Rugby World Cup.. thoughts

UKRob said:
Much as I don't want to be drawn into this - I just can't resist. Whatever profits are mad from the competition, I feel confident that they will mostly find their way back into the game in terms of grants, better facilities, improved coaching, subsidised kits and a hundred other ways that I don't know about.

Whether you intended it or not, I can't help thinking that your comments carry a degree of cynicism that is not justified.
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I've also tried to resist being drawn but I'm moved to agree with Carl. The RFU is already the richest institution in world rugby yet still couldn't facilitate England's progression beyond the group stages. Their fundamental remit is to foster interest in rugby at grass roots level, overpricing entry to a world tournament on our own doorstep isn't the way to do it. The Boks took over England's training facilities after our exit and said they'd never trained in such a superb environment. If they can achieve so much with less at home, the RFU's management must be fundamentally flawed.

Is it a coincidence that every successful country's Rugby Sevens team players have a shot at a national team place whereas England now regard it as a standalone tournament?

Regards,
Chris
 
Gairdner said:
But then the Aussies never had the possession that the AB's did and shouldn't have even been there given World Rugby's statement that the penalty against Scotland should never have been given. Swings and roundabouts - ultimately they lacked the class NZ had. And they lacked a certain Dan Carter too. Right team won.
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Well G it may be worth remembering the Scots were quite fortunate to get past Samoa and then extremely fortunate to play an Australian side recovering from their brutal encounter with Wales so lets just agree Australia fully deserved to be in the final after beating England, Wales and South Africa despite a poor decision that favoured them in the Scotland game. World Rugby also stated they will never pick their seeds and groups so far in advance of a tournament, well there you go perhaps it may have been Scotland's only chance to ever advance that deeply into a tournament again. :0

As for the game well the AB's certainly dominated the first half but Australia regrouped and had the major share of possession in the second which led to them getting within three points and the lack of that crucial decision occurred at critical time, we are not talking about a knock-on that was difficult to spot in real time, it was a neck high tackle that was spotted and should have resulted in a penalty and a yellow card just as the earlier tip-tackle did. The AB's decidedly play on the edge therefore being penalised for overstepping the mark is part and parcel of their game and let's not forget the two injuries to critical players like Gito and Zane. I have no particular axe to grind for either team but from what I witnessed I thought Australia were overall more than unlucky to be on the end of a 17 pt defeat.
 
antdad said:
Well G it may be worth remembering the Scots were quite fortunate to get past Samoa and then extremely fortunate to play an Australian side recovering from their brutal encounter with Wales so lets just agree Australia fully deserved to be in the final after beating England, Wales and South Africa despite a poor decision that favoured them in the Scotland game. World Rugby also stated they will never pick their seeds and groups so far in advance of a tournament, well there you go perhaps it may have been Scotland's only chance to ever advance that deeply into a tournament again. :0

As for the game well the AB's certainly dominated the first half but Australia regrouped and had the major share of possession in the second which led to them getting within three points and the lack of that crucial decision occurred at critical time, we are not talking about a knock-on that was difficult to spot in real time, it was a neck high tackle that was spotted and should have resulted in a penalty and a yellow card just as the earlier tip-tackle did. The AB's decidedly play on the edge therefore being penalised for overstepping the mark is part and parcel of their game and let's not forget the two injuries to critical players like Gito and Zane. I have no particular axe to grind for either team but from what I witnessed I thought Australia were overall more than unlucky to be on the end of a 17 pt defeat.
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Given that Scotland were totally written off before the Australia match never mind the plentiful inferences that they would be beaten by both Samoa and Japan, I feel it is somewhat unjustified to excuse Australia because of a brutal encounter with Wales. The Boks also had a tough match against the Welsh yet I do not recall it being used as any sort of excuse for their defeat by NZ. However, I fear you may be correct about Scotland's future progress in World Cups but there were many encouraging signs for the Six Nations. If only they can keep the momentum going but false dawns and all that....

I do agree that a 17 point margin of defeat may be somewhat harsh in the light of the refereeing error you pointed out but injuries are part and parcel of the game as Wales found to their cost. One critical decision went for the Aussies against Scotland that totally changed the result but I fear you miss the mark somewhat by suggesting that Australia were "more than unlucky". To create such a chance and take it under almost overwhelming pressure when Carter kicked that DG is the class that the Wallabies ultimately lacked. To do it again with a fairly huge penalty kick merely underlines my point. NZ weathered the storm the Aussies threw at them, held their nerve and showed that killer instinct that true champions do to win the match - they raised their game when they had to. Hats off to Australia for having a damn good go but at the end of the day, they weren't quite good enough and they had the good grace to acknowledge this. It's refreshing that such sportsmanship still exists in Rugby whereas in other sports, quite the opposite is more often than not, the norm.

We may not agree but I do not doubt your greater knowledge of the game (football too). I may have played at school and afterwards but I was never much of a thinker in the sport, letting the blood lust cloud my vision and as in everything, piss poor under pressure. I was never quite big and powerful enough to be an effective forward nor fast enough to pass as a decent back. Besides, I was really more interested in the cheap jugs of ale in the clubhouse and occasionally the big jugs serving the cheap jugs....
 
chrisbd said:
I've also tried to resist being drawn but I'm moved to agree with Carl. The RFU is already the richest institution in world rugby yet still couldn't facilitate England's progression beyond the group stages. Their fundamental remit is to foster interest in rugby at grass roots level, overpricing entry to a world tournament on our own doorstep isn't the way to do it. The Boks took over England's training facilities after our exit and said they'd never trained in such a superb environment. If they can achieve so much with less at home, the RFU's management must be fundamentally flawed.

Is it a coincidence that every successful country's Rugby Sevens team players have a shot at a national team place whereas England now regard it as a standalone tournament?

Regards,
Chris
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Chris - you are confusing World Rugby with the RFU. My comments have nothing to do with England's performance or the RFU's abilities. I'm simply trying to make the point that a successful and profitable world cup is good news for all Rugby playing nations.
 
Rufus Firefly said:
The right team won but without the glaring refereeing errors it would have been closer and possibly even more entertaining.
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The referee was quite simply outstanding just listen to the way he talked to the TMO it's a pity some of the southern hemisphere referees didn't take a leaf out of his book, there wasn't one single critic out there would even dream up such nonsense.
 
pugh-the-special-one said:
New Zealand won and the referee was spot on with all his calls not one Australian would argue with a single referee call.
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To be fair he did miss a blatant forward pass and had to be cajoled into viewing the tip tackle an extra time, but that said, he can't have eyes everywhere at once. All in all, Nigel Owens had a brilliant game, in particular keeping discipline at the lineout where players were whinging about positioning.
 
UKRob said:
Chris - you are confusing World Rugby with the RFU. My comments have nothing to do with England's performance or the RFU's abilities. I'm simply trying to make the point that a successful and profitable world cup is good news for all Rugby playing nations.
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Beg pardon, World Rugby staged a great event. But am I mistaken in thinking the RFU set the ticket prices for the England venues? A world tournament on home soil is indeed good news for all, better if you don't price home fans, or the curious who'd like to experience it live for the first time, out of it.

Belting final though, right team won, World Cup heads back down south again, RFU sticks head up own backside for another 4 years.

Regards,
Chris
 
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