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  1. #701
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    The great man himself and the man who is going to be a great replacement for him (and unlucky to be man of the match today):


  2. #702
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    The Crusaders beat the Waratahs 20-12 in the final. It is the second ever final in which the losing team scored more tries, with Lachlan Turner of the 'Tahs bagging a couple while Mose Tuiali'i of the Crusaders scored the solo try for the winners. In the end, the boot of Dan Carter ended up being the difference, with Beale's inability to kick his way out of a wet paper bag costing them. Reuben Thorne then came on for the last 4 minutes of the game, replacing Brad Thorn and maintaining his incredible record of 9 Super rugby finals appearances and 7 titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008). Thorne finishes off his Super rugby career then in fairy-tale fashion as he heads off to close out his career in Japan.
    It also confirms New Zealand's dominance in the SANZAR territories, as 10 of the 13 Super rugby tournaments have been won by a New Zealand franchise (Blues in 1996, 1997 and 2003, along with the 7 won by the Crusaders) while only 3 have been won by the other two nations involved (2 to the ACT Brumbies of Australia, in 2001 and 2004; 1 to the Bulls of South Africa, in 2007).

  3. #703
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Aussies and Saffers must really get pissed off at the Kiwi dominance. Or just the Saffers because the aussies don't care about Rugby.

    Also I don't believe ELVs have improved the game at all. Many the Super 14 games samey all season. The Guinness final was certainly a better game than the Super 14 one.

  4. #704
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    I disagree. The ELVs have reignited the game down here, with teams that have been very comfortable in attacking all day prospering and making the game a far better spectacle to watch. It's also disproven some preconceived notions that some people had, with the scrum being proven to be just as important as it was before. In fact, traditional areas of play like rucks, mauls and setpieces have remained important overall to the game, with an emphasis on attack instead of defences being favoured.

  5. #705
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    All Blacks squad for Iveco series against Ireland, England and Tri-Nations
    Forwards:
    John Afoa (Blues/Auckland) - Prop
    Anthony Boric (Blues/North Harbour) - Lock/Flanker
    Andrew Hore (Hurricanes/Taranaki) - Hooker
    Jerome Kaino (Blues/Auckland) - Flanker
    Sione Lauaki (Chiefs/Waikato) - No. 8
    Richie McCaw (Crusaders/Canterbury, Captain) - Flanker
    Keven Mealamu (Blues/Auckland) - Hooker
    John Schwalger (Hurricanes/Wellington) - Prop
    Greg Somerville (Crusaders/Canterbury) - Prop
    Rodney So'oialo (Hurricanes/Wellington) - No. 8
    Adam Thomson (Highlanders/Otago) - Flanker
    Brad Thorn (Crusaders/Tasman) - Lock
    Neemia Tialata (Hurricanes/Wellington) - Prop
    Ali Williams (Crusaders/Tasman) - Lock
    Tony Woodcock (Blues/North Harbour) - Prop

    Backs:
    Daniel Carter (Crusaders/Canterbury) - First Five-Eighth
    Jimmy Cowan (Highlanders/Southland) - Halfback
    Stephen Donald (Chiefs/Waikato) - First Five-Eighth
    Andrew Ellis (Crusaders/Canterbury) - Halfback
    Richard Kahui (Chiefs/Waikato) - Midfielder
    Brendon Leonard (Chiefs/Waikato) - Halfback
    Leon MacDonald (Crusaders/Canterbury) - Fullback
    Malili Muliaina (Chiefs/Waikato) - Fullback/Centre
    Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes/Wellington) - Midfielder
    Sitiveni Sivivatu (Chiefs/Waikato) - Winger
    Conrad Smith (Hurricanes/Wellington) - Centre
    Anthony Tuitavake (Blues/North Harbour) - Winger/Centre
    Rudi Wulf (Blues/North Harbour) - Winger

    New caps are Anthony Boric, Stephen Donald, Richard Kahui, Adam Thomson, Anthony Tuitavake and Rudi Wulf
    Returning All Blacks are John Afoa, Jerome Kaino and Brad Thorn

    Jimmy Cowan and John Schwalger are brought into the squad as injury cover for Brendon Leonard and Tony Woodcock.
    Last edited by Gyoza; June 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 AM.

  6. #706
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    So, now that I've had some time to fully digest that squad, I have to say I really, really, really like it. Graham Henry has selected an excellent set of players.
    Up front, the props selected are among the best. Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu and John Afoa formed the best front-row in the SANZAR region, battering just about anyone they went up against. They're also one of the most mobile front-rows around, as it's like having two Steve McDowells packing down on either side of Sean Fitzpatrick or David Latta, as they bring an amazing workrate outside of the setpieces. Andrew Hore is also a great try-scoring hooker who does the basics right and always pops up where he has to, scoring tries more often than not.
    Greg Somerville has recovered quite well from a torn Achilles tendon and has quite a bit of experience at tighthead and can cover the loosehead side of the scrum as well. Neemia Tialata is a bit lucky to get selected ahead of Southland's Jamie Mackintosh, but he got better with each outing and can pack down on either side - although he's better as a loosehead than a tighthead.
    Brad Thorn and Ali Williams were IMMENSE as a locking partnership for the Crusaders, as Thorn went about silencing his critics. He was also clearly paying attention when he was taught how to play like a union forward, as he does a lot of work in the breakdown area, providing a handy bit of turnover ball for the backs. Anthony Boric is a player that happily does the donkey-work, but is an athletic, mobile lock that can cover the blindside flanker position as well and is a steady line-out option, having stabilised the Blues line-out that was faltering before he secured a spot in the starting XV.
    Jerome Kaino was the form blindside flanker among the NZ franchises, while Adam Thomson brings the size and speed to compete with the likes of Rocky Elsom and the South African loosies. He's also great in the air and can run like the wind, while he can adequately cover all three loose forward positions. Richie McCaw's selection is academic, as he's the best openside flanker in the world. Rodney So'oialo is the form No. 8 in NZ, and is a tireless workhorse at the back of the pack and brings a sense of authority. It's no surprise that the Hurricanes faltered when he was ruled out due to injury. While I'm not a fan of Lauaki, when he's on a roll he can be devastating. The key issue for him is maintaining his fitness, as his lack of self-discipline can cost him dearly.
    Andrew Ellis is one of the best halfbacks around, with a cool head on his shoulders and a tendency to make the right call. He's a traditional halfback, which is something we have been missing here for a while. Brendan Leonard is more the 4th loose forward-type halfback we've used here since Justin Marshall and has proven himself to be a devastating impact player at the test level.
    Daniel Carter's selection was also academic, while Stephen Donald makes his long-awaited move up to higher honours. The guy has nerves of steel and is a great running first-five. He can have a few hairy patches, but with the right hands guiding him, he can be a great player at the highest level.
    The second-five options we have are Ma'a Nonu and Richard Kahui. This is the first time in ages we haven't had a second playmaker in the midfield that can offer a spare boot. That being said, Nonu is a devastating runner that operates best with a centre like Conrad Smith outside him, while Richard Kahui is a huge talent that just needs to work through his injuries.
    In the centres, we have Anthony Tuitavake and Conrad Smith, both of whom are great in different ways. Tuitavake is closer to the Mortlock mould, as he slices through defences and takes some work to bring him down. He's also got a good head on his shoulders, while Smith is one of the smoothest centres in test rugby, with a great set of skills. He's also very, very smart and his partnership with Nonu is one of the best midfield duos in New Zealand.
    On the wings, we have a choice of Tuitavake again, Rudi Wulf and Sitiveni Sivivatu. Wulf has come back from a broken neck that nearly ended his life, and brings great solidity on the wing. He scores buckets of tries, especially when they matter most, is a strong runner and defends well. He may lack the dynamic presence of Rokocoko, but his form in the last couple of seasons has earned him a call-up. Sivivatu has been struggling this year, but without Rokocoko, he gets the nod since he's the most experienced winger available.
    The fullbacks also select themselves, really.

    Out of all the players that didn't make it, Jamie Mackintosh, Tom Donnelly, Kieran Read, Daniel Braid and Jimmy Cowan are desperately unlucky to not make the cut from the training squad, while Lelia Masaga, Jeremy Thrush and Isaac Ross should come into contention later this year.


    I had this post ready, but the stupid server decided to be a cunt. Sort the fucking thing out, you wankers.

  7. #707
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    England analysis. I'm quite happy with what ENgland are sending down considering the scale of injury problems to Fly Half. Most people expect Hodgson to start at 10 but while at premiership level he is a stunning attacking Flyhalf who can slice open any defence questions about his consistency and ability under pressure remain, esepcially as Sale couldn't make the playoffs despite being in the top 4 moreoften than not. I'd give 'drunk, violent sex pest' Oillie Barclay onother go in the absence of Danny Cipriani who has consistently had a stunning season are argueably the most consistent Fly Half in europe. Bath had a great season that end with the European challenge cup win, it's almost a shame the team appears to be broken up already. If not Barclay for Fly Half, than Toby Flood is always outstanding in Fly Half who can do it all (defend, kick, open up spaces in defence, has pace) and could possibly have nailed the posistion if Wilkinson hadn't been in the same team. However it is believed Leicester have signed him and he'll be their first choice Fly Half. By the way as Newcastle have lost Tait and Flood I see them as favorities to go down next season, especially as Wocester have suddleny clicked and been a very, very good side in the last quarter of the season.



    I'm really hoping Danny Care and Mike Brown get good chances to start. I'm sure they will find it hard because they are jumping into Test Rugby, against the very best Test team, after their breakthrough season. However Care and Brown have the outstanding Scrum Half's and Full Back's of england and possibly in europe this season making Quin's a force in Rugby all of a sudden. It's possible with the young talent Dean Richard's Quin's have developed recently he could have another golden era like he did with Leicester. On the wings Strettle and Sackey are first choice. This past two years Sackey has been outstanding, I don't think non-Wasps fans have knoticed how deadly a winger he is. Immense in defence, intelligent and judging from yesterdays final a far quicker thinker than most players around him. Strettle is potentially amazing if he can stay away from injury. He only play 10 minutes of the 6 nations and he ripped appart Wales when given the chance. He's immensely hard to stop when in motion and much more powerful then he looks. Ojo again, fresh, will take time to adaprt, but deadly, he can tear appart a team from his own half. Hopefully Matthew Tait will be used despite Ashton criminally ignoring him in the 6 Nations .

    Up front there are few problems. The England pack showed they are possibly a match for anybody in the world this past year and they are getting better. James Haskell is amazing and Tom Rees equally so these days. Both of them absolutely single handedly mullered the entire Leicester pack in the breakdown with strength, aggression and fantastic quick thinking that Leicester couldn't match. They are alredy near world class level and both just need a little bit of experence to fine-tune their play. Much the same with Tom Croft whose winger like speed ensures he's everywhere on the field making life hard for the opposistion constantly. Croft is also already a outstanding lineout option and some people ponder if could be lock.

    In the front row Stevens and Sherridan are and awesome pair and Stevens is really coming on, he's been outstanding for Bath all season, yet continues to get better and better. The Hooker will be interesting, Lee Mears ahs played the Rugby of his life and did a good job in the 6 Nations but Dylan Heartly is a monster ready to be unleashed. The only thing going against him is lack of top flight Rugby this past season but he's been there before and in 2 years he'll pretty much be certain to be the starting hooker.

    Finally with locks. Nick Kennedy has been outstanding. For all his 'creative forward' England talk Brian Ashton was shown up to be full of BS considering he hardly brought new players in at all and ignoring the mass of new talent at London Irish and Harlequinn's is almost criminal considering he was trying out players who failed at tests level 5 or 6 years ago and had never improved since.....coff coff.....Balshite...coff....coff. Kennedy is a great lock who steals an abnormal amount of lineout ball this season. He should have certainly been given a chance in the 6 Nations. Brothwick has really come into his own this season too and a great choice for Captain.

    Overall Johnson has alredy better Ashton's massive selection flaws. Of course he won't be in New Zealand and I doubt Rob Andrew will be any good but this tour an of corse a lot of players should be given their first cap, whatever the result is (and I dont doubt an All Black victory if th Kiwi's want it), it could have a posistive long term outcome for these players for experience and for realising what they have to do to succeed at this level much like the infamous 1997 tour of hell did.

