Semi Final 2 - NZ v Australia - Eden Park

[Burgey]

Been a clincal performance from the NZ pack. Have destroyed the Oz forwards tonight. Thorne MotM for my quid. Has been at the centre of everything.

The right result for rugby, tbf.

Well big Brad is a league man, you see

Kudos to the ABs. Well deserved. Far too good.

Cooper will cop all the ****, but his forwards got bashed. No one will star at five eighth if that happens.

Now Australia goes back to not caring about rugby for four years.

[centurymaker]

WHAT A MIGHTY PERFORMANCE!!!


HAIL THE ALL BLACKS !!

[Burgey]

Fair to say Coach Henry is a tough interview.

[Somerset]

Wonderful AB performance - sensational start, good composure and a clinical effort all round. I think Jane was MOTM but the way we dominated the breakdown, in particular negating to our best ability Pocock, as well as better tactics, were the key differences. Cruden brilliant all things considered and compared to Cooper who was woeful yet again, he looked a class above.

[BoyBrumby]

Well big Brad is a league man, you see

The comms up here were going on about him being a typical slab of Kiwi beef and all that, but he's pretty much a Queenslander, isn't he? Moved to Oz as nipper and, obvz, ex-Kangaroo too.

[NUFAN]

Well played All Blacks, totally outplayed us.

Our scrum was rubbish and our backs just couldn't do much due to the excellent defense. The only thing we really got right was our lineout.

Don't care about the third place play-off, not sure why they even have it.

[Somerset]

Barnes. Good run by Cooper and he kicks it away. Idiot.

Barnes played as though the score was 0-0, kicking for territory at almost every opportunity. Of course, when you're trailing by 11 or 14 points, theres really no point. For me this was another key difference between the sides. Australia's bench really had no one who could spark a game. NZ had players like SBW and Vito. SA had Bismark, Houggard, Aplon, etc. Most of Australia's bench, like Barnes and Horne (compared to Turner) and McCalman (compared to Higginbotham) were players who would be better suited starting, rather than impact players.

[BoyBrumby]

**** me Jane has a broad accent. Most Kiwi man alive.

[Somerset]

Don't care about the third place play-off, not sure why they even have it.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Smudge]

**** me Jane has a broad accent. Most Kiwi man alive.

He's from Upper Hutt. They don't get any more Kuiwui than that..

[Burgey]

The comms up here were going on about him being a typical slab of Kiwi beef and all that, but he's pretty much a Queenslander, isn't he? Moved to Oz as nipper and, obvz, ex-Kangaroo too.

Yeah he is. A dual international in every sense.

[Hurricane]

He's from Upper Hutt. They don't get any more Kuiwui than that..

I'm not from Upper Hutt but I live there - I reckon accents from your neck of the woods in the Sth Island are more classically kiwi.

(Your former neck of the woods)

Edit - just heard the interview - that isn't a "Kiwi accent" it is an Upper Hutt accent. People joke about Upper Hutt English at my workplace. Still maintain that the Sth Island is more classically New Zealand. When I was growing up I used to be able to pick where you were from - based on your accent. Can't do it anymore as I was overseas for sometime.

[Hurricane]

Don't care about the third place play-off, not sure why they even have it.

I feel for you here - if we had lost I would prefer to default the 3rd place game.

[Somerset]

I feel for you here - if we had lost I would prefer to default the 3rd place game.

3rd vs 4th is a joke really, I doubt either side is really interested in the sticking around in a tournament you've been knocked out of for an entire week.

Just one other point based on the match tonight, I'd be shocked if Joubert isn't the referee for the final. Since the 2007 WC I'd say hes been the best official in the world and comfortably overtaken the likes of Kaplan and Rolland who seemed to be the most highly rated referees about four years ago. The only reason I can see for Rolland getting the gig is his ability to speak french, which I guess comes into the referee appointment but shouldn't be the dominant factor.

[ohtani's jacket]

Never been prouder of the All Blacks in all my life. Even '87 and the series victory in '96 doesn't compare to how I feel.