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Are you ready for some .... rugby


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Yuck!

A dreary end to a dull tournament!

Even given my NZ rugby union upbringing, I have to think these days that rugby league is providing a more dynamic, exciting and frequently beautiful spectacle these days - in Australia at least. Unfortunately, league is piss weak on an international basis.

Rugby union has a bunch of problems to deal with. I definitely support the points downgrading for drop goals and maybe even penalties. And the sooner Argentina and an Island Combined combo are admitted to the major comps - Six Nations, Supers 14s etc - the better.

Really - I watched a whole bunch of games during the Cup - and all but a couple were pretty wretched, even if often tense.

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Yuck!

A dreary end to a dull tournament!

My sentimemts too.

Watched a bit of the match on Saturday but found it boring (and not only coz the England team lost).

SA played better and deserved to win but it was certainly not a classic.

Rugby League seems to flow a lot better IMO. Not that I'm a great fan of that either.

Edited by sidewinder
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No contest from me! At least after watching him play during the World Cup!

From BBC SPORT:

HABANA WINS PLAYER OF YEAR AWARD

South Africa winger Bryan Habana has been named the International Rugby Board's player of the year.

The Springboks star equalled Jonah Lomu's record of eight World Cup tries as his team clinched the trophy with a 15-6 win over England on Saturday.

Habana, 24, pipped Argentina's Felipe Contepomi and Juan Hernandez, All Blacks flanker Richie McCaw and French centre Yannick Jauzion to the award.

Champions South Africa were named team of the year, with Jake White top coach.

The winners were selected by an independent panel of judges that was made up of former internationals, with every Test from the start of the RBS Six Nations to the World Cup final taken into account.

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Sure, all kudos to the Boks, but remember this: There were no tries - NO TRIES - scored in the final.

A few more heavyweights have, er, weighed in with opinions that league is currently a better game than union.

Another suggested rule change: Removing the advantage granted full-backs when kicking for touch behind their 20m line - if it goes out on the full, back you go.

These and other modified rules were trialled in the recent and new ARC, but will take a while to filter up to international level. But from what I can tell, there seems to be some sort of consensus that somthing needs to be done.

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  • 3 years later...

Posted it in the what are you watching thread but remembered we had one about the previous World Cup so might as well add it up.

Watched Rugby World Cup action, as the sport is rather hierarchised it's the usual suspects that qualified for the Quarters, uneven France showed their best side against England to have a date in a semi-final that will turn out to be an officious European championship against Wales who won against Ireland in what was a terrific match .

On the other side of the bracket not sure that Australia was deserving of a win against the defending champs but at the end of the day they will meet the hosts the All Blacks who had a tougher time than the score indicates against a good defensive side in Argentina

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Thoroughly enjoying it so far. There's been a couple of upsets, but the most heartening thing is ... only a few blowout scores, with the rise in standard of the minnows really noticeable. They faded as games wore on, but seemed to hold their own prior to that and even did some righteous scoring. Go the underdogs! Maybe it's like pro sport worldwide, where even Canada, Russia, Georgia etc have top-line coaches, resources and players participating in good leagues.

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The first half was not much to look at and despite the men advantage can't say the French played that well but to be honest neither team executed that well throughout the match however the second half turned out into an epic thriller, that said French will have to show better form if they want to prevail against the Oceanian champs.

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France does not deserve to be in the final.

Agree totally. Australia or NZ will win the cup. The send-off was within the letters of the law but not much else. While I applaud the growing stature of the minnows, the overall standard has been far from great. Even NZ and Australia haven't really fired. In fact, Wales has been the form team.

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All Blacks dominated Australia, only reason that the visitors stayed in the game so long was the poor kicking game by the team from New Zealand. The All Blacks will obviously be big favourites based on recent form and home advantage. If the French win it it will be by making it ugly .

Edited by Van Basten II
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Sorry all, but it was a game that the French team should have win if the refeere (spelling?), the horrible Mr. Joubert, had not choose to ignore the terrible technicals faults that the AB has done during all the second half, particularly their low minded captain, Richie McCauw, the shame of a nation, who beat badly Parra, the french kicker in the first half with his fist and knees in the same action! He should have get a red cart for this and at least a yellow one for all the fault he has done in the second half in every ruck. It's the black who has plaid UGLY and DIRTY. They win the tin can but they lost every thing else in this mascarad final. A real rip off, in front of the rest of the world. Hugh!

Edited by P.L.M
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