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The brutiful game: Rugby World Cup 2007

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  • #46
    Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
    Mon Dieu!
    :parihakaweepsquietlyinacorner:
    A gloomy day on both sides of the ditch Pari, though I imagine there are more folks close to suicide on your shore.

    Can Les Bleus beat the Brits & the Boks? Here's hoping.
    sigpic

    Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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    • #47
      Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
      A gloomy day on both sides of the ditch Pari, though I imagine there are more folks close to suicide on your shore.

      Can Les Bleus beat the Brits & the Boks? Here's hoping.
      We could laugh or cry mate, I'm choosing to laugh. I'm currently trying to work out how to say 'land of the long black cloud' in Maori.
      In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

      Leibniz

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      • #48
        Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
        A gloomy day on both sides of the ditch Pari, though I imagine there are more folks close to suicide on your shore.


        Oi you antipodians. It's only a GAME. Got it? It's not war. Nobody died.

        Can Les Bleus beat the Brits & the Boks? Here's hoping.
        A splendid dispay of sour grapes.
        Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

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        • #49
          Originally posted by glyn View Post
          A splendid dispay of sour grapes.

          Now, now.

          No sour grapes here. Beaten by the better side. I have a tradition of backing almost anyone against England across all sports that probably has something to do with my name starting with a capital 'O' & an apostrophe. Had France beaten us I would still back them against England.

          There are 2 exceptions to my rule: 1) If England plays Collingwood (local Aussie Rules reference - too lengthy to explain); 2) If England plays Sth Africa. Bad losers, worse winners. So, should your boys meet the Boks, I'll be sporting a Union flag for the night.:))
          sigpic

          Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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          • #50
            Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
            We could laugh or cry mate, I'm choosing to laugh. I'm currently trying to work out how to say 'land of the long black cloud' in Maori.
            Good luck Pari.

            I wonder if the Blacks will be in a rush to get home?, I wouldn't be.

            In the meantime I believe that the UN is organizing an emergency airlift of anti-depressants, so hang in there until the Prozac arrives mate! ;)
            sigpic

            Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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            • #51
              Originally posted by glyn View Post
              Oi you antipodians
              Surely you mean bloody colonials Glyn?
              I myself, as I have partially explained earlier, am hoisted in a cleft petard. Her indoors being English, my natural inclination is to support said English for the sake of domestic harmony, even though you only have one player and fourteen semi-mobile piles of sticky toffee.

              However: to retrieve any pride whatsoever one has to believe the AB's were knocked out by the best side in the tournament, so France must win. Ah what to do, what to do......
              In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

              Leibniz

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              • #52
                Originally posted by Bigfella View Post

                I wonder if the Blacks will be in a rush to get home?
                Doubt it:))
                In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                Leibniz

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                • #53
                  Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
                  However: to retrieve any pride whatsoever one has to believe the AB's were knocked out by the best side in the tournament, so France must win. Ah what to do, what to do......
                  I'm really hoping the French don't win - they're insufferably arrogant when they lose.

                  I'll be rooting for Scotland, then South Africa - No bloody way will I support England, or the Argies.
                  Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
                  - John Stuart Mill.

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                  • #54
                    14 Semi-mobile bits of toffee certainly stuck to the Aussies! Campo` was winding England up as usual in the media, strangely quiet now:)) :)) :))

                    France-NZ was a shocker! Merde!

                    If England don`t progress then Bonny Scotland will receive my support, as long as they beat Argentina..The `Boks are looking strong too but you have to fancy France at home with the momentum they now have.
                    "Liberty is a thing beyond all price.

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                    • #55
                      Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
                      Doubt it:))
                      I hear they are heading to octoberfest in Munich to drown their sorrows with all the other kiwi supporters

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                      • #56
                        Latest news from the Rugby World Cup 2007:

                        England meet France in the first semifinal
                        South Africa meet Argentina in the other semifinal
                        Australia meet New Zealand at the Airport
                        In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                        Leibniz

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                        • #57
                          Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
                          Latest news from the Rugby World Cup 2007:

                          England meet France in the first semifinal
                          South Africa meet Argentina in the other semifinal
                          Australia meet New Zealand at the Airport
                          I'll call it:

                          France vs South Africa Final, Springboks take the prize in tight game.

                          England narrowly beat the Argies for troisieme place.
                          Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
                          - John Stuart Mill.

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Well that went off ok, no lynchings and even a few smiles

                            Rousing welcome home eases the pain - McCaw

                            All Black captain Richie McCaw said the reception the team received at Christchurch Airport this morning, when they were cheered by hundreds of fans, eased the pain of being knocked out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage.

                            Hundreds of people were at the airport to welcome them and when the first of the team emerged from customs at 10.55am, they were greeted by loud roars and cheering, almost as if the Cup had been won.

                            There were chants of "All Blacks, All Blacks" as the glass doors to the customs area opened to offer a brief glimpse of McCaw.

