Rugby Autumn Internationals

Lynott

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Anyone interested?

I'm not sure about them this year. Will we see a glipse of what the teams intend for next years World Cup or will everyone be taking it easy?

I am going to predicit a tri-nations white wash this year. With the rule interpretation, southern hemisphere refs and the fact that they are much better I cannot see any of the NH teams coming close to them.

Ireland Autumn Internationals

Saturday, 06 November 2010
Ireland v South Africa, (Lansdowne Road, Dublin 17:30)

Saturday, 13 November 2010
Ireland v Samoa, (Lansdowne Road, Dublin 14:30)

Saturday, 20 November 2010
Ireland v New Zealand, (Lansdowne Road, Dublin 17:30)

Sunday, 28 November 2010
Ireland v Argentina, (Lansdowne Road, Dublin 14:30)


Wales Autumn Internationals

6 November:
Wales v Australia (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 1430 GMT)

13 November:
Wales v South Africa (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 1430 GMT)

19 November:
Wales v Fiji (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 1930 GMT)

27 November:
Wales v New Zealand (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 1715 GMT)


Scotland Autumn Internationals

Saturday, 13 November 2010
Scotland v New Zealand, 17:15

Saturday, 20 November 2010
Scotland v South Africa, 14:30

Saturday, 27 November 2010
Scotland v Samoa, 14:30


England Autumn Internationals

Saturday, 06 November 2010
England v New Zealand, 14:30

Saturday, 13 November 2010
England v Australia, 14:30

Saturday, 20 November 2010
England v Samoa, 14:30

Saturday, 27 November 2010
England v South Africa, 14:30


Why do England and Wales always get to play all 3 of the giant SH teams whilst us and Scotland always only play 2?
 
The Aussies have improved big time. Saw them in the Tri Nations and save for a couple of lapses in concentration and one debatable decision could have beaten the All Blacks in two of their matches. Robbie Deans has worked his magic with them.

New Zealand will still beat all NH sides but not as convincingly as in 2006 as they have tried to narrow their game a bit. McCaw is still a big cheat that gets away with literally everything.

The Boks will be a handful even tough the exact nature of their backline will depend on how many injuries the Durban Sharks and WP pick up in this Saturday's Currie Cup final.

Looking forward to a month of proper rugby action
 
Looking forward to the internationals. As Eto'odinho said, the Aussies have an exciting young team and they're playing like a team. The All Blacks have been in brilliant form and look odds on favourites to lift the Webb Ellis trophy next year on home turf.

As for the Boks, they've had a poor year and the side is plagued by injuries and fatigue. The Currie Cup final took its toll this weekend with players like Juan De Jongh and Ricky January coming off second best. De Jongh's lost is a big blow since he's the natural 2nd choice outside center to Jacques Fourie. I don't expect much from them in these internationals but I expect Peter De Villiers to give the young'uns a run. Watch out for Patrick Lambie and Elton Jantjies, two exciting young fly halfs (utility backline players). Loose forwards should dominate too with plenty options from experience to youth.
 
Jeez, Ireland were woeful for 70 m ins. We are supposed to be an established team but were throwing the ball around like strangers.
We need O'Gara for next years World Cup. Sexton is not International class yet. Reddan is very bad. I'd have Stringer and Boss ahead of him any day.
 
I watched this...glad he missed the conversion, Ireland didn't deserve it. They need to take a serious look at themselves, that just wasn't good enough.
 
I'd like to see how Australia would go with a decent front five, it's an embrassment, England should take it to pieces next week
 
Saw the weekend's internationals and these are not the same Southern Hemisphere guys that I see in Super Rugby or in the Tri Nations. They are showing glimpses of what they are capable of. The All Blacks only played to about 70 % of what they are capable of, The Boks whilst being injury ravaged were quite easily the better side against Ireland and had it not been for Gio Aplan's poor reading of the game, the scoreline wouldn't have been so flattering for the Irish.

The Aussies were probably the only SH side that played close to their potential.

For my money I still think when they have everyone back and fit, the Boks are the side to beat. The Kiwis maybe the globetrotters but haven't got strength in depth at fly half and centre. I was surprised how poor their line out was on Saturday, partly a testament to England but also just surprised how uncompetitive it was. On their day the All Blacks line out can go toe to toe with the Boks' (who I consider the best in the business) but their Saturday's performance was just a bit strange.
 
2 great games today England beat the Aussies but Wales lose to SA with a great final 10 mins.
 
England starting to look like a decent side again. Should have beaten the All Blacks last week (and in the summer in NZ) and they have now easily beaten Australia 2 in a row. What are their odds for the WC?
 
Its about time though Johnson and his team made the mistake in not picking these players well over a year ago sticking with the same old ones. I remember last 6 nations picking an injured Armitage/Monya over Fodan/Ashton, Wilko over Flood and not giving the likes of Lawes his chance.
 
