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The brutiful game: Rugby World Cup 2007

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  • The brutiful game: Rugby World Cup 2007

    Okay, I've held off for as long as I can without bursting, herein is the beginning of my personal crusade to bring the ugly-mans ballet to an uncaring world.

    The World Cup is into its second week and there's been plenty to talk about at this sixth edition of the global gathering of rugby's elite. The south has started with a roar, the north with a whimper, Georgia came within a hair's breadth of pulling off the upset of the century and, naturally, there's been injuries, suspensions and the vagaries of form for us all to chew over.

    There's a long way to go yet and it's fair to say the tournament is yet to really spring to life, with a surfeit of quality matches between genuine contenders. (Actually that's probably because there is a surfeit of genuine contenders.) Still, there's been enough to enthuse over for me to trot out an early edition of my top 10 World Cup moments so far. Here they are:

    1. Georgia on our minds. They say rugby is the game played in heaven, but if it is, and there is a god watching over all this footballing fury, then he/she did a disservice to the gallant Georgians by refusing to smile on them at the weekend. The men from the former Soviet territory went down 10-14 to Ireland in a performance that, finally, justified the IRB's expansionist policy. The minnows finally roared, and what a sight it was. As mentioned, if there had been any justice the Georgians would have won this match, and they went within centimetres of doing so in a clash that sent shockwaves through Irish rugby. Those grizzled Georgia forwards looked like extras from The Sopranos and their uncomplicated, muscular approach and the tremendous commitment all-round showed what can happen if the also-rans of the rugby world really put their mind to it. England can only be thankful that these guys are in another pool.

    2. The big, bad, breathtaking Boks say 'Come and get us'. Sure, the All Blacks may be the bookies' favourites, but Jake White's South Africans laid down the early marker at this World Cup with their 36-0 demolition of England. With a mix of lightning strikes from deep, clinical execution and destructive defence, they tore the '03 champs apart limb by limb. In fact, it was so resoundlingly impressive and so one-sided that you almost felt embarrassed for England. Almost. Right now, all things being equal, it looks like it's going to be an All Blacks-Boks final, and that, folks, should really rip your shorts.

    3. Argentina's opening-game upset of France. . Exhibit 'G' in the case for inclusion of the Pumas in one of the world's premier rugby competitions, these guys showed they're the real deal at the top level. They also got the show on the road with an upset, which is always a good thing. It may not have been overly pretty, but who cared. The hosts, and the tournament, were handed the ultimate early wakeup call.

    4. The All Blacks' first 20 minutes against Italy. The New Zealanders won't be pushed until the quarter-final (if then) but the opening quarter against a side that is now a respectable opponent in the Six Nations showed how far above the pack Graham Henry's men are when they put their game together. It was exhilarating, up-tempo, highly skilled rugby at its best. Who said defence wins World Cups?

    5. Tonga's upset over Samoa. There's nothing like a bit of island rivalry to get the blood boiling. First win for the Tongans over their neighbours in seven years and thoroughly deserved it was too. Plus, was anybody surprised the victors had to finish the match with 13 men? Just added to the drama. Not one for the faint-hearted, but one that will have the kava flowing over at Team Tonga who now have two wins under their belts and may just believe the impossible is possible.

    6. The crowds in general. OK, it's not a moment per se, but let's call it a collective standout. France, the team, may have made a less than impressive start to the tournament but France, the nation, has made a dream beginning. Big crowds, brilliant weather, party atmospheres ... the World Cup may be yet to spring to life on the pitch, but the festival has well and truly begun off it. Fans in the stands are in many ways what this tournament is about, and they're singing loud and proud so far.

    7. Brian Ashton's stiff upper lip. Or should this be, the England coach's steadfast refusal to stare reality iin the face. I include this purely for its comedic value. England have just been blanked 36-0 by South Africa in Paris, revealing themselves to be even more one-dimensionally bad than anybody thought possible and the coach refuses to accept there had been a lack of progress from the first-up win over the USA. "I think you are miles off the mark there," Ashton says. ""The whole context was different and in some areas we played better than we did last week." Yeah, that's why they were lucky to get nil.

    8. The IRB's rethink on the Schalk Burger ban. Finally some sanity prevailed. Four matches for that? Please. It's about time these guys realised that this is a World Cup about the players and that the fans paying the big ticket prices want to see the best out there on the paddock. Make your statements on foul play, but don't take a sledgehammer to knock a nail home. At least officialdom was big enough to admit it got it wrong on this one. Thank goodness for that.

