The Silver Fern

Well done NZ. Super performance. Better team won tonight. Great defense and strong at the breakdown. No complaints.

Saveau definitely MOM for me too. Some vital turnovers that turned the match. But hats off to Cane, he was immense. The first thing I noticed before the game started, and also during the haka, was the determination in Canes demeanour. A shit Richie McCaw indeed

Congrats fuckers, well deserved win. Ireland rudderless without a leader like Sexton, lacking in attacking ideas. Error count not acceptable and that's surely down to rustiness,. Frawley very poor when he came on for Crowley.

@tubbyj said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:

SA should be massive favourites.

The neutrals despite what they will claim will want SA to win. The Irish will be obsessed with seeing NZ punished for beating them, the English will want the Saffers to win so they can believe they were a whisker from winning the whole thing and the Welsh and Scottish will see more sport in winding up NZ fans after a loss. French, Argentinian and Italian fans will probably support NZ but it will be lost in translation.

Finally Rassie Erasmus is a proven RWC winning coach. Ian Foster couldn't even win a Super rugby title, Joe Schmidt couldn't get the Irish past the quarterfinals and Jason Ryan is still finding his feet at International level.

Nah, you're wrong. The general consensus back home and social media is the neutrals want the AB's to win, for rugby's sake. Same for me, even though you're all a bunch of fluffybunnies in here

The AB's are in town with a lot of matches under their belt and improving every game. Ireland haven't played together since July, bench is weak and Furlong is a big loss. On the other hand, Ireland haven't lost at the Aviva since Feb '21 in a two point defeat to France.

Without Schmidt's influence, who was a big factor in the quarter final win, I feel this is a weaker side. Ireland are generally more cohesive. AB's have the better individual players and without doubt this is the game they will have targeted most in the november series. Lots of contradictions but it makes up for one very interesting game. Hopefully more entertaining than last week's which was pretty dire.

Edit: I also have tickets for this game so will be the first time ever seeing the haka in person and cannot bloody wait!

Hard luck AB's. Only one team playing rugby out there tonight. SA awful to watch. Barnes didn't help you guys either.

Ya know wha lads? I think we're going to beat you fuckers! Especially since some of you called us part of the UK!

Bring it on!!

@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC SF: England v Springboks:

Needs investigating and a ban if true. Ditto a false allegation. Some things shouldn't be left on the park

Oct 21, 2023

Listen: Tom Curry accuses Bongi Mbonambi of racist slur during Rugby World Cup semi-final

Incident occurred in the first half of the World Cup semi-final against England, with remarks caught on referee Ben O’Keeffe's microphone

England flanker Tom Curry alleged to referee Ben O’Keeffe that South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi called him a “white c---” during the Springboks’ World Cup semi-final victory.

The incident occurred just before the half-hour mark with England leading 9-3 as Curry approached O’Keeffe, the New Zealand official.

On the referee’s microphone, Curry can be clearly heard asking, “Sir, Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c--- what do I do?”

If true, Mbonambi should apologise for the white part. That's uncalled for.

@Jet That'll be the Leinster shower, bunch of pricks. Get yourself to Thomond Park for a Munster v All Black XV for a proper experience.

@game_film said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:

@akan004 Nah mate. That wasn’t even a good game. You gonna watch the highlights again in 5 years time? Didn’t think so

What's your idea of a good game? Champagne rugby and twinkle toes? You don't get more attritional than that. Two physical sides going hammer and tongs, an absolute battle that was as attritional as you get.

@Billy-Tell said in RWC: Springboks v Scotland:

@The-Irishman said in RWC: Springboks v Scotland:

@Steve said in RWC: Springboks v Scotland:

Ireland have both of these teams back to back and then a QF?

Unfortunately yes. Ire v Sco will be massive.

Your compatriots think SA are over-rated and Scotland easybeats. I would have though Irish fans have learnt from previous world cups and take nothing for granted.

Unfortunately there's a lot of bellends following Irish rugby since they've improved the last decade or so. Bandwagoners. Pundits and media are the biggest offenders.

@hydro11 said in RWC Week 2: All Blacks v Namibia:

@gt12 said in RWC Week 2: All Blacks v Namibia:

EDG seems to be an absolute meathead.

How is that a meathead? You are committed to a tackle, then the guy gets tackled to change height. It isn't even a shoulder direct to the head, it is a glancing blow and inadvertent. Nothing he could do there, really.

Jesus. Seriously? Where was the attempt to wrap?

Two knockout games and a final for SA and they didn't deserve to win any of them. Ironically, for the one game the did lose, it could be argued they didn't deserve to lose.

Well lads....looks like it's us leprachauns against you sheep shaggers hehe!

All joking aside, really looking forward to it. Hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves and go out fighting. The consensus back home is we'll get thumped and I'm the same. AB's by 15-20 pts.

Let's hope for a great occasion and good banter between the fans 👍

This was always the crunch game for me between the two best sides in the world (yes, England are better than SA, no matter what you SH folk believe). Who ever wins will most certainly win the cup I feel.

The kiwis are confident and expecting their team to win comfortably, in most cases anyway. Who would blame them? But I feel England will be a very very tough proposition. This will be a tight game. If I was a betting man, I'd give this one a skip.

Really looking forward to this clash, since before the competition started in fact. These teams were always on a collision course.

My dilemma is who to support! I love the NZ team and Hansen, great coach and funny guy with his dry wit. NZ fans on the other hand? I'll keep that to myself on here! It's the complete opposite for England. Don't like their team or manager but their fans are grand and they are our neighbours.

I'll decide on the day!!

My gut feeling is this will be one hell of a test match and will boil down to who can handle the pressure best. AB's certainly have the better individual players in majority of the team bar, imo, Porter over Bower, POM over SB and Henshaw over Ioane (controversial I know). Sexton and Barrett are tied and can both turn a game completely.

AB's are playing on their turf and will be hurting big time, POM comments to Cane adding fuel to an already big fire. In Irelands favour, they don't have anything to lose. Losing a test series 2-1 in New Zealand is nothing to be ashamed of. So AB's have more pressure on their shoulders....but I think they will embrace it. They will try to get off the block quicker than Ireland this time and first 15-20min are crucial for both teams.

Barnes is a good ref but I feel he will suit AB's better and not ping them as much as previous two tests.

I'm sure it will be a great test match, best of the series and touring games on this weekend in fact. AB's to win it by individual brilliance and a tightening up of simple errors that's plagued them. To win by 15+ points after a tight game for 60min.

@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Ireland v South Africa:

Just watching replay. What the holy hell are the Irish wearing? Looks like a shitty Super Rugby jersey.

They are an abomination. Whoever came up with that design and colour should be sacked.

Looking at the red card in real time, it really looks like fuck all. Slowed down of course gives the ref no option. But its disappointing that the biggest game of the world cup is all about Barnes and the TMO.

Dreadful atmosphere in the stadium, but reflective of the game. Woeful by Ireland, AB's marginally better and deserve the lead.

Superb rugby from Japan. Just shows their win over us wasn't a once off....deserved group winners by a long way. I still reckon the boks will be too powerful for them.