2011 Rugby World Cup [R]

Go on with your bad self! What a crazy game.

I for one don't underestimate the Aussies, but they are inconsistent. Sure they won the Super 15 and Tri Nations, but they also lost to Samoa and Ireland and couple of other games over the past couple years.

I will keep my predictions to myself, but they can't afford to play the way they did against South Africa again.

 

France have some of the most talented players in the world, but their coach SUCKS. Because of that they have probably been one of the most inconsistent sports teams in the world for the past couple of years.

Also, England were just on a drunken rugby tour and could of cared less.....IMHO.

 

I thought that it would be closer then people predicted. The Pumas will really improve once they join the Tri Nations.



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Pumas Fight, but All Blacks Win

AUCKLAND - Piri Weepu pulled on his shooting boots to kick New Zealand to victory over Argentina and seal a place in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.

Weepu was the star performer of the match at Eden Park, slotting seven penalties for a 100 per cent success rate that set a RWC 2011 record.

Second-half tries by Kieran Read and veteran Brad Thorn cemented a 33-10 win for the All Blacks to set up a last-four showdown with Australia next week and the success commemorated full back Mils Muliaina's 100th Test match.

Weepu's night of magic drew praise from assistant coach Steven Hansen, who said: “He had an outstanding game and we are really proud of him.

"Tonight he stood up. His brain is working at 100 miles an hour but he is ice cool as well. He is one of the leaders in the team."

Teammate Conrad Smith was equally impressed. “His goalkicking was huge for us and that fed a bit of confidence into him," he said.

Handling error

A menacing rendition of their Kapa o Pango haka made the All Blacks’ intent clear but it was not the most polished of starts from the number one team in the world.

New Zealand were lucky not to concede a try just seven minutes into the match following a handling error by young fly half Colin Slade as they battled to break through the Argentine defence.

Weepu got the first points on the board from a penalty kick in 12 minutes, the longest time it has taken the All Blacks to score points at RWC 2011.

Handling errors continued to plague them and it was not long before the Pumas pounced, with Julio Farías Cabello going over for the first try on the half-hour mark. A successful conversion by captain Felipe Contepomi gave his side a one-point lead before two more penalties from Weepu put the All Blacks back in front 12-7 at half-time.

New Zealand’s newest squad member Aaron Cruden, who joined the team last week following Dan Carter’s exit through injury, revelled in the opportunity to play after replacing Colin Slade in the 32nd minute.

"A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on the couch and enjoying the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and now I am playing in it,” Cruden said. “It is surreal.”

Brave performance

Weepu continued his fine kicking form after the break while New Zealand pushed for a try.

Argentina’s defence continued to hold firm, managing to deny the All Blacks any points for 10 minutes as they played a man down after scrum half Nicolás Vergallo’s trip to the sin bin.

But with a final tally of 134 tackles compared with New Zealand’s 54, the Pumas started to tire towards the end. That enabled Read to break through to score the All Blacks’ first try and bring most of the 57,912, black-clad fans to their feet.

Although it took his men 66 minutes to register a try, New Zealand coach Graham Henry was happy with how his side took on their tenacious opponents.

"You like to score early. It takes the pressure off,” he said. “But it was one of those games. It was a tough old game. They played well and I think they deserve a lot of credit."

Captain Richie McCaw said: "They defended really well. In the first half they slowed the ball. As the game went on we got on top of things. We kept believing what we were doing and we got the points."

Argentina captain Contepomi commended his team’s brave performance against the tournament favourites and believes the effort bodes well for the future.

"I think we were competitive for 60 minutes,” he said. “Then the All Blacks showed their match and they won it well. But that's just rugby.

"When we have the ball, we have to try to keep it a bit longer because we have some players who can play some more dynamic rugby. But that will happen when we play more games and when we play every year against the best, the All Blacks.”

The stage is now set for New Zealand to meet their trans-Tasman rivals Australia next Sunday. With the All Blacks still smarting from their most recent loss to the Wallabies in the final Tri Nations match in August, Read is relishing meeting them again in the semi-final.

“For us to play next week is good enough in itself,” he said. “But I suppose it doesn't get much better than playing a semi-final against the Aussies."

 

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Aussie Defense Enough


James O'Connor was the hero as a kicker, defender, and runner.
WELLINGTON - Australia withstood tremendous pressure from South Africa to edge their quarter-final against the Springboks 11-9 in Wellington on Sunday.

James O'Connor was the hero as a kicker, defender, and runner.
James O'Connor kept his nerve to kick the winning points in the 71st minute and book the Wallabies a place in the semi-finals, where they will meet the winner of Sunday night's match between New Zealand and Argentina.

Man of the match, Australia's David Pocock, said: "It was a tough game out there. We knew it was coming, so credit to the Springboks. I think it was a great team effort to get the win and we're stoked to get through to next week.

"The Springboks are so good at building pressure and taking advantage of mistakes."

Pocock's skipper James Horwill, who scored the game's only try, described his team's performance as a "huge effort".

"I am really, really proud with the way the guys fought," Horwill said. "It was a huge effort that took everything we needed."

Sad end

John Smit, the South Africa captain, said it was sad the way the tournament ended for the reigning world champions. "To go out by two points to penalty kicks was sad. Australia did well under pressure, but I think both teams put it to each other. It was a tough game."

Horwill's try helped Australia take an 8-3 lead into the break, but South Africa had the Wallabies under relentless pressure.

The second half began as the first had finished, with Australia having to do plenty of defending.

The Springboks thought they had scored a try in the 46th minute when Pat Lambie ran in, but referee Bryce Lawrence of New Zealand ruled Jean de Villiers had made a forward pass to Lambie.

Morné Steyn kicked South Africa to within two points with a penalty in the 55th minute. The Springboks were leading the territory and tackling statistics and continually pushing the Australians back.

Heavy brigade

The pressure was building, but the Springboks never got close enough for a try. Instead, Steyn kicked a trademark drop goal in the 60th minute to give South Africa the 9-8 lead.

Australia somehow continued to quell the storm of the Springbok heavy brigade, led by Schalk Burger, and often turning the ball over against the odds.

Lambie went close with an ambitious drop goal attempt from near halfway in the 68th minute.

In the 71st minute O'Connor put Australia back in the lead with a pinpoint penalty goal after Danie Rossouw hauled Radike Samo over while he was still in the air at a lineout.

The early stages of the match had featured a number of kicks as the two teams jockeyed for dominance.

South Africa gained some momentum from stealing a lineout from Australia's throw and they looked good as they swung the ball to the left along the backline and then back again, with Lambie making a good run before the move broke down.

Australia broke the deadlock from a long touch-finder from Quade Cooper, who had a difficult match, in the 11th minute.

Knocked loose

From the lineout, won by South Africa, a maul developed, which Samo flew into. The ball was knocked loose and Pat McCabe was on hand to pass it inside to skipper Horwill, who dived over. O'Connor missed a regulation conversion.

O'Connor made amends with a penalty in the 17th minute after Gurthrö Steenkamp was penalised at a ruck and Australia, looking dangerous, moved into an 8-0 lead.

Steyn attempted a penalty after Stephen Moore was caught offside just inside his own half, but missed the kick.

Play was getting scrappy and in the process star wing Bryan Habana was on the receiving end of at least three bone-crunching tackles, and left the field early in the second spell.

Steyn kicked a penalty after Horwill was penalised for having hands in the ruck to reduce the margin to five points at the break.

 

Do you think Marc Lievremont will stay. Having said that if he wins the RWC all his crazy experimentation will have paid off.