Can't disagree, they should've been in sooner, but at least it seems to have dawned on him just in time to build towards the World Cup, got to be looking to beat both Samoa and SA and then kick on again in the 6 Nations
 
Great performance today, lots of determination and for once our backs were able to play! Hope we can push on and give SA a game and hopefully we'll have a bit of momentum and belief for next year.
 
England have been very very impressive and should beat the Boks. I will not read too much into the form shown by the Southern Hemisphere teams, this is the end of the season for them, most are carrying injuries, tired and can't wait to put the bums on the deck chairs.

But that win against the Aussies was quite simply outstanding. Pace, power and finesse
 
Eto'odinho said:
England have been very very impressive and should beat the Boks. I will not read too much into the form shown by the Southern Hemisphere teams, this is the end of the season for them, most are carrying injuries, tired and can't wait to put the bums on the deck chairs.

But that win against the Aussies was quite simply outstanding. Pace, power and finesse
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I agree that England were very impressive but I'd hold on to a statement like that just yet. The Boks have not hit stride yet and they beat an impressive Welsh side. I expect a close game but it can go either way. If the Boks beat Scotland this Saturday which I fully expect them to do then I'd say they will psyched up to beat England to complete the Grand Slam.
 
Irish game was as dull a agme as you are likely to see. The IRFU's ticketting policy has back fired majorly and the stadium is half empty. The team is disjointed and look like they have been thrown together. next up the All-Blacks who could very easily get a record score against us.

So much for looking forward to the AI's.

Well done England for stopping a potential Tri-nation whitewash.
 
Boks on the juice it seems. Tainted? Strip them of their 1995 and 2007 WC wins? Ban them for 15 years with no parole?

England were great to watch on Saturday and showed Aussie up nicely.

AB's clinical and I liked the look of Sonny Bill Williams. Looks a brute of a player with great hands.
 
Sam.G said:
Boks on the juice it seems. Tainted? Strip them of their 1995 and 2007 WC wins? Ban them for 15 years with no parole?

England were great to watch on Saturday and showed Aussie up nicely.

AB's clinical and I liked the look of Sonny Bill Williams. Looks a brute of a player with great hands.
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Feck off :wenger:

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says that his management team is working around the clock to ensure that all possible scenarios which could have led to the positive testing of two players for banned substances are properly investigated.

Reserve hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle is returning home after testing positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine, and he is joined by wing Bjorn Basson, who was travelling home anyway from the team's current base in Edinburgh with an ankle injury but who has also subsequently found out that he tested positive. The pair were the two South African players singled out in a random test conducted on the Springbok and Ireland teams after the test match in Dublin on 6 November.

According to De Villiers, his management were alerted of the situation at 2am UK time this morning and the management have been working tirelessly since then to ensure every possible avenue is investigated in the attempt to close off possibilities, including sending the team’s energy drinks for scientific testing.

“We have done quite a bit already, we are busy sending stuff for testing. Obviously we have to look at what might have caused this and we don’t want to put the players at risk. If there is something that we are taking as a squad that might have caused this then we must find that out now,” said De Villiers.

“When I informed the two players that they had been tested positive they were both extremely shocked and disappointed. The rest of the team were also gutted when they heard. I was informed of this at 2am this morning, and now we must follow the correct processes as laid down by the IRB.”

De Villiers said that eight players in the squad had been tested for banned substances before departure from South Africa and no traces of any banned substance had been discovered.

As Ralepelle and Basson were the only two Boks to be tested in Ireland, and they both tested positive, there is clearly an understandable fear that the rest of the squad might also have the banned substance in their system.

Team doctor Craig Roberts confirmed that both players were on medication for flu symptoms, but he stressed that the medication that they were on has been in use for a long time without there being any problems.

“In terms of the IRB doping regulations the sanctions are less severe for this particular substance,” said Roberts.

It was the same stimulant that was found in the urine of promising young Free State flyhalf Johan Goosen recently, and he was banned for three months after his positive test. Nine Australian athletes, including some members of their Commonwealth Games squad, were also recently tested positive for it, and the spike in the number of positive tests for the substance in Australia led to sports officials there issuing a general warning to all sports people to avoid products that might have the stimulant in it.

According to Roberts, the pair returned an adverse analytical finding for the substance, which is a non-specified stimulant on the prohibited substances list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). It is scheduled to be re-classified as a specified stimulant from 1 January 2011.

“The substance could come from many different sources, like the caffeine substances. What we are doing now is going through the process of looking at all the possibilities and exhausting them one by one. Obviously we need to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible,” said Roberts.

In wikepedia it is said that the substance was initially intended for use as a nasal decongestant, but has since been has been marketed by certain companies as a dietary supplement in combination with caffeine and other ingredients, and is also an used in party pills in New Zealand.

De Villiers said that in terms of the IRB regulations no replacements for the banned players, who both have the right to submit B samples for testing, was permitted. As Basson was flying home anyway after being injured he was asked if he would call up a wing replacement, but De Villiers said that it would be impossible to do so now.

