If our pack shows up like it did yesterday we will beat the Italians by a margin. On recent showings that is a big “if” but I think we will get a lot of self-belief back after that performance. We’ll rest the front line guys for the Russians and then put the full side out for the Italians and aim for a good performance to take some momentum into the knockouts.

Well, that was horse do do…

Canada penalised because a Frenchman falls over the hoardings? WTF? Harsh.

Yeah, bollocks. Traille try. Arse.

Are France looking ever so slightly vulnerable? 🙂

I wish

I know it must be hard, but just for once, seeing as everyone’s cheered for Wales and Ireland, could the other home nations bury their tiresomely childish hatchet and just be happy that England have actually turned up?

no

http://www.espnscrum.com/2011-rugby-world-cup/rugby/match/93474.html

Wales made 181 tackles and still won compared to Samoa who made 116, pretty amazing.
powell made 20, Charteris 22 and Faletau an incredable 27.

no

Pity, I thought you had more maturity.

nothing to do with maturity, just I support the little country who the England team want to keep in its place, as such I reserve the right to loath a lot of them. Wilkinson seems like a nice chap though many others just come across as tossers. I love watching The HAsk loose.

Good grief, you English boys are really reducing this thread to a pointless read.

It’s supposed to be about rugby, not popularity.

Just get it through your skulls, will you – NOBODY likes England. And it’s not just the ‘Celtic’ nations, I’ve sat in Capetown watching NZ play England in the 99 RWC and the S Africans were supporting Anybody But England.

And we don’t have to justify it. Why should anybody justify who they support and who they don’t?

Anyway, yes I was up at 4am, watched the first two games and gave up at 9.30 and went back to bed. Quite a few of my neighbours had lights on at 4.30 as well.

Wales went back to form. They looked as though they’d never ever heard of Samoa or their reputation. No discernible organisation. And sad to say, I think Samoa deserved to win the game. I’m not sure why Charteris was on instead of the bulk and aggression of Davies, and Wales needed a fit Ryan Jones on the pitch, rather than Faletau’s inexperience. Halfpenny looked far better than Hook at 15 – as I predicted many pages ago, Hook is slowly being played out of the Welsh team.

The panel in the Welsh studio must have been the ugliest group of TV presenters ever brought together – Mark Taylor, Gareth Llewellyn and Mark Jones.

England did well and got a deserved bonus point, which is what will decide second place in this group. And it wasn’t such a bad game, even though I did drift off into sleep a few times. I can’t blame England for that this time.

Good grief, you English boys are really reducing this thread to a pointless read.

Fixed.

Just going back to this:

duckman – Member
BTW; When you see Alfie now, how could we not know?

If it is referring to his being gay, there was a well known rumour going around in West Wales all the way back in 94 about Alfie and another player. Which, thinking back, surprises me, because even he apparently didn’t realise that he was gay until well after this!

And I should add, not that it matters at all. I’m just amused that people seemed to know before Thomas himself.

Clearly the Welsh are saints by comparison:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8515002.stm

Now then, who are the most vocal about stringing up drink drivers by their goolies?

England’s RWC 2011 Breakdown Gameplan:

LOL@namastebuzz

LOL @ namaste.

Very good, that one.

I like “trundle towards the breakdown”

England however must have sacked the trundlemuppets today – bonus point?

IOs it worth watching as a game?

That chart misses the last box…

TJ yes it is to see Hartley yellow carded after the Ref told him to leave the ball, see above diagram 😀

Hang on it is ok to criticize him and be a churlish Welshman because he is in fact a Kiwi.

Is it worth watching as a game?

Quite frankly, no.

Unless you want to enjoy an Ashton superman dive (guaranteed to annoy the ABE brigade) or get a lesson in how not to play the breakdown.

Until yesterday I still hoped that England (although crap) were at least better than Ireland……. 🙁

an Ashton superman dive (guaranteed to annoy the ABE brigade

the only problem I have with the Ashton dives is that his knees consistently land first, he needs some lessons from Shane on how to do it properly.

Does anyone know what happened at the Todd Clever citing hearing, apparently it was heard on sat 17th..

I find this un-edifying, I guess I have a misplaced hope that a Rugby player would have the manners to make good on this

Dave Pearson might have to pay for laundering his shirts himself.

The English referee was overheard saying, “And you’ll be getting my cleaning bill” to USA captain Todd Clever, after he was accidentally knocked over when Clever tried to join a ruck in the rain-sodden clash between USA and Russia at Stadium Taranaki in New Plymouth.

