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Think the ABs still have issues.
Their scrum was poor again and they still handled poorly (for them). I've never seen Kieran Read drop so many balls as he has in this RWC.
I think Naholo was a poor selection. Electric though he was in Super Rugby he only played 50 minutes on his debut against Argentina where all he did was drop the ball a couple of times then get injured. His leg was magically healed by Fijian leaves or normal recovery time (depending which version you believe) and he;s been rushed back and is now dropping the ball again despite a superb try against Georgia.
With another inexperienced wing in Milner-Skudder (who's playing well) they might have taken Piutau, Jane or Dagg for a safer pair of hands and a cool head.
Lacey is always awful. I've had to endure many Ospreys games with him as ref...
Did NZ start their Haka before the end of the Tongan Sipi Tau? Is that a lack of respect, or an acceptable response?
If the latter, then surely anyone else can do whatever they want during the Haka! 🙂
Matt Dawson may agree with you flashy...
IMO, ball should go backwards. Nothing to do with the hands, it's always been the movement of the ball.
Yeah, but when you are as slow as you obviously are, the point is moot.
Forward passes - I'm with Flashy. The IRB are wrong - what do they know? I can remember plays in 5 Nations games being called forwards because although the player tried to pass backwards their momentum took it forward - ie Flashy is correct.
If you're running forward at 10 m/s you have to throw the ball with a backwards velocity of 10 m/s to even get it to stay still. Given the fact that most players line up at an angle of 10 to 20 degrees then the speed they would have to throw the ball in order to even make it stay lin line would be...
Anyone got a scientific calculator?
The answer is, faster than any human being is capable of throwing a ball. Players would need to slow down drastically or line up much closer to each other and much deeper so that the passing player is throwing the ball almost straight backwards.
It is not possible to make the ball travel backwards when running with any kind of pace.
Rowntree and Farrell are banned for the Uruguay game, ha, you've got to love it 🙂
Unless you are English and support that sorry shower.
63.9 m/s
I couldn't sleep without working it out.
It's as long as the ball goes backwards out of the hands is it not? Think of it like throwing something out of the window of a fast moving car - you mgiht throw it backwards, but it's still going to go forwards.
Apologies to all the Celtic contributors (whose teams are still in the RWC) but I was looking at England's position in the pool A table.
They have 6pts and Wales have 13. Now, if England had just had the slightest chance to possibly snatch a draw in the dying minutes against Wales then they would have 8pts and Wales 11. That would have meant that if England put 50 odd points on Uruguay and picked up 5pts to move to 13 then Wales would've had to beat Australia to qualify. Even a draw or losing with 2 bonus pts wouldn't be enough as they'd be tied and it would go to points difference.
Who'd have thought it?
I'm guessing "stute" probably must have been a word at some point in the history of the English language because "astute" would have developed to mean the opposite of stute.
With that in mind, you might describe Chris-nice-but-dim Robshaw as extremely "stute". 😉
Indeed. Even at the time I was thinking through the permutations and couldn't see why England would gamble on a win when an extra point for a draw would have put them in a very strong position in the group still (even more so as they were cruising to bonus point wins in the "easy games" where Aus and Wales were faltering).
There's one permutation England fans don't seem to be thinking- if they lose the they can finish 4th and would have to qualify for the next WC
There's one permutation England fans don't seem to be thinking- if they lose the they can finish 4th and would have to qualify for the next WC
We can't - Fiji are below us in the table and have no more games to play.
yeah but in reality they blew it, and are out!
C'mon all the home nations this weekend!
@dd I see you are following the @aa school of public pessimism. Ireland should best France, whoever wins this game tomorrow has a great chance of going to the final. Both teams will be well aware of that. Toulon's notHenekin ( 🙂 ) wins have been primarily due to the contribution of their non-French players, JW, Giteau etc. Drew Mitchell is another beneficiary of the rule change too. Michelak has been third choice 10 for Toulon for a while and if Cirpriani is going there it's further evidence of how the coaches feel about him, the games I've seen him play for Toulon he's been terrible.
@aa Sale director of rugby says you can buy England Uraguay tickets online for £2.50 :)) I'll not be bothering to watch the game but probably wouldn't have watched anyway even if we where going to the QFs. Wales v Australia should be a good game to watch. I thought Genia was excellent when he came on.
Hope wales beat Aus and Scotland beat Samoa. Wales v Scotland in the qf would be good - guaranteed one home nation in the semis 🙂 plus being half Scottish and living in wales the banter would be great - till the normal crushing disappointment sets in.
Payne out for rest of RWC. 😐
I'm guessing Trimble will get the call to join squad for the New Zealand QF?
Who'd have thought it?
Not Robshaw. After England got a bonus point v fiji and Aus didnt they should have known the cards were stacked in their favour. Everyone knew that Wales would struggle to get a bonus point win v Fiji with a 5 day turn around and a lack of depth in the squad.
What England did in those final 5 minutes was inexcusable imo. As others have pointed out a draw for them was okay. Poorpre-match scenario planning and on pitch decision making.
