Sniper08 wrote:honestly though i cant see anyone beating the all blacks, they dominate the sport and it will be a shock if they dont win(atleast to me it wil be).
Your words are the words heard many times previously. The All Blacks have consistently come into this competition as the favourites only to have the prize snatched from them. In 87 they won, in '91 they were knocked out at the semi finals, in '95 the finals, in '99 the semi finals, in '03 (admittedly they weren't the favourites then, England were) the semi finals and in '07 they were actually knocked out in the quarter finals by Les Bleus.
Whilst they unarguably have the best record as an international side (won 75% of their international games) they do seem to stumble at this event.
Due to current economic conditions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off
Sniper08 wrote:honestly though i cant see anyone beating the all blacks, they dominate the sport and it will be a shock if they dont win(atleast to me it wil be).
Your words are the words heard many times previously. The All Blacks have consistently come into this competition as the favourites only to have the prize snatched from them. In 87 they won, in '91 they were knocked out at the semi finals, in '95 the finals, in '99 the semi finals, in '03 (admittedly they weren't the favourites then, England were) the semi finals and in '07 they were actually knocked out in the quarter finals by Les Bleus.
Whilst they unarguably have the best record as an international side (won 75% of their international games) they do seem to stumble at this event.
True but who can stop them this time. Oz were my bet but we beat them and i dont think ireland have ever beaten NZ.SA are the only ones now who can beat them imo.
Proud AB supporter here. Living in aussie as an economic refugee..... Lets hold hands and sing
"who wants to be a wannabee? Become a wallaby..... repeat"
Sadly the mighty AB's choke at world cups. We can't put away the minows over the full 80minutes, start to ease up at the 70minute mark or earlier. Well done IRELAND!!!
Sniper08 wrote:honestly though i cant see anyone beating the all blacks, they dominate the sport and it will be a shock if they dont win(atleast to me it wil be).
Your words are the words heard many times previously. The All Blacks have consistently come into this competition as the favourites only to have the prize snatched from them. In 87 they won, in '91 they were knocked out at the semi finals, in '95 the finals, in '99 the semi finals, in '03 (admittedly they weren't the favourites then, England were) the semi finals and in '07 they were actually knocked out in the quarter finals by Les Bleus.
Whilst they unarguably have the best record as an international side (won 75% of their international games) they do seem to stumble at this event.
True but who can stop them this time. Oz were my bet but we beat them and i dont think ireland have ever beaten NZ.SA are the only ones now who can beat them imo.
The All Blacks have a habit of falling apart at a crucial moment, and this year they have the added pressure of being at home. But you never know, England should never have got to the final last time round.
Ireland managed a 10-10 draw against the All Blacks in 1973(the same year as the best game of Rugby ever)
Well - the All Blacks delievered a lesson to Les Bleus on sat night. We are very reluctant to get confident over here given our track record but this time (in the absence of any S.African tea lady or Wayne Barnes refereeing impersonator) I cannot see anyone, bar the Boks, having the firepower to subdue to AB attack. A northen hemisphere team will make the final due to the vagaries of the draw (caused by Irelands fantastioc win over the Aussies) however I doubt that any of them can beat the ABs. Two huge games on AB side of draw - quarter final S.Africa v Aust and thenm semi for winner vs NZ.
Great tournament with suprisingly high quality games across the board. Incidentally - the All Blacks are the 'winningest' international team in any sporting code - bar none
'You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows' Robert Zimmerman
The only real test for the ABs would appear to be their semi-final against either SA or Aus (each of whom beat the ABs in their last encounters) which in my mind will be equivalent to the 'true final' of this world cup.
Re your 'winningest team' comment. Over what time period? USA (Americas Cup) and China (table tennis) always spring to my mind when I think of best record (USA) or most successful contemporary squad (China). I'm sure there are others, e.g. marathon running (team classification events, Kenya) where one country simply sits dominant. That's not to take anything away from the ABs - they are formidable and only a fool would bet against them.
Highest position #5 (18 Nov 2010) General 4,380pts (11 Dec 2010)
Begbie wrote:Well - the All Blacks delievered a lesson to Les Bleus on sat night.
I have got a feeling that the frogeaters did not even want to win the game - they rested their players. It is some French way of "strategically" placing itself in the weaker half...
On the other hand, AB-s is by far the best and most enjoyable to watch team in the cup. However, it is not clear how they will do in semi-s in a low scoring tug of war games. They can very well be undone...
France 14 Tonga 19......and France were lucky to get that many and Tonga shoulda scored more.
