SWING LOWWW - The Rugby World Cup Thread

[arbboy]

Points, head to head, points diff, bonus points

Surely that means taking the draw is so important as the tie breaker is going to fuck you if the Aussies beat Wales and the tie breaker comes into play? Talking as a simpleton on holiday with little knowledge of the sport.

[Tal]

Not quite sure what those of you complimenting Robshaw were watching. Was outplayed and out captained by Warburton. Sure he is a lovely bloke but not even close to being good enough to being an England 7. Every club back rower in England can tackle a lot, occasionally you have to win the ball. Gave away a criminal penalty in the second half which was the only time he got near a breakdown all night. Warburton got pinged once, incorrectly, in the last minute.

To lose to what was essentially a Wales 2nd XV by the end, is inexcusable.

aPart from the last sentence, completely right. What him get killed at the breakdown by Hooper and pocock next week .Robshaw is a 6.

I think he gets a lot of stick because people associate him with the player he was when he first started. He's not a dynamic ball winner like Moody or Richard Hill but he leads from the front, is first or second man to every tackle from 1 to 80 and pulls the team together.

We lost impetus at the hour mark and gave far too many penalties away, but it's a young, inexperienced side by these standards and that will happen. Lancaster is building a good team, but this is a game England should have won by ten.

[TightEnd]

Tal you are meant to peak at a world cup. The inexperience is completely avoidable in squad selection. Burgess isn't a test 12, I am more creative with a passthan barritt. Our best 7 is exiled in France. Armitage. Wales have teak tough winners like warbs, awj, north. Biggar was top class tonight. England went missing when it counted.

[BorntoBubble]

So depressed.

Poor decision making from England Farrell is 80% of the time going to make that kick

[Tal]

Tal you are meant to peak at a world cup. The inexperience is completely avoidable in squad selection. Burgess isn't a test 12, I am more creative with a passthan barritt. Our best 7 is exiled in France. Armitage. Wales have teak tough winners like warbs, awj, north. Biggar was top class tonight. England went missing when it counted.

Barritt and Burgess were gambles for sure. He wanted beef in the middle and 12 man rugby. We all agree it should have worked tonight and it did for an hour. Wales were on the ropes and we didn't capitalise. That had nothing to do with whether Burgess can kick or whether Robshaw steals enough at the breakdown. Dropping the ball, getting offside and running into red shirts without support are basic errors which combined to cost England a deserved win.

But that's sport. Wales wanted it more in that last bit and England will have to learn quickly because they'll get mullered by the aussies if they don't. 

[The Camel]

At the risk of seeming interested in the tournament, why/how are England still second favs?

If they lose to Australia, aren't they out before the knockout stages?

[Dewi_cool]

At the risk of seeming interested in the tournament, why/how are England still second favs?

If they lose to Australia, aren't they out before the knockout stages?

I said to my best friend ( who's English) this morning that 3/1 Wales to win was ridic price & he should get on but obv being a fish he never believed, engerland at 1/3 was ridic.

[arbboy]

At the risk of seeming interested in the tournament, why/how are England still second favs?

If they lose to Australia, aren't they out before the knockout stages?

Think it's a bit more advanced with bonus points etc for four tries than a typical soccer type group stages at the World Cup but even so I was with you I was expecting England to be around the 12/1 mark after that performance.

Is it just me or compared to 2003 how many of the England team could the average serious sports fan name who don't have rugby as one of their fav sports ? I could name the entire team pretty much in 2003 even before they won the World Cup. I wouldn't get anywhere near that now.

[buzzharvey22]

We're gonna click. No sweat boys.

[rinswun]

We're gonna click. No sweat boys.

Maybe against Uruguay.

England had no right being second favourites from the off (I said it on TfT pre-tournament) and won't get out of the group (as I said after the Fiji game in this thread). They simply haven't got enough talent, experience, coaching acumen or onfield nous to beat the other top tier teams in the group. The only thing they have got going for them is a fervent home crowd - which actually seemed way more passionate than the average twickenham game, but sadly that won't be enough to beat teams who do all the other bits and pieces better.

When you have a back three who have scored all the tries and made hundreds of meters in the warm up games and Fiji game, why would you then pick a midfield combination that effectively nullifies that?! If you were confident in your team, you'd pick a team to play to its strengths, not one designed to combat the opposition's - especially at home.

[TightEnd]

[nellberg]

We've drifted from 7/2 to 8's, so it's not like the defeat went unnoticed! Now 3rd favs. Aussies 2nd fav's, still have to play England and a depleted Wales side to get out of the group. Lack of bonus point v Fiji could work against them. Saffers 4th favs despite getting beat off Japan. Ireland next up, given they won the 6 nations and look to have had a steady warm-up process to peak at the right time, it could be argued they should be shorter. When they meet France that will stir things up. More injuries to Wales mean it'll be a miracle for them to win it outright, then you're into Argies/Scotland who aren't going to win it.

Basically its just a one-team book, you're either with the All Blacks or against them. Everyone bar them has downsides, credible threats look a bit thin on the ground at the moment.

[MintTrav]

Don't understand Will's position, for someone who was born in and grew up in England.

[TightEnd]

Don't understand Will's position, for someone who was born in and grew up in England.

The next Prince of Wales....

[Woodsey]

Fucks sake, have a hangover to match too....