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Rugby World Cup..are we still the best in the world?

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reality
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« on: September 19, 2015, 08:19:14 am »

All Blacks name full-strength side to face Argentina in Rugby World Cup opener
62
 Nehe Milner-Skudder will start the All Blacks' first match at the Rugby World Cup on the right wing.
DAVID GRAY/REUTERS
Nehe Milner-Skudder will start the All Blacks' first match at the Rugby World Cup on the right wing.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has started the Rugby World Cup as he intends to finish it, with his best available team on the field.

Hansen has named a predictable starting fifteen to play Argentina at Wembley on Monday as the All Blacks take their first step toward defending the Webb Ellis trophy.

There is just one change to the starting fifteen that pounded the Wallabies at Eden Park five weeks ago with blindside Jerome Kaino reclaiming the No 6 jersey from Victor Vito, who drops to the bench.

That means the All Blacks will again carry no specialist lock in the reserves with Kaino covering the second row and Vito and Sam Cane providing extra loose forward fire power from the bench.

With Hansen selecting five loose forwards in his 23 for the second test running, there can now be little doubt the All Blacks have identified the breakdown as being the decisive element at this World Cup.

The squad named to play the Pumas features 11 players making their World Cup debut, but is vastly experienced with a staggering 1211 caps in the starting team, and a further 316 on the bench.

With an average age of 28 there are sure to be calls of Dad's Army if the side does not perform, but nobody could accuse the All Blacks' side of being boring.

Nehe Milner-Skudder's rapid rise continues with a start in a No 14 jersey that could be hotly contested in coming weeks as Waisake Naholo returns from his broken leg.

The back three of Ben Smith, Milner-Skudder and Julian Savea will be the envy of most teams at the tournament.

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While there are no real surprises in Hansen's starting fifteen, the bench has a plenty of talking points including the return of tight head prop Charlie Faumuina.

Faumuina will play his first test since November last year after battling back from a neck injury that had threatened to end his World Cup dream.

Beauden Barrett gets the nod on the bench ahead of Colin Slade as Dan Carter's backup at first five eighth, while Sonny Bill Williams edges Malakai Fekitoa as the midfield cover for the old firm of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith.

Hansen said it was exciting to finally name his team for the first match of the tournament and that his players were itching to get on the park.

"There's real excitement, enthusiasm and hunger in the group. We all can't wait for our tournament to start.

"We've had a wonderful reception here in London. The boys have really enjoyed connecting with our fans and this wonderful city. But the business is about to start and we're all looking forward to that because, after all, that's why we're here."

The side picked reflected the respect the All Blacks held for Argentina.

"We know a lot more about now because of their involvement in the Rugby Championship. But it also means they know a lot more about us.

"We will need to be at our very best to get our tournament away to a good start. We've had a great preparation and there will be no excuses for not performing."

All Blacks: Ben Smith, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Julian Savea, Dan Carter, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (c) , Jerome Kaino, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Owen Franks, Dane Coles, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Keven Mealamu, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Victor Vito, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara, Beauden Barrett, Sonny Bill Williams.


DID YOU KNOW?

1. The All Blacks have scored a try in each of their last 19 World Cup games, dating back to the 2003 tournament.

2. If Argentina lose to the All Blacks it will be the first time they have lost to any nation more than twice at a World Cup.

3. The All Blacks have won 37 of the 43 World Cup matches they have played. That is an 86 per cent winning ratio.

4. Argentina have a 50 per cent winning record from their 30 RWC matches.

5. Richie McCaw has made 16 World Cup appearances. Former skipper Sean Fitzpatrick holds the record for the All Blacks, playing in 17 games in the 1987, 1991 and 1995 tournaments.

BY THE NUMBERS
8 - The eight Pumas forwards may attempt to sap the All Blacks' energy by keeping the ball in the scrums for longer. And watch for that second shove.

278 - Argentina have scored this number of points, which includes 23 tries, against the All Blacks in 21 tests. The All Blacks have responded by amassing 855 points (111 tries).

