RWC it's started 😁

[chrisjpainter]

Really nice by Wales. Australia just look a bit...dim? They don't seem to expect anything from Wales, and Wales to be fair are constantly changing the question they're asking, so it's no wonder they're running away with it. So poor from the Aussies. 

[Mice!]

The Best I've seen Wales play in a while, they are making Australia look average. 

[Rim Fire]

We playing  well not one dimension but changing attack set piece  going well and defence  outstanding 👏 

[chrisjpainter]

1 minute ago, Rim Fire said:

We playing  well not one dimension but changing attack set piece  going well and defence  outstanding 👏 

Yeah I've been really impressed with how Wales have kept changing their attack plan. Australia meanwhile are looking strangely familiar. Lots of aimless phases, followed by a pointless kick. I wonder who that reminds me of?

[JDog]

Eddie Jones dragging another international team to the bottom of the pile.

[Mice!]

10 minutes ago, Rim Fire said:

We playing  well not one dimension but changing attack set piece  going well and defence  outstanding 👏 

Switching left and right, not kicking away possession, Australia have been battered,  I predicted a close tough game, Australia went home after ten minutes. 

8 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

Lots of aimless phases, followed by a pointless kick. I wonder who that reminds me of?

Sounds like Eddie's tactics 

[chrisjpainter]

Gardening leave for Eddie Jones?

[Rim Fire]

Job done Eddie  will be getting   a  DCM  don't come Monday 

[JKD]

Definitely the better team won,,,, but the opposition were playing like amateurs, with so many mistakes and no game plan. As said above,,,, sounds familiar under the same head coach 😮🙈

[Rim Fire]

Yep Eddie will be on his bike i bet he ends up back in Japan 

[chrisjpainter]

2 hours ago, Rim Fire said:

Yep Eddie will be on his bike i bet he ends up back in Japan 

Funny you should say that. There's a rumour going round he met with Japan representatives on the eve of the tournament about a potential return! He's denied it in a heated press conference and he's contracted until after the next world cup, but even so it's got a lot of traction.

The Aussie press has not been kind to him. There was one particularly awkward commentary box that contained the biggest elephant in a room there's ever been: Michael Hooper. The poor guy just went red as he was bombarded by his fellow panellists with questions along the lines of 'why aren't you there?' and 'don't you think experience would have been useful for this young, talented but rudderless team?' 

Given how poor their kicking was, Quade Cooper's absence looks ridiculous too. 

 

On another issue, I wonder what price you'd have got for all four groups being topped by Six Nations sides? 

[Mice!]

38 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

The Aussie press has not been kind to him. There was one particularly awkward commentary box that contained the biggest elephant in a room there's ever been

They won't be given the recent performances,  like you say bags of ability but not enough experience,  bye bye Australia. 

38 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

On another issue, I wonder what price you'd have got for all four groups being topped by Six Nations sides? 

You would have been crazy to bet on that, but now look at it, but when you look at the quarter finals it gets very interesting, Ireland look like getting NZ, France get SA, England play Fiji again, then Wales play somebody from D 😅😅

So how many Six Nations teams ho through? France v SA will be massive,  Ireland v NZ will be massive,  I'd say only England and Wales look sure to go through,  the others are too close to call,  not often you've been able to say that before about Northern hemisphere rugby.

[chrisjpainter]

37 minutes ago, Mice! said:

They won't be given the recent performances,  like you say bags of ability but not enough experience,  bye bye Australia. 

You would have been crazy to bet on that, but now look at it, but when you look at the quarter finals it gets very interesting, Ireland look like getting NZ, France get SA, England play Fiji again, then Wales play somebody from D 😅😅

So how many Six Nations teams ho through? France v SA will be massive,  Ireland v NZ will be massive,  I'd say only England and Wales look sure to go through,  the others are too close to call,  not often you've been able to say that before about Northern hemisphere rugby.

