Rugby World Cup general discussion
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@Nepia said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
I just don't understand the line between yellow and red anymore.
this has been the case for at least a year or so now.
Dipping, absorbing, all sorts of defence applied, except when it isnt.
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Are we allowed to be a bit disappointed in the performance of Samoa and Tonga in this cup?
They have never had greater access to players than they do now. Both teams loaded with pros, including ex-Internationals from higher ranked teams. And they have been pretty ordinary. Each will probably get a soft kill to at least get a win on the board, but they haven't been great.
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@mariner4life said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Are we allowed to be a bit disappointed in the performance of Samoa and Tonga in this cup?
They have never had greater access to players than they do now. Both teams loaded with pros, including ex-Internationals from higher ranked teams. And they have been pretty ordinary. Each will probably get a soft kill to at least get a win on the board, but they haven't been great.
Totally agree, Fiji is almost overachieving with last-minute coach change and all sorts of (as standard) financial and governance shenanigans at the union. But Samoa and Tonga have pretty much sucked. The same can be said for Japan, I guess Joseph not getting all his players for a year-long camp this time has impacted them
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@mariner4life said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Are we allowed to be a bit disappointed in the performance of Samoa and Tonga in this cup?
They have never had greater access to players than they do now. Both teams loaded with pros, including ex-Internationals from higher ranked teams. And they have been pretty ordinary. Each will probably get a soft kill to at least get a win on the board, but they haven't been great.
The ex internationals have been fairly average across the board, including the ones that get brought up frequently as ones that NZ could do with.
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@mariner4life said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Are we allowed to be a bit disappointed in the performance of Samoa and Tonga in this cup?
They have never had greater access to players than they do now. Both teams loaded with pros, including ex-Internationals from higher ranked teams. And they have been pretty ordinary. Each will probably get a soft kill to at least get a win on the board, but they haven't been great.
Tonga look unfit, and TBH poorly coached.
Samoa don't look as smart as their pro paycheques might indicate. I'm halfway through the Japan game and they're just trying to bash their way to a win. Again: poorly coached.
Or both sides are just ignoring the coach and doing what they want.
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@NTA said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@mariner4life said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Are we allowed to be a bit disappointed in the performance of Samoa and Tonga in this cup?
They have never had greater access to players than they do now. Both teams loaded with pros, including ex-Internationals from higher ranked teams. And they have been pretty ordinary. Each will probably get a soft kill to at least get a win on the board, but they haven't been great.
Tonga look unfit, and TBH poorly coached.
Samoa don't look as smart as their pro paycheques might indicate. I'm halfway through the Japan game and they're just trying to bash their way to a win. Again: poorly coached.
Or both sides are just ignoring the coach and doing what they want.
Actually the bashing straight up the guts is what got them back in it
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@MiketheSnow said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@NTA said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@mariner4life said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Are we allowed to be a bit disappointed in the performance of Samoa and Tonga in this cup?
They have never had greater access to players than they do now. Both teams loaded with pros, including ex-Internationals from higher ranked teams. And they have been pretty ordinary. Each will probably get a soft kill to at least get a win on the board, but they haven't been great.
Tonga look unfit, and TBH poorly coached.
Samoa don't look as smart as their pro paycheques might indicate. I'm halfway through the Japan game and they're just trying to bash their way to a win. Again: poorly coached.
Or both sides are just ignoring the coach and doing what they want.
Actually the bashing straight up the guts is what got them back in it
I'm more of the opinion that it was smarter play rather than just bash. Pick n go rather than trying to grunt it up in channel 1 or 2 removed Japan's advantage: speed.
Japan were determined to play line defence and probably let them carry a few too many times from pick n go - most teams can't get more than a couple of those away because eventually they get turned over.
Japan weren't interested in the ruck unless it was one of their back row getting an isolated runner a distance from the previous ruck.
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@NTA said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@MiketheSnow said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@NTA said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@mariner4life said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Are we allowed to be a bit disappointed in the performance of Samoa and Tonga in this cup?
They have never had greater access to players than they do now. Both teams loaded with pros, including ex-Internationals from higher ranked teams. And they have been pretty ordinary. Each will probably get a soft kill to at least get a win on the board, but they haven't been great.
Tonga look unfit, and TBH poorly coached.
Samoa don't look as smart as their pro paycheques might indicate. I'm halfway through the Japan game and they're just trying to bash their way to a win. Again: poorly coached.
Or both sides are just ignoring the coach and doing what they want.
Actually the bashing straight up the guts is what got them back in it
I'm more of the opinion that it was smarter play rather than just bash. Pick n go rather than trying to grunt it up in channel 1 or 2 removed Japan's advantage: speed.
Japan were determined to play line defence and probably let them carry a few too many times from pick n go - most teams can't get more than a couple of those away because eventually they get turned over.
Japan weren't interested in the ruck unless it was one of their back row getting an isolated runner a distance from the previous ruck.
Absolutely
I simplified it, possibly oversimplified it
There was no advantage to spinning it wide against a fast defence with one extra player
Great in the moment adjustment from Samoa
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Sooooo - I'm slowing coming to the realisation that everything is coming up AB's at this RWC. We have all underestimated the genius of the coaching group and the master plan they have put in place to bring the cup home.
Bear with me while we look at the events that have transpired over recent times, and extrapolate to make a couple of predictions:
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Rennie gets ditched for Eddie - Foz gets in his ear and sows a few seeds ("mate, start a rumour that Hoops and Quade are a bit toxic, I'll buy you a couple of beers") - see below for importance later
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Foz picks Narewa, knowing he wouldn't play - effectively giving him a free option to choose his last guy during the tournament - credit to @Duluth for sniffing this one first
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The team make the tough decision to throw the opener against France - it's not an easy call to drop a pool game, but as we all know, history is yesterdays newspaper. Stunning and brave really.
