Rugby world cup 2011

[Parihaka]

Of course I hope you all realize that if we do win next week we as a national are going to be totally insufferable for the next four years? Just saying is all :)

[Aussiegunner]

Of course I hope you all realize that if we do win next week we as a national are going to be totally insufferable for the next four years? Just saying is all :)

Do that too much and we'll have to remind you that:

1: You have never won a tournament away, where you didn't have a 4 million people conducting psychological warfare on the AB's behalf;

2: That you are crap at every other sport; and yet

3: It has taken 12 years for you to catch up with the Wallabies in World Cup wins.

Just saying is all :).

PS, I'll support the All Blacks against the Rainbow Warrior/Nuclear bombers UNLESS I see evidence of the "Anybody but Australia" attitude coming out of the crowd in the Bronze Medal test. If that happens I'll be saying that that "Australiasian Final" comment by that commentator was BS and will be backing the Frogs.

[Parihaka]

Do that too much and we'll have to remind you that:

1: You have never won a tournament away, where you didn't have a 4 million people conducting psychological warfare on the AB's behalf;

2: That you are crap at every other sport; and yet

3: It has taken 12 years for you to catch up with the Wallabies in World Cup wins.

Just saying is all :).

PS, I'll support the All Blacks against the Rainbow Warrior/Nuclear bombers UNLESS I see evidence of the "Anybody but Australia" attitude coming out of the crowd in the Bronze Medal test. If that happens I'll be saying that that "Australiasian Final" comment by that commentator was BS and will be backing the Frogs.

I HOPE the crowd will be supporting the Wallabies but in all likelyhood it'll be an even split cause we like the Welsh as well. What I don't want to see is any more barracking of Cooper: as I said, and in contradiction to your own media pundits, he earned his stripes in the second half.

[Aussiegunner]

I HOPE the crowd will be supporting the Wallabies but in all likelyhood it'll be an even split cause we like the Welsh as well. What I don't want to see is any more barracking of Cooper: as I said, and in contradiction to your own media pundits, he earned his stripes in the second half.

I don't mind who they support but any booing will permenantly harden my heart. As for Cooper, he didn't lose the game for them and made some good contributions, but his own loud mouth is making him a magnet for blame. In particular the public attempts at contract negotiations will have left a lot of people dark. It will be a hard lesson that I hope he learns well.

[bigross86]

I'll be rooting for the All Blacks all the way. As someone who learned about rugby by watching the All Blacks in 2008-9, if (when?) they win next week it will be the perfect gift for a beginning avid All Blacks supporter. In the Australia-Wales game I don't really have a favorite, I like the Welsh for being the underdogs, but in all reality, I'm just hoping to see some good rugby

[Bigfella]

Calmed down now. That was an awesome game, everyone on both teams brought it. Rather than pick the good players I've got to outline the less than good. Cruden kicked 3 or 4 times in the second half when he should have taken it in but this is only his third test and he handled the pressure well. Sonny Bill was a prat but fortunately by then the Wallabies had to score three points a minute to come back. Cooper had a bad first 30 minutes and got the usual barracking but fought back and had a magnificent second half. He's earned my respect anyway, and the crowd seemed to think so too. Can't pick fault with anyone else. Blinder of a game.

Pari,

I think you are being a bit too graciuos in victory. Australia certainly did play well & with spirit in parts, but we also sabotaged any chance we might have had against an AB side in top notch form with a lot of errors & poor judgement. That is to take nothing away from the ABs. Some of those mistakes were the result of relentless pressure & some damned fine attacking rugby, but some were unforced & unecessary. I was very proud that we fought back after being blitzed early & when Cooper kicked that field goal after a beautiful buildup I had hopes we might really make a game of it. Unfortunately the backs couldn't string it together against a quality defence. I agree that Cooper proved his character in the second half. Like most of the team, he fought hard in an increasingly hopeless cause. We can hold our heads up for fighting hard, but not for giving ourselves our best opportunity to win.

On the final I am torn. The ABs are the best team in the tournament & France don't deserve to be there. NZ also has a poor WC record for such a great Rugby nation. On the other hand, France have little to show for producing some of the most enjoyable, if erratic, rugby in the world over the past 30 years. The nation that produced Serge Blanco probably deserves something. On balance I will be going for the neigbours, but if France really do play well enough to beat you blokes I will be OK with that too.

[Parihaka]

I don't mind who they support but any booing will permenantly harden my heart.

Well, can't help that, there's bound to be, especially given the international nature of the crowd.
I haven't watched a match in twenty years in any country including your own fair land where there hasn't been regular booing from sections of the crowd so you might as well harden your heart now.

