It just doesn't get any better than this !!

[Richard]

And you presumed that I didn't know that because...?
Nonetheless, FA-rules football is an infinately more popluar game Worldwide.
Union, meanwhile, may not be what you'd describe as "big" but they still tend to do well enough at it (far better than at FA-rules football) to suggest it's big enough!

[cricketfan]

The good Soccer players invariably end up playing o'seas the majority in England. Harry Kewell etc. Money talks!

[Richard]

Well, obviously.
Don't really see what that has to do with anything, though - if soccer is more popular than rugby-union, it's still very odd that they're so much better at the less popular one.

[cricketfan]

Yes i guess it's odd but don't forget Oz beat England in England at Soccer a while back. Now that's odd!

[Richard]

Yes, it is, it was a freak and can be dismissed as such!
Everyone pleaded with Sven to put-out a strong team, don't let the Aussies get the better of us in yet another thing. Sven, perhaps not quite understanding fully the nature of Anglo-Aussie sports rivalry, didn't, and look at the result.

[Son Of Coco]

Originally Posted by Richard

Yes, it is, it was a freak and can be dismissed as such!
Everyone pleaded with Sven to put-out a strong team, don't let the Aussies get the better of us in yet another thing. Sven, perhaps not quite understanding fully the nature of Anglo-Aussie sports rivalry, didn't, and look at the result.

We beat the strongest team you could put on the field in the first-half 2-0, the lesser knowns actually fared better in the second at 1-1. I think the players may have taken things a bit lightly actually, underestimating the passion with which the Aussies would be playing even though it was a friendly - we don't get many chances to put a full strength team on the pitch against world-rated opposition.

There's been plently of excuses from your part of the World though since it happened and it's always funny to see the look on an Englishman's face when they come up spouting about the rugby and the soccer is mentioned...

[Neil Pickup]

Seeing as I've never ever paid any attention to any england exhibition/warm-up games, I'll prefer to dwell on the last time the respective sides qualified for a World Cup.