Well, I thought I'd set up this, so those who wish to talk about rugger can do so in peace without being knocked by the round ball types! Good win by the Aussies over Japan on Sat night (here). I thought we'd only knock up 70 odd points so to get to 90 was pretty good. Final score was 91-3 Obviously the winner has to come from the Southern Hemisphere, we let you Northern types get away with one from 5 so far. I think its time Australia won it again and tripled their lead over any other nation in World Cup wins.
The Boks had an easy time with a very dirty Samoan side. Only 59-7. Cannot wait for South Africa v England this Friday.
Thus far it looks as if a team from the SH is going to win it all yet again. The smart money would be on the All Blacks but RSA and the Aussies also look strong. I am proud of the Eagles and I hope they find a way to win one or a record two this time out. Ireland looked like they could move the ball well but it was always that final pass that seemed to let them down. I hope they improve. I guess there is no where but up after Namibia.
I thought they were going badly- but England now take the cake. http://www.praisetheball.com.au/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1053 What on earth are they doing?
Phew! Well thank goodness for that news. I was worried that the absence of Schalk Berger would damage the Boks' chances, but thank you England for evening the playing field.
Faz? They must be desperate. I talked to a few people who follow Saracens and even they seemed baffled. Fiji V. Japan was a lot of fun to watch. I loved the never say die fight back from Japan and I wish they would have won it. The Eagle's slow start really hurt them against a superior Tonga. I think this was the only match the Eagles had a chance of winning. Maybe we'll find some way to win against Samoa but I doubt it. Beating the 'Boks would be the upset of the century. So it looks like 0 wins this WC for the Eagles.
They might not get a win, but they are starting to win fans over. They are getting better and that can only be a good thing.
Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. There are some Rugby skills that we Americans will surely excel in someday but we are a long way from fluid ball movement while we have possession. If we give Manu Samoa and the ‘Bocks a good fight, I shall be pleased even if we don’t win a match. BTW good luck to the 2X champions! Will it be 3?
Well- here's hoping! But the Kiwis will be tough to get over this time, but stranger things have happened.
My money would be on the All Blacks but like you said strange things can happen. Too bad about the NH. Ireland is the only team that seem to be capable to me but they do great work up until the last pass then they muff it.
Um, I wish that were true. 99.8% of the country doesn't know that the RWC is even happening, much less that the US is even in it.
I was mainly refering to the neutrals, but you'd hope that there would be some recognition increase back home?
Unlike football where England come a poor 3rd in my heart after Liverpool.. I can support both England and the All Blacks, seeing both my daughters, son in laws and grandkids are Kiwi's....I'd better.
Whereas soccer stands a chance at becoming a huge sport in the U.S, rugby never will. Not nearly enough good athletes playing it and, in the eyes of American football fans, just a less exciting brand of that game. I'll watch the occasional rugger match, but I usually fall asleep. I got up for every Oz game last WC (was dating an Aussie at the time, which meant 4:00am trips to the pub, flask in hand) and was really into it, but I don't think my interest will pick up until the knockout rounds. There's so much disparity in the groups that most of the games are uninteresting. Can't wait for some heavyweight battles in the knockouts - England-Oz, RSA-NZ, etc. I'll be cheering on the Aussies. Oi oi oi!
[BOKKIES RULE]I desperately hope that the illustrious Vs. network has the decency to replay the South Africa-England game this weekend (I'm basing this hope on having seen them replay France's massive upset loss to Argentina last Sunday), because it was ONE HELL OF A BEAT DOWN! Not to come off as a bad winner or anything... I know England have been hampered with problems since they won the Webb Ellis Cup in 2003, but my oh my, even a defending champion playing with the use of only one limb still has to play like a defending champion. 36-0?!? Glory. Revenge is sweet. A record WC defeat for the English. Ah... Tastes good. Like fresh biltong.[/BOKKIES RULE] And Schalk Burger's unjust suspension was commuted to just two matches. Looking good.
All I can think is that the Bocks paid the ref. No way was that a fair result.... 36-zip jezus...! Looks like I'm an All Black man this time around....
Ireland struggled against Georgia 14-10. France and Argentina are next and the Irish had better pick it up or face being out earlier than most would have thought.
I had to don my All Black, Hong Kong 7 jersey for this one, NZ vs Portugal. One has to feel for the teams that have to play the "big ones." Portugal kept trying but got the snot knocked out of them with a 108 - 13 scoreline. These weren't the Portugese whimps like Chrisie and Nanny either, these guys were real men with leather balls. Seems like there are 3 tiers of teams, the tri-nations SA, Oz and the Kiwis. Then the ones that on a good day can come through, England, France, Ireland and now the Argies have stepped up a notch. Then there are the brave souls who play for the love of the game and take the knocks without complaint and make the tournament into a real World Cup.
In the last World Cup down here- I went to see the Uruguay vs Georgia game here in Sydney. We got around 30,000 in a 40,000 stadium and it was great fun. The best games are the minnows playing each other or the big guns playing each other, as they are usually the tight exciting games- England in this World Cup excluded- When its a big mismatch its not as much fun, unless the minnows can score themselves as Portugal did. Good on them, more power to the minor nations.
I'd love to see the Aussies win it again, but we've been in a bit of a rebuilding phase over the last couple of years. I don't think we're as good as we were at the last World Cup, but perhaps we'll sneak up on everybody as they concentrate on New Zealand, South Africa and England.
Well after their last effort- I dont think you'd have to worry about England, unless Johnny can save them by kicking them to victory yet again.
I'm not sure if this will work but my rotten Kiwi (All Black) daughter sent it to me. It's a PDF file worth looking at. http://webmailb.juno.com/webmail/ne...hId=4&user=teatimenw@juno.com&content=central
I am watching the France-Ireland match, now. Edgy rugby from both sides but France have been the more intelligent. My word, how disjointed the Irish have been this tournament. Today, their fly-half has been so inconsistent. This is as bad as England were against the Springboks.
