So england take on Wales this weekend. Gavin Henson to burn or shine? England to win I reckon and should do well in world cup. Too much pressure on the other all blacks? Crims must be in with a big chance imo.

Oh please let NZ lose in the semis….please….! 😈

France are my outside tip, but SA my main tip. They’ve given the Tri-nations the disdain it deserves and are saving it all for the WC.

Let’s not allow facts or reason get in the way here.
C’mon Wales…

NZ have two complete teams and have just given a lesson out n teh tri nations. Its hard to see beyond them.

England not to get out of the group of death 😈

😉

Don S, I agree! Let’s not let inevitability cloud our judgement! GWLAD! 🙂

TandemJeremy – Member
England not to get out of the group of death

But you’re an Englishman. Why so happy?

im dreading it already (another proud Welshman here) prior to every game i build my hopes but deep down i know its going to end in tears again.

the cycle will start again, not making it out of the group gatland getting his marching orders and head straight home to NZ….

you never know though 😉

we were talking in work and all agreed the WRU should tell him his job is safe before they leave! hohoho

just as i finsihed typing this an advert came on the TV ‘the bachelor’ featureing GAVIN HENSON coming soon 🙄

🙄 🙄

Oh please let NZ lose in the semis….please….!

What’s your issue Flash? I know you’re forever burdened with the cross that is Wales, but even so, your sentiments seem more appropriate to a wendyballer 🙄

I know it’s hard to see past the AB’s at this point, but that t-shirt’s pretty accurate..

But you’re an Englishman

Nor are you a Welshman but you bang on about it…

Ireland the only home nation with a chance 🙂

I’d like to see another SA v Eng Final

Liking Englands new black kit too

http://store.rfu.com/stores/rfu/products/product_browse.aspx?free_text=New%20Nike%20England%20Change%20Kit&category|category_root|7995=Kit+%26+Training&canned_results_trigger=%28free_text%3d%3d%28+New_x20_Nike_x20_England_x20_Change_x20_Kit%29%29

Darcy, am half Welsh, half English. Had to burn down my own holiday home. 😉

Rugby playing half was the Welsh half, though, and it stuck! 😉

Vinny, a part of it is that I resent the WC going to NZ in this case. Rugby should have tried to look beyond the existing powers and put it in Japan instead, IMO.

Yes, it should have taken the lead of FIFA and given it to an emerging nation 🙂

am half Welsh, half English

Jeez, that’s gotta be a tough one. I’m not sure I’d wish that mix on many…

Behave you lot – there’s only gonna be one winner and well you know it 🙂

You’re a year out

i’m a bit lazy

South Africa 2010 – Member
i’m someone’s troll and only pop up occasionally

Well yes, clearly.

Saffers? I think not. Could somebody please tell me why they insist on playing without a coach or any semblance of tactics….What he IS the coach? I thought he was the political officer! When the tempo was upped last Sat,SA had no answer,Smit being a fine example of this.Oh and look again at the starting line up, a fair few familiar names for a 2xv 😉 Kiwis all the way, The English as best of the home nations (giving TJ somebody to be secretly proud of) Us? qualification from the group stages would be ace!

Oh god please don’t heap any more expectation on, it’s impossible living here at the moment. Don’t get me wrong – this will be a fantastic spectacle and I am in the honourabel position of having tix to all the pool games in wgtn + q/f in wgtn and also scotland v argentina as well (being scottish I wanted to see that one). After Saturdays test against SA here the town was buzzing so it should be great for the duration of the cup. While I’d like the AB’s to ace it you can never write Aussie or SA or England off in these competitions. esp Oz. Lets see what happens this Saturday….and that black england shirt, wtf, caused a bit of a stir that did !!!

I’ve googled the england wales game and am still none the wiser as to what channel I can watch it on and what time it kicks off..

Wales to win it, we will stride the rugby world like colossus smiting all in our path. I truly believe this 😛

If the All Blacks dont win it I genuinely fear for the emotional well being of the whole country.

Joost van der Westhuizen is a sad story I wish him well.

I’ve googled the england wales game and am still none the wiser as to what channel I can watch it on and what time it kicks off..

