as I believe they may say around those environs!
Funnily enough it was my oldest's first game too!
Interesting games again today, Australia are looking dangerous...
Well, I've enjoyed the days rugby, and I think most of the games surprised me!
Scotland vs Japan I really was expecting a close, ground out game, credit to the jocks who made it a very one sided affair.
Aus vs Fiji - I was expecting the wallabies cruise through this, and i was a bit worried with how they started, they looked silky smooth and very dangerous!
Was really glad that the fijians fought it out and made a game of it until the bitter end. A really enjoyable physical game i thought.
France vs Romania.. Missus and all her family are french, so I couldn't but hope that the Romanians would perform! had no idea what to expect from them before the
match. For the first 30 minutes, and then for various patches throughout the match i thought they really competed. The better team won in the end but again, good game
of rugby and yet another example of a small team not being that far behind the big boys.
Last edited by Mike_B; 23rd September 2015 at 23:35.
Fiji have really improved - their set piece has come on a lot, though they're still trying to play 7s rugby. Unlike Japan, it doesn't look like they think more than a phase ahead. I wonder if the lack of a 4 try bonus point will come back to haunt Australia later on, though it's hard to see Wales beating either England or Oz at the moment. England getting Uruguay last is a handy fixture - the one game where they can rest the core of the 1st string team and, if they're unbeaten up to that stage, won't need to chase points difference.
Shame today wasn't a day for any of the underdogs, but it does look like the gap is closing, which can only be a good thing - putting 100+ points on a team isn't good for the sport. Unfortunately Uruguay and Namibia are in for a bit of a spanking though.
As an aside, I don't think that a team has ever lost a match in the group stages and gone on to win the tournament. Doesn't look like SA will buck that trend, though they'll possibly still top the pool as they've 2 bonus points from their loss to Japan.
Vern Cotter is a great coach. Wasn't too sure how he'd get on without being able to buy in whoever he wants like French club teams can, but he seems to be doing a great job.
I think (or hope) that "reported" is a big reason for the increase; the recent awareness is a good thing, whereas previously, it seemed like you'd be let play on unless you couldn't lie down without holding on to the ground. A Leinster and Ireland player just retired yesterday on the advice of a neurologist."Reported concussions in rugby have doubled in five years and a UK expert said on average one player at every Six Nations match suffered a brain injury."
An ex-international player from the last decade said that they used to deliberately be a bit slower in their pre-season benchmark tests for concussions. So when they were actually concussed, it was easier to return to play. You have to wonder if this is the type of thing where we won't know the full impact for a few years yet - and it looks like players are just going to keep getting bigger.
They're on to that way of rigging the results: watch BBC Panorama Rugby and the Brain - Tackling the Truth (available for 5 more days at time of posting).
There are plenty rugby players, at an international level, on that programme giving their views and opinions. I expect that CTE will be getting more coverage as rugby and other sports study what's going on and how best to manage the consequences.
Last edited by PickleB; 24th September 2015 at 11:27. Reason: added CTE paragraph
Are the data from the trackers on players available to anyone other than their own team? I hope that they are available, in real time, to the pitch-side physios etc, but I don't know enough about the background to know if there are any independent medical staff available. What I have seen, in the linked programme, is the Medical Director to a home nation union trying to explain a poor decision that has been heavily criticised.
Just thinking about this sent me off to the net where I found (link):
"The medical team will only attend to a Player who has been referred by the referee or the doctor of either Team. The Player is then under the responsibility of the Match doctor."
Given the risks, isn't it about time that critical medical decisions were left to an independent doctor and removed from the referee, who has enough to cope with already?
There are two analysts in the box with the coaching staff. I believe they're the two at the front with laptops.
Well, glad to see that Namibia were neither white-washed nor completely & utterly demolished (I know that a 40+ point margin would be a pasting in most matches). Considering they're a mostly amateur team with maybe 1000 registered players nationally, they acquitted themselves very well.
Not sure if England v Wales will be that entertaining, even if it's probably the first really big match so far.
I'll be there tomorrow, I can't wait! I think you're right though, it won't be a pretty game.
It will be brutal judging from the things Gatland is saying. Head Games!
England by 10 (I hope). This is based on the depth of the English bench, the Welsh injuries, and it's at HQ.
I got to go to a Wedding receptions tomorrow night so will miss it - gutted.
My son is playing tight head on Sunday (first time) against Bradford on Avon, should be a top game as well.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
As a Welshman I have a bad feeling about this after the recent injuries, Tipuric been relegated to the bench (despite being our best player of late) and Gatland opening his gob saying we will smash them.
Hope I'm wrong
Looking forward to this one!
However, with so much at stake I think it may turn out to be a war of attrition rather than a game for the purist. I'd love to see an expansive game, but the weight of the occasion, and the team sheets on both side don't really point to that happening.
I hope we play to win rather than not to lose, and that we don't pick up too many more injuries, as the cupboard's nearly bare now!
Good luck to all, and I hope this time tomorrow the talk is all about the game itself and not the officials (especially the TMO)
jeff
I think the main positive for Wales is the England centre pairing. Looks like the plan is to bosh it up the middle, and as Wales showed against us in the 6N and the recent warm-up match, you're well able to deal with that. The English back 3 are quality, but I'm not sure if they'll get enough ball.
Absolutely brutal luck with the injuries though - it's a shame.
It's going to be a nail biting game, no matter which side you're on. I'm going with a Welshman and a Scot...
I'm going to the England game tonight and it will be my first time at thicken ham I can't wait 😃
100% agreement [gulp].
Don't think you're going to be wrong somehow...
Tipuric has comfortably been your standout player in the warm ups and I was really concerned about him playing. Cannot understand why Lancaster has dropped Ford and gone route one.
So....D-Day is here!
Looking forward to the match tonight, but not very confident given our injuries. However, I am looking forward to seeing some Roberts v Burgess collisions in midfield!
I was doing a quick mental comparison of the sections of each team to see who was stronger and I think that confirms to me that it's going to be close, but i expect England to edge it as their pack will have the upper hand, particularly the front five. I'm not sure the Welsh backs will get enough quality ball. But we'll see!
Front Row: England
Second Row: Draw
Back Row: Wales
Scrum half: England
Fly half: Wales
Centres: Wales
Back three: England
Here's to a great game!
I'm looking forward to it tonight too Welshie, I'm watching it at the local rugby club, hopefully there will be a few red shirts to keep me company!
Sounds great. I'll be in the safety of my own living room scaring the kids with my regular shouting at the TV!
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