What No Rugby Forum!

[Donnyboy]

game on

[StreetCowboy]

For my last game of televised rugby league, I couldn't have asked for better than Warrington at home to Leeds...

And what could be better than watching it with your loved ones?

Obviously, apart from watching it in peace, or down the pub with your mates, or at the ground after a few in the Lord Rodney, I ask you, what could be better?

Now I come to think of it, it takes me back to the Calcutta Cup in 2006...

SC

With St Helens and Wigan both winning at the weekend, the Wire can't afford to stumble, while a win for the Rhinos would take them clear of Huddersfield in 5th place....

[StreetCowboy]

For my last game of televised rugby league, I couldn't have asked for better than Warrington at home to Leeds...

And what could be better than watching it with your loved ones?

Obviously, apart from watching it in peace, or down the pub with your mates, or at the ground after a few in the Lord Rodney, I ask you, what could be better?

...

With St Helens and Wigan both winning at the weekend, the Wire can't afford to stumble, while a win for the Rhinos would take them clear of Huddersfield in 5th place....

Well, you all missed a cracking game of rugby - and thanks to the benefit of video technology, points scored every time the ball crossed the whitewash. Leeds came away 37 - 30 winners after Lee Briers' trusty boot failed him on four occasions (I might have lost count... - maybe he had the trusty boot on the wrong foot?)

SC

[Donnyboy]

just the one international this weekend, but will be massive, it could be the test of the season imo

Saturday, 10 July 2010

New Zealand v South Africa, I have to go with my heart on this one NZ by 5

hopefully the weather will be favourable for some good rugby. Eden Park has a very good playing surface if it rains thou, but it will be up to the players to control the ball then.

Not entirely convinced The Boks have prepared well by playing the French and Italians, while the Irish and Welsh offered more resistance to the ABs imo. Australia might come in to the Trinations undercooked, having to wait 4 weeks between games.

Herald on Sunday rugby columnist Gregor Paul breaks down the All Blacks side named today to take on the Springboks at Eden Park (video)

[tigerfish]

it will be a very interesting test for a number of reasons.

its the opener of the tri-nations and i think it will be up to the kiwis to see if they can rattle a few of the boks cages. especially at the break down, line out and in the scrum.

all blacks by 8 points.

p.s. thank god there will be no vuvuzelas

[Donnyboy]

woohoooooo!!!

nice to see we can dish it out to the Boks now and again,who would have thought by 20 points?

big tackles made from both sides, All Blacks made good gains on most phases, where as the Boks looked more static and werent making the most of their opportunities. During one part of the second half, the Boks looked like they ran out of ideas, when pinned in their own half. It might have been half a doz times they kicked the ball back to the ABs, and the ABs ran it back. Bok defence looked shakey during some parts of the game, esp at broken play, Muliaina ran it seemed 40 meters up the centre, which lead up to a try. Anyone notice that rolling maul from the ABs, classic stuff you dont see too often.

The Boks didnt seemed focused imo, but they will come back next week.

test of the season so far imo, lets hope theres more

like to hear from anyone not biased thou

[Donnyboy]

Bakkies Botha suspended for headbutt

video

silly boy will be out of the rest of the Trinations

[tigerfish]

woohoooooo!!!

nice to see we can dish it out to the Boks now and again,who would have thought by 20 points?

big tackles made from both sides, All Blacks made good gains on most phases, where as the Boks looked more static and werent making the most of their opportunities. During one part of the second half, the Boks looked like they ran out of ideas, when pinned in their own half. It might have been half a doz times they kicked the ball back to the ABs, and the ABs ran it back. Bok defence looked shakey during some parts of the game, esp at broken play, Muliaina ran it seemed 40 meters up the centre, which lead up to a try. Anyone notice that rolling maul from the ABs, classic stuff you dont see too often.