4 - The Pumas have landed four drop goals against the New Zealanders in all games. The All Blacks have responded by slotting just two.

 - Stuff
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reality
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« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2015, 09:18:00 am »

 Wink

Gregor Paul: England unconvincing in Rugby World Cup opener

By Gregor Paul in London

9:05 AM Saturday Sep 19, 2015

Opening night didn't suggest England are on track as a serious contender, but it did confirm they are going to put on an extraordinarily good World Cup.

It's the size and energy that's going to make this one special: it's shaping as a tsunami tournament, a big wave of humanity determined to celebrate rugby from now until November 1.

Twickenham is going to be the perfect centrepiece: it's towering stands, immaculate pitch and it's rightful place as the home of rugby making it a theatre like no other.

If England can progress, they have a huge advantage: the volume was probably only at half on opening night and that was almost deafening as it was. Twickenham is a fortress. Not the sort of place that would suit the mentally frail.

But it's not just the bricks and mortar of Twickenham that will serve as England's friend: the people who fill it are going to be hugely important, too.

For a nation that maybe doesn't really know what it is all about culturally, they do, however, know how to be unashamed in their support. They do know how to enjoy themselves and maybe more importantly, encourage others to do the same.

Big events are England's thing. They nailed the Olympics and it's a given they are going to do the same with Rugby World Cup.

The opening ceremony hit the right tone: short, lively and not in any way extravagant. Homage was paid to a handful of legends, there was a reminder that this is where the game started and a well delivered, thoughtful speech from Prince Harry.

Sadly for England, that's where things peaked. They won the game and for that they should be thankful. That's what they came to do and Fiji made it decidedly hard - bringing as they did an unexpectedly good scrum to go with all the usual flair and excitement. If they had kicked their goals, it may have been a different story all together because Fiji were the more threatening for longer periods.

Which is why victory couldn't hide what were some glaring English shortcomings. Even allowing for the inevitable nerves, England were poor for 70 minutes.

They still haven't got that business of pass and catch sorted. Their big failing, though, was the inability to see space. Maybe they will have to play for another 100 years before the infuriating habit of ball carriers searching for contact is broken.

Based on their efforts against Fiji, England don't appear to be a side with natural instincts. Or of they have them, they don't want to trust them.

Mike Brown was their only player who looked like he was confident. The rest of his team mates appeared to be fixated with plodding around to a formula. And maybe that's the best way to think of England at the moment - they are a team that doesn't know how to think for itself. A team that has been coached, coached a bit more and coached again.

It's not encouraging for their prospects at this tournament. They might not get as far as they would like without being able to play with more spontaneity and flow.

But the tournament, while it will be better for England's presence, seems a good bet to be able to carry on without the home side if needs be. England is going to party with or without a presence on the field.

They are taking the game to iconic venues all over the country and from Brighton to Newcastle, there's an obvious determination to get in behind this tournament.

However far England go, the country at least is going to make sure that it's best side is going to be on show for the next six weeks.

- NZ Herald
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« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2015, 02:43:53 pm »


Go England....it's your turn to win the Rugby World Cup!! 
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« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2015, 07:43:19 am »

 Shocked

..Rugby World Cup 2015: Japan stun twice winners South Africa with 34-32 victory  gallery video

Sky Sport
Japan produced one of the biggest upsets in rugby history, beating South Africa 32-34 in Brighton.

Japan caused the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history as replacement Kame Hesketh scored a dramatic last-minute try to beat two-time winners South Africa 34-32 in their opening Pool B match on Saturday (Sunday NZ time).

Japan players and fans shed tears of joy at the end of a thrilling encounter that ebbed and flowed, but victory was fully deserved after a tenacious performance by the underdogs at the Brighton Community Stadium


South Africa had sounded a note of caution ahead of the game, but few, if any, would have predicted defeat at the hands of an opponent that had previously won only once in 24 World Cup outings.

The Boks outscored Japan four tries to three, but the kicking of fullback Ayumu Goromaru, who also scored a try for a personal 24-point tally, kept Japan in the contest to set up a remarkable last eight minutes of pressure under which the Boks finally buckled.

