The Rugby Thread

[E17yid]

Eddie is the absolute master of getting under Cheika's skin.

All meaningless of course if we lose.

It doesn’t take much to get under Cheika’s skin tbf.

I actually quite like the Ozzie’s in general but they love a moan and a rant.

 

[Japhet]

It doesn’t take much to get under Cheika’s skin tbf.

I actually quite like the Ozzie’s in general but they love a moan and a rant.

Always makes me laugh that they attached the 'whinging' tag to us poms when they are head and shoulders above us when it comes to having a grizzle.

 

[SugarRay]

You can get 5/1 on them to beat South Africa.

Found 7/1 the other day. Still not interested. Saffas will beat them with plenty to spare.

In terms of performance, especially when relative to their quality, Japan are easily the team of the tournament so far, and probably for the whole thing no matter what else happens now.

 

[E17yid]

Found 7/1 the other day. Still not interested. Saffas will beat them with plenty to spare.

In terms of performance, especially when relative to their quality, Japan are easily the team of the tournament so far, and probably for the whole thing no matter what else happens now.

What kind of point margin do you think it’ll be. A lot of people I’ve spoken with are saying SA by 30 plus points but I see it being a lot lot closer than that.

Don’t get me wrong, if SA start well and go in at HT say 10-15 points up it could be a bit of a hiding but if it’s close at HT I could definitely see it being a 1/2 score game.

That crowd alone will give them 6-10 points.

 

[E17yid]

Always makes me laugh that they attached the 'whinging' tag to us poms when they are head and shoulders above us when it comes to having a grizzle.

They hate you so much. I think you hate them more than anyone else too tbh.

 

[SugarRay]

What kind of point margin do you think it’ll be. A lot of people I’ve spoken with are saying SA by 30 plus points but I see it being a lot lot closer than that.

Don’t get me wrong, if SA start well and go in at HT say 10-15 points up it could be a bit of a hiding but if it’s close at HT I could definitely see it being a 1/2 score game.

That crowd alone will give them 6-10 points.

I think Saffas by 10-15, with it never really being in doubt from 60 minutes on ( similar to how I see Wales - France going in terms of competitiveness etc )

Japan will leave it all out on the pitch but I just think Saffas will shut them down and play simple yet smart rugby.

 

[SugarRay]

They hate you so much. I think you hate them more than anyone else too tbh.

I think that’s true. Overall. The cricket adds to the overall rivalry from our end, massively.

 

[E17yid]

I think Saffas by 10-15, with it never really being in doubt from 60 minutes on ( similar to how I see Wales - France going in terms of competitiveness etc )

Japan will leave it all out on the pitch but I just think Saffas will shut them down and play simple yet smart rugby.

Agree SA. Disagree Wales.

Our game will be the closest out of the 4 games. It’s got that 2011 feel about it. In 2011 they were in turmoil, rebelling against Lievremont (spelling) player unrest. Sound familiar ? Yep, exactly like this year. People laughing at their performance against Tonga this year but they actually lost to Tonga in the group stage in 2011 and still got to the final after knocking out England and us. They were actually very good in the final against NZ and were a bit unlucky.

I know it’s a different team, set up etc etc but they have this ability to turn it on come the knockouts. It’s like they like squad disharmony to the point where you question whether this so called turmoil they’re in is genuine or manufactured so that they go up a gear.

Also, out of all the teams France will want to play us more than anyone.

We should still win, we’ve won 7 out of our last 8 games but pretty much all those games have been 1 score games and even that last game in the 2019 6N we didn’t win that game France lost it by handing us 14 points on a plate. I don’t see them doing that Sunday if they get a big lead like that. We need to start like we did against Australia. If we can get a 10 plus point lead at HT we’ll probably manage the game out but I think it’ll be a tight affair.

 

[E17yid]

Also, a fun stat. Wales have played France on neutral ground twice in our history comprising of a 51-0 French victory at Wembley in 98 and the infamous 9-8 French victory in NZ in 2011. Yay.

 

[E17yid]

Because I’m a sad **** I thought I’d look up the history between England and Australia on neutral ground. You, like us and the french, have played each other twice on neutral ground.