But Clever has no intentions of picking up the tab.

“I’m definitely leaving (New Plymouth) without paying that bill. Without a doubt,” Clever said on Sunday, beaming. “None of my per diem, the small amount that I’m earning, is going towards that laundry.”

So Todd’s not just a beefy, pony-tailed rugby player. He knows a bit of Latin, too.

lol @Nickjb. Very true.

@Toys19. Did you say a few pages ago that your father was from the Sandfields in Swansea?

Can I be intrusive and ask which street and roughly how old he is? The reason – my father grew up in that area as well, and it’s the sort of place where everybody knew everybody. (My father was born in 47, went to Oxford Street School and lived in Sloane St, where the carpark for County Hall is these days.) I can vaguely remember the area before they bulldozed it and it turned ftom the South Dock into the Marina!

IdleJon, mother in law. Vine Street. 65.

Brothers from another mother, Toys.

Or something like that! 😀

Watched the first half of the England / Georgia game – that is some of the least effective rugby I have ever seen. ITVPlayer has spat the dummy and refuses to play the second half

Brothers from another mother, Toys.

Que? Thats step brothers? 🙂

TEEj – You are being dreadfully boring! It’s just (admitted) bias on your part..

Toys keep banging that drum it must be lonely in your world 😉

Watched the first half of the England / Georgia game – that is some of the least effective rugby I have ever seen.

You did watch the Scotland Georgia game didnt you 😯

Wales EASILY have the hardest group by a country mile, this might go in our favour mind having played 2 very hard games and another two to come.

as dallaglio said “wales will be battle hardened for the quarters”

(fingers crossed Fiji don’t **** us the ass again!)

monkey_boy – Member

as dallaglio said “wales will be battle hardened for the quarters”

Reading between the lines he actually meant that they’ll all be in A&E by the quarters. 🙁

(fingers crossed Fiji don’t **** us the ass again!)

T0 be fair to Fiji, the loss had more to do with Gareth Jenkin’s awesome preparation for this game than anything Fiji did.

Lydiate’s injury is a major worry. Hooks less worrying for team Wales but more worrying for him if its the same shoulders he’s had problems with in the past.

Right been out all day, what have I missed, oh good grief, a persecution complex from the English supporters….Why don’t you start you own wee love-in ON ANOTHER THREAD? And we will leave it alone.(can’t see it reaching this many posts)
Your lot put in a pretty good performance and made me glad I will be on a bus to Poland next week when we have to play you. Yet despite your result today you are all kind of starting to come across as a bit precious,and frankly ass-monkey-ish. Except Zokes who is trolling (right?)

Idlejon; it is just because Alfie looks so “well groomed” now.

Right been out all day, what have I missed, oh good grief, a persecution complex from the English supporters….Why don’t you start you own wee love-in ON ANOTHER THREAD? And we will leave it alone.(can’t see it reaching this many posts)

Fixed.

duckman – Member
Right been out all day, what have I missed, oh good grief, a persecution complex from the English supporters….Why don’t you start you own wee love-in ON ANOTHER THREAD? And we will leave it alone…….. you are all kind of starting to come across as a bit precious,and frankly ass-monkey-ish.

Definitely had me laughing out loud!

Idlejon; it is just because Alfie looks so “well groomed” now.

Until he takes his teeth out.

Has the bickering started again? Jeez, I leave the thread for a few hours, and you go all playground on me again.

Come on now lads, sort it out. 🙂

DD…still basking 8)

Pigface – Member

Toys keep banging that drum it must be lonely in your world

Yes england supporters are a rare breed.. 🙄

Yet despite your result today you are all kind of starting to come across as a bit precious,and frankly ass-monkey-ish.

Ahh is it getting to you, realising that you can’t raise a thought without have to despise england first?

DD I’m not bickering, I just needed them all to admit that they hated us, AA spent a year trying to say he was impartial unless England were playing Wales, which I knew was bullshit, and he finally accepted that he is small minded just like the rest of them.

I’m still puzzled about zokes’ earlier post:

zokes – Member
This is one good point of no longer living in Wales – as an Englishman……. The xenophobic attitude in North Wales thoroughly put me off for the 10 years I was there.

Surprised that you could find a Welshman in North Wales because of all the Brummies, Scousers and Cockernees up there.