Best of RWC 1987
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In was at that Welsh game. An absolute dream for an 8 year old. It's insane to think that shitty Ballymore with about 22k capacity hosted a RWC semifinal. I'd been to several games prior but had never seen it that jammed before. Half the "stadium" was outer and hill back then. I was "lucky" enough to be jammed right up the front near the tryline on the hill side. Fark it was magic. It was 99.9% Kiwis with the odd red scarf. This was before any supporter gear so people were wearing all kinds of stuff. Quite a bit of KZ7 kit from the America's Cup. Anyway my Dad (who is a Kraut) was teasing me about the ABs possibly losing. I still bore terrible scars from the 86 series so believed that they were vulnerable. But those fears disappeared very quickly. It was a total and utter reaming. Didn't see much in the first half because all the play was at the other end. I didn't quite see the fight but I remember a kid yelling out "It was a fight. And we won." I do remember GW receiving attention and the Welsh fella being brought back to life!
But my most enduring memory is that final pushover try. That was a thing of absolute beauty. Just sheer, unrelenting power. I think it was Mark Brooke-Cowen who scored because he had a reserve number jersey on his back. It happened right in front of me and I was hypnotised. You can actually see the top of my head in the footage!
What a day. My Mum had given me a poppa to drink but I didn't touch it the entire game. I was transfixed. My love for the ABs went next level after that.
16 years later I again saw NZ play a RWC game in Brisbane. This time against Tonga in a packed 50k seater stadium for a pool game. Amazing how far the tournament has come. 1987 was special. I doubt we'll ever see a team dominate like that ever again.
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@Duluth said in Best of RWC 1987:
While spectacular, my memory suggests that even if the big fella had managed a try, and there was still a fair amount of cover likely to prevent him getting to the goal line, Fiji were still some distance behind their favoured European opponents.
I know it was originally written from memory, but he would've made it. A high pitched, young, Nisbett in commentary?
Well ... never trust your memory.
For some reason I had memory of defenders coming across in cover AND I'd have sworn he was heading towards the terraces down the right-hand touch... not the West Stand on the left ...
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@booboo said in Best of RWC 1987:
@Duluth said in Best of RWC 1987:
While spectacular, my memory suggests that even if the big fella had managed a try, and there was still a fair amount of cover likely to prevent him getting to the goal line, Fiji were still some distance behind their favoured European opponents.
I know it was originally written from memory, but he would've made it. A high pitched, young, Nisbett in commentary?
Well ... never trust your memory.
For some reason I had memory of defenders coming across in cover AND I'd have sworn he was heading towards the terraces down the right-hand touch... not the West Stand on the left ...
And it was written 20 years after, without Internet ... and it's now 36 years old ...
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@booboo said in Best of RWC 1987:
@booboo said in Best of RWC 1987:
@Duluth said in Best of RWC 1987:
While spectacular, my memory suggests that even if the big fella had managed a try, and there was still a fair amount of cover likely to prevent him getting to the goal line, Fiji were still some distance behind their favoured European opponents.
I know it was originally written from memory, but he would've made it. A high pitched, young, Nisbett in commentary?
Well ... never trust your memory.
For some reason I had memory of defenders coming across in cover AND I'd have sworn he was heading towards the terraces down the right-hand touch... not the West Stand on the left ...
And it was written 20 years after, without Internet ... and it's now 36 years old ...
And I'm pretty sure the points difference was still 2 or 3 tries. Would have got back into it though.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Best of RWC 1987:
Mark Brooke-Cowen
Could check on the interwebs but it's more fun guessing, but I think MBC started that game at 7 as Michael Jones didn't play because Sunday.
... maybe ... I no longer trust my memory
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@booboo said in Best of RWC 1987:
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Best of RWC 1987:
Mark Brooke-Cowen
Could check on the interwebs but it's more fun guessing, but I think MBC started that game at 7 as Michael Jones didn't play because Sunday.
... maybe ... I no longer trust my memory
...Actually I think you're right. The reserve may have been Zinzan. I just remember a plus 15 jersey. Looked like Kirk was itching to get his mitts on the ball but Buck scored the try.
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I remember snippets of games, mainly the final. JKs try
But mainly I remember walking home from school to watch games, so they must have been mid-week which would have been different.
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@MiketheSnow said in Best of RWC 1987:
CHEAP AS FUCK from Richards
CHEAPER from Buck
Disappointing from such a great player
LOL Richards deserved it, don't start something you can't finish
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@Machpants said in Best of RWC 1987:
@MiketheSnow said in Best of RWC 1987:
CHEAP AS FUCK from Richards
CHEAPER from Buck
Disappointing from such a great player
LOL Richards deserved it, don't start something you can't finish
Back then they were playing rugby, not tiddlywinks!
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@mariner4life said in Best of RWC 1987:
But mainly I remember walking home from school to watch games, so they must have been mid-week which would have been different.
I did the same. Get home from school and turn on the TV.
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@canefan said in Best of RWC 1987:
@Bovidae said in Best of RWC 1987:
And I also remember this:
Dislocated his shoulder didn't he?
Yes.
Tsimba died in a car accident in 2000.
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@Bovidae said in Best of RWC 1987:
@canefan said in Best of RWC 1987:
@Bovidae said in Best of RWC 1987:
And I also remember this:
Dislocated his shoulder didn't he?
Yes.
Tsimba died in a car accident in 2000.
Wow that's sad. It was an iconic moment from one of the minnows of the cup
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@canefan said in Best of RWC 1987:
@Bovidae said in Best of RWC 1987:
And I also remember this:
Dislocated his shoulder didn't he?
Peeps could like read the article ...
Unfortunately, in scoring the try by executing an ambitious dive Tsimba fell heavily and badly injured his shoulder, requiring substitution
Digressing slightly, Tsimba’s dive may have in fact been a bad personal playing habit: in Zimbabwe’s last game against France, again at Eden Park, although still affected by the injury he returned to the side and late in the game made a break up the left-hand touch. Instead of diving in low for the corner he dived high offering a target for the French cover defender to bundle him into the corner flag.
Tsimba suffered an untimely early death some years ago, passing away following a motor-vehicle accident in 2000 aged just 34.
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@booboo said in Best of RWC 1987:
Apropos to nothing ...
I seem to recall enjoying the "other" games in the France Scotland Romania Zimbabwe pool.
They were, if I recall correctly, close enough into the second halves.
And I recall Canada's games against their top two teams (Wales and Ireland) being competitive.