"We've worked for this for the last four years," victorious captain Michael Leitch said immediately after the game.

Japan's Ayumu Goromaru celebrates scoring their second try against the Sprinboks with Shota Horie in Brighton.
STEFAN WERMUTH/REUTERS
Japan's Ayumu Goromaru celebrates scoring their second try against the Sprinboks with Shota Horie in Brighton.

Ferocious tacking from Japan kept them within two points of the Springboks at halftime after driving mauls brought tries for South Africa's Francois Louw and Bismarck du Plessis, with Leitch touching down for Japan.

The reliable boot of Goromaru nudged Japan in front early in the second half, but that was quickly cancelled out by a try from South African lock Lood De Jager.


Both sides exchanged a series of penalties before Springboks snatched another try when replacement Adriaan Strauss burst through the defence. But then Japan found space out wide, sending Goromaru in at the corner; his conversion levelling the scores.


Another Springbok penalty looked like breaking Japanese hearts, only for Hesketh to grab his place in rugby history in the final play of the game.

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 - AAP
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« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2015, 07:02:01 am »


 Grin

Rugby World Cup 2015: All Blacks forced to work for 26-16 win against Argentina  gallery  video

The All Blacks had to work hard for a scrappy 26-16 victory against Argentina in their Pool C clash at Wembley.

Now the All Blacks know how difficult this World Cup is going to be when they get to the sudden-death phase next month.

Their 26-16 victory over Argentina at London's Wembley Stadium in front of 89,000 fans - a record for a World Cup match - wasn't comprehensive, or terribly convincing, but a win is a win and for that all New Zealand rugby fans will be thankful.

Their campaign to retain the Webb Ellis Cup in finally under way and they required a fast finish to get them home.

The facts are this: for the first 67 minutes, until replacement flanker Sam Cane scored his side's second try, the New Zealanders looked rusty and rattled as they bombed at least two tries and were unable to tame a ferocious Pumas scrum.

A touch of brilliance by halfback Aaron Smith - when he set-up a try for Cane - sealed the deal, as did the goal kicking of Dan Carter who nailed all six shots at goal to claim 16 points.


New Zealand's Nehe Milner Skudder is tackled by Argentina's Tomas Cubelli.

1  of  18 « Previous Next »
Now let's talk about the yellow cards.

Captain Richie McCaw and centre Conrad Smith were caned for professional fouls by referee Wayne Barnes in the first half, briefly reducing their side to 13 men as they simmered in the sinbin.

It took a series of substitutions to galvanise the All Blacks with loosehead Wyatt Crockett taking the place of Tony Woodcock, Sonny Bill Williams replacing midfielder Ma'a Nonu and Beauden Barrett shifting to fullback as Nehe Milner-Skudder went to the bench.

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Yet it was the issue of the All Blacks' discipline - or lack of it - that will receive plenty of airtime around the city of London this week.

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If you look back to the on-the-record comments reaching as far back as the Rugby Championship, you would discover the All Blacks coaches had banged on about the importance of maintaining discipline during this tournament.

Yet, when the pressure went on, the New Zealanders inexplicably lost their cool as the Pumas got in behind their defensive line.


Had an inexperienced player made these indiscretions you could have shrugged them off as simply a dumb act by a young pup who was overawed by the occasion; instead it was flanker McCaw and centre Smith, a pair who have almost 250 test caps between them, who committed the fouls.

There could be no criticising Barnes' judgement; he was well within his rights to send them to the cooler.

McCaw was lying on the deck when he stuck out a leg - and really it had no effect on the play at all but it was certainly illegal - to try and trip Pumas Juan-Martin Fernandez Lobbe after he had taken a quick penalty tap.

That really set the Wembley crowd off and McCaw was razzed all the way during his march of shame. And later, when his face was imprinted on the big screen, they really gave it to him.

Smith was carded for going off his feet while digging for ruck ball as the Pumas screamed into the hot zone, having got there thanks to a sharp run by left wing Juan Imhoff down the middle of the park.

