The Silver Fern

@booboo said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:

@Billy-Webb said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:

Hahaha. The President of SA just trolled the UK Prime Minister:

Subtlety not his strong point

@booboo said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:

@Billy-Webb said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:

Hahaha. The President of SA just trolled the UK Prime Minister:

Subtlety not his strong point

English is not his first language...alot is lost so he keeps it simple...a bit of a Mandela wannabe

England has scored 10 tries inside the opening five minutes of a Test against Tier-one opposition in 23 matches since 2018.

The next fastest starter is France with five tries in 19 Tests.

New Zealand and South Africa have scored one apiece during that same time.

@Machpants said in [Poll] Who would you prefer to win?:

I'm half English, lived in the UK for a fair time, and I want us to be the only team that has won 3 times - England please! And they play a bit more interesting rugby

NZ has already won it three times...sorry to shatter your dreams.

In the semi England played like the All Blacks and the All Blacks played like England...if the Boks play like the Boks and England play like they normally do the Boks will win the 2019 RWC.

Wales have 143 points in total in this RWC...All Blacks have 210...All Blacks get third place....now both teams can go home to get over not winning the 2019 RWC

@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.

@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.

There's only one way to decide...a long table full of ice cold Steinlagers...Hansen and Gats drink as many as they can and the first to go to the loo loses.

@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!!

@The-Eagle said in Surely there has to be a better way to decide for third spot:

Shag v Gats, best of 5, rock paper scissors. Ok

An arm wrestle between them perhaps?

@jegga Except they would feel like court jesters on public display for the world to ridicule...Nup.. get the calculator out and give it to the team with the most points..if that's tied then the most tries...if that's tied double the bronze medals and make them joint winners.

@Rapido said in Why this feels different...:

Its different because I'm older and more mature (I think). I'm not gnashing my teeth at the world but I'm maybe more disappointed in ourselves than in previous failures.

******It's very disappointing as I don't feel like they turned up.

---

2003 called and said Mitchell and Dean's want their strategy back.

In the aftermatch interviews, both Retallick and Beauden lamented not taking our opportunities. By which I assume fluffed counter attacks.

I'm lamenting that we ignore half our team in our strategy and assume teams will provide us with gilt edged counter attacking opportunities. I want an approach that puts destiny in our own hands, not an approach that turns an opponent's off day into a nightmare.

Very disappointing. Acceptable with a young naive team and coaching group in 2003, but inexcusable now.

More comprehensive than 2003 though, which at least had an early 12 to 14 point sliding doors moment to leave you wondering about 'psychic energy'. Saturday was comprehensive to the extreme.

England played a superb game of knockout football. Even that doesn't do it justice as it is good play regardless of whether it was knockout.

Selections, and rotation, dont bother me at all. Just red herrings. The strategy and mental game bother me.

Your'e not the journo who asked that question to Hansen in the post match interview after the loss are you?

I don't agree at all..they turned up all right and wanted it as much as England but they were stunned by the English strategy to get the first king hit in first then nulify the best attacking side in the world by playing 20 players on the field for the rest of the game. As Reid said we gave it everything we had but couldn't play the game we wanted because they wouldn't let us. The first try rattled the ABs and they never recovered where as it gave the POMS the confidence they needed: Get in king hit first. Tick. Now stop the attack. Tick. Win the Semi. Tick.

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.

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.

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.

@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

I want my 80 minutes back....kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick kick!!!!!!

The Boks better have a plan B for next week as England has plans from A right through to Z. GO BOKKEE!!!!!