2.30pm KO sky sports 1!

bastards as i havent got sky!!

http://www.vipbox.tv/sports/rugby.html

double bastards neither have I. Will have to mingle with the hoi polloi down the pub.

Nzcol, what colour is the AB away kit?

Can’t believe the Aussies haven’t been mentioned. They have some really exciting talent and are a good outside bet when the Kiwis choke!

I’d love Ireland to do well but I feel we have too many players past their best and will struggle yet again. I can’t see the home nations doing much TBH

Am just hoping for an English miracle… wouldn’t be the first time! but the southern hemisphere lot have the edge this time not sure Ireland are good enough and Wales…. well !!

wgtn

What on earth is it with New Zealanders – are you frightened for vowels? First Chch, now Wgtn! Took me about 2 minutes to work out where on earth wgtn was referring to! 😳

IRB rankings are telling
1(1) NEW ZEALAND 93.19
2(2) AUSTRALIA 86.65
3(3) SOUTH AFRICA 85.24
4(4) IRELAND 82.51
5(5) ENGLAND 82.48
6(6) FRANCE 82.06
7(7) WALES 79.55
8(8) ARGENTINA 78.97
9(9) SCOTLAND 77.35
Its hard to see beyond the the tri nations really if NZ don’t do it.

Looking forward to it tho – the group of death will mean someone gets dissapointed. However it should make for some compelling games.

We do use our vowels wisely, we only have two to play with, after all !

Sad about Joost, I had such a crush on him when I was younger, in fact he is prolly responsible for expunging all the brain washing we had at school about Apartheid and South Africa.

Well done the Poms wearing black though, they will look daft in it, especially when they perform the ritual morris dance before each game. Or is that just in my head ??

I would truly love to see this again this year, but sadly I don’t think I will.

As Cap’n pointed out, we’ve just been wupt in the Tri-Nstions…

Hopefully we can learn from this, but I’m not sure.

I think it could be the Kiwis year, but the Aussies ate looking pretty good.

As for a another Northern Hemisphere win?

I doubt it.

Why are people calling Pool B the group of death?

Argentina and England to go through. It’s not rocket science.

France to win.

So long as they scrape through the group and knockout stages against the odds (some choking from the oppo would help) and then in the final go down by a sufficient number of points at half time to bring out the psycho French flair attack that will just destroy whoever they’re playing in the second half.

Well that’s what I’m hoping for 🙂

I know you are trolling but………cos Scotland have beaten Argentina recently, Argentina have beaten England, there is very little to choose between the three top teams in the group. Look at results between them over the last couple of years

oh and since no one’s posted it yet

(I actually wouldn’t mind if they won so long as they can at least pretend to have some humility in the run up to it)

Trolling aside TJ, it will be interesting. Recent results count less in WC’s I reckon – look at NZ the last 3 times, and England last time around.

Aye – It could come down to the England / Scotland game to see who goes thru – and it will be like home games for Scotland with the support they will get 😈

I’d love to see Argentina do well – but not at Scotlands expense please

England have been a smidge away from a very good team at times recently but too dependent on a small number of players to provide some dynamism. When they lost them in the 6N they reverted to playing slow stodge.

Scotland have the best gruop of players they have had for a long time and are going to be aswell prepared as possible. Weak in too many areas tho – centres and halfbacks and no depth to the squad

Will we see some innovative tactics in the WC?

Teej, it wouldn’t surprise me to see scotland or argentina beat england, but England always raise their game on the international stage you cannot compare six nations performance with world cup performance. Look at Wales since the beggining of time there has been something like 200 odd england wales games, the results are nigh on 50/50 but wales have never even approached englands success in the RWC.

This one is going to be interesting. TBH I think it is quite wide open. As much as I would like to see England win, I don’t think there is the same buzz that happened in 2003. Can’t rule them out though. My second team(Mrs Curtis is a Kiwi) NZ has a huge weight of expectations on them. From what I have read, NZ rugby really needs this boost as viewing figures are down. You can never rule out SA or the Aussies. It would be great if the Argies could improve on their last World Cup but I can’t see this happening. Exciting times!