Right wing Nehe Milner-Skudder is probably still wondering how he shelled a beautiful offload by Williams to blow a try in the 47th minute.

Williams, who had just seconds earlier replaced Nonu, glided down the right flank and a right-arm offload sent the pill towards the Milner-Skudder who was motoring on his outside.

Skudder, instead of racing over the chalk, was left empty-handed as the ball bobbled into touch.



Even No 8 Kieran Read, usually such a calm man when things start getting difficult, wasn't immune to basic mistakes.

Read, sensing McCaw was unmarked near the left touchline fired out a looping skip pass that went to … no-one. Instead of finding McCaw's mitts, it went forward and out.

Then Cane, within minutes of taking the field as a sub, looked to have applied the tourniquet but dropped a pass after halfback Aaron Smith made a brilliant break.

Replacement fullback Beauden Barrett also looked to have nailed a runaway try but it was called back for a knock-on.

It wasn't perfect but the All Blacks have finally got started. Next up is Namibia at the Olympic Stadium on Friday morning.

AT A GLANCE

All Blacks 26 (Sam Cane, Aaron Smith tries; Dan Carter 2 con, 4 pen) Argentina 16 (Guido Petti Pagadizaval try; Nicholas Sanchez con, 3 pen). HT: 12-13.

 - Stuff
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« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2015, 08:07:31 am »


What a bunch of useless pussies.....almost beaten by Argentina.

The All Blacks will be fucked when they come up against the home side, England, in the finals at Twickenham.

The Poms will be celebrating when the home side wins and the All Blacks lose.

What's the bet John Key drops the All Blacks like a hot potato and buggers off real quick when they lose.

John Key is really flaky like that. Basically, he's full-of-shit (just like his mate, reality).
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« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2015, 10:08:27 am »

haha..


a lazy, greedy, bludging rail employee thinks the AB's are pussies...

...and you last represented your country in a contact sport (other than  homosexual contact) ...when? Roll Eyes
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« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2015, 10:11:00 am »


Well, while we're at it.....when did you last serve in NZ's military carrying out the warmongering policies you espouse?

Or do you always expect other people to put their bodies on the line and carry out your dirty work?
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« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2015, 11:07:23 am »

I only ever expect people do to the job they are employed to do...not just turn up and suck money from the taxpayer like you

..I think our people in uniform are not all shitting their pants like you Shocked
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« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2015, 06:26:17 pm »


What a bunch of useless pussies.....almost beaten by Argentina.

The All Blacks will be fucked when they come up against the home side, England, in the finals at Twickenham.

The Poms will be celebrating when the home side wins and the All Blacks lose.

What's the bet John Key drops the All Blacks like a hot potato and buggers off real quick when they lose.

John Key is really flaky like that. Basically, he's full-of-shit (just like his mate, reality).


Firstly I think the poms have their own problems with even a worse showing than the ABs against Fiji.
Secondly there is no need to mix sports with politics. You sound like one of those idiot 81 Springbok tour terrorists that tried ransacking this country.
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« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2015, 06:31:54 pm »

...haha..

..ahhh yes ..the 81 springbok tour...beating up the protesters on the way to the games...those were the days Tongue
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« Reply #11 on: September 25, 2015, 09:23:13 am »

All Blacks fail to impress in 44-point win against Namibia

8:41 AM Friday Sep 25, 2015

All Blacks 58 Namibia 14
It's not often the All Blacks can score more than 50 points and not feel good about life. But there you go - that's what happens when the world's best team has to play the weakest at this World Cup.

The reasons why the All Blacks won't be feeling great are several. They didn't ever find the flow and cohesion they were after.

Too many mistakes for that. Passes that should never have been thrown were and the discipline wasn't good enough - or maybe it was the ref that wasn't good enough, but whatever, there were too many penalties conceded.

No one would have read too much into it, but still, the All Blacks would rather have delivered an emphatic, polished performance. They would like to have made a statement about their readiness; their slickness and urgency. They would prefer to have had their serious rivals looking on, wondering if the All Blacks do indeed have any weaknesses.


