QF2: New Zealand v France

[CCS]

Someone start a Wikipedia entry for Hayman's Beard. Not for Carl Hayman, but for Hayman's Beard.

[chiQ]

You're right Si. We definitely choked.

I'm still pissed off at the officials though. That was substandard refereeing at some stages. At world cup levels they should be better than that.

[funnel web]

Any word on the guy who bet 5 million on the AB's to win?

[pk_wasp]

I hope next time, we get a captain that can moan and talk to the ref during a game about offsides, hands in rucks etc

Reuben and McCaw and even Taine are too quiet.

Like Tana, Sean or Gregan etc.

[slippers]

Originally Posted by blynk

I don't believe it was our center that lost us the game. It may have in the semis/final. But it wasn't a factor in this game.
There were 5 nails in the coffin.

1 - The sinbinning of McAlistar.
2 - The forward pass
3 - The offside/infringing not being picked up
4 - When we lost Evans.
5 - Haymans beard

1 - French hands in the ruck EVERY time we got close to their line
2 - The sinbinning of McAlistar.
3 - The forward pass
4 - The offside/infringing not being picked up
5 - When we lost Evans.
6 - Haymans beard

To be honest the hands in the ruck was so blatent, I think the French were actually trying to concede a penalty to prevent a try... I don't think it actually dawned on them to begin with that the ref was going to completely ignore this area of the game completely....

[oblivious]

DROP GOAL FFS!
we had 20+ phases twice(!!) inside there 20meter line and we didn't put over a droppy to win the game, thats just retarded.

with stupid rugby like that we don't deserve the world cup


ps. who did that ref sleep with to get that game?

[slippers]

Originally Posted by oblivious

DROP GOAL FFS!
we had 20+ phases twice(!!) inside there 20meter line and we didn't put over a droppy to win the game, thats just retarded.

with stupid rugby like that we don't deserve the world cup


ps. who did that ref sleep with to get that game?

Suzy.

[Sp0nge]

Originally Posted by Ab

One forward pass and one try shouldn't have made any difference, because the All Blacks should have won that game by 30 points.

Let there be no griping about the ref, or dirty play, or the jerseys, or anything.

We choked. That's all there is to it. We should have won by a landslide and we didn't and it's all our fault. The end.

QF100%T

[warezthebeef]

To everyone that was so sure the ABs had it in the bag by a 40 pt margin... lol! If they actually were that good no amount of truly god awful reffing would've made a difference. Bloody exciting game though, thoroughly enjoyed it despite the outcome.

Now to focus on avoiding the media for the next couple of months while they do nothing but sook!

Hm, France/Argentina grudge match final?! Stranger things have happened

[smeggar]

grr I need to rant

IRB need to change the format of the tournament. It's a pathetic joke. Our pool was laughable and worsened our preperation. The only semi decent game we played in pool match was against a 2nd string Scotland side. 2 pools of 6 with semis and final would be better. F*** off Portugal etc. Rugby does not have the same depth as football!

IRB need to explain why they used a 26 yr old inexperienced ref in a World Cup 1/4 final game, afer said ref was blasted for his poor performance and bias in the SA vs Tonga game. It was clearly a tactic to give France the best chance of staying in the tournament (for obvious commercial reasons).

No more decent AB sides to the Northern Hemisphere for end of year tours. F*** em. They send us crap, enough already. But no doubt we will front up to our colonial masters when it comes time.

Leonard was sadly lacking when he came on. He was slow and laboured and we lost any monemtum we had at the rucks. OMG ruck at 77m30, why didnt you know where the backline was already? and the ruck where McCaw is like wtf Leonard pick it up already! Our play behind the pack was abismal.

The AB's trainers need to be sacked. The AB's seem prone to calf and hammy type problems. Too much sprint training aparently.

What's the bet Jerry will front up for the Lions in the NPC semi!

ah thats better

[Bree]

+1 for the "if you had to blame it on the ref, you don't deserve the win anyhoo" camp.
It should have been a convincing win, everyone expected it, but the players forgot to deliver. Last I checked this wasn't the "do a decidedly decent effort" cup.

[zeekiorage]

Originally Posted by Bree

+1 for the "if you had to blame it on the ref, you don't deserve the win anyhoo" camp.

I have to quote that for the truth but unfortunately the media and majority of the kiwis are going to curse that ref for months to come.

[Farmer Joe]

Meh... The AB's were expected to win by a large margin but France played a great game. I was fucked off at the ref he was shithouse but I'm over it now . Umm... go the Phoenix!

[blynk]

I originally said that it was going to either be won by within a few points either way or NZ by 20+.

It is true that we should have won by 20+, but we didn't play well. But we didn't play bad enough to loose.

[surreal]

I've always felt that the AB's secret tactic being held back was going to be a smart conservative toned down style of their usual play. And that would be okay! A big victory wasn't necessary and was unlikely as the RWC playoffs are tight games, except where there is a real mismatch.

I'd like to think that I wouldn't have been too distraught had we made it to the final and lost, but maybe it would be just as bad.

Also, I dispute anyone saying this loss is similar to 99. So different...

[Savage]

Disappointed in the ref, always sucks to see a lot of one sided decisions. Having said that, it was close, and it was a really tense game to watch, good stuff.

Go the Bokke!