The Boks didnt seemed focused imo, but they will come back next week.

test of the season so far imo, lets hope theres more

like to hear from anyone not biased thou

i didnt see the game donnyboy, but if it was how you describe it. thats the kind of thing ive been going on about. coaches finding a teams weak links and exploiting their faults. dish it out at the break down and teams like s.africa will buckle. throw at them things they are not used to having to cope with and see what happens. one things for sure, they have always been renowned for throwing the toys out of the pram and losing it, when things arent going their way.

no surprise in seeing someone like b. botha doing that!

well done all blacks.

[Donnyboy]

woohoooooo!!!

nice to see we can dish it out to the Boks now and again,who would have thought by 20 points?

big tackles made from both sides, All Blacks made good gains on most phases, where as the Boks looked more static and werent making the most of their opportunities. During one part of the second half, the Boks looked like they ran out of ideas, when pinned in their own half. It might have been half a doz times they kicked the ball back to the ABs, and the ABs ran it back. Bok defence looked shakey during some parts of the game, esp at broken play, Muliaina ran it seemed 40 meters up the centre, which lead up to a try. Anyone notice that rolling maul from the ABs, classic stuff you dont see too often.

The Boks didnt seemed focused imo, but they will come back next week.

test of the season so far imo, lets hope theres more

like to hear from anyone not biased thou

i didnt see the game donnyboy, but if it was how you describe it. thats the kind of thing ive been going on about. coaches finding a teams weak links and exploiting their faults. dish it out at the break down and teams like s.africa will buckle. throw at them things they are not used to having to cope with and see what happens. one things for sure, they have always been renowned for throwing the toys out of the pram and losing it, when things arent going their way.

no surprise in seeing someone like b. botha doing that!

well done all blacks.

heres a video showing the 4 tries, a bit OTT with the All Blacks theme but it was their day

what it doesnt show much of is the speed the ABs played it at, and the great work the forwards did, and the massive defensive effort to keep the Boks try-less

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u7yaXiT1E8

[Donnyboy]

a better video of the hightlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw6An6wSwWM

[Donnyboy]

second Trinations this saturday

Saturday, 17 July 2010

New Zealand v South Africa, NZ by 7, gonna be closer this weekend imo

The Boks will lift their game this week Im sure, but will it be enough to beat the ABs is the question. I dont think so. Both teams are pretty much equal in terms of scrum, lineouts and kicking ability, but I think the difference is speed at the breakdown, and getting the ball out for the next phase. Last weeks game was played at a very high pace and the Boks seem to run out of puff at certain stages, even opting to kick instead of keeping the ball in hand. They need to address their defense also.

should be another good game

[tigerfish]

second Trinations this saturday

Saturday, 17 July 2010

New Zealand v South Africa, NZ by 7, gonna be closer this weekend imo

The Boks will lift their game this week Im sure, but will it be enough to beat the ABs is the question. I dont think so. Both teams are pretty much equal in terms of scrum, lineouts and kicking ability, but I think the difference is speed at the breakdown, and getting the ball out for the next phase. Last weeks game was played at a very high pace and the Boks seem to run out of puff at certain stages, even opting to kick instead of keeping the ball in hand. They need to address their defense also.

should be another good game

i think the boks pride will have been very much dented and will go about using any tactic they can to get a result. what the kiwis are going to have to do is stick to their game plan and not let the safas dictate the proceedings. will be a very interesting game to watch, im sure.

my heart says all blacks, but my head say the boks by 8 points.

