Rugby
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Got my ticket for the Wembley semis on Saturday, now it's down to business. Three of the semi-finalists came from one group, which shows how few strong national teams there are in the game. England v New Zealand could go either way but Australia will romp it against Fiji and in all probability win the final. The winners should have 2 cross-code challenge games with the All Blacks, like Wigan used to do with Bath about 20 years ago!
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Gutted! Went to the semis yesterday and what a match England v NZ was, it had everything. The first half definitely belonged to the Kiwis but England got on top in the second and dominated it only to lose through sloppy play and errors. The visitors defence had been masterful in the first half but was looking tired in the second and England just didn't exploit it enough, but still looked the only team likely to win (imho). But it shows that the slightest mistake at this level is punished so good luck to NZ. This really could have gone either way and both sides will justifiably have felt they didn't deserve to lose.
As for the second game…..it shows why a truly competitive RLWC is still some way off.
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Bookmakers are favoring Australia by 8. If I had a bit more money at the moment, I'd jump on the Eurostar to see the game at the stadium. Here in France, you have to pay an extra option on pay TV so I'll settle for crummy targetaroja streams that freeze every other minute…
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holy cow, talk about a comprehensive asskicking session.
back to Euro-rugby for 4 months. yawn -
I think England v Australia would definitely have been a better final!
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6 Nations start tomorrow
France - England as the opener. I fear the worst. Too many interviews by French former glories saying yes we can… England is fucking fearsome and just because Toulouse and Clermont beat English teams in recent EU Cup games doesnt mean we're going to beat them.
Overall, I just can't see Wales winning a third time in a row, but that would be nice. That is, if France can't get its shit together...
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France 26 - England 24
France's last try at the 78th minute gave me faith in France again.
In all fairness, England has a better team and looks very good for next year's RWC. We got sooooooooo lucky in the first half with two tries that were real gifts from God and not really built by France… But hey. -
Well done France. England played well but made too many costly errors, including missed kicks and really should have won against an average French team. Unless something drastic happens, there's no way the World Cup is coming back to the northern hemisphere beyond the trophy presentation.
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I have to agree with your RWC prediction 90%. 10% is the following scenario: 1/2 final = France beats England and goes on to miraculously beat Australia who would have beaten NZ in the other semi by some sort of miracle that happens every 8 years or so…
In the quarter finals, we can imagine NZ trashing Ireland or Wales and Australia getting rid of Samoa, while France would beat Wales or Ireland while England would have been heroes by beating South Africa by a point at the last minute thanks to a refereeing error or something. NZ would get cocky and Australia would be the super underdog and for some reason would score two lucky tries in the opening minutes of the game against NZ...
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Any other Quins fans on here?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Alternatively, France go out in the group stages…
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@Maynard:
Alternatively, France go out in the group stages…
It has never happened, but they are capable of anything from horribly bad to sublimely great, although in all frankness it's been rather uninspiring lately…
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England really impressed me today against New Zealand. NZ were unable to go through the English defense and England was not at all helped by referee Owens. Looking forward to the test game next week.
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Good tough game…That's the type of contest we like first up.
The All Blacks typically get better each game so you can expect to see at least a 25% lift for the next match. That will be the challenge for England, can they improve?
The All Blacks real strength is finding a way to win, ugly or pretty!
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France… you're killing me!
me too… they were absolutely horrible. sad, but a reflection of the French Rugby championship: teams look to defend first and foremost. The offensive skills, ball handling, creativity, etc... are gone.
It works in the EU cup because opponents from England or Ireland are either not very good at offense or have a bad day. I much prefer Irish provinces when they are all out, but even that is boring compared to Southern Hemisphere (particularly NZ) rugby -
Fantastic try by the Samoa No14!
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Well done Ireland for beating SA yesterday, hopefully the World Cup will have a few contenders next year.
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Countdown to the World Cup! I have tickets for 3 games in London, although sadly none for England. Anyone else here going to watch, either live or via the medium of telly?