“If we did that people would think that we were just covering up (when we decided to send Basson home injured) and we are not prepared to do that, we don’t want to take that risk. We want to play this by the book,” said the coach.

The Boks did have three hookers on tour before Ralepelle was forced out, so the Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss will come into the match 22 for Saturday's match against Scotland at Murrayfield.

Springbok communications manager Andy Colquhoun pointed out that the Bok management were not at liberty to speak too much about the issue because it was a legal matter bound by IRB legislation.
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Bok team working overtime after bans - SuperSport - Rugby
 
A bit of a damp squib in the end. I'm not really sure if Ireland and Kidney have learned anything new from that set of matches.

Wales beat themselves against SA and NZ to be fair. I think they put in the strongest representation of the NH teams despite England beating Aus and Scotland beating SA.
 
Yea i think Kidney needs to look beyond his current set of Backs.

Fair play he has completely revamped the pack and brought in players like Heaslip and Ferris who are repaying his faith. In the backs he has only really brought in Keith Earls and Sexton. Of which Fitzgerald and Kearney were just beginning to establish themselves when he took over.

My point is he seems very keen to tinker with the forwards where bringing in new faces is concerned but in the backs i reckon he needs to have the balls to be able to bring in another outhalf with O Gara and Sexton and potentially another centre to give D'Arcy a run. D'Arcy and O'Driscoll is way too crash ball predictable, id rather someone else in there with BOD.
Trimble is too spindly just yet and he aint a player famed for tackling. I wouldnt mind seeing Wallace in there as he seems to work well with BOD. Aside from that he needs to start bringing in more new faces so we don't become the one trick pony of the early 2000s where if we didnt have Wood, Stringer, O'Gara or BOD we were fecked!
 
So England v New Zealand and Wales v Australia is playing at the same time. Whats the deal? Why couldnt Wales play today on Friday? Really wanted to watch these matches.
 
Yorkeontop said:
So England v New Zealand and Wales v Australia is playing at the same time. Whats the deal? Why couldnt Wales play today on Friday? Really wanted to watch these matches.
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Some shite with Sky and BBC having the respective games. Anyway we (Wales) really need to win tomorrow if we want any confidence going in to the world cup group. I'll have to record the England game, wouldn't be surprised if they put one on NZ.
 
2 Neville's said:
Some shite with Sky and BBC having the respective games. Anyway we (Wales) really need to win tomorrow if we want any confidence going in to the world cup group. I'll have to record the England game, wouldn't be surprised if they put one on NZ.
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Dickheads. They could have come to an agreement. England dont fear the AB no doubt. Wales need that southern hemisphere scalp like yesterday!
 
Currently watching Kiwis vs England league in the Four Nations, great taster before the union test match. I was hoping Carter would at least make the bench, but I guess they are easing him back really slowly. Predicting a close England win and someone dumping Sonny Bill on his ass to properly welcome him back to the sport.
 
wtf May just ran through everyone, where's the damn defence boys
 
Me too, mainly because I always cheer for the Southern Hemisphere teams except for the Wallabies.
 
Ooohh it doesn't look like Cruden got it on the line, we got lucky...
 
Sucks that United kick off in about 5 minutes, this could turn out to be a belter, gonna have to record it.
 
The New Zealand Sky commentators were convinced that Whitelock had scored by diving on the ball, I don't think so. We've already been gifted a try, a bit cringeworthy to hear the commentators complain about not getting that iffy one.
 
okLaptop1 said:
The New Zealand Sky commentators were convinced that Whitelock had scored by diving on the ball, I don't think so. We've already been gifted a try, a bit cringeworthy to hear the commentators complain about not getting that iffy one.
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I think it was short of the line when he made contact, so the knock on call was correct. Shame about the rest of the second half :lol:
 
Another close score but in reality, NZ are way out ahead of us.

Same old story with Wales.
 
Same old story again for Wales. We've got the talent to compete with the best but where it all counts, mentally, we are sorely lacking. Positives; Samson Lee's scrummaging was top notch, Roberts had his best game in a Wales shirt for a few years and Warburton was equally excellent. Negatives; we fecking lost and Biggar getting injured means more Priestland. Imperative that we beat one of NZ or SA now.
 
2 Neville's said:
Same old story again for Wales. We've got the talent to compete with the best but where it all counts, mentally, we are sorely lacking. Positives; Samson Lee's scrummaging was top notch, Roberts had his best game in a Wales shirt for a few years and Warburton was equally excellent. Negatives; we fecking lost and Biggar getting injured means more Priestland. Imperative that we beat one of NZ or SA now.
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All Blacks are there for the taking honestly. England didn't have the backline to expose our defence (not to mention they got unlucky with the Cruden try in the first half), but I feel the Welsh do. I didn't see the Ireland vs South Africa game, but the Boks aren't looking brilliant right now, winning of those 2 is very doable in my opinion.
 
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