[Donnyboy]

no worries TF, im looking forward to another good game

[tigerfish]

good win for the all black 31 - 17.

thought the game might of turned five minutes either side of half time, but some good counter rucking and running with ball in hand made the boks look like a second rate side (not to take anything away from the kiwis performance)

great individual try form israel dagg!

interesting now to see how s. africa cope up against the aussies in brisbane.

btw thanks for the links donnyboy

[Donnyboy]

good win for the all black 31 - 17.

thought the game might of turned five minutes either side of half time, but some good counter rucking and running with ball in hand made the boks look like a second rate side (not to take anything away from the kiwis performance)

great individual try form israel dagg!

interesting now to see how s. africa cope up against the aussies in brisbane.

btw thanks for the links donnyboy

good win indeed

ABs picked up where they left off last week, great intensity and played at such a high pace

Players I was impressed with were; Read, MCaw,and Weepu. But all played above themselves like last week.

agreed, Daggs try was special. Carter had a off night with the kicking, the Wellington stadium does have a swirly wind that affects the ball flight thou

The ABs have 10 points from 2 games, Boks have 0, and facing the Aussies in Brisbane wont be easy.

[Donnyboy]

highlights from the 2nd game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN24J4cuquc

[StreetCowboy]

I'm sure you're all as pleased as I am that Warrington narrowed the gap to league leaders Wigan with a great win away from home (albeit not far away)

SC

[tigerfish]

aussies take on the boks this weekend in brisbane.

boks are going to be hurting thats for sure, having been dealt two straight defeat by the all blacks. see they have also been whinging and moaning about some of the refereeing decisions that went against them, this week. my how the worm has turned!

i know the aussies will be well up for their encounter this weekend and have a good record playing in brisbane, but i think the boks are going to come out like a caged animal. can also see it being a bruising and bad tempered affair, with s.africa coming out on top.

boks by 8 points.

[Donnyboy]

nice summation Tigerfish,

Peter de Villiers & the Boks are under huge pressure to win, even by cheating as the coach has said in his outburst against the refs.

Im thinking this game wont be pretty to watch as well. We will definately see the fireworks, and The Boks are good at this sort of game, disrupting the ball, and slowing the opposition ball at the breakdown.(ABs are good at this too ) And niggle play. Hopefully,the Aussies wont get sucked into that game. But the Wallabies will need to get quick ball out, and Im not sure if they can do that. On the flip side, can the Boks get thru 80 mins of footy, after being run raggered in 2 high paced tests against the ABs in 2 weeks?

Boks by 3

[Donnyboy]

Wallabies v Boks

live stream

[Donnyboy]

aussie take it 30-13

i thought the scoreline should have been closer, but i wasnt watching that closely tbh, the stream wasnt that clear, and horrible to watch when it stopped and started continually. The Boks seemed tired throughout the game thou.

The All Blacks shouldnt be too concerned at the Wallabies play imo

the Boks now go home with their tails between their legs, where angry rugby supporters, and scathing media await

[sadman]

Sorry for my late input - been away for a few days (but saw the game). I'm not sure I agree that the score should have been much closer. IMHO the Boks were tired and demotivated, quite possibly emanating from their thoroughly second-rate coach. Can you imagine what they'd be like with, say, Heineke Meyer in charge? This man inherited a superb side (for non-rugby reasons) and has done nothing to develop it. Also, will he have the courage to do the right thing and drop Smit when Bismarck du Plessis returns from injury? Unless something is done soon, next year's RWC will be a non-event for SA.

Let's be fair, although the Aus scrum was better, it's still too poor to compete at international level. With the exception of Stephen Moore, the tight 5 is just not good enough in the tight.

The gulf between NZ and the rest is widening by the day. On that note, I see vast improvements in England and Scotland, Argentina, Italy and France standing still, with Wales and Ireland going backwards. If - and it's big if - Martin Johnson can continue the improvements (which basically means bringing in the terrific young talent available), Eng might just be in contention at RWC. I'd certainly back them to beat all bar NZ ('cos they're brilliant) and Aus (they are always capable of turning it on).

Edited July 28, 2010 by sadman

[Donnyboy]

good points sadman, and welcome

the Boks coach has come under some fire recently

the Boks were probably dead men walking on dead tired legs against the Aussies, in that the 2 bruising encounters and playing at such a faster pace against the All Blacks may have taken alot out of their gastanks

I know the Boks can play much better than they have recently, perhaps they have too many hangers on from the WC 2007? The acid test will be on again when they play at home, no excuses then.