  8. #708
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    Wales squad to face South Africa in Bloemfontein
    1. Gethin Jenkins
    2. Matthew Rees
    3. Adam Jones
    4. Ian Gough
    5. Alun-Wyn Jones
    6. Jonathan Thomas
    7. Dafydd Jones
    8. Ryan Jones (Captain)
    9. Gareth Cooper
    10. Stephen Jones
    11. Shane Williams
    12. Sonny Parker
    13. Tom Shanklin
    14. Mark Jones
    15. Jamie Roberts

    16. Duncan Jones
    17. Richard Hibbard
    18. Ian Evans
    19. Gareth Delve
    20. Warren Fury
    21. James Hook
    22. Morgan Stoddard

  9. #709
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    Wallabies Squad for tests against Ireland, France and Tri-Nations
    Forwards:
    Ben Alexander (ACT Brumbies) - Prop
    Al Baxter (NSW Waratahs) - Prop
    Richard Brown (Western Force) - No. 8
    Mark Chisholm (ACT Brumbies) - Lock/Flanker
    Matt Dunning (NSW Waratahs) - Prop
    Rocky Elsom (NSW Waratahs) - Flanker
    Adam Freier (NSW Waratahs) - Hooker
    Stephen Hoiles (ACT Brumbies) - Loose Forward
    James Horwill (Queensland Reds) - Lock
    Stephen Moore (Queensland Reds) - Hooker
    Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs) - Lock
    Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs) - No. 8
    Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs) - Hooker
    Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs) - Prop
    Nathan Sharpe (Western Force) - Lock
    George Smith (ACT Brumbies) - Flanker
    Phil Waugh (NSW Waratahs) - Flanker

    Backs:
    Adam Ashley-Cooper (ACT Brumbies) - Utility Back
    Berrick Barnes (Queensland Reds) - Flyhalf/Inside Centre
    Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs) - Scrumhalf
    Sam Cordingley (Queensland Reds) - Scrumhalf
    Ryan Cross (Western Force) - Centre
    Matt Giteau (Western Force) - Flyhalf/Inside Centre/Scrumhalf
    Peter Hynes (Queensland Reds) - Winger
    Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds) - Winger
    Stirling Mortlock (ACT Brumbies, Captain) - Centre
    Brett Sheehan (NSW Waratahs) - Scrumhalf
    Cameron Shepherd (Western Force) - Fullback
    Lote Tuqiri (NSW Waratahs) - Winger
    Lachie Turner (NSW Waratahs) - Winger


    New caps: Ben Alexander, Richard Brown, Luke Burgess, Ryan Cross, Peter Hynes, Dean Mumm, Lachie Turner

  10. #710
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    All Blacks squad to face Ireland in Wellington
    1. Neemia Tialata (Hurricanes/Wellington)
    2. Andrew Hore (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
    3. John Afoa (Blues/Auckland)
    4. Brad Thorn (Crusaders/Tasman)
    5. Ali Williams (Crusaders/Tasman)
    6. Rodney So'oialo (Hurricanes/Wellington)
    7. Richie McCaw (Crusaders/Canterbury, Captain)
    8. Jerome Kaino (Blues/Auckland)
    9. Andrew Ellis (Crusaders/Canterbury)
    10. Daniel Carter (Crusaders/Canterbury)
    11. Sitiveni Sivivatu (Chiefs/Waikato)
    12. Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes/Wellington)
    13. Conrad Smith (Hurricanes/Wellington)
    14. Anthony Tuitavake (Blues/North Harbour)
    15. Malili Muliaina (Chiefs/Waikato)

    16. Keven Mealamu (Blues/Auckland)
    17. John Schwalger (Hurricanes/Wellington)
    18. Anthony Boric (Blues/North Harbour)
    19. Adam Thomson (Highlanders/Otago)
    20. Jimmy Cowan (Highlanders/Southland)
    21. Stephen Donald (Chiefs/Waikato)
    22. Leon MacDonald (Crusaders/Canterbury)

    Jimmy Cowan and John Schwalger are brought into the squad to cover for Brendon Leonard and Tony Woodcock who are currently injured.

    Ireland Squad to face All Blacks
    1. Marcus Horan (Munster/Shannon)
    2. Jerry Flannery (Munster/Shannon)
    3. John Hayes (Munster/Bruff)
    4. Paul O'Connell (Munster/Young Munster)
    5. Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster/Cork Constitution)
    6. Denis Leamy (Munster/Cork Constitution)
    7. David Wallace (Munster/Garryowen)
    8. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Clontarf)
    9. Eoin Reddan (London Wasps)
    10. Ronan O'Gara (Munster/Cork Constitution)
    11. Tommy Bowe (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins)
    12. Paddy Wallace (Ulster/Ballymena)
    13. Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster/UCD, Captain)
    14. Shane Horgan (Leinster/Boyne)
    15. Robert Kearney (Leinster/UCD)

    16. Rory Best (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins)
    17. Tony Buckley (Munster/Shannon)
    18. Mick O'Driscoll (Munster/Cork Constitution)
    19. Shane Jennings (Leinster/St. Mary's College)
    20. Peter Stringer (Munster/Shannon)
    21. Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers)
    22. Girvan Dempsey (Leinster/Terenure College)
    Last edited by Gyoza; June 5th, 2008 at 8:21 AM.

  11. #711
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gyoza View Post
    England squad for tour of New Zealand
    Forwards:
    Steve Borthwick (Bath, Captain) - Lock
    Tom Croft (Leicester) - Flanker/Lock
    Nick Easter (Harlequins) - No. 8
    Dylan Hartley (Northampton) - Hooker
    Jamie Haskell (London Wasps) - Loose Forward
    Jason Hobson (Bristol) - Prop
    Ben Kay (Leicester) - Lock
    Nick Kennedy (London Irish) - Lock
    Michael Lipman (Bath) - Flanker
    Lee Mears (Bath) - Hooker
    Luke Narraway (Gloucester) - No. 8
    David Paice (London Irish) - Hooker
    Tom Palmer (Wasps) - Lock
    Tim Payne (London Wasps) - Prop
    Tom Rees (London Wasps) - Flanker
    Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks) - Prop
    Matt Stevens (Bath) - Prop
    Joe Worsley (London Wasps) - Flanker

    Backs:
    Olly Barkley (Bath) - Inside Centre/Flyhalf
    Mike Brown (Harlequins) - Fullback
    Danny Care (Harlequins) - Scrumhalf
    Dan Cipriani (London Wasps) - Flyhalf/Fullback
    Toby Flood (Newcastle) - Inside Centre/Flyhalf
    Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks) - Flyhalf
    Jamie Noon (Newcastle) - Centre
    Topsy Ojo (London Irish) - Wing
    Peter Richards (London Irish) - Scrumhalf
    Paul Sackey (London Wasps) - Wing
    David Strettle (Harlequins) - Wing
    Matthew Tait (Newcastle) - Centre/Wing/Fullback
    Mike Tindall (Gloucester) - Centre
    Richard Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks) - Scrumhalf
    Dan Hipkiss, who was brought in as a replacement for Cipriani has now himself been ruled out, as has Paul Sackey. They're replaced by Dominic Waldouck of the Wasps and Tom Varndell of the Tigers.
    Last edited by Gyoza; June 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 AM.

  12. #712
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    Springboks squad to face Wales in Bloemfontein
    1.Gurthrö Steenkamp
    2. John Smit (C)
    3. Brian Mujati
    4. Bakkies Botha
    5. Andries Bekker
    6. Luke Watson
    7. Juan Smith
    8. Pierre Spies
    9. Bolla Conradie
    10. Butch James
    11. Bryan Habana
    12. Jean de Villiers
    13. Adrian Jacobs
    14. Tonderai Chavhanga
    15. Conrad Jantjes

    16. Bismarck du Plessis
    17. CJ van der Linde
    18. Victor Matfield
    19. Danie Rossouw
    20. Ruan Pienaar
    21. Peter Grant
    22. Percy Montgomery

  13. #713
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    New Zealand 21 - 11 Ireland in Wellington
    For the All Blacks:
    Tries by Sitiveni Sivivatu and Ma'a Nonu
    Conversion and 3 penalty goals by Daniel Carter
    For Ireland:
    Try by Paddy Wallace
    2 penalty goals by Ronan O'Gara

  14. #714
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    South Africa 43 - 17 Wales in Bloemfontein
    For the Springboks:
    Tries by Conrad Jantjes, Jean de Villiers, Pierre Spies, Percy Montgomery
    4 conversions and 5 penalty goals by Butch James
    For Wales:
    Tries by Jamie Roberts and Shane Williams
    2 conversions and a penalty goal by Stephen Jones

  15. #715
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    Analysis of the All Blacks VS Ireland game:
    Up front, the All Blacks were all over the Irish. They were superior in the scrums, with Marcus Horan being one of the worst props I've ever witnessed at the test level. The Hurricanes front-row of John Schwalger, Andrew Hore and Neemia Tialata had a decent game, while John Afoa is dreadfully unlucky to get subbed off due to injury. Andrew Hore had a mixed game, as he was tidy in the setpieces but got caught making silly infringements in the rucks. Mealamu showed why he's the no. 1 hooker in the country at the moment when he came on and put in a disciplined performance.
    The expected Irish dominance in the lineouts never materialised. Thorn and Williams proved why they were the form second-row partnership in the S14 and they more than stood up to one of the best lineouts in the world.
    The All Blacks loosies were also far better than their Irish counterparts, with Rodney So'oialo and Richie McCaw having massive games on the flank. Rodders always played like a traditional blindside flanker when he was at 8 anyway, so the move didn't interfere with his game at all. Jerome Kaino had a solid game that was largely error-free and deserves another look next week. Thomson didn't get a chance to do much, as his first stint was as a bloodbin replacement for So'oialo, while his second was when there was only about 5 minutes of play left. That being said, he didn't embarrass himself and did quite well to strip the ball away from an Irish player in the tackle. He was unlucky to get penalised for that though.
    Andrew Ellis had a tidy game, but lacked the dynamism that Brendon Leonard brings. However, he didn't do much wrong. Daniel Carter seemed to struggle in the first half, making some basic errors like kicking out on the full or kicking the ball out on a kick-off. Luckily, both situations were cleaned up by the forwards. He did show moments of greatness though, like when he sliced up the Irish defence to set up Nonu's try.
    The backline in general didn't get to do much on attack, due in large part to the conditions they had to play in. It was always going to be a forward-oriented game in that kind of weather. The midfield combination of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith though, were very, very good and it was quite telling when Smith left O'Driscoll for dead when he set up Sivivatu's try in the first half.
    Of the Irish, Ronan O'Gara and Robert Kearney were the two best players. O'Gara didn't set the world on fire, but his kicking game overall was excellent and provided some direction for the Irish attack. Kearney was a constant menace with ball in hand and had a tidy game considering the conditions.

    Player ratings (out of 10):
    New Zealand
    1. Neemia Tialata - 7.5
    2. Andrew Hore - 6.5
    3. John Afoa - 7
    4. Brad Thorn - 8
    5. Ali Williams - 7
    6. Rodney So'oialo - 9
    7. Richie McCaw - 9
    8. Jerome Kaino - 7
    9. Andrew Ellis - 6.5
    10. Daniel Carter - 6
    11. Sitiveni Sivivatu - 7
    12. Ma'a Nonu - 7.5
    13. Conrad Smith - 7
    14. Anthony Tuitavake - 6
    15. Malili Muliaina - 7

    16. Keven Mealamu - 7
    17. John Schwalger - 7
    18. Anthony Boric - Didn't play
    19. Adam Thomson - Not enough time to get accurate rating
    20. Jimmy Cowan - Didn't play
    21. Stephen Donald - Didn't play
    22. Leon MacDonald - 7

    Ireland
    1. Marcus Horan - 3
    2. Jerry Flannery - 6
    3. John Hayes - 5
    4. Paul O'Connell - 7
    5. Donncha O'Callaghan - 7
    6. Denis Leamy - 5
    7. David Wallace - 5
    8. Jamie Heaslip - 5
    9. Eoin Reddan - 7
    10. Ronan O'Gara - 8
    11. Tommy Bowe - 6
    12. Paddy Wallace - 7
    13. Brian O'Driscoll - 6
    14. Shane Horgan - 6
    15. Robert Kearney - 7

    16. Rory Best - Didn't play
    17. Tony Buckley - 5
    18. Mick O'Driscoll - Didn't play
    19. Shane Jennings - Didn't play
    20. Peter Stringer - Not enough time to get accurate rating
    21. Geordan Murphy - Didn't play
    22. Girvan Dempsey - Didn't play

  16. #716
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    I expected both Ireland and Wales in lose, both are tired, Ireland are shit at the moment and Wales, Wales never travel well

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    Argentina 21-15 Scotland, all from Paterson's boot.

    No change there, wish we could score a try for a change.

  18. #718
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    This could be one of the defining moments in Snakey's career.

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    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    Nick Easter and John Afoa have both been ruled out due to injury. Easter broke his hand during training and will be flying home, while Afoa damaged knee ligaments during the Ireland test and will be sidelined for 4 weeks. Ben Franks has been called in to replace him.

    Predictably, the All Blacks have copped it from just about every quarter here by people who seem to expect the All Blacks to win 50-0 every time. The loudest critics have been those on the Robbie Deans bandwagon, like the NZ Herald pundits. They fail to take into account the fact that the All Blacks were playing into the wind in the first half and every point scored is worth 2. Ireland had a strong wind behind them that was worth 10~15 points and drawing level was pretty much a signal that they'd been beaten. Had they played in the kind of conditions the Springboks were enjoying in Bloemfontein, we would've had a similar score to the test match played there. Also of note is that the ABs kept the error rate at a minimum, which is remarkable considering that they played in terrible conditions.

  20. #720
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    Since I'm hearing about how THE ALL BLACKS ARE ALL LEAVING OMG and I'm getting pretty fucking sick of it, here's something to chew on.