The standout tie has to be NZ-Ireland. I'd be worried about France ill-discipline costing them against the boring but effective SA team. As you say, we should beat Fiji.  Just imagine a World Cup semi final line up entirely made up of the Northern Hemisphere! We wait and see, but it's great for world rugby. 

Chile have looked talented but unable to stay the course of 80 mins. More exposure will help with that; Argentina used to be the same but they're a serious force now. The disappointment for me is to see how little progress Namibia's made. With SA literally right next door, I'd have hoped they would have improved more. I know two of their three games have been against the big hitters in the group, but a 52-8 drubbing by Italy is perhaps the worst result of the three.

[Rim Fire]

I can understand  you must bring through  young  players but you  introduce  them not throw them to the lions and leave  very experienced  players back home 

[Mice!]

23 minutes ago, Rim Fire said:

I can understand  you must bring through  young  players but you  introduce  them not throw them to the lions and leave  very experienced  players back home 

I'd imagine the coach wants things done his way, and the older experienced players might not go along with that, but the coach is , sorry has been found out now.

26 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

Namibia's made. With SA literally right next door, I'd have hoped they would have improved more. I know two of their three games have been against the big hitters in the group, but a 52-8 drubbing by Italy is perhaps the worst result of the three.

Italy have come on recently,  but seeing as there always the 6 nations whipping boys it shows how far behind they are.

28 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

The standout tie has to be NZ-Ireland. I'd be worried about France ill-discipline costing them against the boring but effective SA team.

I'm sure France will be studying every minute of the IRE v SA game, home crowd where the atmosphere will be epic.

Then look at the crowd at the IRE game, wow that was good, Zombie Zombie......

Some amazing games ahead. 

[Mice!]

Well that was a closer game than I thought it would be,  but I'll be honest it didn't really grab me.

Makes for an interesting match between Japan and Argentina though.

[chrisjpainter]

44 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Well that was a closer game than I thought it would be,  but I'll be honest it didn't really grab me.

Makes for an interesting match between Japan and Argentina though.

Yes. It very much had the feel of two also-rans wanting to get a gig at the big boys table. Whoever ends up playing the winner in the quarters won't be having sleepless nights.

 

HEADS UP TOO: England women play on Saturday at 3pm. Neither BBC nor ITV wanted coverage - despite it being offered to them for free - so it's on youtube. searching England vs Canada LIVE should get it

[Mice!]

9 hours ago, chrisjpainter said:

HEADS UP TOO: England women play on Saturday at 3pm. Neither BBC nor ITV wanted coverage - despite it being offered to them for free - so it's on youtube. searching England vs Canada LIVE should get it

I'm surprised the BBC didn't jump at it, seeing as they've no rugby on? Or channel 4, it's disappointing really especially as it shows what the think of the women's game.

[Mice!]

So how badly are NZ going to whip Italy tonight then? I'm going to be generous and say 50 nil.

[JKD]

Well, NZ need to show some of their strengths, not just go through some motions with a win of sorts. I'm predicting 60 something, to single figures from penalties,,,, and the odd yellow card 🤕

[Rim Fire]

I'd say between 35 to 60 depends if the Italian turn up

[Mice!]

36 minutes ago, Rim Fire said:

the Italian turn up

They looked good passing and running,  but NZ have turned up, it looks like professional vs amateur unfortunately.

1 hour ago, JKD said:

I'm predicting 60 something, to single figures from penalties,,,, and the odd yellow card 🤕

Was that the first half?

[Rim Fire]

I'd say between 60 to 80depends if the Italian turn up

[JKD]

24 minutes ago, Mice! said:

They looked good passing and running,  but NZ have turned up, it looks like professional vs amateur unfortunately.

Was that the first half?

Was going to say the same to you 😆

Italy are making NZ look like a superteam 🥴

So what's your 2nd half prediction ? 🙈

[Mice!]

4 minutes ago, JKD said:

So what's your 2nd half prediction

Italy do a runner and don't come back out!

France didn't get the 100 did they, so NZ will aim for that I think, its brutal,  Italy can't do a thing to stop it either.