Rugby Union 21/22/23 Discussion | RWC time!

[JPRouve]

You probably by now know that I have a massive hard-on for Danty, I think he makes that backline sing as he always gets the team over the gainline. But his turnover threat in midfield is outrageous as well.

I think France are better with at least one monster lock and if Willemse isn’t fit they should start Taofefinoa next to Flament.

You must be pleased as hell overall though?

I get your feeling about Danty, I like him a lot but one of the luxury that France have had since 2019 is that Vincent, Fickou and Danty are around the same level but they have different skillsets. In fact if Villiére isn't careful and has an other subpar game, I won't be surprised to see the three centers start.

And yeah I agree, ideally Flament and Willemse are in the cage. Flament basiscally benched Woki. The problem with Taofifenua is that he doesn't have the same stamina, so it makes sense to have him as a finisher.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Well you must have a higher standard of rugby expectation than me. Mind you, I’m English, so that’s very likely at the moment. Anything that doesn’t involve 35 handling errors per game is good for me

France probably had more than 35 missed tackles going off how the first half stats were going

I enjoyed that match a lot.
Opening game of a major tournament should get some leeway for nerves and I think it was decent.

 

[T00lsh3d]

I get your feeling about Danty, I like him a lot but one of the luxury that France have had since 2019 is that Vincent, Fickou and Danty are around the same level but they have different skillsets. In fact if Villiére isn't careful and has an other subpar game, I won't be surprised to see the three centers start.

And yeah I agree, ideally Flament and Willemse are in the cage. Flament basiscally benched Woki. The problem with Taofifenua is that he doesn't have the same stamina, so it makes sense to have him as a finisher.

What happened to Dumortier? Did he make the squad?
Shame you didn’t get Meafou in, I’d have loved to see him rampage this World Cup for France

France probably had more than 35 missed tackles going off how the first half stats were going

I enjoyed that match a lot.
Opening game of a major tournament should get some leeway for nerves and I think it was decent.

France we’re definitely nervous in the first half

Anyway, 35 missed tackles is nowt, rookie numbers, we’ll do that in the first 20 mins tomorrow

 

[JPRouve]

What happened to Dumortier? Did he make the squad?
Shame you didn’t get Meafou in, I’d have loved to see him rampage this World Cup for France

Bielle-Biarrey has been selected instead of Dumortier.

 

[RoyH1]

Jesus I wouldn't call that game fantastic. Loads of kicking back and forth, no attacking impetus from NZ, France just over powered them.

I think that's a poor start to a world cup in such a big game.

I think you have to take the heat and humidity into account. Handling that ball cannot have been easy

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I think you have to take the heat and humidity into account. Handling that ball cannot have been easy

That’s true. Which excuses all the mistakes but doesn’t make them go away. It was a gripping game but not very good quality at all.

 

[Plastic Evra]

I wonder if it is the first time in a WC that France was entering the game as favorite or evens against NZ and the victory isn't a massive performance or upset but largely expected and logical.

I know the ABs star waned quite a bit last few years and not just relative to France, but it has been such a long road to get there.

They couldn't forever keep that mythic stranglehold over rugby.

Now for France to do the Frenchest thing and be eliminated in a shocker quarterfinal.

 

[stepic]

Sad to see such a weak looking AB team.

 

[tentan]

They messed up the draw didn't they? All the top teams on one side of the draw, the other half all the weak big teams (England, Wales, Australia). Are we on for a poor final? Could be a hammering.

 

[antk]

They messed up the draw didn't they? All the top teams on one side of the draw, the other half all the weak big teams (England, Wales, Australia). Are we on for a poor final? Could be a hammering.

The two sides meet in the semis.

 

[Traub]

They messed up the draw didn't they? All the top teams on one side of the draw, the other half all the weak big teams (England, Wales, Australia). Are we on for a poor final? Could be a hammering.

We will get brutal quarter finals, pathetic semis and a great final. France vs SA/Ireland final most likely.

Going back to last night’s game, yes the All Blacks aren’t once what they were, but there is still an aura about them. France really put down a marker by battering them in a WC. It’s rare but it will give the French a real confidence boost. They will play one of SA/Scot/Ireland in the QF, and a win there will make them the favourites by some distance. Although the pools are stacked, it does mean that at least the winner would’ve deserved it this time around.

 

[JJ12]

They messed up the draw didn't they? All the top teams on one side of the draw, the other half all the weak big teams (England, Wales, Australia). Are we on for a poor final? Could be a hammering.

They always do the draw way too early

 

[RoyH1]

They always do the draw way too early

They have to stop doing that. I could understand in early days due to the uncertainty with ticket sales with the long distances involved, but now there's no need to do it so long in advance.

 

[Xaviesta]

I wasn't overly impressed by the French for the first 50 minutes but their last 30 was pretty good. Outside of the two tries, both of which were well taken, the All Blacks have some thinking to do. They will surely beat Italy but another negative ''first'' for Ian Foster would be a fitting end to a coaching tenure in charge of the All Blacks that arguably should never have begun.

 

[T00lsh3d]

Come on Namibia!

God I’m going to get fat in the next 7 weeks

 

[Withnail]

Namibia are doing very well seeing as they had a man in the bin and all.

