Rugby World Cup 2019 aka Squishy McSquish goes into a meltdown thread

BusbyMalone

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England are favorites going in? It’ll be close but I think that’s a brave call.
I think so. Look, it's obviously going to be very close and hardly an upset if NZ do win, but i have England as favourites. NZ have been good in this game, but not anymore than that imo. Ireland have just been awful and NZ clinical. I've seen a few things in this game that makes me believe England could definitely get at these and punish them were Ireland wasn't able to.
 

BusbyMalone

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Favourites?
As i said to the other poster below, very close, but personally would have England as slight favourites. They're a great team, England. I've seen a few things in this game where i think England could get at them. Ireland have just been shocking
 

Ish

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I think so. Look, it's obviously going to be very close and hardly an upset if NZ do win, but i have England as favourites. NZ have been good in this game, but not anymore than that imo. Ireland have just been awful and NZ clinical. I've seen a few things in this game that makes me believe England could definitely get at these and punish them were Ireland wasn't able to.
No for sure. This game isn’t an indication of just “how dominant” the all blacks are because the Irish were terrible.

But even taking that into account, the all blacks are the number one ranked team in the world. And barring a few weeks here or there, they have been, and for good reason, for probably the majority of the last decade.

it’s obviously a Knockout tournament now and the past decade doesn’t mean much but having anyone other then the blacks as favorites is a tad....against the grain I guess. I still expect a very close match yeah. 50-50 or 51-49 id say.
 

Kopral Jono

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You do get the feeling that whoever wins next Saturday will go all the way. So that'd probably be New Zealand but I wouldn't bet against England right now, Jones and Mitchell are doing great things with this England side.
 

elnorte

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England winning the World Cup in 2003 is one of the darkest moments in the history of modern sport.

Let's pray it doesn't happen again.
 

Brophs

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I’m beginning to think that this result might cast a flicker of doubt that we’re the number one team in the world.
 

ivaldo

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Most uncommon of you to stand up for yourself. You usually need Grylte around to hold your hand.
I don't need him to hold my hand, I just like it when he does. It makes me feel safe. With an attitude like that you'll never get friends of your own.
 

elnorte

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I don't need him to hold my hand, I just like it when he does. It makes me feel safe. With an attitude like that you'll never get friends of your own.
Your all round meekness won't win you friends just people that want something from you.
 

BusbyMalone

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Think you might be in for a shock then
Well it's not going to be a shock if NZ win at all. As i've already said above, it's a close call. Hardly going to be gobsmacked if NZ win. It's a very close call and i've just gone for England, that's all.
 

sullydnl

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Partly because if you're going to get hammered it might as well be by the eventual winners, as opposed to being hammered by a team who then themselves underperform in the very next game.

More simply though because I'm Irish and not wanting England to win world cups is a default setting that England would have to be pretty damn likeable to overcome.
 

ivaldo

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Partly because if you're going to get hammered it might as well be by the eventual winners, as opposed to being hammered by a team who then themselves underperform in the very next game.

More simply though because I'm Irish and not wanting England to win world cups is a default setting that England would have to be pretty damn likeable to overcome.
Aw where's the home nation love?
 

Zlatan 7

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This England World Cup run has been easier than their football world cup run!
Gotta be a bite
 

unchanged_lineup

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Burn.
Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) Tweeted:
Fascinating Steve Hansen answer on the value of experience, as he had backed several young players.

He points out that Ireland's World Cup experience was of losing a quarter-final. #RWC2019
 

Xaviesta

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In early 2018, Michael Cheika said that if the Wallabies don't win the World Cup, he'll resign. We'll see If Michael Cheika is man of his word. If he is he'll resign. Well, Rugby Australia won't extend his contract in any case. Surely they can't be so stupid to offer Chuckles as i call him an extension

Eddie Jones now has a converted try worth of consecutive wins over Cheika who simply hasn't improved as a coach since the last World Cup.

As it was England were too good, too clinical and too smart against Australia. That's not the first time I have felt that way after a Wallabies test. Opposition being too good, too clinical and too smart against Australia has been common place over the last four years.

We now need a coach who will get the Wallabies to be clinical and smart with and without the ball. Scott Robertson, Dave Rennie, do either of you blokes fancy coaching the Wallabies? Whoever does replace Michael Cheika would be well advised to bring Scott Wisemantel into the fold. You could say it would be a wise thing to do.
 
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