That never happened. Didn't get close. The All Blacks looked to be no different to the other serious contenders: capable but not deadly. Useful but with flaws - like taking high balls. Quite how deep into this tournament they will go before they catch one is becoming more intriguing than it is worrying.

The exception was Sonny Bill Williams. Whatever he was told after his disappointing night in Sydney a few months back...the message got through. He's no longer worried about is chronically deteriorating knee. His head is obviously clear - not vacant - clear and it's working for him.

His rugby was again direct and forceful with a couple of magical touches. His offload on the line to Malakai Fekitoa is the sort of pass that wins World Cups. Imagine that later in the tournament? Then there was his pick up and pop on the hoof that led to the last try of the first half: a man his size shouldn't really have been able to do that.

And yet he made it look easy and in doing so, signalled that he's bang in form, which was far and away the brightest point of the performance.

Otherwise, it was a night that left a feeling of there being so much more to come. Frustrating would sum it up well enough, but the All Blacks probably need to park all that and move on quick as they can.

There was never going to be much for the All Blacks to get out of playing Namibia. The risk - someone being injured - was always higher than any potential rewards. As to what those rewards were? A bit of a physical battering and a chance to run those who hadn't played in game one.

Nehe Milner-Skudder dives over the score against Namibia. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Nehe Milner-Skudder dives over the score against Namibia. Photo / Brett Phibbs
That was it. That was all that was on the table for the All Blacks. It wasn't much but they did at least get it - especially the battering. There were more than a few thunderous hits made by the Namibians and while they lacked poise and control with the ball, they didn't want for much without it.

There will be a few sore All Blacks in the morning. Which is what they wanted. What they needed. Those who hadn't yet played have been on a long diet of training and it's never the same.

Two games in and 29 players have been blooded - Liam Messam and Waisake Naholo haven't yet been seen due to injury. If nothing else, the whole squad will now feel they have punched the card - that they are fully immersed in this World Cup.

- By Gregor Paul at Olympic Stadium
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« Reply #12 on: September 25, 2015, 10:30:35 am »


Well....if the All Blacks can only beat Argentina and Namibia by the amounts they did, then they are going to be fucked when they come up against England and France.

I betcha John Key doesn't stick around when the All Blacks lose the RWC....John Key will be out of there like a rat slithering along a drainpipe.
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« Reply #13 on: September 25, 2015, 10:43:54 am »


Now unlike the All Blacks (rugby team), this is genuine “all black”....


(click on the picture to read the news story)

Good on her for ignoring the sponsors and riding a plain black bicycle and in the process sticking one right up those capitalist wankers who wanted their bullshit plastered all over her bike.
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« Reply #14 on: September 25, 2015, 12:20:09 pm »

..haha..why do I get the feeling that you're a "glass half empty" kinda guy...you know the type eternal pessimist , with a large  slice of leftist cynicism thrown in Wink
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« Reply #15 on: September 27, 2015, 06:57:47 am »

While you were sleeping: Springboks bounce back

7:30 AM Sunday Sep 27, 2015

It was a big morning of Rugby World Cup action, with two games being played and a potential classic still to come when England face Wales. Here's all that has happened so far.

WHAT HAPPENED
Italy pulled off the biggest Rugby World Cup comeback since France's fateful quarterfinal win over the All Blacks in 2007, coming from 10-0 down to beat Canada 23-18.

South Africa also picked up their first win, looking much better as they swept aside Samoa 46-6.

The Springboks were hugely impressive as they weathered an early storm then crushed the Samoans, backed by huge crowd support at Villa Park. In a bizarre end, a Springbok fan in blue jeans invaded the field and joined a ruck putting himself offside with everybody including the South African players.

After the shock loss to Japan, South Africa started tentatively as Samoa tried to knock the two-time World Cup winners off their stride. With their lineout supreme, South Africa stuck to their task and put a stranglehold on the game. South African captain Jean de Villiers said the loss to Japan "still hurts".

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
South Africa showed that they are still a threat at the World Cup, and should be a tough opponent in the quarterfinal stage. They will likely top their pool, and face a quarterfinal showdown with either Australia, England or Wales.

