Eight Becomes Four

junior

@MiketheSnow Each of these teams is capable of beating each other. And a fair few of the Welsh boyos have beaten the ABs as Lions. They know what it takes.

But what it takes looks to be beyond what England, Wales and the Boks are capable of delivering right now.

The English were gifted their QF by as tactically braindead Australian side as I've ever seen. And what was shocking was how the Aussies persisted with their run from anywhere strategy even as it was repeatedly shown to be beyond foolish. While you can only play what's in front of you, I didn't see anything to suggest that this English side will be able to contain the AB attack enough and generate enough points to win.

Ditto Wales. As admirable as that win was given the half-time score, its hard to imagine any of the other remaining challengers giving up the stranglehold the French had on that game. In glorious French fashion they snatched that result from Fate's jaws. But the manner in which the French penetrated Wales' defence suggests that the ABs won't be contained by this Welsh team (and I don't think Davis recovering changes that.)

And the Boks, well they have to get past Wales and they haven't been able to do that for four years. And there's a reason for that. This Welsh team is bloody good. And it plays a style that is a bad match for SA. I have serious doubts that there are enough points in this Bok attack and in Pollard's misfiring boot for this result to start a reversion to the mean. Then again, at some stage you'd expect the boks' passes to start sticking and for Pollard to start nailing them again...

I wouldn't be so sure about that - all it takes is a good plan, perfectly executed, and / or a generous / nervous / cautious / out-of-his-depth referee

Billy Webb

@Snowy said in Eight Becomes Four:

@Billy-Webb said in Eight Becomes Four:

Let me know in advance and I'll take you to a game

@voodoo Two ways to go there - a very rested liver, or a well trained one.

Don't let @Snowy scare you @voodoo . He more than held his own on his trip out here, and that was over multiple days at the Sevens.

Usque ad mortem bibendum

Bovidae

@gt12 said in Eight Becomes Four:

I wish there wasn’t a 3rd/4th playoff, what a waste of a game. You lose this week, you should go home.

Rugby followed the football model as this game is still a money generator.

Cricket doesn't bother with 3rd/4th playoffs but most other team sports do.

Snowy

@Billy-Webb said in Eight Becomes Four:

@Snowy said in Eight Becomes Four:

@Billy-Webb said in Eight Becomes Four:

Let me know in advance and I'll take you to a game

@voodoo Two ways to go there - a very rested liver, or a well trained one.

Don't let @Snowy scare you. He more than held his own on his trip out here, and that was over multiple days at the Sevens.

Usque ad mortem bibendum

I got that, but my Latin isn’t good enough for “right back at ya”.

gt12

@Bovidae

Agreed, but I think they could do both, better.

Bones

@Machpants said in Eight Becomes Four:

@voodoo Ah rhymes with blokes, easy to remember!

Yeah my tip for Afrikaans would be to speak English with a very heavy Scottish accent and you're most of the way there.

Smuts

@Bones sprinkle “ja, nee, thank you, dankie”, “jou ma se poes”, bliksem, doos and “donderse ref” in liberally and Bob’s your mother’s brother.

Bones

@Smuts said in Eight Becomes Four:

@Bones sprinkle “ja, nee, thank you, dankie”, “jou ma se poes”, bliksem, doos and “donderse ref” in liberally and Bob’s your mother’s brother.

I know better than to utter the second one...

This one is worth knowing though....jy is 'n mooi meisie.

Try saying Ek verstann nie and not sounding like a drunk Glaswegian.

Smuts

@Bones take it up a notch when you’re on the charm: “jy is lieflik” (you’re lovely) or if you’re feeling properly cheesy: “nee, dis onregsverdig om so pragtig in so snaaks te wees.” (No, it’s unfair to be so beautiful and so funny.)
Or: “Parys? Geen wonder jy’s so gesofistikeerd.” (Parys - a shithole, substitute Germiston, Poffadder, Tweebuffelsmeteenskotfointein or whichever armpit of the universe your jarpie lass is from - no wonder you’re so sophisticated)

In my experience, This is about when her unreasonably large Rockspider boyfriend shows up squinting out from a brow showing an improbably prodigious depth of bone behind it. So you got to diffuse the situation:

“Luister kerel, Stephanie/Amor/Lizette het my nou net gevra of sy my die strand/Suid Afrikaanse sterre kin wys.” (Listen Oke, Annetjie/ Patrys/Hannelora just asked me if she could show me the beach/South African stars.)

ACT Crusader

@dogmeat said in Eight Becomes Four:

@Duluth said in Eight Becomes Four:

@voodoo said in Eight Becomes Four:

Almost an asterisk title if they get up 😏

Just like 2007

and 1995

The biggest asterisk in the history of rugby

Smuts

@ACT-Crusader close, as I said in the Aura watch thread, that’s 87.

Billy Webb

This post is deleted!

Billy Webb

Hell this has been one loooooooong week. Can we have some bloomin' rugby already!

Sort of makes me think it would have been nice to have a plate competition running to fill the gap mid-week.
I have no idea whether that's a good or bad concept for anyone else, but at least i'd have something to watch and talk about.

booboo

@Billy-Webb said in Eight Becomes Four:

Hell this has been one loooooooong week. Can we have some bloomin' rugby already!

Sort of makes me think it would have been nice to have a plate competition running to fill the gap mid-week.
I have no idea whether that's a good or bad concept for anyone else, but at least i'd have something to watch and talk about.

I've loved the idea of a Plate competition since 1987.

It's more rugby for teams that generally don't get much test footy.

Be hard to get up for for teams like Argentina, Fiji, Scotland (even Italy ... But not in 2019) who had designs on the main draw, but still a worthwhile exercise IMO.

taniwharugby

@Billy-Webb said in Eight Becomes Four:

been one loooooooong week. Can we have some bloomin' rugby already!
Sort of makes me think it would have been nice to have a plate competition running to fill the gap mid-week.

Loved pool weeks, weened off in finals week, then in 10 days, we will have no rugby...WTF!!

As an aside, a multi on England/Wales final is over $10 at TAB...less than $2 for a NZ/SA multi

voodoo

@taniwharugby don't you dare

Machpants

@taniwharugby said in Eight Becomes Four:

@Billy-Webb said in Eight Becomes Four:

been one loooooooong week. Can we have some bloomin' rugby already!
Sort of makes me think it would have been nice to have a plate competition running to fill the gap mid-week.

Loved pool weeks, weened off in finals week, then in 10 days, we will have no rugby...WTF!!

alt text

mariner4life

it's so fucked. i hate this time of year. All the footy is done with, cricket season is not in full swing.

weekend evenings are so barren

nzzp

@mariner4life said in Eight Becomes Four:

it's so fucked. i hate this time of year. All the footy is done with, cricket season is not in full swing.

weekend evenings are so barren

NFL.

Monday night, Tuesday night, Friday night + Sunday NCAA. Sweet.

Nepia

@mariner4life said in Eight Becomes Four:

it's so fucked. i hate this time of year. All the footy is done with, cricket season is not in full swing.

weekend evenings are so barren

At least you have cricket, I've got nothing until the Super comp starts again.

The Silver Fern

Eight Becomes Four