Rugby World Cup 2007

[Donnyboy]

From Heroes to Zeroes

England 12 Australia 10

The over-riding feeling after one of the great World Cup boilovers was that this Australia side chronically under-rated the world champions.

It cost them the match and went a long way to ending some great careers, including that of coach John Connolly.

Few people gave England a chance to beat a Wallaby team that had more pace across the park than an ageing England team. Early, when they moved the ball wide, Australia made big gains while England looked ponderous in return. But England had three things Australia didn't: Jonny Wilkinson; a dominant scrum; and a ferocious desire to win every breakdown.

Of those three elements the scrum and breakdown proved most decisive.

Andy Sheridan quite simply had his way with Guy Shepherdson. This was not man against boy, it was man against mouse. On the other side of the scrum Matt Dunning was playing the fall guy, that is he fell over every time there was a scrum engagement. Phil Vickery would love to play him every week.

A beleaguered Connolly said his team "hung in there, that is about the best you can say".

He instead pointed to the breakdown as the phase where the game was lost.

"We were beaten at the breakdown comfortably and that is the most disappointing thing."

Australia scored the only try of the game, to Lote Tuqiri, and at one point it looked as if they could score every time they moved the ball. England recognised that and didn't allow the ball to be moved quickly from the contact area. The ball rarely left the ground.

"I honestly thought we were the better side," England coach Brian Ashton said. It was hard to argue.

"It was good old-fashioned guts," Phil Vickery, England captain, said. "You play sport and some very strange things happen."

While both sides claimed that the pre-match 'banter' played no part in the final result, Australia were not helped by some of the ridiculous comments made before the game by people that should have known better. John O'Neill boldly claimed everyone 'hated' England, David Campese weighed in with his normal Anglophobic nonsense and Alec Evans said if Australia played rugby they would win by 30 points. Why they felt the need to load up England's motivational ammunition is anybody's guess.

Guess what? England won.

The question is, how much did Australia contribute to their own demise.

[chonabot]

I wonder where Siam Superfly is now ? Those of you that don't know him have missed some good Oz vs Pom postings....all of his predictions have gone tits up.

Good game today and Let's hope for a few more Northern Hemi wins...

ps sorry for lurking...........

[cdnvic]

I wonder where Siam Superfly is now ? Those of you that don't know him have missed some good Oz vs Pom postings....all of his predictions have gone tits up.

Good game today and Let's hope for a few more Northern Hemi wins...

ps sorry for lurking...........

A good B'day present for you no doubt.

All the best Chon

[chonabot]

I wonder where Siam Superfly is now ? Those of you that don't know him have missed some good Oz vs Pom postings....all of his predictions have gone tits up.

Good game today and Let's hope for a few more Northern Hemi wins...

ps sorry for lurking...........

A good B'day present for you no doubt.

All the best Chon

Cheers Vic !

[intumult]

Nice to see the Frogs getting beaten, but what a boring kicking game this has turned out to be @ NZ 13 France 3

[Sarge]

wow, impressive to see all these English supporters coming out of the woodwork to gloat on the victory. Come on chaps, one has to be gracious in defeat as well as in victory, don't be like them (aussies). Let recognise that the wallabies are a great rugby team and were one of the favourite to win the title. It's just that England played a better game on the night and won. Long live the wallabies.

Now on the next part, what's your prediction for the final? I think it's gonna be Kiwis v Argies and the Bondi residents (NZers) to win. Rugby needs a bit of romanticism and none in this sport embodies this feeling better than the Kiwis, the Brazilians of rugby. But I do have a soft spot for the Argies so maybe they could be the upset of the tournament. We'll see.

[chonabot]

wow, impressive to see all these English supporters coming out of the woodwork to gloat on the victory. Come on chaps, one has to be gracious in defeat as well as in victory, don't be like them (aussies). Let recognise that the wallabies are a great rugby team and were one of the favourite to win the title. It's just that England played a better game on the night and won. Long live the wallabies.

Fair point Sarge , I'd like to be seen as fair , it was me in fact who used to moderate this forum..

Some of us can only come onto the TV forum on weekends otherwise you'd see a different thread entirely. Yes the Wallabies are a great team , but they lost -so there !

[intumult]

WOW!! What a turn up for the books. The best, last 5 minutes I have seen in a game of rugby for a long time. NZ 18 France 20.

So England vs France. Bring it on

[miltonbentley]

I was under the impression northern hemisphere rugby was rubbish - I was mistaken and I apologise.

[chonabot]

Let's hope for a few more Northern Hemi wins...

Nice one Froggies.........now come on the Jocks !!!!

Southern Hemisphere having a bad weekend....

[Sarge]

there it goes my prediction, shame about losing the Kiwis early on the tournament doesn't do any good for the game. Edited October 6, 2007 by Sarge

[Donnyboy]

20-18 France win

Well played France.

But ref had a shocker. Missed the FORWARD pass that lead to the last French try, however thats the way it went.

In utter disbelief and lost for words. Well done again France.

[yeti]

It's thanks to a forward pass, but given how they played their previous games this french victory is quite extrordinary .