    Here are the All Blacks that were fielded at some point last year:
    2007 All Blacks:
    Forwards:
    Ali Williams - 2008 All Black
    Andrew Hore - 2008 All Black
    Anton Oliver - Over seas
    Carl Hayman - Over seas
    Chris Jack - Over seas
    Chris Masoe - Dropped
    Greg Rawlinson - Over seas
    Jerry Collins - Over seas, would've been dropped anyway
    John Schwalger - 2008 All Black
    Keith Robinson - Retired
    Keven Mealamu - 2008 All Black
    Neemia Tialata - 2008 All Black
    Reuben Thorne - Over seas
    Richie McCaw - 2008 All Black
    Rodney So'oialo - 2008 All Black
    Ross Filipo - Dropped
    Sione Lauaki - 2008 All Black
    Tony Woodcock - 2008 All Black
    Troy Flavell - Over seas

    Backs:
    Aaron Mauger - Overseas
    Andrew Ellis - 2008 All Black
    Brendon Leonard - 2008 All Black
    Byron Kelleher - Over seas
    Conrad Smith - 2008 All Black
    Dan Carter - 2008 All Black
    Doug Howlett - Over seas
    Isaia Toeava - Dropped
    Josevata Rokocoko - Injured
    Leon MacDonald - 2008 All Black
    Luke McAlister - Over seas
    Ma'a Nonu - 2008 All Black
    Malili Muliaina - 2008 All Black
    Nick Evans - Dropped, early release to head over seas
    Piri Weepu - Dropped
    Rico Gear - Over seas
    Sitiveni Sivivatu - 2008 All Black

    Now, at first glance it looks like half the team has run off, right? Not quite.
    36 players overall:
    22 available for selection
    17 retained
    5 dropped
    1 retired
    13 overseas
    1 injured

    Now, of the 13 players that headed overseas, most of them were at the end of their careers (Anton Oliver, Byron Kelleher) or were fringe selections anyway (Greg Rawlinson, Troy Flavell). There are 3 players that left to play in Europe that left a bit of a hole to fill, those being Chris Jack, Carl Hayman and Luke McAlister. However, all three have contracts ranging in length from 2 to 2.5 years, meaning they have the option of heading home should they wish to play for the All Blacks again. Gear and Howlett left as they were struggling to make the starting XV, while Evans was a firm fixture on the bench. Weepu, Collins and Masoe are disastrously out of form and with the rise of Kaino, Read and Thomson, Collins had been told that if he wanted to retain the black jersey, he was going to have to lift his performance. 2 weeks later, he announced he was retiring from the international game and Henry has gone on record saying that he didn't notice any major improvements in his playing since their chat.

  21. #721
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    England players falling like flies sadly. A shame because so many amazing young players have really broken through rather than us still running off the reserves and rejects from the 2003 RWC.

    By the way Goyza, what do you think about you Kiwi's not bothering to fill up the stadium against Ireland? First time in 6 years. You lot still stewing at the blacks for the RWC?

  22. #722
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    There are some mitigating factors in that. The first is the abominable weather. It was probably the worst conditions that a test match has been played in since 2002 when the All Blacks beat Australia in Antarctic conditions in Christchurch. McCaw has said it was coldest night he's every played a test in. If presented with a choice of watching a test match in those conditions or watching it from the comfort of home, the choice is really simple. The other factor is the rising ticket prices. It's the nature of the professional game and ticket prices have been jacked up quite a bit over the years. Third, there's a sense of resentment being promoted by the media who had anointed Robbie Deans their golden boy and there's been a campaign of negativity against Graham Henry since. Right now, it would be about 70:30 in favour of Henry, but that 30% is very, very vocal.
    The tide is turning though, with the big two of Carter and McCaw re-signing with the NZRU and committing to the All Blacks for the next 4 years. Winning the next two games, maintaining the unbeaten run at home, retaining the Tri-Nations championship, Bledisloe, Freedom Cup and doing another Grand Slam is imperative for the All Blacks. Since we're playing the Wallabies 4 times this year, a 4-0 cleansweep would be the icing on the cake. They've announced a test match to be played during one of the bye-weeks we get during the Tri-Nationss to be played against Samoa in New Plymouth, which is part of a campaign to win back the hearts and minds, and it is working so far. They've also done the "Birthright" campaign, where a specially made baby-sized All Blacks jersey is delivered by an All Black to any baby born on the day of a test match which is a terrific idea.


    It turns out the Cake Tin was nearly sold out anyway, but the conditions meant people left early or before kick-off while people who would've bought the tickets on the day were put off and chose to stay at home. The official figures from the night are over 32,000 in a 35,000-seater stadium. That's about par on such conditions.
    Last edited by Gyoza; June 11th, 2008 at 10:50 PM.

  23. #723
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    All Blacks squad to face England in Auckland
    1. Neemia Tialata
    2. Andrew Hore
    3. Greg Somerville
    4. Brad Thorn
    5. Ali Williams
    6. Rodney So'oialo
    7. Richie McCaw (Captain)
    8. Jerome Kaino
    9. Andrew Ellis
    10. Daniel Carter
    11. Sitiveni Sivivatu
    12. Ma'a Nonu
    13. Conrad Smith
    14. Anthony Tuitavake
    15. Malili Muliaina

    16. Keven Mealamu
    17. John Schwalger
    18. Anthony Boric
    19. Sione Lauaki
    20. Jimmy Cowan
    21. Stephen Donald
    22. Leon MacDonald

    England Squad to play All Blacks
    1. Andrew Sheridan
    2. Lee Mears
    3. Matt Stevens
    4. Tom Palmer
    5. Steve Borthwick (Captain)
    6. James Haskell
    7. Tom Rees
    8. Luke Narraway
    9. Richard Wigglesworth
    10. Charlie Hodgson
    11. David Strettle
    12. Olly Barkley
    13. Mike Tindall
    14. Topsy Ojo
    15. Mike Brown

    16. David Paice
    17. Tim Payne
    18. Ben Kay
    19. Joe Worsley
    20. Danny Care
    21. Jamie Noon
    22. Matthew Tait


    The All Blacks are sticking with the same team that beat Ireland in atrocious conditions, bar one change. John Afoa has been sidelined for 4 weeks after tearing knee ligaments, resulting in Somerville taking his place. Somerville is a great tighthead prop though, so there's no major drama there. Tony Woodcock is still sidelined with injury and hopefully he'll be back next week.
    Neemia Tialata has shown he's far more suited to the loosehead role, although he can fill in as a tighthead if need be. He's been improving every year, with a great work-rate around the field, tremendous bulk and great strength. He should be more than a handful for Stevens. Somerville is a great technician. While his physical strength isn't at the level of Sheridan or Hayman, he's a great prop and Sheridan tends to go quiet against those. Tialata will be used as a battering ram, with Yoda acting to contain Sheridan, most likely.
    The locks are once again the Crusaders pair, with the ever-green Brad Thorn and the uber-skilled Ali Williams.
    Rodders and Fluffy form a flanker duo that breaks away from the traditional blindside/openside combination, with Hansen confirming it's a left/right flanker pairing instead. Rodders is there to provide back-up to Fluffy in the rucks and mauls, relieving some of the workload for him in that area. He's shown he's a great captain as well for Wellington and the Hurricanes, and it's nice seeing the two leaders of the squad working in tandem. They've been playing alongside one another for several seasons now at the test level and they're a tremendous partnership. Jerome Kaino will once again act as the ball-carrier of the three and has been in devastating form for the Blues. He didn't get a chance to show much of that last week in terrible conditions, but he also has a high work-rate, having completely outplayed his Irish counterpart.
    Ellis and DC continue on their S14 pairing and they've been playing together consistently for the last few years. Ellis is by far the best halfback we've got, while Carter's Carter.
    The pairing of Nonu and Smith is a great midfield combination, with Snakey acting as the brains of the outfit. Nonu can break through any defensive line in the world and has put in a great deal of effort to work out the kinks in his game. Nonu's power means he can open up all the space Snakey needs to do his work, and his best is very, very good, as evidenced by the fact that he left O'Driscoll for dead when setting up Sivivatu's try in Wellington.
    The back three from last week are retained, as they didn't get much of a chance to do anything. Ted will probably be looking to see what they're capable of, particularly Tuitavake. Hopefully, he delivers.

    Mealamu provides a great impact option off the bench with his tremendous work-rate around the field. He's called High-rev Kev for a reason. He's also 1/3 of the front-row that dealt to the Lions in 2005 and has consistently held his own against larger England front-rowers. Schwalger is in due to his great work last week and the fact that there's another 120+kg prop on the bench must be intimidating. Boric didn't get a chance last week, so he'll probably get a look-in. He has a high workrate around the field and is a very good option off the bench as he can cover 6 too. Wacks replaces Thomson on the bench, and hopefully his work and retaining his match-fitness will pay off. Cowan is capable of steadying the ship and has been a stand-out for the Highlanders and Southland for the last few years. While he has some off-field issues relating to his discipline, he's a great halfback who is reminiscent of Justin Marshall. Stephen Donald missed out last week as well, but he's clearly the no. 2 first-five in the country at the moment and has shown that he has icewater running through his veins, with last-minute penalties that have salvaged the game for the Chiefs on multiple occasions during this year's S14. Another player worth looking out for. Finally, Rangi provides the fullback cover off the bench, and is the form fullback in NZ for the last couple of years. He's also a great steadying influence, so we'll probably see him take to the field at some point. All in all, a great selection by Henry, Smith and Hansen.
    Last edited by Gyoza; June 10th, 2008 at 5:53 AM.

  24. #724
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    1. Andrew Sheridan
    2. Lee Mears
    3. Matt Stevens
    4. Tom Palmer
    5. Steve Borthwick (Captain)
    6. James Haskell
    7. Tom Rees
    8. Luke Narraway

    Despite the injuries I think up front England are still have a strong, strong force. Stevens should have replaced Vickery ages ago and I look forward to see him establish himself at Test level. Mears was great once he got hsi chance in the 6 Nations and like Stevens has been in superb form for Bath and Sheridan is a scrummaging force of nature, though can be inconsistent on the loose.

    9. Richard Wigglesworth
    10. Charlie Hodgson
    11. David Strettle
    12. Olly Barkley
    13. Mike Tindall
    14. Topsy Ojo
    15. Mike Brown

    Backs look a bit weaker. All very good players, But all have either not really got test level experience (Ojo, Wigglesworth, Strettle and Brown), failed at Test level (Hodgson, Barkley to some degree) and that leaves Tindall who may not physically be what he was. I'd have gone for Care over Wigglesworth seeing as Care has demonstrated himself to be potentially a sublime Scrumhalf and I'm excited about Strettle, Ojo and Brown who are very talented and dedicated players with something to prove. Hodgson can tear a hole in any defence but his decision making under pressure is always terrible but at least he has Barkley to support him. A shame Barkley hasn't exactly given the impact he should on the international stage but he's good and can take the kicks Hodgson will probably fuc up.


    16. David Paice
    17. Tim Payne
    18. Ben Kay
    19. Joe Worsley
    20. Danny Care
    21. Jamie Noon
    22. Matthew Tait

    As for the Bench, I don't see anybody but Tait making a massive impact. Noon is solid and Care is utterly an unknown at this point. I like the fact Tait is cover for Full Back, Centre and wing because he is amazing.

    Of course it's a real shame, Cipriani, Sackey and Harry Ellis are injured. Easter not so much but Nick Easter is guanteed to make any team some important yards and keep the ball safe. I'm surprised Tom Croft isn't there in the squad because he's an ultrafast work machine who has something virtually no other forward has. I also look forward to Matt Banaman's eventual debute for England, though I see he has a bit of a way to go with his overall game.
    Last edited by eldanielfire; June 10th, 2008 at 3:18 PM.

  25. #725
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    Wallabies squad to face Ireland in Melbourne
    1. Benn Robinson
    2. Stephen Moore
    3. Matt Dunning
    4. James Horwill
    5. Nathan Sharpe
    6. Rocky Elsom
    7. George Smith
    8. Wycliff Palu
    9. Luke Burgess
    10. Matt Giteau
    11. Lote Tuqiri
    12. Berrick Barnes
    13. Stirling Mortlock (Captain)
    14. Peter Hynes
    15. Cameron Shepherd

    16. Adam Freier
    17. Al Baxter
    18. Dean Mumm
    19. Phil Waugh
    20. Sam Cordingley
    21. Ryan Cross
    22. Adam Ashley-Cooper

    Ireland squad to face the Wallabies
    1. Marcus Horan
    2. Rory Best
    3. John Hayes
    4. Donncha O'Callaghan
    5. Paul O'Connell
    6. Denis Leamy
    7. David Wallace
    8. Jamie Heaslip
    9. Peter Stringer
    10. Ronan O'Gara
    11. Tommy Bowe
    12. Paddy Wallace
    13. Brian O'Driscoll (Captain)
    14. Shane Horgan
    15. Robert Kearney

    16. Jerry Flannery
    17. Tony Buckley
    18. Mick O'Driscoll
    19. Shane Jennings
    20. Eoin Reddan
    21. Geordan Murphy
    22. Girvan Dempsey

  26. #726
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    Ali Williams tells it like it is.

    Williams backs his coach and blasts referee Barnes

    Ali Williams has gone public with his support for embattled All Blacks coach Graham Henry and also given controversial English referee Wayne Barnes a serve as the nation struggles to move on from last year's World Cup.

