It's on it's way - and here's Scotland's group
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Some on 'Murica...or Scotland ???
The game against Samoa will be the key match for you guys.
Quote from: Pinetree on August 15, 2015, 06:04:45 AM
The game against Samoa will be the key match for you guys.
Why? Is the team full of Mosi Tatupu clones?
I had to google him, yep they are :D, those boys are huge. But in the context of that pool, it's a toss up between Scotland or Samoa as to who will finish second and qualify with SA.
Quote from: Pinetree on August 15, 2015, 09:27:24 AM
I had to google him, yep they are :D, those boys are huge. But in the context of that pool, it's a toss up between Scotland or Samoa as to who will finish second and qualify with SA.
I wish I shared your confidence. ON paper yes - but in reality, the Scotland Rugby team has the same ability as the Scotland Football team...to fare well (note - not win...just fare well) against stronger teams but throw games away that they ought to win.
But we'll see. The Japanese are nippy wee buggers (pun intended) ;D
What a huge result this morning, Japan beating South Africa!!! Throws that pool wide open.
As as Scot I was worried...now I really am
Japan over SA in rugby vs US over Spain in 09 in soccer. Bigger upset? discuss...
Quote from: bayonetbrant on September 20, 2015, 12:04:21 PM
Japan over SA in rugby vs US over Spain in 09 in soccer. Bigger upset? discuss...
id say this - South Africa want this bad, Spain couldnt be arsed about the Confederations Cup
that's a fair point
That win by Japan came from another planet. There is no way on earth that anyone (even people vastly more in the know than I) would've given a win to Japan against South Africa.
Like I said, as a Scot, I was already worried about Japan. Whilst I did expect that it should be a win for Scotland, I'm too much of a seasoned Scotland fan to take a win for granted. But now, I could see Scotland being beaten rather easily.
It wasn't just the win - it was the nature of the win. They were down on all the stats. Everything stats related would give the win to the Springboks. But more than that - the Japanese were just bullying SA - in a legal way. Just playing faster ball, clearing out the rucks better, even at the scrum where they seemed to be suffering a bit, they got it in and out fast. They played to their strengths and SA's weaknesses.
So a superb win for Japan. Very, very impressed. Great rugby. I didn't get to see the whole game. As I alluded to elsewhere, I was taking my daughter to university, but I did catch the second half at the hotel and I was blown away with the speed, efficiency and strength of the team.
I can't answer about USA v Spain because I don't watch football I'm afraid and I don't really know what Spain were like in 09 - though I'm sure it was impressive enough.
It's always a great thing to see minnows coming through - that's why I'm a Scotland supporter. When you support a crap team, it makes the win (when it comes) much more special! ;D
Quote from: bayonetbrant on September 20, 2015, 12:04:21 PM
Japan over SA in rugby vs US over Spain in 09 in soccer. Bigger upset? discuss...
I'm with Judge. Japan over SA by far. SA hate losing, rugby is a religion to them as much as it is to us in NZ. I'm not dissing football (soccer) here but rugby is the far more technical game. "Minnows" normally do not win in rugby against Tier 1 nations as there are so many things they have to get right; Lineout, scrum,kicking game, passing game, fitness in the last 10 mins. It's usually the last that gets most teams but Japan just got everything right.
What's amazing is Japan haven't won a RWC game since 1991, and that was against Zimbabwe (an even smaller rugby nation), while the All Blacks beat them 145-17 in 1995 and 83-7 four years ago.
What's even more amazing is this is the first time they've ever played each other. I'm still stunned by this result :o
As you say Pinetree...there's a lot to get right technically - and then throw in every player puling their weight.
And the last point you made was spot on - most teams run out of gas the last 20 minutes. Japan showed incredible speed, agility and manoeuvrability even PAST 80 minutes. Hell - they took a scrum - which against SA was by far their weakest looking part of the game - to go for the win rather than go for the draw.
I've seen bigger teams take a draw in that situation.
In the world of rugby - that was amazing.
