Perhaps. Timing suggests otherwise as does the time honoured tradition of pommie baiting. All part of the fun and games and utterly predictable

Still the actual rugby starts soon. The more interesting article might be to predict the first major shock.

I was at the Carling WC final wearing a kilt and a corked hat. I watched the 2003 final cheering for England. I would say they have improved the rugby public’s perception of them as individuals 100%.(last WC excepted) I liked Johnson as much as I hated Carling,unlike Carling he captained the best team in the world but also unlike Carling didn’t want publicity.England won that WC by playing the NH brand of rugby,absolute smashmouth rugby based on work and bravery and it was fantastic to watch. Never really took lol seriously after the drugs interview,but he could play. As an aside,has anybody ever seen Will Carling and Fatima Whitbred in the same room?
First shock? Scotland v SA…

@DanW thanks for that 😀 used to see Loenard in the pub in London, he rarely had a beer and was more trim than when he played. He seems to have bulked back up a bit now he’s RFU President

Obvious NZ troll is obvious.

With people being able to connect digitally, the old myth about rugby people being somehow “better” or more noble than our round ball playing friends is being exposed as nonsense.
Loads of teams can’t stand each other. Perhaps they are all united in disliking england, hopefully nobody in the set-up is so precious that they’d care. Williams was a fine rugby player but he’s not sufficiently talented in the upstairs department for anyone to care what his opinion is on anything.

FTFY

I struggle to believe Ali Williams actually put any of those words together… Reads a lot like a hack piece that they paid to have his picture put beside it

Here’s an article which may interest some here…..
http://www.americasrugbynews.com/2015/09/13/foreign-born-players-rwc-2015/
*runs away*

^ Probably the most shocking thing there is the amount of New Zealanders.

The article I posted a couple of pages back maybe illustrates why there are so mnay good NZ players about and hence they find their way into other RWC squads as lots into 31 doesn’t fit.

How NZ Sustains its Rugby Dynasty

For matches at the millenium stadium during the World Cup which side gets to decide if the roof is to be shut or does it remain open throughout?

I’d missed that- excellent article.

First time I visited Auckland my mate took me to Mission Bay for some food. Spent about an hour talking and eating on Mission Bay reserve and watching about 5 touch rugby games going on. All the players were Islanders or Maori and the skill they had with passing behind the back, miss passes, the lines they were running etc was unreal. I asked him if they was a tournament going on and he just laughed and said no there are always games going on. Just for fun.

Didn’t see a round ball in the whole time I was there that I can remember.

England Team vs Fiji

Marler
Youngs
Cole
Lawes
Parling
Wood
Robshaw
Morgan
Youngs
Ford
May
Barritt
Joseh
Watson
Brown

Subs
Vunipola
Webber
Brookes
Launchbury
Vunipola
Wigglesworth
Farrell
Burgess

With Parling or with Lawes?

I think the idea is that as no-one can really guess where Tom Youngs is gonna throw it they’ve put Parling in as at least he’ll have half an idea.

Launchbury is pretty out of form though isn’t he?

On paper England look as good as any team…

I think Parling has earned his shirt, he was excellent vs Ireland.
Great analysis here;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/11847090/How-Geoff-Parlings-nous-helped-England-past-Ireland-in-final-Rugby-World-Cup-warm-up-match.html

Lawes has sufficient respect from the ABs for him to be taken out by targeted foul play. Even with my most rose tinted glasses England are no match for the ABs on paper, fortunately high pressure test rugby produces strange results from time to time