[Donnyboy]

I was under the impression northern hemisphere rugby was rubbish - I was mistaken and I apologise.

theyre only utter rubbish in between world cups MB (see still smilin)

[Donnyboy]

now if Fiji could do the same, it would be something

[Donnyboy]

I wonder where Siam Superfly is now ? Those of you that don't know him have missed some good Oz vs Pom postings....all of his predictions have gone tits up.

Good game today and Let's hope for a few more Northern Hemi wins...

ps sorry for lurking...........

no worries, now do some more posting as I wont be as much. MB may have to lead the charge from now on

[Sarge]

the All Blacks were All Grey tonight, could it be this the reason of their defeat? 555 lol

[miltonbentley]

Deligthed to see you're still smiling Donny.

I know all Kiwis will be gutted. We should debate in the week why it is that clearly superior teams come unstuck in knockout rugby

Sorry mate you must be gutted

[Sarge]

yeah, sad to see the Kiwis go so early, such a great team and yet they only won it once (at home). why?

[Pink Mist]

I feel a bit sorry for my mate Bloncs, who, for four years now has run England down, saying " just wait till the next time we meet in the world cup"

Well . for the third time in four World cups us totally useless rugby playesr have wiped the fooor with the cream. I have a little advice from a friend Bloncs.

" Save your caustic comments until after ther match"

but as a last note I would like to add this comment

you are certainly saying a lot more now than you have before in this thread shady, you pissed again?

[Old Croc]

Congratulations and well done to England and the couple of English supporters (MiltonBentley, TBWG, etc) who have been on this thread for a while.

To the newly arrived gloaters without the courage to put up before the contest, I have nothing.

[Pink Mist]

Congratulations and well done to England and the couple of English supporters (MiltonBentley, TBWG, etc) who have been on this thread for a while.

To the newly arrived gloaters without the courage to put up before the contest, I have nothing.

well said croc, some mutes have suddenly found voice

[farangconnection]

I feel a bit sorry for my mate Bloncs, who, for four years now has run England down, saying " just wait till the next time we meet in the world cup"

Well . for the third time in four World cups us totally useless rugby playesr have wiped the fooor with the cream. I have a little advice from a friend Bloncs.

" Save your caustic comments until after ther match"

but as a last note I would like to add this comment

you are certainly saying a lot more now than you have before in this thread shady, you pissed again?

After this victory......................cause I am.

[Sarge]

“To bear defeat with dignity, to accept criticism with poise, to receive honors with humility -- these are marks of maturity and graciousness.”

by William A. Ward

obviously this concept is alien to some and its meaning lost on to others.

[Pink Mist]

I feel a bit sorry for my mate Bloncs, who, for four years now has run England down, saying " just wait till the next time we meet in the world cup"

Well . for the third time in four World cups us totally useless rugby playesr have wiped the fooor with the cream. I have a little advice from a friend Bloncs.

" Save your caustic comments until after ther match"

but as a last note I would like to add this comment

you are certainly saying a lot more now than you have before in this thread shady, you pissed again?

After this victory......................cause I am.

another one comes out of the swamp to gloat, you wanna hope you go all the way cause if they dont 555555 superfly will return

[farangconnection]

.

To the newly arrived gloaters without the courage to put up before the contest, I have nothing.

What a pathetic statement.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, but then Croc, most of the gloaters are English, who unlike the Ozzies, never brag about our victory until it actually happens. I for one thought it would be a close contest with England maybe edging it, but I was not going to post until it actually happened. After all, I would have been laughed off the face of the Earth, by 100,000 Aussies that wouldn't have even given us the benifit of a close contest. But gloat? of course I'm going to gloat. After all you lot have been gloating over this Australian victory for the past four years. Oh, sorry. Did I say Australian victory. Jeez, you got me believing your <deleted> now.

Nevertheless it was a great,hard, and more to the point, a clean(ish) fought game of Rugby. Well done Austaralia and England.

[jackr]

Congratulations and well done to England and the couple of English supporters (MiltonBentley, TBWG, etc) who have been on this thread for a while.

To the newly arrived gloaters without the courage to put up before the contest, I have nothing.

:D What a typical peevish aussie whinge. Sorry, but you have to have it... the gloating, as you lot are renowned for it. I'd follow the thread from the start but what's the point when you get attacked left, right and centre by a bunch of nonsensical tits, as with the Ashes etc. It's like arguing with a bunch of kids and then you get stuffed and get all serious

Better luck in '11

[jackr]

yeah, sad to see the Kiwis go so early, such a great team and yet they only won it once (at home). why?

They may be a great team on paper but on the day it seems not. Unlucky all the AB supporters, I know it'll be hard to swallow especially at the hands of the Froggies.

[Old Croc]

It's been a while since you've had a go at me Little Jack.

Welcome back!

I think you guys are just missing Tsetse, I've called you a lot worse than "after the event gloaters" in the past. When you sober up and think about it, it's not really a bad title to wear.

[mr_hippo]

Why don't they take two players per side off and play proper Rugby?