    9. Portugal's try against the All Blacks. Has a team ever celebrated more when they've had a ton put past them? Os Obos didn't care a jot that they were being made to look like blind men playing touch by a New Zealand side able to score almost at will when they decided to hang on to the ball. Who cared? They were on the same field as the All Blacks and they and their fans were going to have their fun, be damned. And when they scored ... well, let's just say that Rui Cordeiro has ensured his name will go down in Portuguese rugby history.

    10. The new-age "sensitive" All Blacks. Sensivity, it seems, has become the new buzzword of New Zealand rugby, replacing "journey" from four years earlier. Graham Henry introduced us to it when he talked about the "sensitivity" his players would show against the amateurs of Portugal. If you call 113 points being sensitive, then long may it continue. Still, at least they didn't really hurt any of those nice men from Portugal.
    Source

    For those not in the know, Rugby is the closest yet to bringing hand-to-hand unarmed combat within the realms of sport.
    The object? Get the ball and run to the other end of the paddock, maiming as many of the opposition on the way as possible.

    My prediction? Whenever it may be that the All Blacks and the Springboks meet, the winner will win the cup. The All Blacks have the legs on the Springboks, but well deserve the title of chokers.... Time will tell and I can't wait.
    9
    South Africa
    66.67%
    6
    England
    33.33%
    3
    Last edited by Parihaka; 17 Sep 07,, 04:37.
    In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

    Leibniz

  • #2
    Special day out for special ones


    Robert Kitson at Stade Gerland
    Monday September 17, 2007
    The Guardian

    It may sound improbable but Saturday's outwardly irrelevant events in Lyon could easily transform the future of rugby union. Yes, Portugal received a predictable hiding and New Zealand, in relative terms, barely broke sweat. But, if ever a scoreline told only a fraction of the story, this was it.

    Try telling a sun-soaked crowd of more than 40,000 they had wasted their money. Portugal played like 15 Jose Mourinhos: spirited, feisty, undeterred by the occasion. Afterwards, they shared a beer with their All Black opposite numbers with mutual respect happily intact.

    Article continues
    And before the International Rugby Board decide whether to reduce participants from 20 to 16, they should heed the views of the respective coaches, Tomaz Morais and Graham Henry, who both saw the occasion as strengthening the case for retaining the current structure.

    The pair share a common belief that the game will be the poorer if those outside the traditional elite are pushed away. Morais, in particular, totally rejects the notion that conceding a century of points is bad for the development of the game in Portugal. "It was a great day for rugby as a whole and we all came back survivors," he said. "Everyone in our country is now talking about the game, and to promote rugby you have to allow the smaller countries to play against the bigger ones."

    Henry expressed similar sentiments - "They'll go home a better rugby team . . . I've no problem with a 20-team tournament" - after watching his team set a record for the number of individual try-scorers in a World Cup match. There were 16 All Black tries in total, but Portugal also realised their twin aims of avoiding a tournament record defeat and crossing the Kiwi line, their replacement prop Rui Cordeiro, a 21-stone vet, crashing over from short range in the 48th minute.
    In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

    Leibniz

    Comment


    • #3
      he he he go the boks

      Comment


      • #4
        AH! but don't forget the Wallabies!


        John

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        • #5
          Originally posted by soutie View Post
          he he he go the boks
          Noooooooooo!!!!

          Comment


          • #6
            Parihaka,

            Do you think that the ABs will hold together this year? I have to admit that although I believe that they are the best team out there, the New Zealand record at world cup time makes me worry. A NZ SA final would be awesome...especially if SA lost.

            Comment


            • #7
              they say that the all blacks lose one game every four years ,the quaterfinals yes but i agree they are a threat,i have french in laws
              they tell me Franc are more afraid of facing the boks than New Zealand,they say even though they may have home ground advantage there is nothing more dangerous than a cornered Afrikaner,Australia are also dangerous ,Argentina now that is a thought ,but i think Southern Hemisphere
              teams will be in the final

              Comment


              • #8
                They tell me they play Rugby at West Point to toughen them up!