[armourking]

Sure, we walked over Romania, and it didn't really matter; but there was a completely, blatantly forward pass that we scored a try off in that game, so fair is fair I suppose

[[WanG] Wandarah]

Should we have won by 30 points as some have suggested? I dont reckon, the French were tight.

The officiating was however shit, and we lost because of it. Can't sound like sore losers though can we now.

[caffiend]

Well I'm a sore loser. I'm fucking gutted. Still... even after a long drive and with my mind on other things all day.

Fucking ref. Fucking 'deer in headlights' ABs. Fucking French.

Fuckity cunting motherpissfuck shithouse.

[TnT]

I've tried to come up with a well worded post that displays my incredible insight into world rugby.

However, the ABs don't have the tag chokers for nothing, and they lived up to it. They choked. Same thing that was going wrong in the pool matches, went wrong here, the only difference, the opposition weren't countries who started playing rugby yesterday.

It was just plain dumb rugby, the ABs were arrogant in their playing style, thought they were playing Super14, not a goddamn test match against a world class rugby nation.

The crossfield kick from Carter at our 22 to Sivivatu was where I had that sinking feeling that the wheels were falling off the cart.

This should take nothing away from the French, they played out of their skins in the 2nd half.

Bad officiating should never be the deciding factor when you're supposedly a 40 point better side than the opposition.

edit: The jokes start
Q: Whats the difference between Graeme Henry and Viagra?
A: At least Viagra will give you a Semi

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by blynk

It is true that we should have won by 20+, but we didn't play well. But we didn't play bad enough to loose.

exactly.

people saying that our bad play overrides the fact that poor reffing tipped the scales is just pseudo-noble avoidance

the refs performance doesn't matter because we played bad?
im not look for excuses - im just not ignoring them

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by TnT

The crossfield kick from Carter at our 22 to Sivivatu was where I had that sinking feeling that the wheels were falling off the cart.

For me it was when the commentator mentioned that the french had 115 caps over us - it was then, like in a cheap tv program or corny movie, i had a sudden realisation as to exactly how the rotation system might come back to haunt us...

[Ab]

Originally Posted by TnT

edit: The jokes start
Q: Whats the difference between Graeme Henry and Viagra?
A: At least Viagra will give you a Semi

Hear about the All Black Bra?

Lots of support and no cup.

[TnT]

And the great thing? All these jokes are interchangeable for the wallabies, my only solace at the moment

[andre]

what's the difference between the all blacks and a teabag?
a teabag stays in the cup longer.

[slippers]

IMO playing those minnows dented our preparation.

[Griven]

Its Tana's fault imo =)

[Rince]

I get into work and my desk/cubicle area is covered in French flags, French Rugby logos, and broken silver ferns......


I'm looking for an account to delete in retaliation and I'm looking at my colleagues from RSA.......

[blynk]

Originally Posted by slippers

IMO playing those minnows dented our preparation.

I was reflecting on this as well.
France lost there first tough competition. Which lucky for them was in the Round Robin. We lost our first tough competition, but it was in the Knock out.
Australia was a bit the same, but they had tougher competition that us.

How are the pools worked out? Is it partly from the previous world cup? Or from the standings when the draws are made?
You would thing it would something like
Pool A = 1, 6, 11, 16
Pool B = 2, 7, 12, 17
....

[Farmer Joe]

Oh and wtf was up with the AB's kicking game... almost every kick was still in play - was I missing something? Was it on purpose?

[slippers]

All I know is that a crossfield chip kick from in your own 22 out to the opposition wing is something that isn't even done in reserve grade 3rd division club level.

[LFC]

Originally Posted by slippers

All I know is that a crossfield chip kick from in your own 22 out to the opposition wing is something that isn't even done in reserve grade 3rd division club level.

Yeah I couldn't believe it when Carter did that, maybe a bit too over confident?

[avn33]

why would you, as a rookie ref in a such a big event, send someone off? Its just ridiculous. You know you are gonna get smashed for it in the media. I've never heard a story about how the ref DIDN'T send someone off and get torn apart in the media. Just let the game play for **** sake.

[untouchable]

Originally Posted by LFC

Yeah I couldn't believe it when Carter did that, maybe a bit too over confident?

If you watch you can sivivatu / or rokocoko, waving their arms like crazy way out on the left wing for the cross field kick.

Still doesnt excuse it from being very risky I guess.

[blynk]

I noticed that too. If you were going to do it, you would need to make sure that the ball ended up at the half way line.

But really. That should only ever be done on the oppositions 22, not your own.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Rince

I get into work and my desk/cubicle area is covered in French flags, French Rugby logos, and broken silver ferns......


I'm looking for an account to delete in retaliation and I'm looking at my colleagues from RSA.......

Ooooh, that's harsh.

[Sp0nge]

Im waiting for some new Tui ads:

The All Blacks aren't chokers....
We wont lose to France this time...
We're the best rugby team in the world....

Yeah Right

[Kidona]

Originally Posted by Farmer Joe

Oh and wtf was up with the AB's kicking game... almost every kick was still in play - was I missing something? Was it on purpose?

I thought it was due to the roof being closed. No wind assistance etc. Only thing I could think of as I have never seen so many kicks not go in to touch!.

[pig]

I would have thought that it was a tactic to not kick it out.
We've done it in the past so i assumed it was more of the same.

[Ab]

Yeah, there's no way that could have been accidental. I presumed they just wanted to keep the ball downfield.