Knockout Stages

[BoyBrumby]

Never a try in a million years. Good old Speaders, never knowingly makes a right call.

 

[vogue]

...thats probably it then...SA 37 Argentina 13

...have to put up with Percy Montgomery's skinny weird shaped legs for another game!!

 

[Goughy]

If the Boks score early tonight they will walk away with a big win. 20+ points.

C'arn the Boks

Wow, this guy is good!

 

[Corli]

Wow, this guy is good!

Not as good as Bryan Habana, though.

 

[vogue]

Not as good as Bryan Habana, though.

...that guy is very fast...

 

[Tom Halsey]

Lol, I am no rugby fan, and yesterday's game had me more excited than I've been about a footie game since last season. Not boring to me, anyway.

Can someone who knows anything about rugby tell me whether we have any chance at all against the Saffies?

 

[headhunter]

Didn't think the score reflected the game imo. Argentina got into numerouse good positions but did not convert there chances.South Africa deserved winners though should make a cracking final now have to say i'l be rooting for England.

 

[simmy]

I hope Sheridan sits on Shaulk Bergers stupid blonde arrogant head. And farts. I hope he farts on his head.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

All people are doing here is reading into the results. England's performances haven't been tenacious or gritty and they don't show guts. Their front row is playing well & Ashton got the right combination in the loose forwards, but Wilkinson's general play and kicking from hand has been poor. He's committed as ever in defence, but look, England play for safety first... Defend your line, kick it up field, hope the opposition make a mistake, take a million drop goal attempts until you finally make one and heap praise on your bulldog spirit... How can a side with such a strong forward platform not score more tries? English fans don't care because they're winning... Well that separates the rugby fans from the flag wavers.

 

[social]

Can someone who knows anything about rugby tell me whether we have any chance at all against the Saffies?

Dont ask the experts - according to them, Eng were going to be lucky to get out of their group and had no chance against either Oz or France (mate of mine in Eng told me the odds against Australia were 44-1 - that's freakin ridiculous)

It's a two horse race and you've got some guys who've been there before - that's good enough for optimism.

Plus, whatever the result, I can guarantee that you've got more reason to be happy about this tournament than anyone other than the Saffies at present

 

[Perm]

Plus, whatever the result, I can guarantee that you've got more reason to be happy about this tournament than anyone other than the Saffies at present

Argentina?

 

[BoyBrumby]

All people are doing here is reading into the results. England's performances haven't been tenacious or gritty and they don't show guts. Their front row is playing well & Ashton got the right combination in the loose forwards, but Wilkinson's general play and kicking from hand has been poor. He's committed as ever in defence, but look, England play for safety first... Defend your line, kick it up field, hope the opposition make a mistake, take a million drop goal attempts until you finally make one and heap praise on your bulldog spirit... How can a side with such a strong forward platform not score more tries? English fans don't care because they're winning... Well that separates the rugby fans from the flag wavers.

Think that's merde, frankly. The Australian win should have been far more comfortable than it was (only Jonny's suddenly fallible place-kicking kept Oz in it for so long), but against France we came second in terms of territory and possession. With ten minutes to go we were hanging on for dear life after Robinson committed a rare error and sliced the ball out somewhere near our 22 to gift the French an attacking line-out. The Frence had, oh, I dunno, eight or nine phases of play and we stood firm and (crucially) kept our discipline at the breakdown. That surely shows some tenacity?

We play the way we play because it's our best chance of success. The fact is that we don't have the backlines of Australia, NZ or even France. If we commit ourselves to playing quote-unquote "beautiful" Rugby we'd come badly second, but maybe get a few patronising comments from people like Henry & Jones about the fact we're at least trying to play. As it is we're playing the same game that won us the tournament 4 years ago and, hey, we've made the final against (cliche alert) all the odds.

 

[GIMH]

Read an interesting article in the times yesterday about how promotion/relegation has helped England and France in this WC. Will dig your old thread in the GSF actually...

 

[Piper]

*cries lots!*
I still can't believe it! I wanted it to be a France v Argentina final and I get neither! :cries:

 

[The Sean]

Lol, I am no rugby fan, and yesterday's game had me more excited than I've been about a footie game since last season. Not boring to me, anyway.

Can someone who knows anything about rugby tell me whether we have any chance at all against the Saffies?

Well you had no chance against Australia and won it, and not much more chance against France and won that too.

So I don't think form or previous quality has anything at all to do with it. You're in the final, of course you have a chance.

 

[Piper]

Never a try in a million years. Good old Speaders, never knowingly makes a right call.

It was!

 

[PhoenixFire]

It was!

Haha it so wasn't, but who cares, I hate the Saffas as much as you do.

 

[The Sean]

Major soar grapes here IMO.

England have played to their strengths and good on them. If New Zealand or Australia were playing this way and winning, somehow I doubt people would be saying the same thing.

Its all about winning and nothing more in the knockout stages of a World Cup and England have the experience and the guts to play out of their skins.

TBH, France, NZ and Aus may very well be better than England, and England nay very well have played **** for the last 4 years but when we are in the final and NZ, Aus and France aren't, then that's all that really matters, not how well you've played over the last few years, NZ have proved that.

Er I think it does mean we're not quite as crap as you make us out to be. Just because we're not playing the kind of rugby that NZ play and you enjoy doesn't mean that it isn't good rugby. We've played to our strengths and the others haven't had enough to overcome that, boo hoo if that means you don't get to see what you want to see.

I've been very scathing of our team over the last 4 years and I still don't believe that England are a top 3 nation or even top 5 and even if we win the cup I don't think that gives us a right to claim it BUT we are in the Final because we've performed when it really mattered and others didn't. Surely you can see that and allow a little celebration.

I think we'll probably get thumped in the Final by South Africa, but I'll still celebrate the fact that it's a hugely successful campaign for England whatever happens from here.

Agree with all of this. I posted this in the general sport thread but it is more relevant here...

While I don’t think this current England side will go down among the greats of world rugby and I’m certainly not desperate to experience the next round of knighthoods and MBEs that will no doubt accompany an England win, they’ve peaked when it’s mattered and won the games they had to win, which is what World Cup winning teams do. To say that NZ/Australia are better teams is pretty much irrelevant at this stage – sure, if the Rugby World Championship was decided by points accumulated over a home and away league season then NZ would win it, and I’d back Australia to finish ahead of England.

But it’s not. And everybody knows it’s not – the All Black didn’t enter this tournament thinking it was a league-ranking based event only to find out that it became a knock-out event at the quarter final stage and that one loss would send them home, they of all people know how these tournaments work. They didn’t step up when it mattered most, and neither did the Wallabies. England did.

Are England one of the two best rugby teams in the world? No, I don’t think so.

Do England thoroughly deserve to be playing in next weekend’s final? Absolutely.

 

[Piper]

Haha it so wasn't, but who cares, I hate the Saffas as much as you do.

There was pressure on the ball.. But not that it makes much difference now.. I keep getting shown Hernandez and Pichot crying and I wanna kill someone!!!!!

 

[vogue]

Haha it so wasn't, but who cares, I hate the Saffas as much as you do.

and i have to watch a final with that really unattractive South African playing...Percy Montgomery...shut my eyes every time he kicks the ball....