press and pundits

Yes but we aren’t press and pundits in here are we?  We all been in these these rugby threads and often things get heated or nasty – I’m as guilty in the past as anyone – but it would be nice to think that that we could all enjoy some banter over the next few weeks without spiteful comments, insults or arguments.  When that happens its a pretty good place to be in these threads.

Do I want England to win?  Yes.  Would I be gutted if they don’t get to the final? Yes.   Would I start spouting offensive shite should <insert your national team here> knock England out/go forward to the final/win?  No I won’t.   There’s just no need for it, lets all enjoy ourselves, there’s enough offensery going on elsewhere in the world.

There’s just no need for it, lets all enjoy ourselves, there’s enough offensery going on elsewhere in the world.

Amen to that.

– I’m as guilty in the past as anyone – I’m as guilty in the past as anyone

Yes you are, so very guilty which is why I made my second post.

I won’t be rude or offensive but I really don’t want england to win.

You have to deal with that, take it as a backhanded compliment.

I think “very” is a stretch, but anyway… 😀

but it would be nice to think that that we could all enjoy some banter over the next few weeks without spiteful comments, insults or arguments.

Going to be very hard to have any banter if the Englanders get upset when people say ABE!!!

Aye – gonna be some banter, gonna be some nippy sweeties from the welsh when they get stuffed by Fiji. We need to try to keep it on the right side of nastiness.

The Irish – well the less said the better. england – Wheels fallen of the chariot yet?

Scotland for the win

Wheels fallen of the chariot yet?

no Dwarf throwing reported as yet.

We should have a haircut of the competition contest – I nominate Darcy Graham who is now sporting a peroxide spike do. Some serious coiffures among the Scotland team Hastings is even known as haircut for his

Also a beautiful 15, and ugly 15 and a midgets 15 ( oh thats Scotland)

On ABE – its ( IMO) two issues. One is in every family everyone wants to beat their bigger brother. IN this case the bigger brother is England and also the arrogance as in from a few years ago stating they were too good for the 6N to the blind partisanship of the supposed UK press

Just chuck it back at folk – take it as a complement.

TJ; what part of Fiji are the Druids playing? The whole island or just the western part?

I think its the bit where big bill McMata, mad McMatowalo and Leone McNakarawa come from

So who is going to make predictions then? Given my excellent record of predicting rugby matches I suggest someone else really should go first 😉

So who is going to make predictions then? Given my excellent record of predicting rugby matches I suggest someone else really should go first 😉

I’m game, although some tough calls for tomorrow:
Aus v Fiji 34:17
Fra v Arg 25:18
NZ v SA 20:15

I was thinking more about the winners etc

SA to win

NZ or england to be the beaten finalists

Scotland – out in the q/f as are Wales

ireland to make the semis

Arentina to surprise a few folk and I am scared about Japan / Scotland

I was thinking more about the winners etc

SA to win

NZ or england to be the beaten finalists

Scotland – out in the q/f as are Wales

ireland to make the semis

Arentina to surprise a few folk and I am scared about Japan / Scotland

There’s a fair bit of hedging your bets there ; )

Yoiu know my record of predictions surely!

Scotland team

Hogg; Seymour, Taylor, Johnson, Maitland; Russell, Laidlaw; Dell, McInally (captain), Nel, Gilchrist, Gray, Barclay, Watson, Wilson.

Replacements: Brown, Reid, Berghan, Cummings, Thomson, Price, Harris, Graham

No 10 on the bench ( we don’t really have another one.) Russell goes off injured laidlaw will have to go to 10 or Hogg

Graham to come on against tiring defenses.

A slightly conservative selection from Toonie – has some swapped his acid for horlicks?

The whole island or just the western part?

That’s Samoa, shirley…

Am at the stage of trying to stay awake for the first kick off, but tiring fast. Annoyingly, Fiji v Australia is the game I’d most want to see of the saturd Saturday games, but as Friday night ebbs away here in Merka, I fear I may be snoring shortly…

Would love a Fiji win today
I’ll go

Fiji 42 Oz 36

If not today, then v Wales. As long as Fiji get through and a.n. other

Ireland can’t beat the argies in world cups so I’d be happy for France and England to go through. ( Not that Ireland can beat anyone in the knockout rounds ) but I’ll go

France 24 arg 12

All Blacks and SA are the best two sides in it. They’ll both go through, but I’ll go NZ to win today with Reece for top tryscorerer

NZ 36 SA 24

And that result will put a bit more pressure on Ireland Scotland tomorrow, second place to get All Blacks next round. Will be played like the first knockout game of the tournament. I’ll go

Ireland 3 Scotland 0

Come on Weegie fiji

Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the Aussie changing room during the half-time break.

Come on Fiji

Dirty shoulder barge to the head of Yato put him off. Was player of the tournament up to there

Pen try and red for me.

Hodge shouldn’t have been on the pitch to score his. It’s a fix 😉

What a game. It feels like Fiji have had 80% possession. Both teams looking fast and strong, but Fiji are unbelievable. Lots of turnovers. They’re no10 is managing to move them about and take his kicks, which I’ve not noticed in a Fiji team before. Australia have scored when they’ve got close enough. Halftime and the score is close, so I guess bizarrely that makes Australia favourites to win. Worried for Wales!

Volovolo ( sp?) the Fiji 10 plays for racing and is a great player. He is Racings sensible 10 as Russell is their other one!

I think it’s Volavola.(I recognise some of the Fiji names, but don’t know their players) he’s having a good game.

Shame for fiji in the end. Aus strangled them with dull play and penalties cost Fiji .

Australia no doubt happy with that result, along with no obvious injuries. They made some handling errors, but it was their first game and Fiji had them rattled for a time. Fiji must be encouraged that they could still get out of the group.

Looks like all the officials missd a red card against Aus on the fijian 7

I switched on at half time, couldnt understand why the 3 experts were jabbering on about no attempt to wrap, which he did try to do he just smacked him high in the head!

I can understand the on field officials missing it – they were all behind the play and would not have had much of a view and it wasn’t a blatant no arms but the TMO should have caught it.

AA – experts? the ruddy commentators were utter pish and Dayglo is a twonk!

AA – experts? the ruddy commentators were utter pish and Dayglo is a twonk!

I was trying to be polite, the Englanders get upset if you criticise DillyDally DayGlo

Trying to be polite? On a rugby thread? Mod mods – AA has been hacked!

Who is that Irish guy on itv? He just said with a straight face that the France v pumas game is the most important game this weekend, as only two teams from the group make it out, and England are in that group. I know the rules are to talk about England every five minutes whatever game is on, but that was a stretch.

The full Wales team to face Georgia: Liam Williams, George North, Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Josh Adams, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Jake Ball, Alun Wyn Jones, Aaron Wainwright, Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi. Substitutes: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Dillon Lewis, Aaron Shingler, Ross Moriarty, Tomos Williams, Rhys Patchell, Leigh Halfpenny.

Angus Gardner forgot his yellow cards and needs to revise his rules on scrummaging. Argentina forgot any tactics they might ever have learned. A very tense game. Enjoyed!

Oh, and can we get rid of the moronic English commentary. I don’t mind the ex-players…..hold on, the studio just started talking about Wilkinson in 2003. Ffs! This is why ABE. 🙄

They did seem more interested in discussing old England matches than the game that just happened.

English TV channel with English pundits and ex English players talking about England shocker…

Theres at least 3 minutes of AB’s talk going on here on balance…

English TV channel with English pundits and ex English players talking about England shocker…

You never quite understand the subtleties, do you. English TV?

Obviously not.  Feel free to clarify.

AB’s look terribly serious….