    Williams, in his usual forthright manner, got straight to the point when he was asked about some of the issues swirling around the national game at the moment, most notably the continued unrest in some sections of the media and the public over Henry's position.
    After over-seeing the World Cup quarter-final loss to France last year, the heat continues to hover over Henry. As the All Blacks attended a media session, Williams said enough was enough.
    "I think it's bullshit really," Williams told Radio Sport when he was asked about the anti-Henry sentiments.
    "You have freedom of speech, I have no problem with that and everyone can say what they want to say. But the guy got the job and he's got the same people. Either support rugby or don't support rugby and if you support it, well get behind us.
    Williams said the blame for the quarter-final loss needed to be spread wider than just Henry. That included the players and he also made reference to Barne's controversial performance with the whistle where the All Blacks struggled against a lopsided penalty count despite a massive domination of territory and possession in their loss to France in Cardiff.
    "It gets to me how much you can attack one man (Henry)," continued Williams. "I'm sure if he was 30 or 40 years younger he would have loved to have been out there trying to do it himself. But the fact is he can't.
    "You have to look at some of the ownership that has got to fall on us to as players. You have to look at the ref ... 17 unawarded penalties - that's bullshit.
    "I shouldn't be saying this should I," he added.
    Williams said he never made it a secret that he felt Henry should continue in the job as Crusaders coach Robbie Deans put his hand up.
    "I was right behind him (Henry). I don't know if I phoned him up directly but I did a newspaper thing. I was right behind the guy and I was going into right into Robbie Deans' camp with the Crusaders.
    "I don't know if you can blame one guy for one poor result. It's a reality of life."
    Williams said the sort of pressures swirling around the All Blacks as they got their new era under way were a little bemusing.
    "It's hard to explain as a Kiwi what rugby means outside of New Zealand. If you go over with us and travel with us on a European tour you would be blown away with what people think of it ... the awe that they hold us in is just amazing. And we are just normal guys.
    "But when we get here people are into you, why don't you do this, why don't you do that?
    "Well as a matter of fact we have a pretty good record and that's not just this group of guys but the years that have gone before us. We bat pretty well for a nation with not that many rugby playing people."
    Williams suggested these sort of issues were a factor when players were weighing up their futures.
    "I think that's why everyone underestimates when guys look to go overseas - it's not just the money. Yes the All Blacks jersey is great but it has a pretty big price as well.
    "We love playing for this team more than anything in the world but sometimes we think enough is enough and we think bugger you, I'm over it."
    Williams lines out at lock for the All Blacks in Saturday night's test against England at Eden Park.
    It will be the 27-year-old's 48th test and Henry has been a strong supporter of the Auckland second rower throughout a career that has had its high and lows with injuries and off-field controversies.
    It seems the feeling is mutual.

    http://www.rugbyheaven.co.nz/4581661a22363.html


    In other news, Muliaina's pulled a hamstring in training so Paul Williams has been called in as fullback cover. If he's unfit, Leon "Rangi" MacDonald will be called up to the starting XV, with Williams presumably sitting on the bench. Not a bad replacement, really.
    Last edited by Gyoza; June 11th, 2008 at 10:56 PM.

  27. #727
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    Springboks squad to face Wales in Pretoria
    1. Tendai Mtawarira
    2. John Smit (Captain)
    3. Brendon Botha
    4. Bakkies Botha
    5. Victor Matfield
    6. Luke Watson
    7. Juan Smith
    8. Pierre Spies
    9. Enrico Januarie
    10. Butch James
    11. Bryan Habana
    12. Jean de Villiers
    13. Adrian Jacobs
    14. Tonderai Chavhanga
    15. Conrad Jantjes

    16. Bismarck du Plessis
    17. Gurthrö Steenkamp
    18. Andries Bekker
    19. Ryan Kankowski
    20. Bolla Conradie
    21. Francois Steyn
    22. Percy Montgomery


    Wales squad to face Springboks
    1. Gethin Jenkins
    2. Richard Hibbard
    3. Rhys Thomas
    4. Ian Gough
    5. Alun Wyn Jones
    6. Ryan Jones (Captain)
    7. Jonathan Thomas
    8. Gareth Delve
    9. Gareth Cooper
    10. Stephen Jones
    11. Shane Williams
    12. Jamie Roberts
    13. Tom Shanklin
    14. Mark Jones
    15. James Hook

    16. T Rhys Thomas
    17. Duncan Jones
    18. Ian Evans
    19. Dafydd Jones
    20. Warren Fury
    21. Andrew Bishop
    22. Tom James

  28. #728
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Fucking cheating kiwi's.They're worse than france, they cheat with forward passes an knock on's not being called.


    Seriously, a lot of posistives there, the score line flattered the All Blacks whose best period by far was the 10 minutes England were down to 14 men which killed it. However it's still disturbing England seems unable to focus for the whole game like with wales and Scotland. Some mental conditioning is needed for this young side.

    In more posistives it's great that the England first choicers were essentially good against the worlds best. Brown was a tad poor and his weakness' exposed (A sahame) Matt Steven's who has been awesome this season hasn't exactly found his form for England recently. Of course Charlie Hodgson was fucking shite, but I flagged that up before. I hope Sales fans finally shut the fuck up about how amazing he is. Barlay should have been the starter 10 seeing as he's better. But then Cipriani, Wilkinson, Geraghty and Flood are better choices but are all injured. I'd give Ryan Lamb a try over Hodgson. he's light weight but a fucing amazing attacker.

    My man Haskell was pretty goodas was Rees. Ojo was devestating with his 2 tries. He's certainly made a case for being considered as a starter on the wing and Strettle showed what a good player he is. Danny Care had an unsteady start but showed his potential with that superb kick for Ojo's second.


    Matthew Tait has to think what the fuck he has to do to get a game? Actually Anthony Allen has to think what the fuck he has to do to get into the squad. At leats Johnson's selective is demonstrating that he's trying out the new (mostly successfully so far)rather than sticking with the same old failures of the last 5 years.

  29. #729
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Also, Ireland are giving the aussies a good game. Dominnating them despite a lack of clinical finishing making the score wank. About the best Ireland performance in a year.

  30. #730
    I'm serial viva_la_raza's Avatar
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    Gyoza, just drop it mate. In the last twenty minutes of that game the All Blacks were tactically naive and arrogant in going for seven points when three points were consistantly on offer. It is that mindset that has prevented you from winning the world cup for so long.

    Basically, what I'm saying is, they still had plenty of time to win the game.

    It was 20-18 at the end. New Zealand were camped out in the French 22 for much of the final ten minutes and yet wanted a try when a kick would have been enough. Thats the end of the argument, drop it and learn that you are not too good to win games by drop goals.

    And, as I recall, there were a host of forward passes that night from both sides that weren't called on, and one in the build up or leading up to a move that New Zealand scored a try from- which has been overlooked by all of your Kiwi scapegoating. All Black mastery of the forward past is legendary.

  31. #731
    I'm serial viva_la_raza's Avatar
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    Positive stuff from England today though. Good stuff, hopefully Johnson can build this group of players into winners. I hate the fact that most people expect it to take a couple of months. Doesn't anyone remember how long it took Woodward to reach the mighty 2003 team?

    Good stuff. I'm cautiously optimistic about English rugby again

  32. #732
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Ireland's line out is a mother fucking joke. If they had a half decent one they would probably have taken the lead here.

  33. #733
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by viva_la_raza View Post
    Gyoza, just drop it mate. In the last twenty minutes of that game the All Blacks were tactically naive and arrogant in going for seven points when three points were consistantly on offer. It is that mindset that has prevented you from winning the world cup for so long.

    Basically, what I'm saying is, they still had plenty of time to win the game.

    It was 20-18 at the end. New Zealand were camped out in the French 22 for much of the final ten minutes and yet wanted a try when a kick would have been enough. Thats the end of the argument, drop it and learn that you are not too good to win games by drop goals.
    The worth thing is the management from the bench sent out the order for a drop goal the players ignored it.But considering I was symathetic to the All Blacks before I am getting tired of Kiwi's bringing it up as if it's news.

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    Exactly. Even us English drop the whole "We waz robbed" tirade eventually.

    Like with Cueto's try in the final

  35. #735
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    Quote Originally Posted by viva_la_raza View Post
    Gyoza, just drop it mate. In the last twenty minutes of that game the All Blacks were tactically naive and arrogant in going for seven points when three points were consistantly on offer. It is that mindset that has prevented you from winning the world cup for so long.

    Basically, what I'm saying is, they still had plenty of time to win the game.

    It was 20-18 at the end. New Zealand were camped out in the French 22 for much of the final ten minutes and yet wanted a try when a kick would have been enough. Thats the end of the argument, drop it and learn that you are not too good to win games by drop goals.

    And, as I recall, there were a host of forward passes that night from both sides that weren't called on, and one in the build up or leading up to a move that New Zealand scored a try from- which has been overlooked by all of your Kiwi scapegoating. All Black mastery of the forward past is legendary.
    You seem to be under the impression that it was just the forward pass that is the issue. The source of disappointment and resentment towards Wayne Barnes is the forward pass, his decision to only referee 1 side in the second half and the laundry list of errors he made, which start with 17~24 (depending on who you talk to) missed calls against the French in the last quarter, a hysterical overreaction where he produced a yellow card for an offence that was borderline at best, his ignorance of basic rules of the game like the off-side law, his ignorance of scrummaging laws including what happens when the team that has the put-in gets turned 90 degrees and then his failure to detect a blatant forward pass, with the news that he decided to let the try stand despite being told there was a forward pass in the build up serving to exacerbate things. The fact that we're then criticised for pointing out his ineptitude as a referee because he has a few good games at the club level is just galling. There's an attitude that seems to prioritise referees, placing them on a ridiculous pedestal, with an acceptance of incompetence from them, with hostility being directed towards the people that question this flawed status quo. The referee wasn't the only reason we lost there, but the fact that he had a malign influence on the outcome of the game can not be discounted either. Had there been a competent referee appointed to that match, it would have been a very different outcome. Had it been just the one error, we'll probably say "ah fuck." and leave it at that. Instead, it was one of the worst refereeing displays ever seen at the test level.

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    I'm sure if it had been the other way, you (and the rest of New Zealand) would have just called the French sore losers.

    I'm not arguing that the he wasn't bad, in fact I believe he has not been selected for any forthcoming tests because of poor decisions- but my argument still stands.

    Fair point you make though, even though they do both go hand in hand (bad decisions vs New Zealand mentality) I just hate the fact that Kiwi's are still going on about it.

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    I forgot there was even a sin-binning in that game. What was it for?

  38. #738
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    Quote Originally Posted by eldanielfire View Post
    Fucking cheating kiwi's.They're worse than france, they cheat with forward passes an knock on's not being called.


    Seriously, a lot of posistives there, the score line flattered the All Blacks whose best period by far was the 10 minutes England were down to 14 men which killed it. However it's still disturbing England seems unable to focus for the whole game like with wales and Scotland. Some mental conditioning is needed for this young side.

    In more posistives it's great that the England first choicers were essentially good against the worlds best. Brown was a tad poor and his weakness' exposed (A sahame) Matt Steven's who has been awesome this season hasn't exactly found his form for England recently. Of course Charlie Hodgson was fucking shite, but I flagged that up before. I hope Sales fans finally shut the fuck up about how amazing he is. Barlay should have been the starter 10 seeing as he's better. But then Cipriani, Wilkinson, Geraghty and Flood are better choices but are all injured. I'd give Ryan Lamb a try over Hodgson. he's light weight but a fucing amazing attacker.

    My man Haskell was pretty goodas was Rees. Ojo was devestating with his 2 tries. He's certainly made a case for being considered as a starter on the wing and Strettle showed what a good player he is. Danny Care had an unsteady start but showed his potential with that superb kick for Ojo's second.


    Matthew Tait has to think what the fuck he has to do to get a game? Actually Anthony Allen has to think what the fuck he has to do to get into the squad. At leats Johnson's selective is demonstrating that he's trying out the new (mostly successfully so far)rather than sticking with the same old failures of the last 5 years.
    Once England lost the momentum, it was the All Blacks that took control of the match. I don't know what game you were watching, since it was England that was flattered by the final score. The English scrum was dominated by the All Blacks, with Sheridan being nullified by Yoda. The rucks and mauls were a free-for-all due to Owens' lackadaisical refereeing there, but the All Blacks definitely had the better of their English counter-parts there. Haskell didn't have much of an impact and was clearly outplayed by Rodders, while Rees, to his credit, did do OK against Fluffy. Tuitavake had a tough time on attack since the ball hardly went in his direction but he was a beast on defence and put a stop to attacks by the English on their left wing. Carter had a much better game against Hodgson and he'll probably improve next week. He's starting to hit peak form, and this is a guy that spent a fair bit of the S14 on the shelf due to injury. The English midfield was absolutely porous in defence, with Barkley and Tindall acting as turnstiles while Nonu and Snakey ran roughshod through them. Thorn was great as usual, while Ellis had a mixed game where he made some basic errors and let himself lose his composure at times, but he also earned us quite a few penalties with his incessant chatter at the ref. Shades of Gregan, there. The areas of concern for us were the line-out where Williams had a poor game by his lofty standards and the fact that once the All Blacks were in charge, they took their foot off the gas and went into cruise control, allowing England to take charge of the last quarter. The players off the bench were quite poor, especially Cowan, Mealamu and Lauaki (particularly the latter).

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    Quote Originally Posted by viva_la_raza View Post
    I forgot there was even a sin-binning in that game. What was it for?
    Yannick Jauzion ran into Luke McAlister and McAlister got binned for that.

  40. #740
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    Lucky not to see red, to be honest.

  41. #741
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    What makes Williams' statements so refreshing is that Barnes' performance in Cardiff was the elephant in the living room when discussing what went wrong in 2007, because of some ridiculous code where the referee shall not be named. In 1999, the French were the better team in the second half. In 2003, a fired up Wallabies side were the better team on the day and never even let us into the game. This time around, the referee took the game away from us and there's lingering resentment misdirected towards Graham Henry, especially from the sports media who had anointed Robbie Deans as their golden boy and they've turned into a lynchmob since Henry got re-appointed. What Williams has done is point out the elephant and have told people to shut their goddamned traps before they start blaming Henry for all of their life's problems.