We've got the buggers on Wednesday and I had rather arrogantly chalked that up as a win for Scotland - I have now re-evaluated and I now think Scotland will exit in the group stage (which to be honest was probably on the cards anyway with SA and Samoa. To be totally honest, as I said, a win for Scotland against Japan or USA (whilst I always hoped was in the bag) was not necessarily so - but Japan appear to have taken all doubts out of that.
It all depends on whether Japan can back it up or not. They'll probably be understandably flat after that game. Then again, after that result who knows? With Eddy Jones in charge, they have a real chance of being the 2015 equivalent of Argentina in 2007
ok - thankfully, this was not a huge worry and the "single entity" I had hoped it would have been turned out to be just that.
Scotland 45 - 10 Japan
They are dangerous in the drive and quite feisty at the breakdown if they get the chance...so hopefully they'll take some points from the opposition.
I'll take that 45-10 very graciously.
Not that Scotland didn't play well - I was especially disappointed to see Scotland take 3 points when they had the height advantage and weight advantage for a drive from the lineout. But it was refreshing to see Scotland score tries (as they have done in the last 10 or so games) but more so, defend well (which they haven't in their last 10 games or so...hence the loss run)
I am quietly confident after that result - but there's work to be done.
I didn't see this coming yesterday before the game I have to say...but pleased is the word I would use.
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When you look at it as a purely paper exercise - you should easily get out of that group
I have learned over many years not to take anything for granted when I'm talking about Scotland and football or rugby. Japan's win over SA has helped us. We could do with them beating Samoa too.
But it's not over until the fat lady sings and that is never truer than when you are talking about Scotland and sport.
Quote from: JudgeDredd on September 24, 2015, 02:18:43 AM
But it's not over until the fat lady sings and that is never truer than when you are talking about Scotland and sport.
because of all the fat ladies in your team? >:D
lol - something like that :-X
That was well played by Scotland. They played the basics well in the first half and just let the Japanese run out of steam. They looked pretty tired in the second half, that 4 day turnaround did them no favours.
All Blacks have got Namibia in the morning (NZ time) but I've got to get the kids up and ready for school & kindy so I'll probably miss most of it. Namibia are ranked 20th and this should be fairly regulation for the ABs. Completely different XV than the one that bet the Pumas though so you never know.
Ok...I love you all...but can all my US pals have a word...Scotland need to win big tomorrow 😁
Major slip up by England last night.
They now have to do a 2003 on Australia (whom I can see taking top spot in the table today)
Good game but arse result - well done to the Welsh for simply not giving up
well, you've got the US today, so.....
.... you still be atop the group afterwards
USA are putting in massive his and really affecting Scotland's confidence
It's by no means a foregone conclusion liking at how the a States are playing
So...Wales through after their win against Fiji?? Seems like it.
England v Australia is SUCH a HUGE match tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it.
My assessment for tomorrow...?
Samoa v Japan
Samoa had a decent win against USA and a bad defeat at the hands of the Springboks. Japan on the other hand had a huge win against the Springboks and a bad defeat against Scotland. This one is up in the air.
Samoa strength against Japanese speed.
My money is on Japan. They need to turn up against another team to show it wasn't a one off...and from what I saw how they played against the Springboks - they can play well.
Scotland v South Africa
Scotland could upset the apple cart tomorrow. South Africa aren't really firing on all cylinders yet and Scotland are scoring tries and (more importantly?) defending reasonably. I think it'll be a close game - but my money and heart are on Scotland. That could be blind faith though...
England v Australia
England - I think they'll pull it off tomorrow. English pride (and a bit of arrogance) will not let them lose. They will be the only host nation to exit in the group stage if they lose - so I think they will pull themselves in and play a game. Will Australia let them? Who knows. Australia always want to take England to task for 2003. Unfortunately for England - if they "just" pip the win, it may not be enough. With the bonus point system, Australia could be beaten tomorrow and still be ahead of England (if Australia are within a try score of the England)...it's going to be an amazing game I feel. I think England will win...and I think they will win by enough to "jump" Australia in the table.