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We now face Ireland in the QF after Fozzie does a deal with Rassie to also throw their pool match against Ireland ("bro, if we both drop a game, we can avoid each other until the Final!"....."iz it?!!")
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We now plot to take Ireland out in the QF. Sure, not easy, but look what Foz and co have done to maintain maximum powder-dryness - kept Roigard hidden until this week, forced DeGroot to get suspended, made up injuries to Frizell and Jordie, told Rieko to pretend to have the dropsies and miss stand-up tackles, make Jordan smoke a blunt before each game, hardly play DMac, drop Sami completely, and have BB run at 80% pace and kick aimlessly whenever possible. Bone fucking dry.
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As for the QF opposition, those Irish bastards have enormous pressure on them. They have QF ghosts, a win streak to protect, and they've just seen a systematic destruction by the (apparently) re-born All Blacks side - aura is back like you wouldn't fucken believe and they're quaking in their boots
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So now we get past Ireland, and appear on the other side of the draw as planned, to presumably face a depleted Wallaby side in the SF (see first point) - but wait on, the plan has worked even better than expected, and we now have Wales or Argentina or fucking Japan in the SF - holy smokes! We roll Wales obviously (apologies @MiketheSnow ), and fuck me if we aren't in the RWC Final.
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SA await us, we battle to the death, and ultimately prevail in a dogfight. The SA 8-0 bench backfires after they lose Faf to a hair injury early, and Rassie is consigned to history as being somewhat of a flawed visionary.
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Fozzie returns home a hero, and Razors contract is torn up. Fozzie signs for 8 more years, and Razor takes up the Wallaby reigns after Eddie signs with Japan at Christmas.
Anyone buying this??!!
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@voodoo 🤣🤣 Brilliant. Thanks for the effort and the chuckles 🤣🤣
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@voodoo said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Sooooo - I'm slowing coming to the realisation that everything is coming up AB's at this RWC. We have all underestimated the genius of the coaching group and the master plan they have put in place to bring the cup home.
Bear with me while we look at the events that have transpired over recent times, and extrapolate to make a couple of predictions:
-
Rennie gets ditched for Eddie - Foz gets in his ear and sows a few seeds ("mate, start a rumour that Hoops and Quade are a bit toxic, I'll buy you a couple of beers") - see below for importance later
-
Foz picks Narewa, knowing he wouldn't play - effectively giving him a free option to choose his last guy during the tournament - credit to @Duluth for sniffing this one first
-
The team make the tough decision to throw the opener against France - it's not an easy call to drop a pool game, but as we all know, history is yesterdays newspaper. Stunning and brave really.
-
We now face Ireland in the QF after Fozzie does a deal with Rassie to also throw their pool match against Ireland ("bro, if we both drop a game, we can avoid each other until the Final!"....."iz it?!!")
-
We now plot to take Ireland out in the QF. Sure, not easy, but look what Foz and co have done to maintain maximum powder-dryness - kept Roigard hidden until this week, forced DeGroot to get suspended, made up injuries to Frizell and Jordie, told Rieko to pretend to have the dropsies and miss stand-up tackles, make Jordan smoke a blunt before each game, hardly play DMac, drop Sami completely, and have BB run at 80% pace and kick aimlessly whenever possible. Bone fucking dry.
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As for the QF opposition, those Irish bastards have enormous pressure on them. They have QF ghosts, a win streak to protect, and they've just seen a systematic destruction by the (apparently) re-born All Blacks side - aura is back like you wouldn't fucken believe and they're quaking in their boots
-
So now we get past Ireland, and appear on the other side of the draw as planned, to presumably face a depleted Wallaby side in the SF (see first point) - but wait on, the plan has worked even better than expected, and we now have Wales or Argentina or fucking Japan in the SF - holy smokes! We roll Wales obviously (apologies @MiketheSnow ), and fuck me if we aren't in the RWC Final.
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SA await us, we battle to the death, and ultimately prevail in a dogfight. The SA 8-0 bench backfires after they lose Faf to a hair injury early, and Rassie is consigned to history as being somewhat of a flawed visionary.
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Fozzie returns home a hero, and Razors contract is torn up. Fozzie signs for 8 more years, and Razor takes up the Wallaby reigns after Eddie signs with Japan at Christmas.
Anyone buying this??!!
The ultimate irony of losing to Wales in a SF
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Watching the first half of Romania versus Scotland it struck me… The difference between semiprofessional players and full time. It’s hard enough to get the timing right and heights right for tackles for full time pro players. Honestly I can’t believe that it ever going to be intentional. It just looks too fast and too precise. And slow motion is never going to be speed that happens nor the speed that judged at… I just feel bad for Romania because the guys have had a couple of incidents that I don’t think was ever even close to malicious. I’m not saying that they are inept by any stretch. It’s just the difference between full-time players and guys who aren’t playing nearly as much per year….
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Worth sharing widely... well at least on the front page. (@Duluth pretty sure I'm not doubling up this time 😀 )
Conspiracies and Dry Powder
Voodoo explains to all you Sheeple exactly why the All Black Illuminati under Fozzie the Freemason have this World Cup thing in the bag.
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What are the outcomes for Pool B ?
I see Scotland are still third behind SA despite having a better points differential. I’m assuming this is cos they lost to them ?
So given SA will trounce Tonga with the four try bonus does that mean Scotland have to beat Ireland AND score four tries to qualify for the quarters ?
( he said with more than a hint of hope and desperation……)
