The Silver Fern

This was the most appalling match Nigel Owens has refereed....at least three yellows missed by head high and neck rolls by the Irish and the penalty try was absurd...Todd was hemmed in there against the post by an Irish player and couldn't get away even if he tried...lucky that wasn't a decision that could've effected the out come of the match. The world's best Ref?????

I hate the way people put the boot in to Hansen AFTER he has left....he was a great coach and a great ambassador for NZ rugby and NZ as a nation...Thank you Steve...good luck and hope you get the gig of a lifetime after this RWC.

@akan004 neither team has beaten the ABs but I agree Japan would be a better choice...anything than those bloody Micks...they know how to beat us.

In League there is no one sent off in a red card offence and the offender is cited after the match where they are suspended for various weeks depending on the offence.

Union should do the same except the offender be should sin binned for ten minutes then be cited after the match.

I would also like to see an Orange card which is for an offence between a yellow and a red with the offender getting 15 minutes in the bin.

Sending red card offenders off the field for the remainder of the game is ridiculous...thousands have paid alot of money to fly over stay in expensive hotels buy expensive tickets to watch their team...yes penalise the offender after a fair match where millions of viewers can enjoy the game in a fair contest.

@No-Quarter Yep agree 1000%

It's going to be a classic old fashioned traditional Wales v All Blacks final..along the lines of the All Blacks v Lllanelli game in '72 except the All blacks will win 8-3...you heard it here first.

@Luigi said in RWC: All Blacks v Ireland (QF2):

@Blackheart said in RWC: All Blacks v Ireland (QF2):

This was the most appalling match Nigel Owens has refereed....at least three yellows missed by head high and neck rolls by the Irish and the penalty try was absurd...Todd was hemmed in there against the post by an Irish player and couldn't get away even if he tried...lucky that wasn't a decision that could've effected the out come of the match. The world's best Ref?????

Fucking hell. Never happy aye?
I remember when Dan Carter got yellowed for a horrendous tackle against Wales and the Fern foamed endlessly at the mouth about the IRB (as was) conspiring with the illuminati, aliens, English rugby clubs and the man on the grassy knoll to besmirch his sainted name.
Get a grip.

The only grip I want is the handle on the RWC.

@Tim said in Hansen:

@Machpants Nope, complete Truth. When has this team won the big ones?

The Bled return match at the fortress when we needed to 35-0 to retain the Bled.... That was HUGE and one of the biggest games of the year

@Damo said in RWC: England v New Zealand (SF1):

@Blackheart said in RWC: England v New Zealand (SF1):

The real final.

Nah. SA will be worthy finalists as well.

They have to get past 126.8 million Japanese first.

Than a humiliating game that neither side wants to play. I'm sure all the Welsh and ABs want to do is go home and get over their Semi final loss.

Just calculate who has the most points overall and give them the bronze.

@gt12 said in RWC: England v New Zealand (SF1):

I was fascinated to see Owens and Schmidt having a long talk before the game last week (with Schmidt clearly trying to get something across, including gestures about tackling or clean outs). I wondered whether, in any way, that then influenced what he looked for at penalty time.

Hansen didn't bother approaching Owens, although might have said hi.

Hansen and Schmidt had a massive talk too. They look like they are pretty friendly.

When BB scored the try it seemed that Owens was trying everything he could not to award it....it went on and on with the TMO...I think all the accusations and sour grapes from apposing teams that Refs favour the ABs is finally paying off...Owens seemed to be trying hard not to favour the ABs in any way...

@Hooroo Ok thanks for the advice...re removing the tin foil hat...could be a little difficult

So...who is under the most pressure..the ABS to be the triple holders or Eddie to win his first RWC as coach and for England to prove they are not one trick ponies...???? He claims he has no pressure whatsoever...

Nup sorry Steady Eddie...not buying it.

It doesn't mean the ABs played THAT badly...as Reid and Hansen said..."we gave it everything we had but we couldn't play the game we wanted."The English had one plan: Get the first points and smash the opposition with a king hit in the opening minutes then smother them so they cannot breathe....nullify their attack for the rest of the game. The ABs and the Boks have the most dynamic attacking side in the world and all the POMS know how to beat them is to play total defensive rugby and block the attack.

They played like they had 20 players on the field...they were everywhere...not one on one... three on one. I can hear Eddie screaming this plan at them.

The ABs were stunned and rattled by this and played the game with every player handcuffed.

GO BOKKE!!!!! Get back to attacking these bastards and bring the cup back to the SH.

@MiketheSnow said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:

I for one can't wait to see how England approach this match.

This is the double, possible triple, whammy

WC winners
Grand slam against the Rugby Championship sides on consecutive outings
No. 1 in the world

If England win, they deserve all the accolades.

The Boks are at a huge advantage..all they have to do is run the EngvAB semi on a continuous loop and watch what the POMS will do because they have no other plan but to try to nullify the Bok attack by their smothering defence. Unlike the ABs the Boks will be ready for it...maybe this is were they need to kick it away for territory and the dwarf does his usual box kicks. Cross kicking for the wings will be a risk because there'll be at least three English players there like there was in the AB game...Eddie has shown his hand now so they can only do what they did against us. GO BOKKEEE!!

@MiketheSnow You probably had the added advantage of being sober watching it...as the game wore on I attacked another bottle of red and tried to drown my sorrow and it all became a blurr...it felt like they were alot more defensive than attacking overall to me at the time...cheers...I'll watch the replay again with your observations in mind.

@taniwharugby Well there haven't been that many. Now they have to show they can do it all the time if they want to maintain the number one slot that we've enjoyed for the past ten years.