                            He said it was a wonderful reception and the team was not expecting such an incredible turnout.
                            In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                            Leibniz

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                            • #59
                              LOL, the knives however, are out for the IRB

                              Paddy's process' and his lecturing are bad jokes
                              By TREVOR MCKEWEN - Fairfax Media | Wednesday, 10 October 2007
                              Email a Friend | Printable View | Have Your Say
                              Fairfax Media


                              Kiwi rugby fans deserve better than Paddy O'Brien's pious lecturing of this week.
                              Of the many things that have irritated me about New Zealand's World Cup exit, nothing has angered me more than seeing the head of the IRB's referees and his cronies in Dublin telling us to "grow up" and that Wayne Barnes should be left alone.
                              According to Paddy, the referee and officiating did not play a major role in the outcome of the quarter final and the IRB does not have a significant refereeing crisis.
                              The IRB even issued a press release overnight saying they backed the appointment process 100 per cent.
                              In other words, they backed an appointment process that placed a World Cup knockout final match between the Tri Nations champions and the Six Nations champions in the hands of a 27-year-old who controlled his first test just this year.
                              They backed a process that apparently that flawless it decided a referee with just 11 tests to his name was more worthy of the match than...well, where shall we start, Jonathan Kaplan, Tony Spreadbury, Chris White, Alain Rolland, Joel Jutge, Alan Lewis, Marius Jonker Stu Dickinson ...
                              It is disturbing to see this sort of decision-making, let alone the level of ignorance from Paddy and company since in defending the guy's performance.
                              Yes, a lot of questions are rightfully being asked of Graham Henry and his All Blacks.

                              But there are two questions that every All Blacks fan has a right to ask of O'Brien and his IRB buddies:
                              # What were you thinking in appointing a rookie referee to a quarter final that was always going to be a powderkeg?
                              # How can you turn away and say there is no problem with international refereeing after a display of such profound ineptitude.
                              Pause and think about this for a moment.....including all of you who are either gleefully rubbing salt into our wounds about being immature children, and New Zealanders who are saying we should cop it sweet and belt up about the ref.
                              What sort of outcry would we have seen anywhere else in the world if the match-winning play in a critical Champions League soccer clash/FA Cup final/SuperBowl?

                              Can you imagine what the papers in Australia would look like on the morning following an NRL grand final if the premiership trophy had been won on a blatant forward pass?
                              And herein lies the rub...it would never be allowed to happen.
                              The NRL premiership - a far smaller international sporting prize than what New Zealand was playing for on Sunday morning - would never be decided in that fashion quite simply because the officials and administrators are too smart.
                              For all the failings of the All Blacks in Cardiff, they were most let down by the officiating and the IRB.
                              What is galling is that referees know that a yellow card in a big match now has a major impact on a game. In clashes among the heavyweights, being reduced to 14 men hurts more than ever.
                              Think Melbourne this year and Carl Hayman.

                              Given that development - which Paddy O'Brien knows full well of - in my view, if a referee is going to bin a player in a quarter final knockout match, he better be damned sure he's got it right.
                              McAlister's binning did not go even close to fulfilling that vital criteria. It was an unreasonably harsh decision that O'Brien is now trying to justify.
                              Off goes McAlister, and the French score a vital try and kick a penalty to shave 10 points off our lead.

                              When the IRB appointed Barnes to this game, I immediately thought: "Bernard Laporte has got what he wanted".
                              Cast your mind back to Laporte's deliberate attack on Australian ref Stu Dickenson in Wellington a few months ago.
                              Is it possible that Laporte has had a long-term plan to ensure that any referee who controlled a France-New Zealand match at the World Cup could be more easily manipulated or intimidated by him?
                              If so Paddy O'Brien - the same Paddy who assured us there would be no whitewash of the Laporte attack on Dickinson and then promptly allowed exactly that to happen - has played right into the Frenchman's hands.
                              Thanks for that Paddy.

                              Dickenson may have his critics but he's controlled almost 40 tests - and what's more he's not easily conned by the likes of Laporte, as he showed by standing up to him in that Wellington hotel foyer.

                              But Laporte won the final battle.
                              By a combination of histrionics and using his influence at IRB level, he ensured Graham Henry ended up with exactly what he feared most - and inexperienced European-based referee out of his depth.
                              Laporte ensured no Sanzar referee was anywhere near being in the middle of this quarter final.
                              The collective failure of the IRB and "Paddy's Process" cannot be excused away or ignored.
                              It is profoundly unfair that players, coaches and administrators' futures can be so dramatically impacted upon by such a blatantly poor officiating.
                              Here's a prediction.
                              Some time over the next year, the IRB will slowly (and quietly) usher in new powers for the video referee allowing him to ensure this never happens again.
                              They're two years too late.

                              Barnes' failure to penalise the French for obvious indiscretions throughout the second half smacked of a man too intimidated by the occasion to dare penalise them and endure the wrath of the crowd - and Laporte (and contrast his failure to mention the referee's performance versus his hysterical over-reaction to Dickinson's display at Eden Park when the French lost by a huge margin).