  42. #742
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gyoza View Post
    Once England lost the momentum, it was the All Blacks that took control of the match. I don't know what game you were watching, since it was England that was flattered by the final score.
    So Engalnd controlled the first 20 and the All Blacks controlled the last 20. No concidenc ethat last 20 was when Hodgson was taken off. Hardly flattering to England, especially as Strettle should have scored a try. And lets be fair England's midfield were mostly 3rd choice. Wigglesworth is 3rd to Harry Ellis and Care, Hodgson is about 7th choice after a whole host starting with Cipriani and Barklay is possibly the 4th choice inside centre. Most Englandd fans don't think Tindall should be near the England squad and we're still wondering what Tait did wrong. In his last 2 non-blood appearence he ripped appart the Boks in the World Cup final and smoothly scored a great try against Ireland. And yet Balshaw has played 5 fucking games in that time.

    All Blacks were in charge, they took their foot off the gas and went into cruise control, allowing England to take charge of the last quarter. The players off the bench were quite poor, especially Cowan, Mealamu and Lauaki (particularly the latter).
    I should add England essentially doesn't ahve a manager. I mean Rob Andrew has never managed a team and is generally regarded as a shite director of Rugby.

    The team for the next test should be:

    1 Sherridan
    2. Hartly
    3. Stevens
    4. Palmer
    5. Brothwick
    6. Haskell
    7. Rees
    8. Narroway
    9. Care
    10. Flood/Barklyey
    11. Vrandell/Strettle
    12. Flood/Wardock
    13. Tait/Noon
    14. Ojo
    15. Tait/Brown

  43. #743
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    Results over the weekend:
    New Zealand 37 - 20 England in Auckland
    For the All Blacks:
    Tries by Conrad Smith, Daniel Carter, Malili Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu
    4 conversions and 3 penalty goals by Carter
    For England:
    Tries by Topsy Ojo (2)
    2 conversions and 2 penalty goals by Ollie Barkley

    Australia 18 - 12 Ireland in Melbourne
    For the Wallabies:
    Tries by Berrick Barnes and James Horwill
    Conversion and 2 penalty goals by Matt Giteau
    For Ireland:
    Tries by Denis Leamy and Brian O'Driscoll
    Conversion by Ronan O'Gara

    South Africa 37 - 21 Wales in Pretoria
    For the Springboks:
    Tries by Jean de Villiers (2), Enrico Januarie and Bismarck du Plessis
    4 conversions and 3 penalty goals by Butch James
    For Wales:
    Tries by Gareth Cooper and Shane Williams
    Conversion and 3 penalty goals by Stephen Jones

    Argentina 14 - 26 Scotland in Buenos Aires
    For the Pumas:
    Tries by Juan Fernandez Lobbe and Horacio Agulla
    2 conversions by Federico Todeschini
    For Scotland:
    Tries by Ross Ford and Graeme Morrison
    2 conversions and 4 penalty goals by Chris Paterson

  44. #744
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    holy crap, tries!

  45. #745
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    It's a rare away win for Frank Hadden's Scotland. It's probably not enough to keep the wolves away from his door though.

  46. #746
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    Australia now gear up for a 2-test series against France, albeit one that has been crippled by the clubs. England must now regather after being beaten by the All Blacks, who were allegedly ripe for the picking, while South Africa can breathe a little easier going into a test match against Italy.

  47. #747
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  48. #748
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    Big blow.

  49. #749
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    brazil
    Eh, it's not as if we've got much hope anyway.

    Oh and also, TOPSY 4 LYF.

  50. #750
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    All Blacks squad to face England in Christchurch
    1. Neemia Tialata
    2. Andrew Hore
    3. Greg Somerville
    4. Brad Thorn
    5. Ali Willliams
    6. Adam Thomson
    7. Richie McCaw (Captain)
    8. Rodney So'oialo
    9. Andrew Ellis
    10. Daniel Carter
    11. Rudi Wulf
    12. Ma'a Nonu
    13. Richard Kahui
    14. Sitiveni Sivivatu
    15. Leon MacDonald

    16. Keven Mealamu
    17. Tony Woodcock
    18. Anthony Boric
    19. Sione Lauaki
    20. Jimmy Cowan
    21. Stephen Donald
    22. Malili Muliaina

    England squad to face All Blacks
    1. Tim Payne
    2. Lee Mears
    3. Matt Stevens
    4. Tom Palmer
    5. Steve Borthwick (Captain)
    6. James Haskell
    7. Tom Rees
    8. Luke Narraway
    9. Danny Care
    10. Toby Flood
    11. Tom Varndell
    12. Jamie Noon
    13. Mike Tindall
    14. Topsy Ojo
    15. Matthew Tait

    16. David Paice
    17. Jason Hobson
    18. Ben Kay
    19. Joe Worsley
    20. Peter Richards
    21. Olly Barkley
    22. David Strettle

  51. #751
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Apparently 4 Englan players have been accused of something which the media is assuming sexual assult. I'm 100% certain that if this is true then Olly "When girls say no they really mean yes" Barkley will be involved.

  52. #752
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    On the RUgby matters, I'm liking the Team a lot better but Noon and Tindall in Midfield?!???

    Not going to be a game of skill.....

  53. #753
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    Noon and Tindall have already been tried out before in the midfield and it wasn't exactly a rip-roaring success.

    Looking at our line-up, the tight-five that took apart the English scrum last week are being fielded again, with the world's best loosehead prop Tony Woodcock casting an ominous figure on the bench. Keven Mealamu will probably be used around the 60th minute again as an impact sub.
    The loose forward trio of Thomson, McCaw and So'oialo offers a great deal of mobility and it's clear that Henry intends to have them run Haskell/Rees/Narraway ragged. With Thomson's ability to play in all three loose forward positions, expect to see some switching around between him and Rodders.
    Wulf replaces Tuitavake on the wing, which is an expected call since Wulf was due a go. Tuitavake's probably confirmed a spot in the squad anyway with some massive displays on defence and his attacking value is already well-known. Wulf offers a more conservative choice, as he does the basics right. It's also amazing that he's even there since he nearly died in a diving accident 3 years ago which broke his neck and left him fighting for his life. MacDonald makes a straight swap with Muliaina. Rangi was playing better than Mils anyway.
    Lauaki surprisingly gets another go from the bench this week. Kaino's probably confirmed his spot like Tuitavake, so he's probably just being given a rest.

  54. #754
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    New All Black hails mum's support

    By DANIEL GILHOOLY

    The most important step on Rudi Wulf's miraculous journey to an All Blacks rugby jersey was the blessing of his mum.

    There will be more than the odd tear shed in the Wulf family when the 24-year-old runs on to AMI Stadium here on Saturday for his test debut against England, having conquered a broken neck that threatened to derail a dream.
    Three years after fracturing vertebrae when he dived head-first into the shallow end of a swimming pool, Wulf heaped thanks on the support of parents Hugo and Meta, fiancee Nancy and his church.
    They were always there when he spent three months imprisoned by an upper body halo brace to immobilise his spine, held in place by bolts to his head to restrict movement.
    Then there were two more months in a standard neck brace before six months regaining the fitness and mental confidence to return to the field.
    "I always wanted to get back into rugby, I hadn't had enough yet. It was the thing I had the most passion for," Wulf said, remembering how Meta didn't share his desire.
    "She wasn't keen on me going back into it, especially seeing me in that halo brace, it was pretty hard for her.
    "But she could see that deep down inside I wanted to pursue my dream."
    After that year of virtual inactivity and early warnings from a specialist that he may risk further damage on the rugby field, Wulf nevertheless returned for his North Harbour club Marist.
    It was a solid knee to his head in just the second game back that convinced him all would be well.
    "I heard a cracking sound. I got up and gave it a bit of a twist and turn to see if anything hurt but it was all fine. That was pretty much the all-clear for me," Wulf said.
    Selection for North Harbour was followed by two seasons of impressive Super 14 form for the Blues, where his all round game kept some quality rivals on the sideline.
    While he isn't the quickest winger in the country, Wulf possesses a mistake-free style and a remarkable propensity in the tackle and under high balls considering his background.
    He hoped to repay the faith of the All Blacks coaches, who made room for him on the left wing by dropping Blues team-mate Anthony Tuitavake and shifting Sitiveni Sivivatu to the right wing.
    As Wulf runs out it would be no surprise if his mind flashes back to those endless weeks spent watching television and cursing the itchy halo brace that couldn't be removed.
    There were visits from Blues team-mates Keven Mealamu and Derren Witcombe to maintain sanity while Wulf well remembers a surprise guest in the hospital – England veteran No 8 Lawrence Dallaglio not long after he suffered an injury that ruled him out of that year's Lions tour of New Zealand.
    "That lifted my spirits. He just said to hang in there, everything's going to be all right."
    Wulf managed to keep a sense of humour throughout the grim period when a normal life, let alone a return rugby, were uncertain.
    He asked to keep the halo brace as a souvenir when it was removed, "just for the memories", and was surprised to be declined.
    And an important life lesson had been learned, one that will apply when he enters swimming pools around the world.
    "I make sure I know the depth first. And it's mainly feet first now."
    -NZPA
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4589178a24459.html

    Also, Tialata's pissed off at Stevens now. Probably not a good idea, since Tialata's known to be a bit of a nutter at times.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4588593a24459.html

    And predictably, more whinging from the Poms over the ELVs, without having even played a single game under them.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4588598a24459.html

  55. #755
    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gyoza View Post
    Noon and Tindall have already been tried out before in the midfield and it wasn't exactly a rip-roaring success.
    Rob Andrew has long been seen as the problem with English Rugby since 2003. I'm guessing being actually and directly in charge of the team is a nightmare. He's is also the least inspiring person ever!

  56. #756
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    New Zealand 44 - 12 England in Christchurch
    For the All Blacks:

    Tries by Richard Kahui, Daniel Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Sione Lauaki and Jimmy Cowan
    4 conversions and 3 penalty goals by Carter
    Conversion by Stephen Donald
    For England:
    Tries by Danny Care and Tom Varndell
    Conversion by Olly Barkley

  57. #757
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    Seriously Mike Ford and John Wells should be fucking fired. Through 3 managers now England have been shit house under their coaching yet the RFU insist they remain on the staff. Under fucking Ford, the amazing defence coach England have averaged 25 points conceed per game. Yet 3 managers, who didn't pick to work with him have been fired in this period. FUCK OFF YOU CUNT!

    I hope Johnson rips them in half and shits on the peices.

    On the other han Tait was good but is probably best at 13. Tindall and Noon are shit as expected. Tindall doesn't have it anymore and Noon doesn't have the brain. Josh Lewsey should be brought back as full back. Varndell gave a better account for himself than a few years back. With a run he could be a dangerous test player yet and the back row again held it's own decently against the all blacks at the breakdown. England still have a lock problem and a midfield leaking goalsproblem. Danny Care showed he will be good and the midfield problem at least is due to the fact pretty much the entire 1st and 2nd choice was missing anyway.
    Last edited by eldanielfire; June 21st, 2008 at 6:25 AM.

  58. #758
    no fat chicks Gyoza's Avatar
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    England's night in a nutshell, really. Tait had a great opportunity here and the ball inexplicably went flying forwards out of his hands.

    There were some areas of concern for us. The English did get a few too many turnovers for our liking, but that's probably more to do with losing OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR RICHIE MCCAW fairly early in the game. The line-out wasn't particularly great, but it was an improvement on last week and there were some careless errors in there, like Carter kicking the ball out on a kickoff but nothing that really affected the outcome of the game.
    That said, Adam Thomson had a great game. The guy's turned down overseas offers just to play for Otago and is the kind of player who leaves his guts all over the paddock at the end of every game. Imagine how chuffed he is to wear the black jersey while Kahui has made a smooth transition to test rugby after a couple of injury-plagued years. It was heartening to see the team hardly shaken by losing Ali Williams and Richie McCaw. Losing players of that calibre could potentially cripple any other side, but the All Blacks got over it and worked through it. Woodcock had a few hiccups in the scrums early on, but that's expected since he's returing from injury. He did get Stevens' number fairly quickly though and started to dominate once he settled back in.

    The main issue for England is clearly in the backline. The forwards were competetive in all areas of the game, with Haskell, Rees and Narraway once again doing a solid job. The management don't seem to have any idea who they should select in the backline, and while some players like Danny Care did OK for themselves, they were overall fairly exposed, particularly the midfield which turned into a turnstile for Nonu and Kahui to burst through.

  59. #759
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    South Africa 26 - 0 Italy in Cape Town
    For the Springboks:
    Tries by Bismarck du Plessis (2), François Steyn and Beast Mtwarira
    3 conversions by Steyn

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    Guess the four. Apparently the England players who came NZ, came to NZ and raped NZ women (or or elikely a dirty slut who did two o 'em while another two watched before her BF couldn't take it) can be described as thus:


    One of the alleged 'f*ckers' started both tests (had a good game that night), the other played the first test and will in all probability never play for England again (too slow).
    One of the watchers started the second test (one of the few to have a good game) and the other is injured but did start in the first test.

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    1. One of the loose forwards
    2. Charlie Hodgson
    3. Danny Care
    4. Andrew Sheridan

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    Good stuff. However Ojo could be in place of one of the loose forwards if it's true. And this England star is going to be ripped apart by his team mates when he gets back to Quins for this:

    http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/2206...nt_rugby.shtml



    Model tells of star's sex marathon on England rugby's night of shame

    Team bussed girls to 'rape claim' hotel

    By Lucy Panton & Frank Thorne
    THE blonde Alice in Wonderland girl who romped with an England star on rugby's night of shame today lifts the sheets on the rape claim scandal.