Tonights game

Australia vs All Blacks

a great game awaits, Australia will want to win again at home against a tough opponent, where I cant see much of a weakness now. I thought it may have been in the midfield and line out where the ABs were weakest, but Conrad Smith,Nonu, and even Kahui in the centers played so well. In the lineouts we were more than competitve against the Boks, where they used to dominate the ABs. If its any weakness, it could be Carters goalkicking. The ABs have definately lifted the bar this season. I hope they havent shown their cards too early, but it would seem that this is the style to play to win games via tries, and it definately makes for entertaining rugby. High pace and quick turnover ball at the breakdown, spread the ball wide after a few phases and test the defence, with supporting player(s) on the ball carriers shoulder.

The Aussies play a similiar game imo so will be down to execution.

ABs by 13

[tigerfish]

good points sadman, and welcome

the Boks coach has come under some fire recently

the Boks were probably dead men walking on dead tired legs against the Aussies, in that the 2 bruising encounters and playing at such a faster pace against the All Blacks may have taken alot out of their gastanks

I know the Boks can play much better than they have recently, perhaps they have too many hangers on from the WC 2007? The acid test will be on again when they play at home, no excuses then.

Tonights game

Australia vs All Blacks

a great game awaits, Australia will want to win again at home against a tough opponent, where I cant see much of a weakness now. I thought it may have been in the midfield and line out where the ABs were weakest, but Conrad Smith,Nonu, and even Kahui in the centers played so well. In the lineouts we were more than competitve against the Boks, where they used to dominate the ABs. If its any weakness, it could be Carters goalkicking. The ABs have definately lifted the bar this season. I hope they havent shown their cards too early, but it would seem that this is the style to play to win games via tries, and it definately makes for entertaining rugby. High pace and quick turnover ball at the breakdown, spread the ball wide after a few phases and test the defence, with supporting player(s) on the ball carriers shoulder.

The Aussies play a similiar game imo so will be down to execution.

ABs by 13

this games going to be a tight one, me thinks!

aussies may have a few tricks up their sleeves and try and test out some initial weaknesses that they may have seen in the all blacks game. not going to be easy, but is any game in tri-nations for that matter. home advantage, maybe a couple of high ball thrown up early on to test out the kiwis and who knows what might happen. could go down to the wire, with kicking being the deciding factor.

all blacks by 6 points

[Donnyboy]

double post

Edited August 1, 2010 by Donnyboy

[Donnyboy]

what a game!!

All blacks 49-28

I felt the ref had a huge impact in the game and didnt let it get into a rhythm. He was too quick to blow the whistle and the 2 yellow cards and sending off of Drew Mitchell were OTT imo, but I guess he is the man on the spot and has to make a instant call without any replays, unless it involves a scoring move.

I thought the Aussies were in for a close game when they scored the first try from the charge down from Carters kick, but Carter charged one down and scored in what I thought was the turning point in the game. The ABs seemed to lift their game and the tries flowed from there, and didnt let the Wallabies into the game.

The ABs are in the box seat, with maximum points from their 3 games played in the Trinations.

[tigerfish]

what a game!!

All blacks 49-28

I felt the ref had a huge impact in the game and didnt let it get into a rhythm. He was too quick to blow the whistle and the 2 yellow cards and sending off of Drew Mitchell were OTT imo, but I guess he is the man on the spot and has to make a instant call without any replays, unless it involves a scoring move.

I thought the Aussies were in for a close game when they scored the first try from the charge down from Carters kick, but Carter charged one down and scored in what I thought was the turning point in the game. The ABs seemed to lift their game and the tries flowed from there, and didnt let the Wallabies into the game.