It would appear that France are imploding, they were bloody awful. The Tongans were with passion and skill(at times), but lack of poise and patience cost them an even bigger win. Aleki Lutui was awesome. If only he could play like that for the Warriors every week.
That said, are England scared to try and run the ball? With such good backs (compared to the Scots) why o why did we retain so much ball in the forwards where they were our equals? Tuilagi, Armitage & the brilliant Foden in support - we should have been nobbling those guys from the start. But just like the England football team we don't actually wake-up and play until we're trailing.
Have England actually managed six phases of play yet? I'm not sure they have (unlike Tonga).
And beware the French. Sneaky buggers have been putting out second-string sides in their last two, secure in the knowledge they'd be qualifying. Maxime Medard....the man to watch!
Highest position #5 (18 Nov 2010) General 4,380pts (11 Dec 2010)
Is there any way we can avoid Aus in the next round? Would a win for Italy over Ireland do it?
Lol, I'm just wondering if it would've been better to lose to samoa this last game and get into the easier half of the draw
It'd be nicer to beat the AB's in a final then a semi!
Spoiler
#27
Nobody has a higher score or more medals with less games completed My Dispatch Interview
Leehar wrote:Is there any way we can avoid Aus in the next round? Would a win for Italy over Ireland do it?
Lol, I'm just wondering if it would've been better to lose to samoa this last game and get into the easier half of the draw
It'd be nicer to beat the AB's in a final then a semi!
ireland have played italy 19 times and won 16. the last time we lost to them was in 1997 so i wouldnt get my hopes up if i was you
Ireland v Italy for sure will be a great game. Don't write the Italians off, they have played some superb rugby this year. They almost beat the Irish in their last encounter (lost to a last-minute drop goal) and famously beat the French.
Their forwards have performed heroically this World Cup. If they keep it tight they should do well, though the Irish have picked O'Gara over Sexton so expect to see a lot of kicking.
The ref will be important. It'll be Kaplan, who can be a bit whistle-happy on a bad day, so both teams will need their kicking boots on. Expect to see this game won on penalties rather than open running backs.
Still think Ireland will nick it, 18-12. Forecast is for dry weather - another plus for the Paddys.
Highest position #5 (18 Nov 2010) General 4,380pts (11 Dec 2010)
I'm pipping the welsh to take ya They've been really strong of late.
I just realised that it's nz vs arg, so it really is a north and south half of the draw. Guess all the more reason for us to run away with it.
Btw, I'm surprised there aren't more american viewers. Some of the early games fell in the perfect tz.
Spoiler
#27
Nobody has a higher score or more medals with less games completed My Dispatch Interview
As we approach 1/4 final weekend things start getting serious. This is where score are capped at 30 points and the tight 5 has a far more important role than the outside backs.
- Arg vs NZ: Well the betting odds sum the game up nicely: 15-20 Arg, 1.05 for NZ. If NZ lose this at Eden park there will be riots. However even if the chances of an upset are slim it's still a very important game for one main reason: The worlds (arguably) best player was injured this past week and the central pivot of the NZ team is out. All eyes will be on Dan Carters replacement Colin Slade, and his potential sub Piri Weepu. If NZ get back on track and Slade/Weepu play well, NZ will be back to being favorites, if they play poorly in the halves, they'll slip in the odds.
- Aus vs SA: What a battle. I'd say it will come down to a tight 5 grind, in which case you'd be silly not to back SA. However it could go any which way depending on how the game is played: Aus in current form < SA in current for < SA in good form < Aus playing like they showed glimpses of in the trinations and super 15.
- Ire vs Wales: Battle of the inform northern hemisphere teams. Both have been playing top notch rugby that will compete with anything the southern hemispere can show, but who will victor? I couldn't say. I just hope for once that if either team is breaking the advantage line regularly inside the op 22 then for gods sake dont go for a droppy! Blows my mind when a team going forward well would settkle for 3...
- Fra vs Eng: Both teams have been very lackluster, but as has already been mentioned, France still have some potential hiding in the ranks; and I wouldn't discount England for a minute. They may play dull rugby by southern standards, but they know how to score points efficiently. My gut says England, but France could get up... or they could lose by 20. Whoever progresses will not be an easy beat in the semis though, as in form as Wales/Ire are, both Eng and France know how to win matches and win them well.
Lootifer wrote:Best Welsh team in the history of rugby. I was rooting for Ireland, but after that im a convert. Some outstanding footy.
Same here. I thought Wales had an excellent game. Warburton was great all over the park. As an Englishman, I can only hope they have played their best rugby(assuming we can beat France)