    Sophie Lewis—pictured here in her party outfit for the first time—sensationally reveals that the "RAMPANT RABBIT" who bedded her at the team hotel was winger David Strettle.
    "He pressed all the right buttons and kissed me in all the right places," she says. "He was so energetic."
    But Strettle was missing from England's latest humiliating defeat in New Zealand yesterday with a hamstring injury. ALICE'S SEX WONDERLAND: David was fantastic says Sophie.
    The 22-year-old beauty—known as Angel—also tells how players didn't have to sneak girls back from a sleazy club for sex on the night of the alleged rape.
    That's because they were FERRIED there in a minibus laid on by the OFFICIAL MINDERS supposed to be keeping an eye on the team's behaviour.
    Sophie, who had been at a fancy dress bash, also details the EIGHT-HOUR BOOZE SESSION of a team who have now been hammered twice by the All Blacks on their New Zealand tour of shame.
    And she says Harlequins ace Strettle, 24, even BRAGGED to her after their marathon sex session that another FIVE of his team-mates had been scoring that night too.
    Sophie, 22, said: "My England man put rampant rabbits to shame—even though he'd been drinking all night," said 22-year-old Sophie.
    "We did it all night long before he got up at eight to go for physio. He was probably still drunk then.
    "His body was pretty much a perfect 10. He was such an accomplished lover and we did it in every position imaginable. But maybe he shouldn't have been behaving like this on an international rugby tour.
    "And although it was just about the best sex I've ever had—it's not something that will go down well with the fans."
    Four other England players are are at the centre of a police rape probe involving an 18-year-old girl at the team's hotel, the Hilton in Auckland. They are due to fly home with the squad today having refused to be interviewed by police.
    The girl, who was reportedly examined by a doctor yesterday, claims two assaulted her while the others watched.
    The alleged incident happened early last Sunday—the same night Sophie met Strettle at the city's Pony Club.
    HAVE ENGLAND STARS SHAMED RUGBY? TELL US HERE
    By the time Sophie got there at 3am the sleazy nightspot in Auckland's red-light district was besieged by women queuing round the block to snare a rugby ace after word got round that England players were inside along with some of the All Blacks. Huge


    "There is always a queue at the club but that night it was huge—full of girls wanting to get themselves a player," says Alice who had been to a Mad Hatter's Tea Party at a pal's. "I went straight to the front of the queue as I know the staff very well."
    Dressed in her baby blue mini-dress complete with Alice band and white, knee-length socks, Kiwi Sophie soon caught the eyes of the English players.
    "It was obvious who they were by their size. I recognised Olly Barclay, the kicker. Then a couple of players came over and chatted to me. One was Luke Narraway and the other was James Haskell.
    "Then another English player came over. He said he was David Strettle. We chatted for a while and the other two drifted off. He was attractive, funny and charming. We just kinda clicked."
    Strettle and the other England players were already well into an eight-hour drinking binge. "The players were all knocking back drinks and had been there several hours," says Sophie.
    "David drank a few beers while I was with him but I don't know how much he drank."
    Some players, including All Blacks, tried a couple of the Thunderball house cocktail—a mix of Jagermeister liqueur plunged into a long glass of Red Bull which is set alight.
    "I was dancing and kissing with David when he said, ‘have you ever stayed at a Hilton before?' He had all the lines and all the moves," says Sophie.
    By 5am. Sophie was ready to leave. She agreed to go to the hotel—but there was no question of Strettle having to sneak her past the minders.
    "They were there watching the players and waiting for them to leave," says Sophie. "The place was full of girls hitting on players."
    And the security staff laid on the transport back to the Hilton.
    "When I agreed to go back with David one of the team's minders took us around to the back of the club where an eight-seater was waiting to take us back to the hotel," says Sophie. "There was no sneaking about. It was very open."
    Soon the couple were back at the hotel and went straight up to Strettle's room on the seventh floor...and his king-sized bed.
    "We slowly undressed each other and ended up in bed," says Sophie. "It was very romantic. He was a fantastic lover. We made love for more than two hours.
    "His tackle was nothing to be ashamed of either. It was daylight before we'd had enough." She fell asleep after he'd gone for physio—but he was back by the time she woke. They started chatting and Strettle bragged he wasn't the only player to bring a girl back to the Hilton for sex.
    "He told me five of the guys from the team had brought girls home and that one had even brought back a 45-year-old woman." Minutes later there was banging on the door. Four of Strettle's team mates were outside.
    "They were knocking, calling out ‘Alice' I laughed," says Sophie.
    "David asked me if he should let them in. I said no because we were still in bed—but they kept knocking and wouldn't go away. So I said OK. "They came in and started chatting. Then one of the guys just pulled the duvet off us. They were laughing. They ran out of the door with it. David apologised and told me, ‘it's just the young ones'."
    When she decided it was time to leave, Strettle kissed her goodbye. "I went for a taxi alone because David said one of the guys had just walked his girl to her taxi and the rugby coaches had told him off," she says.
    "They warned him not to do that or he'd get in trouble. I didn't think it was worth getting David's phone number. I'd love to see him again but I was quite happy how it ended."
    She says she was shocked when an 18-year-old girl—said yesterday to be a bar worker—claimed she was raped. "It just sounds really weird to me that they would do that because the players I met were all really nice," says Sophie. "I know David definitely wasn't involved because he was with me."
    But Sophie was surprised that Strettle didn't play yesterday because of hamstring trouble. "He didn't have an injury when he was in bed with me," she says. Last night as players retired to their hotel rooms after their defeat in Christchurch security guards were lining the corridors to prevent any more shameful incidents.

    What do they make of this down in middle earth?
    Last edited by eldanielfire; June 23rd, 2008 at 5:00 PM.

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    We're thinking "hahahaha, silly English players." She is in no way representative of the women of Auckland, BTW.

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    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Methins he doth protest too much

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    She won't be turning any heads in Auckland, that's for sure.

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    Wallabies squad to face France in Sydney
    1. Benn Robinson
    2. Stephen Moore
    3. Al Baxter
    4. James Horwill
    5. Nathan Sharpe
    6. Rocky Elsom
    7. George Smith
    8. Wycliff Palu
    9. Luke Burgess
    10. Matt Giteau
    11. Lote Tuqiri
    12. Berrick Barnes
    13. Stirling Mortlock (Captain)
    14. Peter Hynes
    15. Cameron Shepherd

    16. Adam Freier
    17. Ben Alexander
    18. Dean Mumm
    19. Phil Waugh
    20. Sam Cordingley
    21. Ryan Cross
    22. Adam Ashley-Cooper

    France squad to face the Wallabies
    1. Lionel Faure
    2. Sebastien Bruno
    3. Benoit Lecouls
    4. Sebastien Chabal
    5. Lionel Nallet (Captain)
    6. Imanol Harinordoquy
    7. Fulgence Ouedraogo
    8. Louis Picamoles
    9. Dmitri Yachvili
    10. Benjamin Boyet
    11. Benjamin Thiery
    12. Damien Traille
    13. Francois Trinh-Duc
    14. Alexis Palisson
    15. Pepito Elhorga

    16. Benjamin Kayser
    17. Renaud Boyoud
    18. David Couzinet
    19. Matthieu Lievremont
    20. Sebastien Tillous-Bordes
    21. Thubault Lacroix
    22. David Janin
    Last edited by Gyoza; June 28th, 2008 at 4:16 PM.

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    Warning. Rabidly Arsenal. eldanielfire's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gyoza View Post
    1. One of the loose forwards
    2. Charlie Hodgson
    3. Danny Care
    4. Andrew Sheridan

    Some pretty goo guesses. The info I had was close but not on the ball. It's Brown, Strettle, Ojo and Care. What nobody has said is who was doing the dirty deed and who are the fucks who like to watch:




    Seriously, I'm not deflecting attention off the All Blacks whoopoing us at all

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    Quote Originally Posted by eldanielfire View Post
    Seriously Mike Ford and John Wells should be fucking fired. Through 3 managers now England have been shit house under their coaching yet the RFU insist they remain on the staff. Under fucking Ford, the amazing defence coach England have averaged 25 points conceed per game. Yet 3 managers, who didn't pick to work with him have been fired in this period. FUCK OFF YOU CUNT!

    I hope Johnson rips them in half and shits on the peices.

    On the other han Tait was good but is probably best at 13. Tindall and Noon are shit as expected. Tindall doesn't have it anymore and Noon doesn't have the brain. Josh Lewsey should be brought back as full back. Varndell gave a better account for himself than a few years back. With a run he could be a dangerous test player yet and the back row again held it's own decently against the all blacks at the breakdown. England still have a lock problem and a midfield leaking goalsproblem. Danny Care showed he will be good and the midfield problem at least is due to the fact pretty much the entire 1st and 2nd choice was missing anyway.
    England were absolutely rubbish, I have to say. Bar a few good performances (Care, Haskell, Rees, Narraway), they were uniformly uninspired and had a dumb gameplan. When you look at the rucks and mauls, they overcommitted forwards to them, leaving gaps all over. It did get them a fair share of turnover ball, but since the All Blacks loosies played in a left/right flanker system, it played right into their hands. So'oialo would go in to tackle an England player, England come rushing to the ruck, turn the ball back and the first receiver runs right into Adam Thomson who's been waiting for this exact scenario. Further, the England backline had no creativity whatsoever. They had more posession in the game but they had no idea what to do with it. How often did you see an England player go forwards? Whenever they had the ball, they were either running at the All Black defence hoping to punch a hole through, being forced to take the ball out wide or being driven backwards in a tackle. Further, the biggest area of concern is the midfield. Noon was brought in to help Tindall provide a defensive wall against the All Blacks midfield, who had no trouble slicing right through Barkley and Tindall the previous week. Ma'a Nonu and Richard Kahui had no trouble going through Noon and Tindall, meaning they failed miserably in their duties. Further, Tindall was a defensive liability at times, as he would get suckered in by the All Blacks attack, creating a gap to be exploited. A couple of the tries featured this.

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    I agree with Tindall completely. He's neitehr able to physically force holes in defenses, can't tackle particularly well these days and never had the skills to offer anything else. He really needs to be dropped and forgotton unless he comes into some amazing form.

    As for some of teh rest the best 3 or 4 english flyhalfs (Cipriani, Wilkinson, Lamb, Goode) wheere either injured or not picked. Hodgson has never been any good at International level and in fact a total libality while Barkley has not reproduced his club form at Fly Half for England becaus ehe's posistion for a long tiem has been inside forward where he has really flourished. The same for Flood who has been a 12 for a long time now even if he can do fly half stuff with Wilkinson at 10. It was a rotten selection at 10 and 12.

    Of course saying Engalnd had no idea is to be expected, Rob Andrew couldn't manage to wash a late and the support staff have been terrible udner 3 different managers. Wells and Ford seem unforeable regardless of the fact England have had the same faults in defence and attack for 4 or 5 years. Terrible considering the wealth of good coaches in the premiership. A succession of wasted talent and shiity performances form good players.

    The fact Matthew Tait hasn't been a regular sinc ethe world cup is completely barmy? He really pissed of Andrew, must have fucked his wife or something.

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    http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7476852.stm

    Dan Carter's off to play for Perpignan at the end of the year until June next year where he'll slot right back into the All Blacks.

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    I swear France have more Kiwi's and Saffer's in their league than the Super 14 these days.

    Still South Africa must be thinking that the Tri-Nations should be theirs this year.

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    They haven't been entirely convincing. After a great first-up display against Wales (which had more to do with Wales being awful than South Africa being great), they were given a much sterner test the next week and were on the verge of losing until the Welsh ran out of steam and the Springboks were able to run away with the game. In Cape Town, their forwards were given a thorough going over by the Italians, who burrowed in and played the most negative game of their lives.

    New Zealand started off well, playing excellently to the conditions. They did become very loose against England, winning the match with just 15 minutes of work in the first test of the series and giving a thorough pounding in the second. Once they had control of the game, the errors started creeping in, but by then they were over 20 points ahead, so it's hard to get an accurate guage on it. The players are lining up for their clubs this weeked, except for the Crusaders who haven't had a rest in over 2 months.
    On the injury front, Ali Williams is recovering faster than expected, so a replacement may not be necessary. However, one will probably be named. Richie McCaw is out for 6 weeks which is a concern and a replacement should be named soon.
    The candidates are:
    Chris Masoe - former All Black, he was dropped this year, but McCaw's injury may be a lifeline for him. Steve Hansen's headed over to his club game to see how he's doing so he's still in the frame.
    Tanerau Latimer - former Sevens player, has been touted as an All Black in waiting and this is the first time he's had significant game time at 7 due to being in the same Super 14 franchise area as Marty Holah and Nili Latu for years. With both players leaving to take up contracts overseas, he's been thrust into the starting spot for both the Chiefs and Bay of Plenty and has performed admirably. He has also been playing quite well for the NZ Maori in the Pacific Nations Cup, which is the next highest level after test rugby.
    Liam Messam - former Sevens player, another that's been touted as an All Black in waiting. He can play in all three loose forward positions and has a tremendous amount of skill. He's the least likely candidate though, as he tends to be more concerned with doing the flashy stuff. He has Michael Jones' stamp of approval though and seeing as how he's considered one of, if not the best openside flanker this country has ever seen, his opinion does carry some weight.