95 World Cup in South Africa, 25-22 win for England and also in the 2007 WC in France where you also won 12-10. Yay.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Past matches mean nothing. This French team is pretty pish and were a missed penalty away from losing to a pretty poor Argentina.

Obviously France have the monumentally enormous advantage of a few days extra rest...but I think that unless Wales have a really bad day in the pack they should be too good for them. I think even if France have a start like they did against Argentina, that Wales have enough in them to see that off.

And I'm not saying this in any sort of Arnold-esque attempt to hex the Welsh. I genuinely think they're better than France in every area.

 

[Arnoldtoo]

England team to face Australia:

1 Mako Vunipola
2 Jamie George
3 Kyle Sinckler
4 Maro Itoje
5 Courtney Lawes
6 Tom Curry
7 Sam Underhill
8 Billy Vunipola

9 Ben Youngs
10 Owen Farrell (captain)
11 Jonny May
12 Manu Tuilagi
13 Henry Slade
14 Anthony Watson
15 Elliot Daly

Replacements
16 Luke Cowan-Dickie
17 Joe Marler
18 Dan Cole
19 George Kruis
20 Lewis Ludlam
21 Willi Heinz
22 George Ford
23 Jonathan Joseph

Unlucky on Ford; he's been playing well.

 

[teok]

That's some "interesting" calls to say the least. I'm suddenly shitting it now.

 

[E17yid]

Interesting. I was listening to a podcast the other day and they were talking about this selection and Tom Fordyce was saying that he suspected Jones would get twitchy and drop Ford and play Farrell at 10 just as Lancaster did in 2015 as Ford started the group games then but was dropped for the Wales game.

What’s the Ozzie team.

 

[teok]

It's some huge calls. Slade looked completely shot, mako could easily break after 5-10 mins. I thought he was saving wilson for the france game but he is obviously crocked.

Ford has been the fulcrum for all of our best play, every thing comes off him. I was 50-50 before this but now I'm really not confident.

 

[E17yid]

Ford has done well but Like Patchell Ford isn’t the greatest defensive 10 and you know Kerevi would have targeted Ford all day long. Farrell, like Biggar, is a great defensive 10 who’s better equipped to deal with that I suppose.

 

[teok]

Farrell is no where near as good defensively as biggar and ford isn't as bad as people make out. It just completely hamstrings the england back line playing farrell there. The whole danger of manu comes from ford putting him through.

I'm guessing the game plan is just to try and keep it tight somehow (which we won't). Then bring on ford and revert back to the proper line up?

 

[E17yid]

Farrell is no where near as good defensively as biggar and ford isn't as bad as people make out. It just completely hamstrings the england back line playing farrell there. The whole danger of manu comes from ford putting him through.

I'm guessing the game plan is just to try and keep it tight somehow (which we won't). Then bring on ford and revert back to the proper line up?

Yeah I can see what you’re saying. I’m surprised. I thought he might go down this route but thought he would stick with Ford, he’s earnt the right to start a big game like this as he’s done well.

I can’t seem to find the Australian team yet (not sure it’s been announced yet) but the talk is there’s going to be a surprise inclusion of Jordan Petaia at outside center. He only made his debut the other day and is only 19 so a massive gamble. Like Kerevi he’s a big lump, a tad more athletic by the looks of it, though.

 

[E17yid]

New Zealand: B Barrett; Reece, Goodhue, Lienert-Brown, Bridge; Mo'unga, Smith; Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Retallick, Whitelock; Savea, Cane, Reid.

Replacements: Coles, Tuungafasi, Ta'avao, S Barrett, Todd, Perenara, Williams, J Barrett.

Cole’s on the Bench Retallick in.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Very odd time for England to change their back-line. They must have seen this game on the horizon, so if this was our plan for the big games why not use it in the opening games to get those combinations warmed-up?

I know Slade had some good moments in the six nations, but he also had some very poor moments and does he really bring a huge amount more defensively than Ford?

Time will tell I suppose, but not sure about that decision at all.