The ABs are in the box seat, with maximum points from their 3 games played in the Trinations.

yep the all blacks almost seemed as if the hardly needed to shift up a gear. set the tone of the game early on, built a healthy lead and the wallabies were playing catch up from there on in. every time you thought they might be in with a sniff of getting back in contention, the all blacks just pulled away again. must admit though the aussies didnt help their cause by some really bad restart kicking and ball retention.

i know your going to be a bit uneasy about me saying this so early on donnyboy and i dont want you to feel as if im putting a jinx on your beloved home land, but if the the kiwis carry on improving like this in the build up to next years world cup. i see it as a no brainer! they just have this aurora and air about them at the moment every time they step onto a field. its a s if they know whats expected of them and are out to put a marker down.

did you see some of the expressions on the faces of the all blacks players when they did the haka?

i know for sure that i will be keeping a close eye on some of the betting markets from now on. might be worth a small wager!

[Donnyboy]

what a game!!

All blacks 49-28

I felt the ref had a huge impact in the game and didnt let it get into a rhythm. He was too quick to blow the whistle and the 2 yellow cards and sending off of Drew Mitchell were OTT imo, but I guess he is the man on the spot and has to make a instant call without any replays, unless it involves a scoring move.

I thought the Aussies were in for a close game when they scored the first try from the charge down from Carters kick, but Carter charged one down and scored in what I thought was the turning point in the game. The ABs seemed to lift their game and the tries flowed from there, and didnt let the Wallabies into the game.

The ABs are in the box seat, with maximum points from their 3 games played in the Trinations.

yep the all blacks almost seemed as if the hardly needed to shift up a gear. set the tone of the game early on, built a healthy lead and the wallabies were playing catch up from there on in. every time you thought they might be in with a sniff of getting back in contention, the all blacks just pulled away again. must admit though the aussies didnt help their cause by some really bad restart kicking and ball retention.

i know your going to be a bit uneasy about me saying this so early on donnyboy and i dont want you to feel as if im putting a jinx on your beloved home land, but if the the kiwis carry on improving like this in the build up to next years world cup. i see it as a no brainer! they just have this aurora and air about them at the moment every time they step onto a field. its a s if they know whats expected of them and are out to put a marker down.

did you see some of the expressions on the faces of the all blacks players when they did the haka?

i know for sure that i will be keeping a close eye on some of the betting markets from now on. might be worth a small wager!

I did catch Dan Carters and a few others faces at the end of the haka, they looked pumped and ready to unleash

yes, they are worth a punt, but they are overwhelming favourites in NZ betting sites so I need to go offshore for better odds

Im not getting carried away just yet, like other pre WC years, will see if we get into the finals first.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Donnyboy

[StreetCowboy]

don't suppose anyone was fortunate enough to see the Warrington - St Helens game at the weekend?

A cracker by all accounts, with St Helens clawing their way up to second equal in the league, like something out of a Japanese horror film...

Warrington need to keep their nerve for this weekend's Challenge Cup semifinal against Catalans - at the opposite end of the table, but surprise winners at last week's meeting in Perpignan

SC

[sadman]

Again, sorry for the delay - away again, but saw the match. I couldn't understand what the Aus lineout defence was: the choices I see are to contest in the air; sack/contest when the catcher hits the ground; or (high-risk) do neither but have a smart move so that the forwards and backs can quickly spread out and smother any attacking move. They did none of this, but stood still and watched - the only thing I can think of is that it can be a complicated strategy for preventing a driving maul, but it depends on the opposition acting in a specific way, so I would only try it if I knew the oppo lineout calls. However, it didn't achieve anything yet they kept on doing it.

Aus backs showed some class but were badly let down by their forwards (including Elsom, who is usually a star). NZ were a class act but for me, the unsung hero of all the games so far has been Kieron Read, who is (IMHO) a real find. Woodcock got found out in the tight, but he's been conning refs for years (good man!)

Next game could be magnificent.