    The Wallabies are still an unknown quantity. They've only played 1 game, where they weren't entirely convincing, losing to an Irish team that never really threatened the All Blacks in the wet the previous week. We'll know more about them by tomorrow, after they've taken on France. Their scrum's still rubbish though.

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    Australia 34 - 13 France in Sydney
    For the Wallabies:
    Tries by Matt Giteau, Nathan Sharpe, Rocky Elsom and Stirling Mortlock
    4 conversions and 2 penalty goals by Giteau
    For France:
    Try by Alexis Palisson
    Conversion by Francois Trinh-Duc
    2 penalty goals by Dimitri Yachvili

    Terrible, terrible performance from the Wallabies. Remember, this is the same calibre of opposition that a sub-par All Blacks side put 60+ points on last year. Frankly, if they play like that against the All Blacks, Springboks or a full-strength French team, they're in for a serious rugby lesson.

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    Argentina 12 - 13 Italy in Cordoba
    For the Pumas:
    2 penalty goals by Juan Martin Hernandez
    2 penalty goals by Marcelo Bosch
    For Italy:
    Try by Leonardo Ghiraldini
    Conversion and 2 penalty goals by Andrea Marcato

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    Chris Masoe and Kevin O'Neill have been called up to cover for Richie McCaw and Ali Williams. Masoe gets the nod ahead of Tanerau Latimer and Liam Messam based on his utility value and knowledge of the All Blacks systems, having been an integral part of it since 2005, while O'Neill is called up based on his skill with the kick-offs and reliability in the air. I can live with both selections.

    Rodney So'oialo has been announced as the captain during McCaw's absence, which was expected. He's been a tremendous captain for Wellington and the Hurricanes over the last few years. Good call by Henry.

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    All Blacks squad to face Springboks in Wellington
    1. Tony Woodcock
    2. Andrew Hore
    3. Greg Somerville
    4. Brad Thorn
    5. Ali Williams
    6. Adam Thomson
    7. Rodney So'oialo (Captain)
    8. Jerome Kaino
    9. Andrew Ellis
    10. Daniel Carter
    11. Rudi Wulf
    12. Ma'a Nonu
    13. Conrad Smith
    14. Sitiveni Sivivatu
    15. Malili Muliaina

    16. Keven Mealamu
    17. Neemia Tialata
    18. Anthony Boric
    19. Sione Lauaki
    20. Jimmy Cowan
    21. Stephen Donald
    22. Leon MacDonald


    Wallabies squad to face France in Brisbane
    1. Benn Robinson
    2. Stephen Moore
    3. Al Baxter
    4. James Horwill
    5. Nathan Sharpe
    6. Rocky Elsom
    7. Phil Waugh
    8. Stephen Hoiles
    9. Luke Burgess
    10. Matt Giteau
    11. Lachlan Turner
    12. Berrick Barnes
    13. Stirling Mortlock (Captain)
    14. Peter Hynes
    15. Adam Ashley-Cooper

    16. Adam Freier
    17. Ben Alexander
    18. Dean Mumm
    19. George Smith
    20. Sam Cordingley
    21. Ryan Cross
    22. Cameron Shepherd
    Last edited by Gyoza; July 1st, 2008 at 6:17 AM.

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    England Elite Squad
    Forwards:
    Steve Borthwick (Saracens) - Lock
    George Chuter (Leicester Tigers) - Hooker
    Jordan Crane (Leicester Tigers) - No. 8
    Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers) - Flanker
    Dylan Hartley (Northampton) - Hooker
    James Haskell (London Wasps) - Flanker
    Nick Kennedy (London Irish) - Lock
    Lee Mears (Bath) - Hooker
    Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers) - Flanker
    Luke Narraway (Gloucester) - No. 8
    Tom Palmer (London Wasps) - Lock
    Tim Payne (London Wasps) - Prop
    Tom Rees (London Wasps) - Flanker
    Simon Shaw (London Wasps) - Lock
    Andrew Sheridan (Sale) - Prop
    Matt Stevens (Bath) - Prop
    Phil Vickery (London Wasps) - Prop

    Backs:
    Olly Barkley (Gloucester) - Five-Eighth
    Danny Care (Harlequins) - Halfback
    Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers) - Halfback
    Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers) - Five-Eighth
    Riki Flutey (London Wasps) - Five-Eighth
    Shane Geraghty (London Irish) - Five-Eighth
    Dan Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers) - Centre
    Josh Lewsey (London Wasps) - Centre/Winger/Fullback
    Jamie Noon (Newcastle Falcons) - Centre
    Pete Richards (London Irish) - Halfback
    Paul Sackey (London Wasps) - Winger
    James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester) - Winger
    Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks) - Centre/Winger/Fullback
    Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers) - Winger
    Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons) - First Five-Eigth

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    Haha. look at the squad typed out in silly Key-wee language



    England Saxons squad:

    Forwards: Jack Forster (Gloucester), Jason Hobson (Bristol), David Wilson (Newcastle), Nick Wood (Gloucester), David Paice (London Irish), Andy Titterrell (Gloucester), Joe Ward (Wasps), Richard Blaze (Leicester), Louis Deacon (Leicester), Chris Jones (Sale), Ben Kay (Leicester), George Skivington (Wasps), Steffon Armitage (London Irish), Tom Guest (Harlequins), Michael Lipman (Bath), Nick Easter (Harlequins), Joe Worsley (Wasps). Backs: Nick Abendanon (Bath), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Matt Banahan (Bath), Ugo Monye (Harlequins), Topsy Ojo (London Irish), David Strettle (Harlequins), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Dominic Waldouck (Wasps), Anthony Allen (Gloucester), Danny Cipriani (Wasps), Andy Goode (Leicester), Ryan Lamb (Gloucester), Ben Foden (Northampton), Paul Hodgson (London Irish), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale).

    Seriously, looks like Johnson is looking seriously at the expansive game with that squad. Interesting to see those relegated like Tindall who hasn't really performed for England for a while and it's fucking great to see Josh Lewsey who has had a superb second half of the season at Full back which has been recenty a problem posistion for England. I think he must had fucked Ashton's wife and raped his daughter to be droped and ignored the way he was.

    I think the forwards will be interesting, the props Sherridan and either Stevens or Vickery but hooker may be interesting Dylan Heartly is a beast and can bulk up the scrum. Mears is a good lineout thrower and not bad in the lose but the Scrum hasn't been anywhee near as strong without Mark Regan inside of it, because Regan could compensate for Sheridans lack of technical ability and experience and get the best out of him wich Mears has failed to do.

    The props and the Loosies will be very interesting Easter has been relegated to the Saxons (to in jury prone) and never really had a bad game. Haskell, Rees and Narroway came away from New Zealand with their heads held high-thoough a bit to learn and I'm not entirely sold that they provide the ebst balance yet. Tom Croft is impressive because he's everywhere in the field and great in the lineouts, breakdown and defence. And while inconsistent Jordan Crane is morphing into a Dean Richards like number 8 monster.

    As for the backs, I expect Cipriani to be given his place when he recovers form injury at the end of the year. And of course Riki Flutey is an outstanding inside forward and a grect poach by England and I'm certain worth all the flack the Kiwi's will give us about it.

    With the Saxons, I can see George Skivington being promoted when Simon Shaw's legs run out with age, he could eb the next monster lock England need. If Strettle sorts out his try scoring and Ojo continues to improve then I can see them returning to the main fold soon. If Nick Abendanon can improve his tackling (which is shocking) then he's the best attacking Full Back in England and his Bath team mate Matt Banaman is potentially a monster of the like England have nevrr had as a option. Banahan had a great first season becoming the second top Try scorer and I look forward to his continued progress. Tom Guest is somebody who can be part of the great bunch of young England loosies who can come through during the past saosn or two.


    EDIT: I'm also so fucking glad Charlie 'bottle it' Hodgson is dropped altogether with Cueto who I never rated and that Lewsey and Simpson-Daniel (How the fuck was he not a England regular?!???) are back in. Ellis returning from injury is great too, he is such a quick thinking and passionate player- I've never seen him give less than 100% in any match at any time.
    Last edited by eldanielfire; July 2nd, 2008 at 2:40 PM.

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    Brian Smith is joing England as backs coach. Great choice. London Irish have played some stunning expansive stuff last season and you can see with the likes of Ojo and Paul Hodgson coming up to play devestating stuff.

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    France squad to face Wallabies
    1. Pierre Correia
    2. Sebastien Bruno
    3. Renaud Boyoud
    4. Sebastien Chabal
    5. Lionel Nallet (Captain)
    6. Matthieu Lievremont
    7. Imanol Harinordoquy
    8. Fulgence Ouedraogo
    9. Sebastian Tilous-Borde
    10. Francois Trinh-Duc
    11. David Janin
    12. Thibault Lacroix
    13. Maxim Mermoz
    14. Alexis Palisson
    15. Benjamin Thierry

    16. Benjamin Kaiser
    17. Benoit Lecouls
    18. David Couzinet
    19. Louis Picamoles
    20. Yannick Caballero
    21. Dimitri Yachvili
    22. Jean-Baptiste Peyras

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    Springboks squad to face All Blacks
    1. Gurthro Steenkamp
    2. John Smit (Captain)
    3. CJ van der Linde
    4. Bakkies Botha
    5. Victor Matfield
    6. Schalk Burger
    7. Juan Smith
    8. Joe van Niekerk
    9. Enrico Januarie
    10. Butch James
    11. Bryan Habana
    12. Jean de Villiers
    13. Adrian Jacobs
    14. Odwa Ndungane
    15. Conrad Jantjes

    16. Bismarck du Plessis
    17. Brian Mujati
    18. Andries Bekker
    19. Luke Watson
    20. Bolla Conradie
    21. Francois Steyn
    22. Percy Montgomery

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    The All Blacks are gonna get fucked.

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    Based on what? There are less line-outs now due to the nature of the game under the ELVs, while a strong scrum is seen as vital with the new 5m rule and the Springboks scrum got fucked by the Welsh and the Italians, while the All Blacks had it over the Irish and the English. Key players in the Springboks line-up (that being John Smit, Victor Matfield and Butch James) have never played under the ELVs, Burger's just coming off of an injury and the South Africans were very poor at adapting to the new rules in the Super 14.
    The only areas of concern are the second row and the back row, but due to the nature of the game, line-outs don't have the impact that they used to and a mobile tight five is vital now - something that the Springboks don't really have. Their backrow will be all aggression in the breakdown, but so will the ABs equivalents. People don't seem to realise that So'oialo is actually very skilled at the breakdown area and does the openside work for Wellington and the Hurricanes, so a move to 7 isn't that big a deal for him.

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    The rape allegations have now been updated. Apparently there was no "jealous boyfriend" involved and the police were notified by the staff at Auckland Hospital who found signs indicating sexual violation.
    The woman in question has contacted the RFU via her lawyer and she is claiming she was "sexually violated" by the 4 players and that she won't be pressing charges because she doesn't wish to face any more public scrutiny and a trial by media more than she already has. That doesn't reflect very well on our society, but the staff at Auckland Hospital deserve a pat on the back for taking an active role in trying to do the right thing.

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    New Zealand 19 - 8 South Africa in Wellington
    For the All Blacks:
    Try by Jerome Kaino
    Conversion and 4 penalty goals by Daniel Carter
    For the Springboks:
    Try by Bryan Habana
    Penalty goal by Butch James

    It's a great win for the All Blacks, who were playing without their inspirational leader, Richie "Fluffy" McCaw. Overall, it was a great performance all-round and an important win in the Tri-Nations. Rodders once again was a revelation.
    There may be some grief though during the week with Brad Thorn's moment of madness early in the game where he lifted up John Smit and threw him onto the ground. The Springboks weren't exactly guilt-free though, with constant no-arms shoulder-charges by James on Carter and frequent incidents where some of the Boks took out All Blacks off the ball. The final score of the game came when Schalk Burger was caught tackling Leon MacDonald off the ball, resulting in a converted penalty by Carter, who had a tremendous game.

    Australia 40 - 10 France in Brisbane
    For the Wallabies:
    Tries by Ryan Cross (2), Peter Hynes and James Horwill
    4 conversions and 4 penalty goals by Matt Giteau
    For France:
    Try by Francois Trinh-Duc
    Conversion by Dimitri Yachvili
    Penalty goal by Trinh-Duc

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    It was a superb game between the Blacks and 'boks. The boks should have played better in the 2nd half but a desereved win for Carter and co.

    France were pathetic. Lievremont has been clueless in his time as French manager. You can't ramdomly experiment forever.

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    If only NZ could beat good teams when it mattered.

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    Quote Originally Posted by eldanielfire View Post
    It was a superb game between the Blacks and 'boks. The boks should have played better in the 2nd half but a desereved win for Carter and co.

    France were pathetic. Lievremont has been clueless in his time as French manager. You can't ramdomly experiment forever.
    In Lievremont's defence, this tour was hobbled from the get-go by the clubs who refused to release most of their players. It was a terrible performance by them and I doubt we'll see many of them play for France again.

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    Brad Thorn's been suspended for a week for his indescretion.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4609439a10295.html

  91. #791
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gyoza View Post
    In Lievremont's defence, this tour was hobbled from the get-go by the clubs who refused to release most of their players. It was a terrible performance by them and I doubt we'll see many of them play for France again.

    They are playing in the semi-finals around now, most important part of the season where all the hard work could pay off in glory. What club in the world would give up their best players at that stage of the season for essentially a friendly?

    The summer tests are generally a waste of time for the Northern hemisphere. The players are either in recovery, injured or too tired, especially after a world cup season. Not that i ever expect any of them to best the All Blacks but the Tri-Nations countries might as well face a minow team in terms of levels of performance in the warm-ups.

