Rugby world cup

I’m all for the Haka, I just don’t like it when the IRB starts getting all precious about what you can and can’t do in response.

Incidentally, didn’t the French break the rules about responding to the haka on Sunday?

Oh well, see you all in what, three months?

Police break up haka with pepper spray.

cfh, a response I bet you’d like to see more of.

Well done the AB’s. Tournament’s best team won, but came awfully close to choking again imo, but I don’t think many will worry about that for a while .
Weepu outstanding in the field, but at the same time, we were a kick away from losing for most of the match- he’ll have real mixed feelings about the last two games.
McCaw’s commitment, and to be fair, at times overcommitment, made him my player of the tournament though, but again, I don’t expect many to agree.

Thats was the longest 80 mins of my life !! But we won in the end, France gave it all and bought their A++ team this time, well done France.

Finally got the champagne open, looked at my phone to see the news about Simoncelli so that was a bitter sweet celebration drink.

glitchybumpythingy

Oh and Zokes, explain to me how that vid doesnt have a double red for Wales,

they did not lift him as high and did not drop him on his head. so thats two reasons why no red card

That’s why… And for TJ and I to be agreeing, that by definition is a broad range of opinions!

+1 for Kaino, a man mountain and the best #6 in the world.

bumpy glithchy thingy

Bump

When I suggested Weepu as man of the tournament – he may not have been the best player but he rose to the challenge presented to him well and he cannot have been expecting to be in that situation

And there is something cute about Piri Weepu. Don’t forget he spend the week before the AB v Oz game at his grandfather’s tangi (funeral) so not surprised the head went.

they did not lift him as high and did not drop him on his head. so thats two reasons why no red card

AA get over it – Warburtons card was harsh but merited.

I reckon they lifted him just as high, he’s a big bloke Radike, he landed on his back/neck which according to the rules/guidlines is the same thing. At the very least its a penalty but the ref shit out because he knew if he had pinged it he would have had to red card them.

and I think if you look back I agreed with you from the start that the red card was merited and still do but the ref need to get a grip and work out what they should all do as its becoming a farce.

Poor old Donald he looks awkward enough without having to wear a crop top and I think Piri, although a great story coming back from his injuries to do what he did in combination with a visit to the family Urupa (see I can throw in some Maori too) wasnt that great a 9.

Honestly now Zokes do you really think they are so different as to mean one is play on the other is a straight red and a 3 week ban?
As for Warbaton lifting him higher, I’m not sure remember AWJ is considerably taller than Warburton. True Warburton rotates him further, but if the difference between those two outcomes is viewed so differently from a refs perspective its going to be hard for the players as I’m not sure Bevington and AW Jones or Warburton had much control over the outcome once past the initial hits.

ITV’s Team of the tournament:
1. Jean-Baptiste Poux (France)
2. Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)
3. Adam Jones (Wales)
4. Brad Thorn (New Zealand)
5. Lionel Nallet (France)
6. Jerome Kaino (New Zealand)
7. Sam Warburton (Wales)
8. Imanol Harinorduquy (France)
9. Mike Phillips (Wales)
10. Rhys Priestland (Wales)
11. James O’Connor (Australia)
12. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
13. Jamie Roberts (Wales)
14. Vincent Clerc (France)
15. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)

Hard to argue with most of it, although I think Pocock is better than Warburton (no red cards either).
Not sure about Poux, I’d have Woodcock or maybe Gethin, also think Mas was better than Adam Jones who I thought although he did the basics very well he looked a bit off the pace in the loose, not at his best. Big call between Dusatoir and Kaino, and have no idea what Clerc did to get picked a number of players were better than him. I also prefer beale to Dagg but given he kept breaking its the right call.

I thought Harry Ordinary was one of the men of the tournament, a fantastic player.

Mcaws performance against Australia was awe inspiring and if he has played with a gammy foot it makes it even more extraordinary.

Worst team has to be england, just a shambles on and off the pitch.

anagallis_arvensis – Member
ITV’s Team of the tournament:
1. Jean-Baptiste Poux (France)
2. Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)
3. Adam Jones (Wales)
4. Brad Thorn (New Zealand)
5. Lionel Nallet (France)
6. Jerome Kaino (New Zealand)
7. Sam Warburton (Wales)
8. Imanol Harinorduquy (France)
9. Mike Phillips (Wales)
10. Rhys Priestland (Wales)
11. James O’Connor (Australia)
12. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
13. Jamie Roberts (Wales)
14. Vincent Clerc (France)
15. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)

Not a single England player. Ouch! Probably fair though.

Not a single England, Ireland or Scotland player. Ouch! Probably fair though.

FTFY 😉

I thought Harry Ordinary was one of the men of the tournament, a fantastic player.

Agreed. It’s a joy to watch him playing. Thought he was superb yesterday, especially in the lineout.