                              The IRB has New Zealand to thank for carrying the game of rugby for close to 100 years. In all its seeking of sponsors and broadcasters for the World Cup, All Black hakas and sweeping, brilliant New Zealand rugby tries repeatedly dominate the IRB's pitches.
                              Our team subscribes to century-long values such as respecting the opposition and never making excuses.
                              Henry showed amazing dignity in not attacking Barnes afterwards.
                              Contrast that with the regular behaviour of Laporte, Eddie Jones and Jack White to name just a few, let alone dragging up the serial offenders from other codes like league's Australian coach Ricky Stuart.
                              These are important qualities for a sports team to have and in direct contrast to many other "flagship" teams in other sports.
                              What is our reward?
                              The public mugging of our jersey and the appointment of pasty-faced Pom completely out of his depth to the most important game we've had to play in four years.
                              And then afterwards we get Paddy and the IRB lecturing us on how we should take defeat!
                              The same IRB who have spent hundreds of thousands ensuring Paul's Panel Shop in Sandringham doesn't dare put up a sign during the 2011 World Cup linking his business to rugby allows the most famous jersey in the game to be publicly ambushed.
                              Right under their noses too.

                              The jersey fiasco should be laughable.
                              Instead it was a mini-tragedy that shows while the IRB might be happy to trade off our mythology in swinging their fat sponsorship contracts, they actually don't give two tosses about us.
                              We won our pool, France came second.
                              We get pick of the jerseys. Game over.
                              It's this sort of nonsense that drives Kiwis insane and why there is so little respect within these shores for the IRB as an organisation.
                              Barnes may become a good referee in the future. He is not one now.
                              But the most ignorant comments continue to come from Paddy O'Brien, a Kiwi who should know better.
                              Belt up Paddy.
                              We don't need you - with your head stuck in the sand in Dublin - lecturing a wounded nation over our angst.
                              We have every right to be angry with you, your officials and your attitude that everything is OK in the world of refereeing and the Kiwis are just whinging.
                              To steal a current line from a TV commercial over here, it's not OK to keep hearing you tell us you got it right. You didn't.
                              # Trevor McKewen is the General Manager of Sport for Fairfax Media
                              In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                              Leibniz

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                              • #60
                                and it continues

                                U.S. Eagles coach Thorburn joins World Cup refereeing furor

                                1 minute ago

                                WELLINGTON, New Zealand - U.S. coach Peter Thorburn has become embroiled in an escalating furor over World Cup refereeing by claiming the International Rugby Board instructed tournament touch judges not to alert referees to offside violations or forward passes.

                                Thorburn, a New Zealander, told New Zealand's Radio Sport Tuesday that World Cup coaches met with referees and touch judges in September to discuss the manner in which Cup matches would be controlled.

                                The result of that meeting was a directive from the Interntional Rugby Board that touch judges should concentrate on their primary functions of running touch, spotting foul play and adjudicating on kicks at goal. Thorburn said the IRB had "reiterated verbally" before the World Cup began that touch judges should not become involved in calling forward passes, offside or crooked lineout throws.

                                Thorburn made his comments following an outcry by New Zealand fans and the head of the New Zealand Rugby Union, who have criticized English referee Wayne Barnes for his calls in New Zealand's 20-18 quarterfinal loss to France in Cardiff on Saturday.

                                IRB referees manager Paddy O'Brien, also a New Zealander, has conceded France's winning try in that match came from a forward pass which was not seen by the referee or mentioned by his touch judges.

                                But O'Brien angrily rebutted Thorburn's claims Wednesday, saying no such directive was given by the IRB.

                                "I refute Peter's claims completely," O'Brien said. "Touch judges were told to call clear and obvious infringements.

                                "If they call offside, we want the referee to act on that call."

                                O'Brien said Thorburn had been "mischevious" in his representation of the IRB directive. The international board's intention had been to discourage touch judges from making marginal calls which might confuse referees.

                                "I think it's very mischievous of Peter. I am very disappointed that he has basically, in my view, lied to the public of New Zealand," he said.

                                O'Brien said the forward pass which led to France's decisive try had been "clear and obvious" but had been missed by all three match officials.

                                "That's a different thing altogether. It was poor touch judging and poor refereeing and we have addressed that," he said.

                                O'Brien has staunchly defended the 28-year-old Barnes, who has come under increasing attack since Saturday's match.

                                New Zealand Rugby Union chairman Jock Hobss Tuesday said several of Barnes' calls in the quarter-final were "very, very questionable".

                                Questions are now being asked over the appointment of such a young referee, with limited Test match experience, to preside over a World Cup quarter-final.

                                The IRB also has been criticized for appointing an Englishman to a match which decided which team England will play in the semifinals.
                                In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                                Leibniz

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