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    That's a pathetic excuse. It's an issue with player management and if the clubs and unions up north can't keep from running their players into the ground, then that's their stupid problem. It's ludicrous since the French clubs have squads that number up into the 50s.

    So if you lot come down here at the end of the season and get smashed, it's because it's at the end of the season and they're all exhausted and it's a waste of time for everyone. Yet when one of our teams goes up there and loses, usually to a much smaller margin than what we see in the June internationals, then we never hear the end of it and it's a glorious win. A couple of years ago we were hearing about how awesome Ireland is because they won back-to-back tests against an experimental Wallabies side and a Springboks C team for fuck's sake.

    It goes to show what a brilliant job the NZRU has done in player management. After the S14, there's usually a couple of weeks for the players to rest and recover for the June internationals or Pacific Nations Cup. During the Air New Zealand Cup, which is contested by the top 14 provinces in the nation, the front-line ABs are given a mandatory rest period that allows them to recover and get over any niggling injuries before being reintegrated into their provincial squads at the business end of the competition, allowing them to get some game time under their belts going into the Autumn internationals. When they come back, they've got another month and a half of rest before they're assembled into their respective S14 squads for pre-season work and the cycle repeats again.
    Last edited by Gyoza; July 6th, 2008 at 5:34 AM.

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    My All Blacks ratings

    1. Tony Woodcock - 7
    - Did his bread and butter in the setpieces but went largely unsighted in the loose.

    2. Andrew Hore - 8
    - Was all industry and everywhere at once. Great game from him and definitely his best in a black jersey.

    3. Greg Somerville - 7
    - Like Woodcock, did good setpiece work and some nice work in the tight. Not much to report elsewhere though bar one occasion where he dropped the ball, but forgiveable considering the conditions.

    4. Brad Thorn - 7.5
    - Loses some marks for a moment of madness early on, but the rest of his game was fairly good. Was part of a line-out that held its own for much of the game.

    5. Ali Williams - 8.5
    - Was the man of action out of the forward pack. You wouldn't know he was carrying an injury from the way he played. Star performance on a milestone test for him. Loses 1.5 points for a big punt that unfortunately backfired, for those who will inevitably ask.

    6. Adam Thomson - 7
    - He's looking more and more at home in the black jersey and was as industrious as ever. While his game was largely quiet, he did the basics right and was always there when needed.

    7. Rodney So'oialo - 9
    - Hardly seemed to let the captaincy get to him and more than filled McCaw's boots for the night. It was a terrific game for him as he increasingly becomes the key man in the All Blacks.

    8. Jerome Kaino - 6.5
    - Patchy game from the Saint Kents Old Boy. He had a mixed first half where he did some solid work, tempered with some average including messy clearances from the scrum. It seemed like dry weather stuff that was just wrong for the conditions and Ellis was caught out because of that on one occasion. Well taken try though.

    9. Andrew Ellis - 7.5
    - Made the right options all night and was solid throughout. While his passing wasn't as crisp as what we had from the likes of Kelleher, he was always there when needed and when he decided to run the ball, he always got past the advantage line. He's busy as ever and never shies away from the confrontations.

    10. Daniel Carter - 8
    - He had a pretty good game and didn't let Butch James' ridiculous "tackling" get to him at all. His kicking options were great, and bar a missed penalty goal, was top-notch in every department. He may be a pretty boy, but he sure is hard. Decent night at the boot too. The only blemishes are a failed attempt at an ankle tap on Habana and a missed penalty, which costs him a point each, giving him an 8 out of 10.

    11. Rudi Wulf - 6.5
    - Not seen much on attack, but his defensive work was for the most part first-rate, with a well-taken clearance kick that certainly saved the ABs and kept the right side of the Springboks backline honest. He was just too late to stop Habana's try but it was a good effort on his part, seeing as how he had to run in from the other side of the field.

    12. Ma'a Nonu - 8
    - He generally got the better of Jean de Villiers, who is by far the best back the Springboks have got. de Villiers was only able to break through when Nonu was still caught at the bottom of a ruck, allowing the Springboks second-five to break through to set up Habana. Nonu though, broke past de Villiers on two occasions, so Ma'ascara gets the nod here. He was a constant menace on attack and whatever it is that he did between 2007 and this year, it was the right thing as he's been sensational all year. A real revelation at 12 and when McAlister comes back, he's going to have a real fight on his hands for that jersey.

    13. Conrad Smith - 8
    - This midfield just gets better and better doesn't it? Once upon a time we didn't have any centres with Umaga retired. Suddenly we've got an injury-free Smith and and injury-free Kahui. He may have secured a spot for now based on his performance, where he was a rock on defence, putting in big hits all night and a nuisance on attack, constantly threatening the Springboks defence when he had the ball.

    14. Sitiveni Sivivatu - 5
    - Busy game for the wifebeater, but he still seems to run hot and cold. It's hard to judge wingers in those conditions, but Jean de Villiers could've been stopped had he not made such a limp attempt at a tackle when he broke through to set up Habana's score in the corner.

    15. Malili Muliaina - 7
    - It was a decent showing for Muliaina, who while contained on attack was a reliable and assured presence in the 15 jersey. I still would prefer Rangi at 15, but Muliaina had a decent game and it looks like he's starting to rediscover his form.

  94. #794
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gyoza View Post
    That's a pathetic excuse. It's an issue with player management and if the clubs and unions up north can't keep from running their players into the ground, then that's their stupid problem. It's ludicrous since the French clubs have squads that number up into the 50s.
    Yes but the bulk of the 1st choice french squad is made up of the 4 teams who can't really release their players.

    So if you lot come down here at the end of the season and get smashed, it's because it's at the end of the season and they're all exhausted and it's a waste of time for everyone. Yet when one of our teams goes up there and loses, usually to a much smaller margin than what we see in the June internationals, then we never hear the end of it and it's a glorious win. A couple of years ago we were hearing about how awesome Ireland is because they won back-to-back tests against an experimental Wallabies side and a Springboks C team for fuck's sake.
    Oh I totally agree. It's always been a spastic situation. Hence the IRB rules on how often players play and the big change in England is the club/country agreement so players can be released from clubs weaks early.

    It goes to show what a brilliant job the NZRU has done in player management. After the S14, there's usually a couple of weeks for the players to rest and recover for the June internationals or Pacific Nations Cup. During the Air New Zealand Cup, which is contested by the top 14 provinces in the nation, the front-line ABs are given a mandatory rest period that allows them to recover and get over any niggling injuries before being reintegrated into their provincial squads at the business end of the competition, allowing them to get some game time under their belts going into the Autumn internationals. When they come back, they've got another month and a half of rest before they're assembled into their respective S14 squads for pre-season work and the cycle repeats again.
    That's what the Northern hemisphere needs. The season ends in May but the players are playing for England in July before movin g onto clubs in august with no break across the season. Of course it's partly because the clubs 'own' the players rather than the RFU who 'borrows' them. Nobody wants players to lose out on an international but they still need them.

    So it looks like in the south, top players play 13-15 Super 14 games, 6 tri-nations games and then some Air New Zealand cup games. So around 25 games can be expected for a good player?

    Currently an English player will possible go for most of the 22 Guinness Premiership games plus finals, 5 Six Nations, 6-9 Heineken Cup games, several EDF energy cup games. Looks like way over 30 games, around even 35 for a good player in a decent team at least. Hopefully with the new RFU deal it will be a good 7 games less at least.

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    The top players get about 30-odd games per season. This year is an anomaly where the NZRU has signed on for 15 test matches (about 4 more than usual).

    Most players are given a quick break during the S14, so a player like Dan Carter or Richie McCaw, barring any injuries, will get about 13 games for the Crusaders, including the play-offs while someone like Sitiveni Sivivatu will end up playing all 13 games for the Chiefs, as they tend to miss out on a top 4 spot. The competition itself has a bye-week integrated into it, so they get two large blocks of games separated by a quick recovery period.

    Then they get 3 June Internationals and 6 Tri-Nations fixtures, but it's rare to see someone play all 9 tests. Once again, some bye-weeks are integrated into the fixtures, so players get a week or two off to recover for their next test match.

    Once that is over, the front-line ABs that got the most games are rested from provincial duties which puts them out of the ANZ Cup until around half-way through the games where the seeding of the top 6 and repechage games to determine who will join them in the ANZ Cup quarterfinals are determined. Players like Dan Carter and Richie McCaw though, only really get 2 or 3 games for Canterbury. The ABs that didn't get much game time during the test season are usually integrated right into their provincial squads, so someone like Stephen Donald would be there from the start with Waikato. The ANZ Cup has 14 teams divided into two pools of 7, so each team gets 6 pool games, with the top 3 progressing into the seeding rounds where they play the top 3 from the other pool. The repechage teams play the bottom 4 from the other pool. The most games a team could get is 14, provided they get into the play-offs via the repechage and go on to contest the final.

    Once that is done, the core of the squad is then usually retained for the 4 tests at the end of the year (although there was a whole-sale rebuild at he end of 2004), with players that showed good form are often plucked out of provincial teams and taken straight to the test level as it's usually a squad that has 30+ men. Jason Eaton, for example was a complete unknown who had only made his debut for Taranaki in their midweek game with the Lions in 2005 and he was an All Black at the end of the year.
    Last edited by Gyoza; July 6th, 2008 at 4:41 PM.

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    Wallabies Squad for Tri-Nations
    Forwards:
    Ben Alexander (ACT Brumbies) - Prop
    Alistair Baxter (NSW Waratahs) - Prop
    Richard Brown (Western Force) - No. 8
    Matt Dunning (NSW Waratahs) - Prop
    Rocky Elsom (NSW Waratahs) - Flanker/Lock
    Adam Freier (NSW Waratahs) - Hooker
    James Horwill (Queensland Reds) - Lock
    Hugh McMeniman (Queensland Reds) - Lock/Flanker
    Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs) - Lock
    Stephen Moore (Queensland Reds) - Hooker
    Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs) - No. 8
    Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs) - Hooker
    Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs) - Prop
    Nathan Sharpe (Western Force) - Lock
    George Smith (ACT Brumbies) - Flanker
    Phil Waugh (NSW Waratahs) - Flanker
    Daniel Vickerman (NSW Waratahs) - Lock

    Backs:
    Adam Ashley-Cooper (ACT Brumbies) - Utility Back
    Berrick Barnes (Queensland Reds) - Five-Eighth
    Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs) - Halfback
    Sam Cordingley (Queensland Reds) - Halfback
    Ryan Cross (Western Force) - Centre
    Matt Giteau (Western Force) - Five-Eighth/Halfback
    Peter Hynes (Queensland Reds) - Winger
    Drew Mitchell (Western Force) - Fullback/Winger
    Stirling Mortlock (ACT Brumbies) - Centre
    Brett Sheehan (NSW Waratahs) - Halfback
    Timana Tahu (NSW Waratahs) - Winger/Centre
    Lote Tuqiri (NSW Waratahs) - Winger
    Lachie Turner (NSW Waratahs) - Winger/Fullback

    Interesting squad. Timana Tahu gets selected based on his form for Australia A during the Pacific Nations Cup. The props are still generally rubbish though.
    Cameron Shepherd is unlucky as he misses out due to injury, after breaking his leg at the end of the second test against France.

  97. #797
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    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/also_in_the_news/7493256.stm

    that's one way to get kids more involved with the game

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    Ahahaha, yeah. That was in the news. Grassroots Rugby is a show that covers the amateur club level of the game and it's aired on the free-to-air channel owned by Sky. Sky accidentally crossed the feeds with one of the pay-per-view porn channels they have and for 3 minutes.


    In proper news:
    All Blacks squad to face the Springboks in Dunedin
    1. Tony Woodcock
    2. Andrew Hore
    3. John Afoa
    4. Anthony Boric
    5. Ali Willliams
    6. Adam Thomson
    7. Rodney So’oialo (Captain)
    8. Jerome Kaino
    9. Andy Ellis
    10. Dan Carter
    11. Rudi Wulf
    12. Ma’a Nonu
    13. Conrad Smith
    14. Sitiveni Sivivatu
    15. Mils Muliaina

    16. Keven Mealamu
    17. Neemia Tialata
    18. Kevin O’Neill
    19. Sione Lauaki
    20. Jimmy Cowan
    21. Stephen Donald
    22. Leon MacDonald

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    Springboks squad to face All Blacks
    1. Gurthro Steenkamp
    2. Bismarck du Plessis
    3. CJ van der Linde
    4. Bakkies Botha
    5. Victor Matfield (Captain)
    6. Schalk Burger
    7. Juan Smith
    8. Joe van Niekerk
    9. Ricky Januarie
    10. Butch James
    11. Bryan Habana
    12. Jean de Villiers
    13. Adrian Jacobs
    14. JP Pietersen
    15. Percy Montgomery

    16. Schalk Britz
    17. Brian Mujati
    18. Andries Bekker
    19. Luke Watson
    20. Ruan Pienaar
    21. Francois Steyn
    22. Conrad Jantjes

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    New Zealand 28 - 30 South Africa in Dunedin
    For the All Blacks:
    Try by Sione Lauaki
    Conversion, 6 penalty goals and a dropped goal by Carter
    For the Springboks:
    Tries by JP Pietersen and Enrico Januarie
    Conversion by Francois Steyn
    3 penalty goals by Percy Montgomery
    2 penalty goals and a dropped goal by Butch James

    Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!

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