Best of RWC 1987
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There's been 9 world cups and I think we have about 9 weeks until the 2023 tournament kicks off
So lets have a thread a week about each of the tournaments
@booboo has refreshed his excellent RWC articles. So here's the first two in the series about the 1987 tournament
(the website has been a bit quiet recently.. I blame my 1 year old daughter. Will try to get content up there more now the AB season has kicked off)
Best of RWC #2 - 1987 Classics
This is the extension of the original concept of my thought bubble to consider the relatively scarce number of Upsets, games won by the clear underdog, at RWCs down the years. In considering those, I started to think of games that were “Almost Upsets”.
Comments on Booboos articles?
What stuck in your head about the tournament?
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@Bovidae said in Best of RWC 1987:
Ah, daytime rugby.
Was going to say the same thing. Rugby in the daylight.
On the upsets, I’m not sure I share @booboo view that the Oz v France semi result was an upset. I think the drama, the closeness of the score and the final try has made this test take on a life of its own.
The 86 5Ns France beat Ireland and Wales and convincingly beat England. They lost by a point against the Scots and shared the title with them. Under current structures France would’ve been 5Ns champs. Then they backed it up in the 87 5Ns and won that title outright.
I will never forget my old man telling me, “France will win, they have better backs.”
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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?
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CHEAP AS FUCK from Richards
CHEAPER from Buck
Disappointing from such a great player
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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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