RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy
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Ireland have been the best team for the last couple of years as they have developed a system that everyone buys into, knows their roles and as you say, they have become a very close team where they will fight for each other and become more than the sum of their parts.
They are the most cohesive side in the world and have been for some time. They remind me of the early 2000s era Brumbies that revolutionised the game through their tactical system that had the ability to beat teams in various ways.
This can only happen if a side is completely well drilled and everyone has clarity on their role and trusts the system and each other.
It’s quite brilliant in truth and I have been in awe of them over the last 2 years as they have become a juggernaut of a side that has developed world class players through this system.
Can the ABs beat them? Yes of course. Any side has a chance in a one off match but it will take a Herculean effort to be able to do so and break them down.
What has been most dissapointing about the time since losing the series to Ireland last year is when you ask the question of who has improved the most since then?
Obviously the ABs needed to improve more than the Irish after they lost the series to them.
The ABS have shown improvement but it also appears that Ireland have improved more which is not what we would have expected.
The ABs have it all to do, are underdogs and we aren’t really sure how we will play if we are to beat the Irish.
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@DaGrubster after following different teams in different codes, it’s almost hard to explain in words when they have nailed that winning culture .
But it’s just like they are all so well connected and become one when it comes to executing the game plan, all on the same page together .
I think Penrith in the nrl are a great example.
Ireland look to have it, but in saying that , it’s never infallible, all teams still have an off day and can trip up.
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I don’t think it is a conscious thing, it is just something that happens through playing together winning together and finding ways to win together when perhaps they shouldn’t have.
It’s an intangible thing, much like the All Black aura. But Ireland certainly have this now.
Like many great AB sides have before them.
The current one doesn’t. That doesn’t mean they can’t win though.
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Few posts above that I agree with but couldn’t quote / reply to them all. I think the ABs stand a very decent chance of turning the Irish over in the QFs. You still have excellent forwards and excellent players and it isn’t that hard to imagine it clicking for you in a game or two. Good players don’t become bad overnight and given the current atmosphere it isn’t hard to imagine the ABs getting up and following instructions to win a game with lots of grunt / discipline and a little bit of razzle dazzle thrown in. You won the 3N for crying out loud
The difficulty for the ABs will be to do it three games in a row against excellent sides. I agree Ireland are the most consistently good, I think France are capable of a higher peak but without quite the same consistency and I think the Saffas beat most teams on most days. Who wins the final is anyone’s guess but if I was an AB fan I’d still very much believe it was possible.
England, of course, just aren’t very good
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One advantage we have is that Ireland effectively have 2 knockout matches before the qtr final.
The ABs have one against Italy.
Ireland going into a 3rd knock out match at the stage they have never got past before, May pray on their minds and mean they are a little off perhaps?
Ireland have the most hurdles to overcome out of all the teams, even France who have at least got to finals before.
There is a reason why the top nations win and almost monopolise world cups. In football, it’s Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina that have the mentality to do it even when they haven’t done it for 20 years.
In rugby it’s NZ, SA and Oz and once by England.
In netball it’s Oz and NZ.
It just seems that certain nations are supposed to win World cups. Whether it is IP, being the best side, expectation, holding their nerve, or something else.
It’s common across lots of sports - it will be incredibly hard for Ireland or France to win this World Cup for the first time.
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@Billy-Tell said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
NB. Modern rugby matches are decided by
Discipline
Breakdown
Set piece
Defence
Goal kicking
Kicking out of hand
…
…
…
Who plays at 15territory should be right near the top, and as well as discipline it is majorly impacted by who plays at 15.
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@DaGrubster said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
One advantage we have is that Ireland effectively have 2 knockout matches before the qtr final.
The ABs have one against Italy.
Ireland going into a 3rd knock out match at the stage they have never got past before, May pray on their minds and mean they are a little off perhaps?
Ireland have the most hurdles to overcome out of all the teams, even France who have at least got to finals before.
There is a reason why the top nations win and almost monopolise world cups. In football, it’s Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina that have the mentality to do it even when they haven’t done it for 20 years.
In rugby it’s NZ, SA and Oz and once by England.
In netball it’s Oz and NZ.
It just seems that certain nations are supposed to win World cups. Whether it is IP, being the best side, expectation, holding their nerve, or something else.
It’s common across lots of sports - it will be incredibly hard for Ireland or France to win this World Cup for the first time.
Because Wales are going to win it 😉
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When is the team really named?
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@Billy-Tell said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
We are in the weird position of being on no-one's radar. Here is an excerpt from the Guardian...usually we are the team under pressure of expectation. This time it's mainly France and Ireland IMO.
"No one, to be clear, is remotely counting out the defending champions South Africa or the flying Fijians but there is a chance that France, Ireland, Wales and England could all make the last four."
Instead of aura, we now wear a cloak of irrelevancy
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@ACT-Crusader said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
When is the team really named?
11.30pm NZ time today, 12.30 CET in official channels..generally 24 hours early though it is known
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It's the Italy match thread and we're talking about Ireland. FWIW I recall Ireland were number one in the world (briefly) just over four years ago entering the RWC. They lost to Japan and then got flogged in the quarter-final by us.
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@antipodean said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
It's the Italy match thread and we're talking about Ireland. FWIW I recall Ireland were number one in the world (briefly) just over four years ago entering the RWC. They lost to Japan and then got flogged in the quarter-final by us.
They certainly weren't coming in on the back of a 16 game streak tho
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@Yeahtheboys said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
Damian is our man. If fozzie moves Damian to 15 we become World Cup favourites
Lol
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@Machpants I read in that streak they have conceded on average 13.8 points per game...only really 3 scoring chances.
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@DaGrubster said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
I don’t think it is a conscious thing, it is just something that happens through playing together winning together and finding ways to win together when perhaps they shouldn’t have.
It’s an intangible thing, much like the All Black aura. But Ireland certainly have this now.
Like many great AB sides have before them.
The current one doesn’t. That doesn’t mean they can’t win though.
I think we should utilize some of the more outgoing passionate characters in the AB side.
DMac, LF, Blackadder and Samisoni spring to mind.
I fear we may fire a blank squib. -
i might have missed it but what makes guys like LF and Blackadder "outgoing passionate characters"?
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@Kiwiwomble said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
i might have missed it but what makes guys like LF and Blackadder "outgoing passionate characters"?
Leicester's father: "After listening to a Johnny Cash song, I knew if I called him Leicester he'd have to get tough or die"
Ethan's father: "I wish I thought of that, I just wrote down the swear word his mum uttered on the birthing table when those shoulders came out..." -
Muliaina is suggesting that Whitelock should be on the bench, and I agree, but for different reasons. To make the most of the three locks I would obviously play SB for the full 80 mins. Tell BBBR to smash some bodies and empty the tank for 50-60 mins, and then bring on Whitelock to finish the game.
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@Bovidae said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
.. and then bring on Whitelock to finish the game.
Plus ensure some leadership, hopefully!
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@nostrildamus said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
@Bovidae said in RWC Week 4: All Blacks v Italy:
.. and then bring on Whitelock to finish the game.
Plus ensure some leadership, hopefully!
In theory.
