Rugby World Cup general discussion
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@Victor-Meldrew said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
The mullet is back at the Rugby World Cup – like a resilient horror movie murderer
A haircut occasionally seen on the campuses of artsy universities has somehow taken hold and we should be worried
There should be points reduction for mullets. Everyone bleaching their hair like France did a few years ago should result in instant disqualification from the tournament.
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@sparky said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Pool play taking too long in this World Cup and the gaps between games are unfair on the minnows.
Notes for future World Cups.
- Get through the pool games quicker.
- Even out a bit more the gaps between games.
What are you smoking? The gaps were put in to better allow the minnows to recover. If we could find 4 more reasonably competitive sides could do 4 pools of 6 with 3 and 4 in pool going into plate tournament. Pool play is dragging slightly. But biggest problem is having the A&B quarterfinals when they should have been the semifinals
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@Billy-Tell said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@sparky said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Pool play taking too long in this World Cup and the gaps between games are unfair on the minnows.
Notes for future World Cups.
- Get through the pool games quicker.
- Even out a bit more the gaps between games.
What are you smoking? The gaps were put in to better allow the minnows to recover. If we could find 4 more reasonably competitive sides could do 4 pools of 6 with 3 and 4 in pool going into plate tournament. Pool play is dragging slightly. But biggest problem is having the A&B quarterfinals when they should have been the semifinals
@Billy-Tell said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@sparky said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Pool play taking too long in this World Cup and the gaps between games are unfair on the minnows.
Notes for future World Cups.
- Get through the pool games quicker.
- Even out a bit more the gaps between games.
What are you smoking? The gaps were put in to better allow the minnows to recover. If we could find 4 more reasonably competitive sides could do 4 pools of 6 with 3 and 4 in pool going into plate tournament. Pool play is dragging slightly. But biggest problem is having the A&B quarterfinals when they should have been the semifinals
If they ever do expand to 24 then it won't be 4 pools of 6, it'll be 6 of 4. Asking the world's 24th ranked team to play 5 matches, 4 of which will probably be shelackings, wouldn't work for anyone.
3 pool matches, without the need for a "bye" would work well.
The problem is that you then need to get 8, or more likely 16, qualifiers from 6 pools. So we'd no doubt end up with a messy solution, like the four best 3rd place teams going through.
(This is the format that the football world cup used for many years, before they expanded to 32 teams).
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@sparky said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Big story of this World Cup so far has been the strength of the Northern Hemisphere sides relative to the Southern Hemisphere ones. Why has this been so different in this respect to previous World Cups?
No doubt the NH is getting stronger across the board at Test level, due in part to Ireland waking up and France being more consistent.
The ABs were always going to be on a downslope after the 2011 and 2015 efforts, which showed in the 2019 SF against England.
The Wallabies... well... they've been on a downslope for over a decade.
South Africa's game plan is simple to implement but simple to stop AND relies on having all the players there. No Marx is a significant chunk of experience and talent lost when you don't pick a third hooker and your bench are a bunch of fat, unfit pricks.
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@MajorRage said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Dunno where this is from, it’s a UK publication somewhere
Nice random numbers pulled out of someone's arse! The gist could be correct tho, basically no chance quarters, small chance semi, reasonable chance final.
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Apart from 03 , the winning players used to play super rugby too ,
That trend is about to change, looking like a smart move by South Africa with hindsight
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@kiwiinmelb said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
That trend is about to change, looking like a smart move by South Africa with hindsight
the move is driving the change. We miss them - and I think they miss us.
Reality is the best comp to prepare you for Tests is no longer Super. We have a long road to get back - the NH did it in 8 years; we can do it and do it quickly, but we have to really re-look at the whole structure in NZ to make it work.
My confidence that this board will do that well is approximately zero.
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@nzzp said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
My confidence that this board will do that well is approximately zero.
Be less than zero if Fozzie manages to orchestrate what would currently appear, impossible...
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@sparky Well, the NH is pretty certain to top all four pools, now.
On the other hand, hopefully all of the runners-up will be SH sides.
Let's wait and see how it all pans out.
In 2015, the SH won all four QFs, so will be interesting to see how strongly that trend reverses.
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so tasty. I can see Fiji giving England a hard time. I genuinely wouldn't tip any game with any confidence.
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Argentina have looked like dogshit so far, so it would be big for them to suddenly tip up Wales.
I can't see Fiji getting past England twice in a row.
France / SA will be a cracker.
I think we can and will beat Ireland. They are rightfully the best team in the world right now, but from what I saw today, we can beat that team if we get our kicking game and discipline right.
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@gt12 said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Argentina have looked like dogshit so far, so it would be big for them to suddenly tip up Wales.
agreed, but Wales have been poor for a while, and Aussie served the game up on a plate today. Wales will start deserved favourites but seeing them tipped over would not surprise.
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@gt12 said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Argentina have looked like dogshit so far, so it would be big for them to suddenly tip up Wales.
I can't see Fiji getting past England twice in a row.
France / SA will be a cracker.
I think we can and will beat Ireland. They are rightfully the best team in the world right now, but from what I saw today, we can beat that team if we get our kicking game and discipline right.
I reckon Englands rediscovered 10-man kicking game will see the game played mostly in Fiji territory and Fiji will beat themselves trying to win - comfortable 15pt England win for me
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@mariner4life said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
@gt12 said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:
Argentina have looked like dogshit so far, so it would be big for them to suddenly tip up Wales.
agreed, but Wales have been poor for a while, and Aussie served the game up on a plate today. Wales will start deserved favourites but seeing them tipped over would not surprise.
Agree. Given where we were less than 12 months ago - losing to Georgia in Cardiff, coach being fired, general chaos - the idea that we have a shot at making a semifinal is barely believable.
