Any Rugby World Cup fans here?

[Dry Rot]

Rugby is a much, much better game than NRL, and we're now into the quarter finals.

Tonight's Aust v Eng game should be a ripper.

[BulldogBelle]

Rugby is a much, much better game than NRL, and we're now into the quarter finals.

Tonight's Aust v Eng game should be a ripper.

I have been watching a little bit of the World Cup especially when the Aussies are on - quite an interesting game, don't know the rules fully but learning as time goes on.

[Dry Rot]

The rules are more complex than league, but the game is more interesting for it.

It even has marks and kicking is far more important.

Aust lucky to be ahead.

I generally don't go for Aust national teams, especially in the World Cup, but I hate England.

[BulldogBelle]

I generally don't go for Aust national teams, especially in the World Cup, but I hate England.

Yeah, you don't usually get on the Aussie bandwagon - I know that rule also applies to your cricket aswell. ;)

[Dry Rot]

Yes, I go for the team of Allah in cricket and Pacific nations in rugby (not NZ).

[LostDoggy]

I barrack for the All Blacks, Dan Carter's my favourite, and Joe Rokocoko...but the times are too messed up for me to get up to watch it.

[Dry Rot]

Love the hakka - All Blacks are a great team.

Things look grim for the Aussies now.

[MrMahatma]

I'm not much of a Rugby fan, but living in London I was really barracking the Aussies home... going to be a long few weeks here until the Kiwis knock them out in the semis.

Guess I shouldn't have been talking it up all Friday at work :)

[The Coon Dog]

I'm not much of a Rugby fan, but living in London I was really barracking the Aussies home... going to be a long few weeks here until the Kiwis knock them out in the semis.

Guess I shouldn't have been talking it up all Friday at work :)

Swing low - Sweet chariot! Guess you better get used to that, they seemed to sing it with passion last World Cup.

[southerncross]

Well the Northern Hemisphere teams came good and caused a couple of upsets.
The Australian Rugby team has been in decline for a couple of years now and I think a new nbroowm needs to sweep clean.

[Sockeye Salmon]

I don't get it.

The penalties are more random than our ruck infringements. The commentators don't explain what most of the penalties are for and I'm sure it's because they don't know either.

My wife is a Kiwi and all I know is when NZ lose it's time to call my father-in-law and tell him (just in case he missed the news) but if they win the whole thing, make sure caller ID is switched on and check before answering the phone!

[Twodogs]

Bugger!




RU is a far better game than RL. The ball stays live more and as DR says the rules are more complex. The players seem a lot more skilled as well.

[The Underdog]

Um to be honest I don't get it.
The rules seem random to the uninitiated like me. Have no idea what constitutes a penalty. One of the few ball games I can't be bothered with. I tried to watch last night but couldn't bring myself to care. Ended up watching an Arsenal vs Sevilla Champions League game I taped a few weeks ago and never got around to watching.
Maybe we should start a thread on sports we hate, I'll start with horse racing...

[LostDoggy]

I agree at its best, union is better than league.
Both games are a bit one dimension at times. Run up, crash, run up, crash, etc etc. Kick it every now and then.
You want to see them run and throw the ball out wide and there doesn't seem to be enough of that. The less kicking the better the game is. Too many points for drop goals.

[Dry Rot]

One rule I like is that when a less serious penalty is "given" the play continues for a while to see if the side who receives the penalty gets an advantage. If they don't, they get the penalty, although sometimes it's just play on for no reason I can determine.

Last night there were a lot of scrum penalties, reflecting England's dominance there.

[Go_Dogs]

As someone with a very limited understanding of the game and rules, it was very frustrating watching us constantly giving away penalty kicks, and then failing to convert pretty much whenever we had a penalty kick.

Pretty disappointing, but we did get dogged with a hard first final due to our group alignment.

[Dry Rot]

Pretty disappointing, but we did get dogged with a hard first final due to our group alignment.

On form, dunno I can agree with that. Poms hadn't played well recently. Ditto for NZ - dunno if anyone gave the French much chance.

[Go_Dogs]

Yeah, I was told last night whilst the game started that we were actually favorites, I was already being negative saying we were going down by field goals, much like it ended up happening. For all our form, and apparent advantages over England, I just didn't think we controlled enough play, and really looked threatening all night. Too many easy turnovers, heaps of things.

As a 'non-follower' I don't really know much about the rankings of teams etc. I just thought we had a tough group, either having to play the Springbox or the Poms in the first final.

[Dry Rot]

IIRC, the Poms almost missed out on the finals, ie we were not necessarily expected to play them at this stage ie the winners of each group play other second placed teams.

[Go_Dogs]

True, Tonga(?) perhaps were sitting in second for a while of that particular group.

[southerncross]

On form, dunno I can agree with that. Poms hadn't played well recently. Ditto for NZ - dunno if anyone gave the French much chance.
It was reported on SEN before that one guy put 5 million on the All Blacks yesterday.

[LostDoggy]

My family's pretty upset about the Rugby today, my mum's side anyway, my dad's side couldn't care less, and to top things off, Dan Carter got injured...excellent :(

[Dry Rot]

Great game tonight. Fiji gave it a real crack.

[Dry Rot]

Bloody hell- England through to the Final. Dunno why, I just hate Johnny Wilkinson.

Can the Pumas get up against the Springboks?

[westdog54]

Bloody hell- England through to the Final. Dunno why, I just hate Johnny Wilkinson.

Can the Pumas get up against the Springboks?

It would appear not:p . Having said that I would have loved to see Argentina in the final.

DR, there's been calls for Argentina to be included into the Super 14's and Tri-Nations. I'd be interested in your thoughts on this, and the only problem I can see with it is the logistical difficulties of playing on 3 continents. Any potential problems would surely have nothing to do with the quality of rugby on offer, based on Los Pumas' performance at this World Cup?

[Dry Rot]

Ideally I'd like to see the Argetinians and the Paciifc nations involved with this.

IMO it won't happen because

1. Logistics/travel/time zones etc

2. The best players from these countries play as pros in Europe, and don't get released unless it's the World Cup (or may be the odd Test game)

Best game I've seen so far was S Africa v Fiji - a ripper.

[westdog54]

The first con is obviously a big consideration, especially if a SA team was playing Argentina.

But if the proposal was to get IRB support do you think the IRB would try to work with the European clubs to release a few Argentinians so that they could play at home? Or possibly to set a date when Argentina would enter the Super 14, so that the Argentinian players could work their contract negotiations around it?

Or am I being a bit too pie-in-the-sky here?

[Dry Rot]

I've read that European clubs are quite powerful and commercial, and it's really hard to secure players for national games of the lesser countries.

Pity.

[westdog54]

I've read that European clubs are quite powerful and commercial, and it's really hard to secure players for national games of the lesser countries.

Pity.

Argentina are hardly a lesser country anymore, they're starting to become a rugby power and I think the game is better for it.

Moreso to this, I think it'll give great opportunities for guys from countries like Uruguay, USA, etc to play professional rugby closer to home if Argentina gets a team or 2 in the Super 14.

If SANZAR were to announce, for example, that in 2010 they will invite 2 Argentinian teams to enter the Super 14, this would give time for clubs to form, for players out of contract in Europe and young local talent to be recruited etc.

I think it could work.

[Dry Rot]

I agree it would be good but IIRC their players wouldn't be available - and they won't forgo European club money to play for their countries.

Pity.