It seems it WAS blind faith. South Africa decided to play today. Very worryingly, they were massive in the forwards. Everytime Scotland were tackled they were either stopped dead or pushed back. South Africa were completely contrary to that - making good yards on every carry.
I can see were hopelessly outclassed - time to dig my sporran out and become a jock fan for the rest of the cup or maybe that daffodil and leek combo I have somewhere
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 03, 2015, 02:48:45 PM
I can see were hopelessly outclassed - time to dig my sporran out and become a jock fan for the rest of the cup or maybe that daffodil and leek combo I have somewhere
lol - I wouldn't bother with the Sporran - as a Scot, I can guarantee you you will be disappointed!
Go with the daffodil - at least there's a chance there - injuries and all! O0
Saying that - I've got a fiver on England to win. There's a bit of a climb, but there's a second half to go!
So much for Fortress Twickenham....Aussies far too good. Foley had an excellent game, I don't think we'll see Quade Cooper again. The pressure of hosting too much for England? A lot of the English press will be eating their words right about now.
Yep...eventually totally outmatched.
Unlucky England. Good fight, just not good enough.
I honestly thought English pride would pull it off. I thought it'd be enough
Oh, and another great win for Japan this morning too. They looked superb and their scrum was awesome. Samoa were pretty poor though, indiscipline letting them down.
Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 03, 2015, 04:42:24 PM
Yep...eventually totally outmatched.
Unlucky England. Good fight, just not good enough.
I honestly thought English pride would pull it off. I thought it'd be enough
So did I actually, but the Wallaby pack stepped up big time. I think the tournament as a whole will lose some oomph with England gone.
Yeah...good win for Japan. I almost hope Japan go through to the quarters rather than Scotland because they look hungrier for it.
I'm also kind of hoping Samoa keep that indiscipline up. They've got nothing to lose next week...so they are very dangerous
i mentally placed a tenner on us not getting out of the group
wow. How depressing is it for a Scot to believe more than yourself? 😁
i dunno, i also placed a tenner on you getting out of yours!! :'(
i honestly thought it would come down to who Fiji beat, arrogantly thinking we would beat everyone else but Australia and someone would lose to Fiji - its all the fault of Wales, they should have behaved like good subordinates and let us win
still - theres always the six nations, where we get to watch you lot lose all the games
Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 03, 2015, 04:46:51 PM
Yeah...good win for Japan. I almost hope Japan go through to the quarters rather than Scotland because they look hungrier for it.
I'm also kind of hoping Samoa keep that indiscipline up. They've got nothing to lose next week...so they are very dangerous
They're playing for 3rd place in the pool which gives them automatic qualification for the next RWC so they'll be up for it.
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 03, 2015, 05:28:59 PM
i dunno, i also placed a tenner on you getting out of yours!! :'(
...
Well that was just plain daft!! Now you're just burning money! :2funny:
So two VERY important Scotland players have been cited by an Australian for dangerous tackling and have been given 3 WEEK bans each!! 3 Weeks gents.
There have been "chop" tackles (where a player just throws themselves at the feet of the running opposition...not dissimilar to tripping which is a professional foul) with AT MOST a penalty given...there's been "neck rolls" with AT MOST penalties given...there's been "spear" tackles with AT MOST a yellow card given and at times a penalty only (when the ref deemed it to not be malicious)...and these two get a 3 WEEK ban for clearing out a ruck...which is the nastiest place to be in a rugby game!
Unbelievable. I'm not pissed for Scotland. It's likely (very?) that they were going to lose on Sunday anyway...I'm pissed for the players. The ruck is a messy place and it takes ALOT to clear the ruck to protect the ball. All sorts of things go wrong but they are often NOT malicious and NOT meant.
Ross Ford will not play in another World Cup given his age and this is Jonny Gray's first. Both are key front row'ers for Scotland.
On another note...I just turned corporate tickets to go...
