Rugby world cup 2019

[Nick]

20 hours ago, Finnegan said:

 

 

Jonny May isn't a bad shout. England are the Tottenham Hotspur of international rugby, they struggle to get their attack going against top level opposition but they're strong flat track bullies in a group in which they'll expect to be able to run up the score. 

 

 

You can fvck right off with the Spurs comparative allowing you to conveniently embed and attach those negative generic conventions to both a Club and a Country you don’t like! 

 

[ealingfox]

Sticking a large bet on NZ to win it, sound investment by the sounds of things.

[Finnegan]

ABs first game, no Rieko, Beauden at 15, Mo'unga at 10 and Reece starts with Bridge in the back 3.

 

So yeah, I wouldn't have Barrett as top points scorer but any of those three are a reasonable shout for tries. 

[ScouseFox]

2 hours ago, Finnegan said:

ABs first game, no Rieko, Beauden at 15, Mo'unga at 10 and Reece starts with Bridge in the back 3.

 

So yeah, I wouldn't have Barrett as top points scorer but any of those three are a reasonable shout for tries. 

yeah obviously beauden is a no go-er if he's not doing all the kicking. never mind. 

 

do you not think that reece starting over ioane in the opener actually makes ioane more of a favourite to top score? surely he'll get the games against canada and namibia where they are going to score what, 25+ tries haha. 

 

not a good set of announcements for my bets i don't think, but i mean it does show quite how outrageously good NZ's squad is. 

[Finnegan]

Probably not tbh, it's only two games, Canada and Namibia and you don't know how much they'll rotate. 

 

They'll play full strength against Italy and South Africa I imagine, plus quarters, semis and final. 

[ScouseFox]

fair one. 

 

just out of interest as i'm sure you know more than me and the internet seems undecided, why isn't ioane playing? this time last year, and you even alluded to in an early post, he was the best player in his position in the world, surely? now he can't even get in the squad? is it just cos NZ are THAT good, or is he a pr ick like quite a lot of rugby players?

[Finnegan]

It's probably two things. 

 

Firstly, he went about four tests without a try which is considered AWFUL FORM in New Zealand. Pretty funny really given some of George North's dry spells and he's undroppable. Says a lot about their strength in depth. 

 

But it's also about the Crusaders. In 2015, Hurricanes were probably the best club rugby team in the world. They finished 13 points clear at the top of Super Rugby (somehow fluffed the final to Highlanders but waltzed it the year after.) Hence the 2015 squad was all about the Canes. Nonu, Conrad Smith, Beauden Barrett, Julian Savea, Nehe Milner Skudder, etc, was the core of the backs because they were collectively on form together. 

 

Fast forward four years and Crusaders have their dominance back. This world cup cycle they've just won three titles back to back and the chat has been about how to make their fly half, Richie Mo'unga, the star of the team. 

 

They've come up with this sort of double 10 solution where Beaudy acts as a second playmaker from deep hitting the line at 15 as a double pivot along with Mo'unga at 10.

 

It also means bringing in a bunch of the Crusaders backs to play around him. So Bridge, Crotty and Reece are preferred as they're coming in not just in great form (Reece top scored in super rugby) but because they're all familiar to Mo'unga. 

[walkerleeds]

Seems like NZ don't know their best team. Up the Boks.

[Finnegan]

23 minutes ago, walkerleeds said:

Seems like NZ don't know their best team. Up the Boks.

 

They have about three best teams that'd all beat South Africa on Saturday

[ScouseFox]

er japan hello 

 

they've been absolutely diabolical ffs  

[Finnegan]

They need a bit of composure really, if they go through a couple more phases as they did for that last try, they'll do these by a comfy score. Russia  have no fitness and no defensive discipline, you go a few phases and there'll be holes everywhere. 

 

You can tell they're probably a bit nervous with the occasion. 

 

At their best, they probably would be running through the Russian line but the handling has been crap so just dial it down a notch. 

[ScouseFox]

yeah they were way too excited first half, every tackle was an attempted offload instead of just gaining yards and going again. 

 

handling errors off the scale as well. set the tone by dropping the kick off after 2 seconds i guess haha. 

[Finnegan]

The drop for the Russian try would be embarrassing if that was Belgrave vs Jimmies tbf

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Surprised they don't play in bootcut denim and merino wool GANT v necks tbh

[ScouseFox]

oh look who’s come crawling back 

[Finnegan]

Like a ****ing addict. 

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

I expected nonsense about passing a ball backwards from @finnergun but not you @Liverpool

[ScouseFox]

imho as long as you don't associate with anyone that likes rugby then watching rugby is actually quite fun 

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Just now, ScouseFox said:

imho as long as you don't associate with anyone that likes rugby then watching rugby is actually quite fun 

Slippery slope for you, hope you like nastro azzuro

[Samilktray]

I’m with Nihat rugby is for nonces and lads who drink beer out of each other’s arse cracks 

[ScouseFox]

listen 

 

you can't just return to the board and act like the top boy 

 

stay in ur lane and get out of mine n finno's thread 

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Cheers @Fryatt+Hume=goals

[Finnegan]

FIIIJIIIIIIIIII

[leicsmac]

I'm sorry, I'm not having the "NZ are invincible, hand them the trophy" spiel going on here, as results and form-based as it might be.

 

And in a 20-team tournament, even one as lopsided as RWC's often are, to have one team as an odds-on favourite is a ridiculously short price that isn't anywhere near value IMO. Any one of three or four teams could catch NZ on a bad day in the knockout stages and bring them down.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdZ4nhTSgEs

 

 

[Finnegan]

8 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

I'm sorry, I'm not having the "NZ are invincible, hand them the trophy" spiel going on here, as results and form-based as it might be.

 

And in a 20-team tournament, even one as lopsided as RWC's often are, to have one team as an odds-on favourite is a ridiculously short price that isn't anywhere near value IMO. Any one of three or four teams could catch NZ on a bad day in the knockout stages and bring them down.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdZ4nhTSgEs

 

 

 

Steve Hansen is right, we go through this every WC. Everyone's so desperate to talk up the chance of NZ losing because, let's be honest, the reality is a bit boring. The reality is they're almost certainly going to win, even if they lose today. 

 

They're just ridiculously good. 

 

Obviously it's not guaranteed, once you get to the knock outs any tier one nation could technically beat them. They could have a one off bad day. 

 

It's not likely though, statistically. People fall in to the same trap every world cup cycle of thinking NZ have dipped before the tournament but they just experiment, drop off their intensity, rest people, try new combinations, surrender some World ranking points in order to be more prepared. 

 

They have more high quality players than the rest of us, they produce more high quality players than the rest of us and the trend is only going to get more. 

 

SA and Aus are declining, rugby is in trouble in those countries, France are declining and in a huge mess, England are at risk of going the same way if they keep copying France's domestic model, Scotland are a long way from the 90s.

 

Meanwhile rugby in NZ goes from strength to strength. Its a production line with little competition.