Still I couldn't care it was a great Welsh win.
All Blacks still not convincing be interesting when the meet a decent team. They are definitely beatable.
Strong start for Samoa here.
Samoa great and crazy at the same time. Could be fun to watch this.
This is one hell of a game so far!
End to end tries!
This is not good for my blood pressure!
Match rigging on a silly score..??? 😉
Can any of the front row claim English nationality -!they are better than our centres!
Ooof! Some proper Islander tackling!
Woohoo chaos rugby 😆
Why are we not catching kick offs? Oh,and FFS Denton!
This is great to watch. Really entertaining. If not horrible as a Scot.
Love the way the Samoans run so directly - awesome to watch
This is crazy stuff!!!!
Scotland are lucky the samoan kicker is missing a few,might be crucial at the end.
How many times have Samoa kicked v running directly at the oppo? Ok they took too far for the Scotland try, but great to watch
Fair enough for Wilson,but not unprovoked,how exactly are you meant to get the player off you? Wait till he feels like letting you go?
Get some! Hardie; as Scottish as heart disease and random violence after closing time!
What a game.
Good point Duckman.....although a few inches higher and that'd have been a red! likeyou say.....hard to see what you can do other than tell the ref?!
Yes!
Edit: no.
Jesus! thats the bonus point wrapped up in 35 mins!!!!
edit....maybe not
!!!!
Weak yellow, no harm in giving someone a little reminder to let go. ABs have done it for years!
I hope the rolling obstruction gets gets addressed one day.
It just did THM! no more leaked tries this half and the Cotter hairdryer at half time. He allegedly makes Telfer sound like a village parson.
And relax.
What was decided duckman?
Was that the best 40m of the RWC so far?
The try being disallowed,not strictly stopping truck and trailer,but first time I have seen that pinged at WC. Not the best 40,but I'm no neutral. I have some poachers choice in the fridge but may go straight for the cask strength Ardbeg.
Sat in the gods at St James hoping for a better second half
Hell of a game for the partisan!
I have some poachers choice in the fridge but may go straight for the cask strength Ardbeg.
I'd suggest the Ardberg whilst you take the Poachers out of the fridge and let it come back to the right temperature before consuming!!
Mixed on this. I want the home nations to do well but I love a gutsy underdog, and my daughter was at school with Fa'sivalu's son (yes, I'm certain it's spelt wrong, I mean the Samoan 6) and he was a lovely bloke every time I saw him doing the school run.
TAKE THE ****ING POINTS FOR CHRISTS SAKE!
He heard you! God I am looking forward to the Wales game where I don't have to hide behind the sofa every time Samoa get two phases of possession.
Crap,we are ahead; I hope that doesn't piss them off!
What's the record for number of penalties conceded in a single half of rugby?
God I am looking forward to the Wales game where I don't have to hide behind the sofa every time Samoa get two phases of possessio
I on the other hand will be twitching like an epileptic electric eeel
ref has lost his cards!!
no try
More twists than a decapitated eel.
Dammit.
great game this.
Oh ya hoor sir!
shame for Japan, they have been the stars of the world cup pool stage
Tremendous game to watch, but not one for the purists. We'll get pumped in the quarters.
Australia will destroy Scotland
Well played Scotland, thank you Samoa
Rugby with ball in hand - marvellous
Quarters was the aim. Job done, I would REALLY like to think we can't play that badly again...But I know we can.
Australia will destroy Scotland
Or Wales.
For now, anyway. Not for much longer.....
Congratulations to Scotlamd, quite a match. Bit sad not to be seeing Japan next weekend but fair play to Scotland.
Hoping for a cracker of a match at Twickenham. News the time for Wales to break that losing streak.
Australia walk a scrum around, get a penalty...
Yep. That was a poor call.
Australia are masters of making the opposition scrum take the blame. Last week Marler was pushing straight, but the Aussie TH was stepping in every time, making Marler hinge unintentionally.
Driving straight upwards and walking/wheeling. Not a penalty against Wales, that's for sure.
Just did it again - Oz loose head angling in and up. Penalty Australia. Well done ref. 🙄
Come on Wales!
Was he really, aye?Last week Marler was pushing straight
WTF is BOD wearing!
Open shirt without a tie. Undo your top button!
Then again, a black shirt? Nasty.
Yes he was. Watch that game again concentrating on that particular side of the scrum. Every time, the Aus TH took a step in and drove inside. Marler was made to look like he was driving in, but it was caused by the TH, knowing full well Marler was being looked at.
Don't understand that call, anyone enlighten me
England pack was very naive. In the last year, they have just tried to push everyone off the ball. Any team with a perceived weaker scrum will look to make it a mess, and England have had no answer.
Anyhow, back to today, Wales definately on the wrong side of the ref - makes it very hard.
Has Twickenham ever sounded this loud?
What a game!
Damn that Aussie defence.
Those Aussies look like world champions to me.
Has Twickenham ever sounded this loud?
Yes.
Why are Wales not spreading the ball with a 2 man advantage? Amazing defence by AUS