[dave lukins]

Of course I hope you all realize that if we do win next week we as a national are going to be totally insufferable for the next four years? Just saying is all :)

I suspect you will, as a Nation, be insufferable for the next four years if you loose ;)

[Bigfella]

I suspect you will, as a Nation, be insufferable for the next four years if you loose ;)

Actually Dave, the really sad thing is that no one will either know or care. Once in a while Australians let Kiwis think that we care about their sporting ups & downs, but realistically we don't...even when they beat us. Sort of like that lonely kid down the street we played with because we felt sorry for them or our parents told us to.

There are still Kiwis going on about an underarm ball bowled 30 years ago. The vast majority of Australians who even knew we played a Rugby game last night are already over it. Different worlds.

Sad but true.

[dave lukins]

Actually Dave, the really sad thing is that no one will either know or care. Once in a while Australians let Kiwis think that we care about their sporting ups & downs, but realistically we don't...even when they beat us. Sort of like that lonely kid down the street we played with because we felt sorry for them or our parents told us to.

There are still Kiwis going on about an underarm ball bowled 30 years ago. The vast majority of Australians who even knew we played a Rugby game last night are already over it. Different worlds.

Sad but true.

I remember that 'incident'. The stiff-uppers at Lords must have needed oxygen.

[Parihaka]

Actually Dave, the really sad thing is that no one will either know or care. Once in a while Australians let Kiwis think that we care about their sporting ups & downs, but realistically we don't...even when they beat us. Sort of like that lonely kid down the street we played with because we felt sorry for them or our parents told us to.

There are still Kiwis going on about an underarm ball bowled 30 years ago. The vast majority of Australians who even knew we played a Rugby game last night are already over it. Different worlds.

Sad but true.

What's that high pitched whining noise I hear?

[crooks]

Bahahahaha and so it begins....the Antipodean steel cage internet forum death match...none shall leave alive.

In any case what seemed to be the problem for me was while totally outclassed by a stronger attacking side the Wallabies just didn't make enough of it when they went forward. They actually played some great rugby, only problem was they were unable to get points on the board (and the penalties all went NZs way). Wales v Australia should be cracking but without Warburton I actually think the Ozzies could do it.

For the final I'm rooting for the ABs - in virtually any Northern v Southern game that isn't the Lions I'd root for the Nordies but the ABs have been flawless this tournie and France really don't deserve to be there imo. If it was Wales I'd have roared to the rafters for them but against France my meritocratic side goes for the Kiwis.

[Aussiegunner]

What's that high pitched whining noise I hear?

It's probably the 767 from Australia landing with the Kiwi League team, which disgraced itself with an 8 try to 1 loss against the Kangaroo's just before the rugby semi-final test. I bet THEY'RE glad the All Blacks won the rugby ...

[Aussiegunner]

Actually Dave, the really sad thing is that no one will either know or care. Once in a while Australians let Kiwis think that we care about their sporting ups & downs, but realistically we don't...even when they beat us. Sort of like that lonely kid down the street we played with because we felt sorry for them or our parents told us to.

There are still Kiwis going on about an underarm ball bowled 30 years ago. The vast majority of Australians who even knew we played a Rugby game last night are already over it. Different worlds.

Sad but true.

In contrast to your experience, which is understandable because Victorians don't really care about Rugby, the only weekend sporting match that anybody can talk about in Queensland and I suspect NSW is the Wallabies loss. Nobody even cares about the fact that we handed the Kiwis their arse's on a platter in the League just before the semi.

For me that highlights that we are indeed in different worlds to them, but for a different reason. Kiwis are over the moon when they win at the one game they are good at, while Aussies are miserable when they lose at one of the games that they care about, even if they are very successful in others. Goes to show setting your expectations low is the true path to happiness ... ;-).

[Aussiegunner]

Well, can't help that, there's bound to be, especially given the international nature of the crowd.
I haven't watched a match in twenty years in any country including your own fair land where there hasn't been regular booing from sections of the crowd so you might as well harden your heart now.

I've never been to a Wallabies Rugby game where there was booing from Aussie supporters aside from instances of poor reffing decisions or foul play, and I've never seen another tournament in any sport where local spectators pursued a rival team in games with third parties and booed them. The closest I've seen to that here was a hairy, loud mouthed ocker who looked like Kevin Bloody Wilson in the England/Scotland game, at the pub where I was watching it, barracking for Scotland and calling the English "Pommy bastards" ... much to the amusement of the English and everybody else in the room. He gave them their dues when they won though and he voiced disgust when Tim Horan and David Campese came on an ad on Fox and said we should support Italy against Ireland, as that would win us the pool. It was said because Rupert payed them to do so for commercial reasons no doubt, but I think they should be ashamed of whoring themselves out like that. I definately didn't see any Aussie supporters in the red/white and green the next week.