WHAT'S COMING UP?
England host Wales at 8am - check out our live blog of the game - before there are three potentially one-sided games tomorrow. Australia take on Uruguay at midnight, Scotland play USA at 2.30am and Ireland will battle Romania at 4.45am.

TALKING POINTS?
The 36-year-old Italian flanker Mauro Bergamasco became the second player to play in five World Cups, coming off the bench in Italy's win over Canada at Leeds. (Samoa's famed hit man Brian Lima was the first to play in five tournaments). It was almost a day not to celebrate for the veteran, as Canada had Italy on the rack for long periods.

Man-of-the-match, Canadian wing DTH van der Merwe, said his side had targeted a win over Italy, and took little joy in being brave losers.

"In the end we just weren't good enough and people pat us on the back for a brave performance. But that's not good enough for us; we wanted to win."

Italy face a do-or-die Pool D game against Ireland in London in eight days.

Meanwhile, Samoa set a Rugby World Cup record by having three brothers on the park. For the first time in World Cup history, three members of the same family were on the field when Ken, Tusi and George Pisi all took their spots in the backline.
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« Reply #16 on: September 29, 2015, 06:40:56 am »

Wales now second best side in rugby world, England tumble to sixth

 Wales are on the rise in the world rugby rankings - at England's expense.

Wales' stunning comeback win over England has lifted them to No 2 on the world rugby rankings - their best ranking in the 12-year history of the system.

The Rugby World Cup results have seen significant shuffling from the second week of the tournament with Wales the major benefactors.

They move from fourth to second on the back of their 28-25 win at Twickenham.

England, now in danger of missing the playoffs, are the biggest casualty, dropping three places to No 6.

The All Blacks remain firmly in charge at the top, more than five points clear of Wales in the complicated calculations.

Under the points exchange system used to calculate rankings, sides take points off each other based on the match result; whatever one side gains, the other loses. The points exchanges are doubled during Rugby World Cup to recognise the unique importance of this event.

Scotland are on the rise,  with their back to back cup victories lifting them back into the top 10, rising three places from 12th to ninth.

Ireland and South Africa both lift one position.

Georgia, the All Blacks next cup opponents, slipped two places to No 15 after their heavy loss to Argentina.

World Rugby Rankings (with last week's positions in brackets)

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1 New Zealand (1)

2 Wales (4)

3 Australia (2)

4 Ireland (5)

5 South Africa (6)

6 England (3)

7 France (7)

8 Argentina (Cool

9 Scotland (12)

10 Fiji (9)

11 Samoa (10)

12 Japan (11)

13 Tonga (14)

14 Italy (15)

15 Georgia (13)

16 USA (16)

17 Romania (17)

18 Canada (18)

19 Uruguay (19)

20 Namibia (20)

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« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2015, 03:09:17 pm »

How's England working out for you KTJ?
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« Reply #18 on: October 03, 2015, 10:10:37 am »

 Undecided

Rugby World Cup: Disjointed All Blacks scrap past Georgia

By Gregor Paul in Cardiff

9:54 AM Saturday Oct 3, 2015

NEW ZEALAND 43
GEORGIA 10

New Zealand may talk the world out of seeing them as favourites to win this World Cup soon enough. Maybe that's the plan - building that false sense of security in then bang, into top form when it matters.

It would be nice to think that's why they bungled their way through against Georgia. It wasn't impressive. Not really any of it - a few nice passages, a thrilling first foray from Waisake Naholo and not not much more.

Possibly it's all part of the masterplan. Possibly not, though and while there is time yet for things to click, the All Blacks would be happier if they had played better than they did at the Millennium.

Form matters. It breeds confidence and sends messages to others. Life is just better when teams play well at World Cups - provides more answers than it does questions.


There's ridiculous public expectation on the one hand about what the All Blacks should be able to do, and a total overselling of the Tier Two nations' abilities on the other, but somewhere in between there is a balance and it wasn't found in Cardiff.