 

[JPRouve]

I think people are underestimating NZ. The way they talk about them or the way they judge France through NZ would lead you to believe that it wasn't a game against two of the current top 4 international teams. Even their bad loss against SA wasn't that easy or impressive from SA until the second half. Statistically the game wasn't as one sided as the scoreline would lead you to believe, the key points against NZ for France and SA were turnorvers won and better discipline.

NZ has big issues that certain teams can exploit but their defensive line is good and they are good at carrying the ball. Unfortunately at the minute SA, Ireland and France have better defenses and are better in rucks which could chnage during a particular game where you end up being destroyed by the same currently underrated All Blacks.

 

[T00lsh3d]

I think people are underestimating NZ. The way they talk about them or the way they judge France through NZ would lead you to believe that it wasn't a game against two of the current top 4 international teams. Even their bad loss against SA wasn't that easy or impressive from SA until the second half. Statistically the game wasn't as one sided as the scoreline would lead you believe, the key points against NZ for France and SA were turnorvers won and better discipline.

NZ has big issues that certain teams can exploit but their defensive line is good and they are good at carrying the ball. Unfortunately at the minute SA, Ireland and France have better defenses and are better in rucks which could chnage during a particular game where you end up being destroyed by the same currently underrated All Blacks.

A lot of the people writing NZ off are casual fans though who expect them to win every game at a canter.

 

[JPRouve]

A lot of the people writing NZ off are casual fans though who expect them to win every game at a canter.

It''s not just casuals. I have the bad habit of having a look at sites like TheRoar and since the loss to SA, too many people are being a bit too dismissive of the blacks. To me it would be like dismissing SA during their down years, a down year for SA or NZ is still a top team. Now to be fair in the case of TheRoar there is a bit of Australia vs NZ rhetoric that influences certain views.

 

[Xaviesta]

It would be ironic if Allister Coetzee can coach Namibia to a win against Italy given his Springboks side lost to the Azzuri in 2016.

 

[T00lsh3d]

It''s not just casuals. I have the bad habit of having a look at sites like TheRoar and since the loss to SA, too many people are being a bit too dismissive of the blacks. To me it would be like dismissing SA during their down years, a down year for SA or NZ is still a top team. Now to be fair in the case of TheRoar there is a bit of Australia vs NZ rhetoric that influences certain views.

I don’t tend to pay much attention to ‘rugby sites’, they seem to be full of the weirdest, most reactionary shite.

In other news, Tiana Swanepoel, the Namibian 10, has the record for the worlds longest kick:

 

[Xaviesta]

It''s not just casuals. I have the bad habit of having a look at sites like TheRoar and since the loss to SA, too many people are being a bit too dismissive of the blacks. To me it would be like dismissing SA during their down years, a down year for SA or NZ is still a top team. Now to be fair in the case of TheRoar there is a bit of Australia vs NZ rhetoric that influences certain views.

I read that site. Its rugby union and rugby league editors indulge in a bit of clickbait and quantity of quality. I sense many of the Kiwis on there are resigned to the prospect of the All Blacks not winning the World Cup. Some Aussies on there will give it the big ''I told you so'' if the wallabies don't make the semis as evidence that Dave Rennie should not have been sacked for Eddie Jones in January of this year.

 

[Xaviesta]

I know they're playing Namibia but that's a great try by Italy.

 

[JPRouve]

I read that site. Its rugby union and rugby league editors indulge in a bit of clickbait and quantity of quality. I sense many of the Kiwis on there are resigned to the prospect of the All Blacks not winning the World Cup.

Yeah, Kiwis are resigned with the idea that they are not favorites and that aspects of their game are lacking for the first time since maybe a short period in the 2000s. But people tend to go too far, NZ are just a normal top team instead of being an unplayable team that was sometimes upset by South Africa. The same applies to England and Australia while it's fun to kick them when they are down, they still have very good players and can beat anyone, the issue is that for the first time in a long time(early 2000s?), you have four teams at the top instead of having NZ alone with South Africa as a distant second.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Alun Wyn Jones is an analyst on Irish TV today, interesting.

 

[Withnail]

This acapella anthem idea is terrible

I missed that but yesterday so had no idea what you meant. It's a feckin choir. It's so bad.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

I missed that but yesterday so had no idea what you meant. It's a feckin choir. It's so bad.

Yep so bad. Looks like this is how all the anthems will be for the tournament.

 

[Zoo]

That was nice from Romania

 

[Zoo]

That conversion attempt wasn’t so nice

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Ha. Fair play to them!

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Poor start from Ireland with that kick tennis sequence before the try.

Oh yeah, and a poor lineout.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Ireland struggling to get going and Romania pressuring them well.
I think we'll score tries with ease though when we put a couple of phases together.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

On Irish TV last night, they were saying a former scrum coach from NZ (didn't catch the name) is advising refs for this world cup.

He's been prepping them by dissecting videos of each match they ref and gives them notes on what they did right and wrong.

 

[Zoo]

Bundee Aki has had a very strong start.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Romania putting in some savage hits.
Ireland motoring now.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Ha, that last angle looked like Beirne dropped it

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Yeesh, Ireland's lineout is really worrying now. It's been off through all the warmup matches.

 

[FortBoyard]

Wonder if points difference could be a big factor in this group. Top 3 sides could get a win each vs eachother. Means you cant really coast, even in 35 degrees heat.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Hmmm this ref seems to be struggling. Making some odd decisions.

 

[T00lsh3d]

That yellow for playing the ball on the floor, did he actually do it? Seemed to come off an Irish boot? Unless I missed something