SA just grinding them down now as they do. Not a fan of SA, got to be honest.
Rugby World Cup 2019 aka Squishy McSquish goes into a meltdown thread
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There'll be a few tries run in soon.
I didn't think Japan would be able to cope physically today as well as they have played.
Right now it's starting to look inevitable. It'll need another big momentum swing for Japan to get back into it.
Every time I watch rugby I'm amazed at how much the players respect the ref's decisions - even when they seem pretty suspect. I really wish football adopts this.
Pollard has left 6 points behind now.
Yeah. Shame really. Played really well in the first half, just couldn't get past the SA defence. Look done now
Yeah it’s Rassies go to plan. Physicality. High ball. Etc
Yep. I can’t see it happening tbh.
Today’s games have shown us that the NZ-Eng winner go into the final as massive favourites IMO
If Japan could give the crowd something to get going, it might lift them.
No way that Wales will beat SA. Gonna go with a SA and England final.
Nah, they're done here. Look tired. Not breaking though, either. SA just knocking them back here.
SA v NZ
Realistically SA should probably be totally out of sight. They wasted two great try chances and missed two penalties.
South Africa have taken the sting right out of Japan. Doing a professional job now. Japan struggling to build any sort of a rhythm.
Atmosphere has gone very flat.
Atmosphere has gone very flat.
Game over now
Oof. That's a tough one to see.
Relentless drive from Sth Africa
Clinical. Playing to their strength excellently.
Not the second half anyone would have wanted to see.
Credit SA, If Japan had a better defensive kicking game they may have been able to get more of a foothold.
Credit SA, If Japan had a better defensive kicking game they may have been able to get more of a foothold.
Brute force, domination and physicality have won us this.
Japan approached this a bit naive. Trying to run out their 22 from the off.
Japan approached this a bit naive. Trying to run out their 22 from the off.
Shame for Japan. Don't like SA brand of rugby really, but they do it superbly.
Japan may get a try here
My prediction as well. With New Zealand to win. They have simply too many options at their disposal and make fewer mistakes than any other team
Japan blown out the water now
Pollard has had a shocker here. You can’t win a World Cup with an inconsistent kicker
Yeah they’re also able to mix it up with the force and physicality of the Boks.
Eng vs NZ is guaranteed to be a cracker.
Disappointing. I think all of the teams I'd want to win the QFs have all gone out this weekend. 
Shame manDisappointing. I think all of the teams I'd want to win the QFs have all gone out this weekend.
I think all the favorites progressed. So it was always a tough/hopeful ask to want all the others to win.
France Wales is really the only one were it was in doubt. Favorites also to win next week me thinksShame man
I think all the favorites progressed. So it was always a tough/hopeful ask to want all the others to win.
Yeah that one was the hardest to call, even though Ireland was a potential banana soon for the All Blacks. But for whatever reason, the Irish peaked a year ago, sort of and came to the tournament a bit out of sorts.
I’ve been disappointed by Wales so far. Expected a bit more. Still unbeaten of course. But they haven’t been great and were extremely lucky this morning.
No way, our forwards would bully the England forwards into submission. The All blacks are a different matter because of how they can maximise their opportunities no matter how few they are.
Left alot of points on the field in the first half and the yellow card slowed us down. Great defending which reduced Japans flashy play to ineffective play. However the second half is about as good as our team gets. Nothing flashy but absolute dominance up front. I still maintain that backline is going to cost us this world cup.
Haven’t your forwards historically always been better than the backs?
Looked like South Africa backed themselves to win with power, physicality and not much panache.
They haven't been good at all. Very fortunate today and i can't see anyway they're going to beat SA.
Has anyone heard the audio supposedly of Cheika yesterday at half time?
I'm going to post the link but be warned, it is extremely NSFW:
I'm going to post the link but be warned, it is extremely NSFW:
Could do with subtitles
They have but this current group of backs simply dont get it done. Traditionally we have a dominant forward pack and a backline carried by a couple of world class players(i.e Habana and Du Preez, in 95 we had Joost and Stransky) flanked by a group of players who can at least handle their responsibilities.
Right now outside of Kolbe no one really gets it done. Faf de Klerk has subjected us to a tournament of terrible box kicking and inconsistent distribution, Pollard basically doesn't playmake at all, De Allende is an inside centre that's immune to passing the ball, Am is an error waiting to happen, Mapimpi a defensive liability and only god knows why Le roux still starts.
Agreed especially recently, but the Shane Williams era - Wales were the best Northern Hemisphere side to watch.
Hallelujah! was my initial reaction. After thinking about it for a bit, you could put together a coaching team consisting of Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen and not much will change unless the losing culture that has engulfed Aussie rugby changes.
In all likelihood, Cheika's replacement will be a Kiwi: preferably Scott Robertson; probably Dave Rennie. If the next coach is a Kiwi, Rugby Australia must get to the bottom of why no Kiwi has been successful coaching either an Aussie super rugby team or the Wallabies in the case of Robbie Deans.