Rugby World Cup 2023

JGK wrote:Can't believe how low profile this tournament is in Aust.

The overnight result may tell you something. LOL at Aus.

guessing Eddie Jones won't be seeing out his 5 year contract...

we would need to improve to suck

Has been so for many years now.

Nath wrote:we suck!

As do we, but we’re grinding out results… last week drop-goals, this week headers!

skully wrote:Has been so for many years now.

feels like at least 20...

We've been shit since John Eales retired.

skully wrote:We've been shit since John Eales retired.

Was he the last goal-kicking forward (bar the odd speculative drop-goal) in the international game, I wonder?

Yes, he won the game with a conversion v All Blacks to win the Bledisloe Cup in Wellington in August 2000.

skully wrote:Yes, he won the game with a conversion v All Blacks to win the Bledisloe Cup in Wellington in August 2000.

glory days

Australia-Wales is effectively a knockout game assuming Fiji take care of the two minnows convincingly.

France beat Namibia 96-0 but it comes at a massive price, with Dupont’s tournament likely over.

While teams have overcome worse in the past, such as the All Blacks not only losing Dan Carter but actually winning it with their fourth-string fly-half eventually in 2011, it’s going to be a tough one for the hosts to overcome, and Ireland or South Africa will fancy their chances in the last eight.

Ireland overcome the defending champions, with their “reward” likely to be facing the All Blacks in the last eight. Scotland have only played one game and already need snookers.

bye Eddie

Deary me, what an embarrassment the Wobblies are.

Quite some implosion against a Wales team largely written off themselves, though they do tend to show up at World Cups.

Not sure what Eddie Jones was thinking, he seemingly picked a raw inexperienced squad with only one specialist 10 who he quickly lost faith in.

Still, as many have said, Australia have overachieved over the years in a sport which is clearly the number three oval-ball code there. But as a sport with a limited number of elite nations, international rugby union can’t afford to lose Australia from the top echelon, just as cricket can’t afford to lose West Indies and South Africa.

For once, a Lions tour that threatens to be a cakewalk for the tourists looms.

some very 1 sided matches. it may be france but its all in english. good for us
english speakers, but some of the teams clearly have no clue what the refs are on
about at times with their constant running commentary and instructions.

All Blacks showing they shouldn’t be written off, after almost hitting a century against Italy.

Dupont set to return for the hosts by the knockout stages as well (assuming they don’t slip up against the Italians themselves…)

Georgia leading Fiji… lifeline for the Wobblies?

…no. They only need to avoid defeat to minnows Portugal to make sure.

As per the above, they didn’t, but a bonus point prevented an unlikely reprieve!

Anyway, Ireland’s run ended at the usual stage by the resilient All Blacks. Their big chance gone really, can’t see them being anything like the same force in another four years. Argentina wear down Wales as well, and could still be an all-Southern Hemisphere last four.

Frogs lose a rare match on home soil to fall to the Boks. Fiji were valiant but fell short.

Yeah, barring an unlikely Argentina triumph we’re not going to see a new name on the trophy. This could have been the North’s big breakthrough, but instead hopes now rest with a turgid yet increasingly resilient England.

Yarps not having it their own way as per the cricket here…