                ;-)


                John

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by HKDan View Post
                  Parihaka,

                  Do you think that the ABs will hold together this year? I have to admit that although I believe that they are the best team out there, the New Zealand record at world cup time makes me worry. A NZ SA final would be awesome...especially if SA lost.
                  Best chance since 95, better than 95, but then we all know how that went

                  Honestly? The boks are hard but lack match play and lack our fitness levels. The other thing is the AB's haven't revealed any new set pieces in the last two years. Every game they've played since the Lions tour has been basics only, flat defence, capitalise on mistakes. This is not because Graeme Henry hasn't got any.
                  The other thing is every team of any worth in the last cup worked on the principle of defence wins games, as they'd learned flat defence off Oz who'd learned it from their league teams, hence J Wilkinson won the tournament with his boot.
                  We now know how to break that defence, so this'll be the first cup since 95 where the team that attacks most will win the cup.
                  Nervous? You bet.
                  In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                  Leibniz

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    One other problem we have is that every team saves their best game for the Blacks. Last world cup the Wallabies killed themselves to beat us then played like pussies against the English. Wales nearly destroyed the flower of their manhood same series even though they didn't need to to get through
                    That's why this time we've spent so much time rehearsing playing out of position and constantly rotating the team. Even if we loose 15 players by the final, we'll still be fielding our best team.
                    In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                    Leibniz

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Pari,

                      Though rugby isn't my first love, it is a mistress whose company I enjoy. Due to the hours of transmission & my lack of access to cable TV I've only seen a few games here & there, but I am enjoying this world cup.

                      Its hard to know what is more fun, seeing France lose to Argentina or England dismembered by the boks. Loved the Georgians too.

                      Although the Aussies are building up nicely, I don't see us as having the talent to match it with the boks or the ABs. If it comes down to those two in the finals I'll be an All Black for the night. Trans tasman solidarity, respect for one of the great institutions in sport, and a dislike for the boks developed in 1995 that I doubt I will ever lose.
                      sigpic

                      Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                        Pari,

                        Though rugby isn't my first love, it is a mistress whose company I enjoy. Due to the hours of transmission & my lack of access to cable TV I've only seen a few games here & there, but I am enjoying this world cup.

                        Its hard to know what is more fun, seeing France lose to Argentina or England dismembered by the boks. Loved the Georgians too.

                        Although the Aussies are building up nicely, I don't see us as having the talent to match it with the boks or the ABs. If it comes down to those two in the finals I'll be an All Black for the night. Trans tasman solidarity, respect for one of the great institutions in sport, and a dislike for the boks developed in 1995 that I doubt I will ever lose.
                        hey bigfella why do you dislike the boks since 95 ,i hope suzie is,nt rearing her ugly head again:))

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          The Georgia result has humbled a lot in this nation, but we played shite and still won, I'd say if we can put up a good performance against France in Paris (they have it all to prove, and home support is negated by the thousands of Irish that are going, the Blarney Army marches on!) and we can beat Argentina to get through - I would say the Springboks are possibly playing the best at the minute, though hats of to the ABs for not getting lazy against the minnows and actually crushing them.

                          I think the NH as a entity has had a slow start, but once we're up and running we'll be grand.
                          Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
                          - John Stuart Mill.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                            Pari,

                            Though rugby isn't my first love, it is a mistress whose company I enjoy. Due to the hours of transmission & my lack of access to cable TV I've only seen a few games here & there, but I am enjoying this world cup.

                            Its hard to know what is more fun, seeing France lose to Argentina or England dismembered by the boks. Loved the Georgians too.

                            Although the Aussies are building up nicely, I don't see us as having the talent to match it with the boks or the ABs. If it comes down to those two in the finals I'll be an All Black for the night. Trans tasman solidarity, respect for one of the great institutions in sport, and a dislike for the boks developed in 1995 that I doubt I will ever lose.
                            I will admit I cheered for the English in the last cup but this is because her indoors is English and it was more than my life is worth to do otherwise, but Wallaby/Bok, no question, ozzie ozzie ozzie. (No offence Soutie;) )
                            The current Wallaby pack however are a golden oldies team and Wales broke their line several times.

                            Why the antipathy from 95? I've got good reason but just curious from your perspective.
                            In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                            Leibniz

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by crooks View Post
                              The Georgia result has humbled a lot in this nation, but we played shite and still won, I'd say if we can put up a good performance against France in Paris (they have it all to prove, and home support is negated by the thousands of Irish that are going, the Blarney Army marches on!) and we can beat Argentina to get through - I would say the Springboks are possibly playing the best at the minute, though hats of to the ABs for not getting lazy against the minnows and actually crushing them.

                              I think the NH as a entity has had a slow start, but once we're up and running we'll be grand.
                              I'll take Ireland to beat France.
                              In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                              Leibniz

                              Comment

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