For a team with aspirations to be considered the most dominant in history, they will accept they had to be way more convincing than they were playing Georgia's second team. A rough guess on how much improvement is needed would be about 100 times. Maybe more.

Read more: No need to panic, says Richie McCaw
All Blacks v Georgia: As it happened

They went 25 minutes without scoring a try which felt painfully long given their volume of possession and command of territory in that period.

The guts of their problem was that they didn't keep things simple enough when they had the ball. When they ran hard, straight and pass and drew - it was try time.

When they tried to get clever, bring runners against the gain and offload in the traffic, they spilled the ball. There was confusion and inaccuracy and it also failed to show due respect to the Georgian defence which was aggressive, organised and effective when the All Blacks tried to be fancy on the gainline.

Too many times Aaron Smith got the weight of his pass wrong, but in his defence it was primarily because too often receivers were ambiguous whether they wanted the ball or not.

There were too may poor decisions and executions around ball retention and it was all just too awkward. Disjointed, forced, the vibe of a blind date that had been set up by a mutual friend more out of pity than any actual belief things were going to work out.

Somewhere between the training ground and the stadium the All Blacks lost sight of what they should be doing. Games against Tier Two nations always have the potential to be loose, scrappy, ugly affairs because there is more space and with that, players have more time to pick their options. Too much time, though seemed to be the problem for the All Blacks.

They were like the six-year-old let loose in the sweet shop and overwhelmed by the vastness of choice. It didn't need to be like that though.

They didn't need to tap penalties inside their own 22 and then kick long after the first recycle - arguably the most brain dead ploy known to man.

They didn't need to use their hands at the breakdown as often as they did. But they need to scrummage better. They knew that was Georgia's strength, had eight days to prepare for it and still came second. Head coach Steve Hansen once said of an equally unsatisfactory night against Italy many years back that the All Blacks should just flush the dunny and move on. Sage advice indeed.

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Kiwithrottlejockey
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« Reply #19 on: October 03, 2015, 10:36:32 am »

Firstly I think the poms have their own problems with even a worse showing than the ABs against Fiji.
Secondly there is no need to mix sports with politics. You sound like one of those idiot 81 Springbok tour terrorists that tried ransacking this country.


Tell that to your mate John Key who has been mixing politics with sport when it comes to the All Blacks for several years now.
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Kiwithrottlejockey
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« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2015, 10:38:28 am »

How's England working out for you KTJ?


France can do the job of pulling the rug out from beneath the All Blacks (and John Key mixing politics with All BLacks sport) quite easily.

If it ends up a France vs All Blacks final, I'll cheer on whichever side John Key isn't using to mix politics with sport.

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reality
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« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2015, 11:13:41 am »

ahh..kj..the rugby guru Grin


.....haha..good to see you following John Key's example..if the first plan dont work...go to plan B
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« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2015, 08:25:51 pm »

How's England working out for you KTJ?


France can do the job of pulling the rug out from beneath the All Blacks (and John Key mixing politics with All BLacks sport) quite easily.

If it ends up a France vs All Blacks final, I'll cheer on whichever side John Key isn't using to mix politics with sport.



I saw a little old lady crossing the road today not using a pedestrian crossing. Was that down to John Key too?
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« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2015, 08:27:17 pm »

How's England working out for you KTJ?


France can do the job of pulling the rug out from beneath the All Blacks (and John Key mixing politics with All BLacks sport) quite easily.

If it ends up a France vs All Blacks final, I'll cheer on whichever side John Key isn't using to mix politics with sport.



Lets all be like KTJ and post pointless shit blaming everything on John Key. Today I twisted my ankle. I bet it was John Key that reached out from Wellington and pushed me.
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« Reply #24 on: October 03, 2015, 08:28:46 pm »

How's England working out for you KTJ?


France can do the job of pulling the rug out from beneath the All Blacks (and John Key mixing politics with All BLacks sport) quite easily.

If it ends up a France vs All Blacks final, I'll cheer on whichever side John Key isn't using to mix politics with sport.



Damn it I was 1 min 30 seconds off my PR when climbing a hill on my bike the other day. I bet John Key was holding back my bike.
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