Official Rugby Thread

[BoyBrumby]

The first test was always going to be the best chance of beating a Boks side who hadn't had a match together. Impressive late-game pressure from the Lions, with BOD and Roberts continuing to create, but the opportunities passed them by.

Fair assessment.

Also the only test we'll play at sea level too.

However, with a more competitive front row, a place kicker who slots the points and a winger whose hands work we could've won that.

There'll be changes for the second test: Vickery, Mears & Monye are gone (all Poms, you'll note) and I'd punt Jones (S) too.

Meanwhile: Croft, faintly farcical he wasn't in the original squad. Support play was magnificent today.

 

[Francis]

UNBELIEVABLE!

France are now only the sixth side to win a series on New Zealand soil!

Craven's side did it in 1937.
Allen's side did it in 1949.
The Lions did it in 1971.
Slack's side did it in 1986.
Saint-Andre's side did it in 1994.

Now France have done it! I thought the Blacks were going to win by more than 6 in those last few minutes, but they pulled it out!

Phenominal series win for France.

 

[social]

UNBELIEVABLE!

France are now only the sixth side to win a series on New Zealand soil!

Craven's side did it in 1937.
Allen's side did it in 1949.
The Lions did it in 1971.
Slack's side did it in 1986.
Saint-Andre's side did it in 1994.

Now France have done it! I thought the Blacks were going to win by more than 6 in those last few minutes, but they pulled it out!

Phenominal series win for France.

An insult to include a 1-1 draw alongside these great achievements

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

An insult to include a 1-1 draw alongside these great achievements

Knowing Francis, that's probably half the point of his post.

 

[Smudge]

More trolling from him - unsurprising that he can't work out the difference between a series win and claiming a trophy due to points differential. Even less unsurprising that nothing has been done about his trolling - toothless mods.

 

[Francis]

It was a two-Test series. The commentators called it a series. It was advertised as a series. There was a trophy. The trophy went to France. Hence France won the series.

It probably wasn't as difficult as past wins in New Zealand - especially in the days where you'd get belted up on a Wednesday and Saturday by strong provincial sides, and then you'd play a Test after all that. And it's true no more than one Test was won....

But it was a series. It was advertised as a series, called a series etc. There was a trophy. It went to France.

 

[BoyBrumby]

What's the deal with points diff anyway? If the number of tests won by the sides are the same it's a tied series IMHO, so the trophy stays with the holders which was presumably NZ unless the WC QF doubled as a contest for the DG Cup?

 

[Francis]

Yeah I don't like how it works either Brumby. I hate it how the Super 14 has those bonus points for scoring four tries. I also hated how teams could make the finals of the VB series in Australia off bonus points. Basically you can lose more games but still make the final? That reminds me of the time Stephen Fleming told his players not to try and win a game against South Africa (when the game was already lost) because in a round-about way it would mean NZ couldn't make the finals.

All the same, those teams know what the rules are and how games are decided and you have to play to those rules to win the SERIES.

Personally I'd have preferred a different decider for this series. But those were the rules, Graham Henry dropped the ball, and the trophy in this SERIES went to France.

 

[Somerset]

What's the deal with points diff anyway? If the number of tests won by the sides are the same it's a tied series IMHO, so the trophy stays with the holders which was presumably NZ unless the WC QF doubled as a contest for the DG Cup?

Was surprised it didn't work like that too but in saying that I have no real issues about France winning the trophy, they won the first game well and New Zealand failed to match that in the second (at least, on the scoreboard).

I'm not sure why Francis thinks the series was won by France - the series was drawn, whatever spin you want to put on it. The trophy was based on the team that won the series, and if drawn, then points differential.

The incident about Fleming was smart because it meant Australia then had to win with a bonus point against South Africa in the final game, rather than win and not requiring a bonus point to knock New Zealand out. The same thing happened BY Australia in a match against the West Indies in the 1999 World Cup in attempt to make it more difficult for New Zealand to qualify if I recall correctly, so its not just a New Zealand tactic.

 

[Smudge]

It is not a series win. Francis is going back on ignore because - well - I will get banned if I say what I really think of him which is ironic, considering how long he's been allowed to go on with his anti-NZ diatribe.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

lol, francis with the moral victory.

 

[James]

francis - a lot of your posts now have been reported and they've been discussed amongst the moderators.

We'd ask that for the benefit of forum atmosphere that you cut out your constant attempts to rile up NZers. This appears to be what almost all of your posts are about now.

To everyone else - please resist the temptation to respond in an aggressive way. Use the report post feature as you've been been doing and let the moderators handle it.

 

[Francis]

I accept what you say and I'll make greater efforts in the future, but this right here is Alice in Wonderland stuff. I can't believe I'm getting taken apart for what I've written in this thread.

I mean I heard Tony Johnson and Murray Mexted refer to the Dave Gallagher Trophy as the 'Series trophy' and it went to France. There's nothing inflamatory about that. This is what the French coach Marc Lievremont said after the game, "I think having won the trophy we won the war."

All the same I'll leave this matter alone. I just can't believe I'm getting torn apart for this. But yeah nothing more will be said from me about the series.

 

[Johnners]

Must say the Wallabies v Italy was probably the most boring/worst game of Rugby I've ever seen (well the first half anyway, didn't bother with the second). All hail Quade Cooper, butchering tries and throwing hospital passes since 2006.

 

[ripper868]

AWTA, i dont think much of cooper at 12, come to think of it, i don't think much of cooper, but Deans sees something in the kid so that's enough for me. I only caught the last 20 minutes (got home from hospital - See made/ruined for details) which going from your post was a good thing.

Looking forward to the french, seems they've sent a decent squad out this year, considering they usually send out the U20 team on this tour.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Just watching NZ v Italy. Parisse just had a blatant gouge at Isaac Ross's eye. Hate to see it. Hope the prick gets a long time to think about it.

 

[Somerset]

Average stuff tonight from New Zealand. Would go into more detail but off to watch hopefully what proves to be a more entertaining game between Australia and France.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Find myself oddly drawn to rooting for the French, which surely is wrong on quite a few levels.

Beauxis is a hack tho, IMHO, so will probably win it for them.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Szarzewski's surname causing all kinds of problems to the Aussie comms.

We settled on Shar-shef-ski up here.

 

[_Ed_]

Just watching NZ v Italy. Parisse just had a blatant gouge at Isaac Ross's eye. Hate to see it. Hope the prick gets a long time to think about it.

Yeah, that was nasty. The one blight on an otherwise excellent display from Italy. You don't often see the coaching staff going off like that after a loss.