Nonu and Roberts a bit to similar to compliment eachother????

Irish or Scottish was a given 😉

AA – can you really not see the significant difference?

AA – can you really not see the significant difference?

no, or at least not a difference the players can control had AWJ not had Bevingtons support Radike would have rotated more and come down faster

Nonu and Roberts a bit to similar to compliment eachother????

Yes, but having said that Nonu has improved his passing a kicking a lot in the last few years so it would be a pairing worth looking at.

Warburton – lifted him significantly higher and dropped him vertically on his head. the other one did not lift as high and dropped him on his back. His feet weerenot lifted high either

Now these things are the criteria on which these tackles should be judged was he lifted high – feet above head, was he dropped on his head?

In one tackle – Warburton the answers are yes, in the other one its no.

No justification for a green machine player to be in there, even if BOD is better than Roberts – if you don’t make it past the last eight, then you shouldn’t really have a name in the top 15.

I still have absolutely no problem with Warburton’s sending off – it was entirely justified, and the hypocritical whinging from some here is about as tiresome as it gets. The laws are pretty unequivocal concerning that type of tackle. Rolland had no option, no matter what we might like to think.

Pocock is better than Warburton.

I also wish we’d seen more Zerzewski in the tournament (for being absolutely gorgeous as much as anything else – definitely the best looking number 2 in the world) 🙂

Firstly Clerc doesnt land on his head he lands on his neck Radike lands on upper shoulders/neck. AW J drops the player just like Warburton but Bevington keeps hold, I fail to see the differences in height, I think your just confused by one being a close up the other not.

Law 10.4 on ‘spear tackles’ reads: “It is dangerous play to lift a player from the ground and drop or drive that player into the ground whilst that that player’s feet are still off the ground so that the player’s head and/or upper body come into contact with the ground.”

certainly Radike’s upper body hits the ground first, you can also see AWJ look at the ref after.

I also wish we’d seen more Zerzewski in the tournament

The SA sub hooker was the best in the tournament IMO

😆 I was called a big fag for saying that Zerzewski was a looker, he is a hunk of man love.

Pocock over Warburton, Jane over Clerc.
Good to see O’Connor in there, he’s going to be an all-time great.
Hard to overlook Morné Steyn at 10 seeing as he’s the only one who seemed to be able to kick!

Szarzewski was a looker, he is a hunk of man love.

His wife’s a bit of a looker as well….

If ITV’s selection of commentators throughout the tournament is anything to go by, then their “Team of the Tournament” aint the alpha and omega of rugby either.

I thought Francois Pinaar was really good, enjoyed listening to him and Sean Fitzpatrick. As for that other tit…

Hels, you are thinking of the pundits( dudes in the studio), I’m talking about this lot
:Commentators: Nick Mullins, Simon Ward, Martin Gillingham, Bob Symonds

Has Sam Waburton done another dangerous tackle, or are you still arguing two weeks after his first one?

Not sure who I was meaning, just that everytime Dalaglio opened his mouth, jobbies fell out.

Has Sam Waburton done another dangerous tackle, or are you still arguing two weeks after his first one?

AA is trying (and failing) to give TJ a lesson in how black is white. He seems to have missed (pun intended) the point that had Wales kicked even half their kicks in the France game, they would have won. The sending off was a moot point two weeks ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/2011/10/world_cup_team_of_the_tourname.html

Love the pic of Charteris here;

IRB Awards:

France captain and World Cup final man-of-the-match Thierry Dusautoir has taken out the IRB Player of the Year at an awards ceremony in Auckland.

The IRB Team of the Year went to the new world champions, The All Blacks, while Graham Henry was named Coach of the Year.

He seems to have missed (pun intended) the point that had Wales kicked even half their kicks in the France game, they would have won. The sending off was a moot point two weeks ago.

I thought a moot point meant it was open to interpretation or have I always missunderstood?

But you keep trying to think something other than what I’ve said Zokes, it really does make the chips on your shoulder stand out, how you fail to understand simple english is beyond me, point out where I’ve said the Warburton decision was wrong, or how Wales not taking the points against France has anything remotely to do with the interpretation of tackle directives/laws, then point out to me how the AW Jones Bevington tackle was so vastly different as to not even be a penalty. If you cannot see how this sort of inconsistency in refereeing has serious implications for the game then I’ll just label you as a rugby ignoramous like I do the people who think Gavin Henson isnt a talented player.

Gavin Henson isnt a talented player.

A talented player or not, he’s a fantastically talented TV personality.

A talented player or not, he’s a fantastically untalented TV personality.

I wonder if Gav looks at how well it went for Wales in the world cup and thinks “bugger I could of been a part of that” I know he was injured but he must surely regret missing so much rugby when he went walk about.