- 13:00 - Champagne Reception
- 13:30 - 4 Course Lunch with Question and Answer Session with Players
- 15:30 - To Twickenham for the game
- 16:00 - Watch the game
- 17:30 - Back to reception and Free Bar
- 19:00 - Free Bar Closes
Long story - but I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to say yes! :idiot2:
turned down?
crazy scotsman
I know...it seems mental - but there was a whole host of events that led to the turning down of said item - it doesn't seem logical from the outside and even doesn't seem logical now, but it was at the time of the offer.
It seems common sense has returned to the world of rugby with both Scottish players being reinstated
It was a mental decision in the first place - but I'm glad they're back. It likely won't change the outcome...Australia are in a class of their own - well...were until New Zealand showed up with that outstanding performance against the French! :2funny:
Looks like it's going to be an all Southern Hemisphere semi final lineup. :-\
All 3 southern hemisphere teams have played outstanding rugby in the quarter finals. The intensity they play at is unparalleled.
Let's see how Australia fare...it'll be a win - it's just a case of by how much! Can Scotland hold up their heads in defeat and keep the score respectable? :uglystupid2:
WOW! That was a damn site closer than everyone thought - including me!
Superb game and totally and utterly unlucky Scotland. A couple of "iffy" decisions - including the last penalty - lost the game.
Well played Australia though - done enough to stay in!
great game and heart breaking for you guys
i cant believe throwing the ball at someone gets you a knock on - very cynical of the dirty Ozzies
Really REALLY proud of the Scots this tournament.
They were very unlucky with that call at the end - but what is - is.
I thought they absolutely pushed LOTS of faces into the dirt - especially the pundits that had written them off. Don't get me wrong - I've been a Scotland supporter all my my life - so no-one knows more than me that it's not over 'till the fat lady sings. But that's different to when she hasn't even started singing and the game is written off!
The TV pundits were all over a Southern Hemisphere semi final rout before the game had started. Whilst that was proved right and whilst it may have been on the cards even on paper, it would've been nice to get some support from the British TV!! :knuppel2:
And yes - I saw a southern hemisphere all semi line up - but that's because I'm a Scotland supporter.
Anyway - it turns out that the four best nations in the rugby world are through to the semi finals and they are all southern hemisphere teams.
Good luck to them all. It's been a great tournament.
As always - as an "underdog supporter"...lets see Argentina pick the cup up :P
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 18, 2015, 02:52:50 PM
great game and heart breaking for you guys
i cant believe throwing the ball at someone gets you a knock on - very cynical of the dirty Ozzies
Very tough defeat to take...but a loss is a loss...thank you.
Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 18, 2015, 03:11:00 PM
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 18, 2015, 02:52:50 PM
great game and heart breaking for you guys
i cant believe throwing the ball at someone gets you a knock on - very cynical of the dirty Ozzies
Very tough defeat to take...but a loss is a loss...thank you.
the more and more i watch, not necessarily Scotland but the game in general the more and more i think if i had a son, i would want him to take the rugby route as opposed to football
the respect and sportsmanship shown on the field and in the stands to the players and officials is a million light years from soccer
The australian guy that almost dislocated his shoulder, didnt want to come off, eventually got dragged off, with his arm rolled up in his own shirt! and was patted on the back by Scots players - unbelievable compared to what would have happened if it had been football
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 18, 2015, 03:20:23 PM
Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 18, 2015, 03:11:00 PM
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 18, 2015, 02:52:50 PM
great game and heart breaking for you guys
i cant believe throwing the ball at someone gets you a knock on - very cynical of the dirty Ozzies
Very tough defeat to take...but a loss is a loss...thank you.
the more and more i watch, not necessarily Scotland but the game in general the more and more i think if i had a son, i would want him to take the rugby route as opposed to football
the respect and sportsmanship shown on the field and in the stands to the players and officials is a million light years from soccer
The australian guy that almost dislocated his shoulder, didnt want to come off, eventually got dragged off, with his arm rolled up in his own shirt! and was patted on the back by Scots players - unbelievable compared to what would have happened if it had been football
Football and rugby are LIGHT years apart when it comes to respect. In football, there is none - not just between teams, but for the referee. I gave up on football about 20 years ago when I found rugby and realised what real men play.
