the plasterer
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All blacks to win it, semi finals for england
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Rugby World Cup
- Thread starter Henkeman
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the god Gerry Gow
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Don't honestly think England have a prayer.
Discipline is not good and decision making is sometimes poor
All Blacks to win it
Discipline is not good and decision making is sometimes poor
All Blacks to win it
Last edited:
SWP's back
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You're most optimistic about their chances than every Saffa I know bud.I have, they've been shite. They'll step up in a big way once the tournament starts though imo.
Haven't seen a single northern hemisphere side capable of attacking and defending.
They lost to Argentina ffs (they're winning now at half time in the warm up match though)
aguero93:20
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You're most optimistic about their chances than every Saffa I know bud.
They lost to Argentina ffs (they're winning now at half time in the warm up match though)
Aside from a couple of injuries it's the same SA team from last year. Don't think they would have wanted to be throwing everything into games this summer with a WC coming up.
Uncle Wally One Ball
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England wont get out of the group. All Blacks will win the cupAll blacks to win it, semi finals for england
New Zealand. Boring, excellent, annoying that they're so enviable.
Ireland (injuries permitting) to run them close -but only close.
England have the next best chance (especially with home advantage - but frankly, they're functional rather than inspirational) but I expect them to have a right good go at it.
After that...
France.. Who the fuck knows? Sooner or later they'll win one but it'll be on a whim rather than out of pre-planning. (Always my favourite 'other' team, though).
Wales? It's a year too far, maybe. Might be a last hurrah in them but it'd be a (pleasant) shock if they made the semi finals.
Australia... Again, like England, not a vintage crop. Capable and wel-drilled rather than inspirational.
South Africa... They know what they want but they still don't know how (maybe even, who) to provide it. Last time they looked so bad was, well, before every Workd Cup. A new ethos every six or ten years is killing them. If they click, they're guaranteed last four but, they probably won't.
Ireland (injuries permitting) to run them close -but only close.
England have the next best chance (especially with home advantage - but frankly, they're functional rather than inspirational) but I expect them to have a right good go at it.
After that...
France.. Who the fuck knows? Sooner or later they'll win one but it'll be on a whim rather than out of pre-planning. (Always my favourite 'other' team, though).
Wales? It's a year too far, maybe. Might be a last hurrah in them but it'd be a (pleasant) shock if they made the semi finals.
Australia... Again, like England, not a vintage crop. Capable and wel-drilled rather than inspirational.
South Africa... They know what they want but they still don't know how (maybe even, who) to provide it. Last time they looked so bad was, well, before every Workd Cup. A new ethos every six or ten years is killing them. If they click, they're guaranteed last four but, they probably won't.
Don't honestly think England have a prayer.
Discipline is not good and decision making is sometimes poor
All Blacks to win it
England have a really promising side. But it might be one World Cup too early for them. England are far from rubbish.
SWP's back
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BollocksEngland wont get out of the group. All Blacks will win the cup
aguero93:20
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Our centre partnership are still shite. We can't afford to concede tries because of it. I reckon we'll handle any of the other European teams easily enough but the SH teams bar the Aussies will murder us.Ireland (injuries permitting) to run them close -but only close.
Our centre partnership are still shite. We can't afford to concede tries because of it. I reckon we'll handle any of the other European teams easily enough but the SH teams bar the Aussies will murder us.
We're fine going forward but can be surprisingly vulnerable in defence.
The amount of missed tackles yesterday was atrocious. (Luke Fitzgerald, in particular, must think the job is beneath him).
And you're right to some extent about the centres. The back row aren't getting out to fill the gaps as quickly as they should on the opposition ball but that doesn't excuse missed first tackles.
If D'Arcy (great servant that he has been) goes to the World Cup it'll point to just how weak we are in that area. The guy couldn't get a game last year, yet he was togging out for his country last night? That said, if Earls stays fit (and is given better defensive support from the back row than we've seen in the last two games), he's about as good a replacement as you'll ever get for O' Driscoll (inasmuch as you could ever replace that man). Sadly, there's nothing in Keith's track record to suggest that he will withstand a punishing World Cup schedule. Basically, if you pick him (and he is the best option) you've got to plan on a back up as a probability. Hence, D'Arcy getting the call up, I suppose. It really is a conundrum for Joel Schmidt.
And it's a shame because we're really not that far off the mark at all.