Football wasn't always like that - but it quickly became rooted that they had to dive to make the ref take notice and it became apparent if you surrounded the ref, you could influence his decision. Football - at the very least - needs to stamp out the disrespect for the ref.
I saw something funny the other week. It was involving Stuart Hogg of Scotland. He was tackled late by "The Beast" of South Africa. It was late - but totally forgivable given the speed of play. This was a t St James's Park.
Hogg asked the ref, Nigel Owens - who is a superb ref - to have a look to which Nigel Owens replied "I had a look and it was fair. If you want to get away with things like that, I suggest you come back here in a couple of weeks"...Nigel Owens reference being Hogg's "over acting" on the tackle and the fact that football would be played in a couple of weeks at St James's Park....simply superb refereeing.
As much as there are mistakes in refereeing decisions (the penalty against Scotland in the last 2 minutes was a prime example)...the fact is - they are leaps and bounds ahead of any sports and they are given absolute respect. The players will try to influence that on occasion...but it seldom works. And if the back chat the ref (as did Scotland's number 1 today) they will be marched another 10 meters towards their try line.
Superb play by Scotland and totally against everything everyone had thought.
Over to New Zealand! :-X
I missed the Scotland game, your guys almost did it, wonderful effort. I was very happy with the ABs performance, I knew they'd step it up a gear. I watched the Arg v Ire game, the atmosphere was incredible, would loved to have been there for that one. The Pumas are playing some great rugby and I'm picking them to beat Oz. Having them in the Rugby Championship has been great, you can see them improving every year, it's only a matter of time when they'll beat the ABs. Hopefully not the final if we both get there!!
Well it seems the TMO cannot be used in such circumstances according to the rugby rulebook.
However - it was a close call - unclear - ball bouncing off everyone almost - and it's an end to the game - he could've gone to the TMO and imo should have made that call to do so.
Well, it's official. Craig Joubert screwed up. He's also been dropped from the world cup. He's not been selected for any more games. Looks like Nigel Owens will get the final. He's been brilliant this world cup, I loved how in the NZ/FR 1/4 final he just stood back when there was a bit of a blue and let the players sort it out. Then he went in and sorted who was in the wrong. Harkens back to the old days when a ref would penalise the guy who got flattened because they probably deserved it!
Well, thank christ for that! 20-18 to the All Blacks. That was a tough game, but it always was going to be against the 'Boks. There was a couple of times there that I thought we might lose it but the AB's kept their composure and managed to grind out the win. Winning ugly is still winning as they say.
My pick for tomorrow is Argentina. I reckon they've got the goods to go all the way. They should copy the AB's playbook and not compete in the breakdown as the Oz loosies will be too fast. They should just force the errors with some crunching tackles. If they injure a few, well that's good too as the Aussies don't have much depth.
I watched part of that one here. They actually had it on over-the-air broadcast TV
Yeah, wonders of wonders, they had it on free-to-air as well. First game I've watched on TV in a long time :D
It was indeed a very entertaining game
I still do not get why those dumb-f*** forwards continue to give easy penalties away by neck-rolling....they get penalised EVERY time - no questions.
But it was a cracker. Being a Brit, this is probably a wee bit controversial, but I hope the Argies win today. Not because of the result last week either (as I'm actually Scottish) but just because their rugby has come a long way...and I like the underdog.
Well, there goes my prediction,lol. Aus-NZ final. Should be a good one. Can't wait!
Meant to post - decent win in the end by the All Blacks. O0
I'm still kicking myself to understand why Scotland didn't get through to the semi finals - they would definitely have beaten that Argie team and been in their first World Cup Final...though unlikely to win it, I'm sure.
I actually watched a fair bit of it, but I'll be damned if I can honestly say I understood everything that was going on :)