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USA halt a ferocious Russian attack and the half ends still at 10-3. Well done both sides. Good entertaining stuff.

Russia open well in the second half with a great run from the left wing and earn a lon range penalty which they miss. Russia still attacking and a superb USA tackle snuffs out the move.

There are going to be some very, very tired players at the end of this. The commitment from both sides is total.

Now USA building pressure and working into the 22 - chipped ahead and taken by the Russian full back who fails to clear to touch and the USA charge bck to the Russian tryline and it's a real arm wrestle. Russia hold out.

Great stuff!

USA bounce a penalty off the post. Still 10-3.

Russia fail to take a high ball - perhaps the first sign of tiredness after an hour. All this USA pressure has to tell soon? Doesn't it? USA win a penalty. Looks very kickable but many are havng trouble kicking at this WC. No probs. USA 13-3.

Ah - Russia get some possesion and are in USA territory for about the first time in the second half.

Wow! Commentators saying that Russian rugby is now 6 years old! Heck of an achievement to get to a World Cup so fast.

All gone a bit messy now. Players getting tired. Oh - a bit of handbags at 2 paces - nothing serious. Been a great game.

Late Russian penalty, 13-6 and Russians pressuring the US line.

Game over. Congratulations to both sides for an excellent display. USA deserved winners, but Russia should be proud.

Clodhopper;1369638 wrote: Late Russian penalty, 13-6 and Russians pressuring the US line.

Game over. Congratulations to both sides for an excellent display. USA deserved winners, but Russia should be proud.Good commentating. Now all I have to do is go look up the definitions of "the 22 - chipped ahead and taken by the Russian full back who fails to clear to touch and the USA charge bck to the Russian tryline", "fail to take a high ball" and I'll be able to make some sense out of it. :yh_bigsmi

:wah:

Hope you can find a recording somewhere.

What made it tense is that you get five points for a try, and two points for a conversion - so Russia had hope of avoiding defeat right up to the last second.

Currently watching the Australia v Ireland match, showery weather here and as a result the weather when changeable is interfering with the signal through the dish :-5. Damned annoying when the screen keeps freezing!

Yeah!! Bokke!! That is more like it! Even John Smith played well.

Well done Ireland!

Dixie;1369761 wrote: Yeah!! Bokke!! That is more like it! Even John Smith played well.

Well done Ireland!


Well done indeed - really ups the ante.

And thank you to the Romanians for showing the the English really didn't play as badly as everyone claimed.

I do like the looks of those Irish forwards they dominated the Wallabies.

I played a bit last year as a "hooker" with my friend in an ameture leage they have here on the east coast. It is intense.

You played Hooker?

Oh my.

Do you realise that the front row in general and hookers in particular are clinically insane/on day release from max security gaols/have skulls of solid bone?

That forwards have one eyebrow from ear to ear? Hairy palms? Indiscriminate appetites?

...respect. Well, fear, anyway.

I'll quote you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_John_McBride Ode to a Forward:

Hail to thee blythe hooker

Bird thou never wert

Thank God.

Oh - and I hope that the win over the Aussies by the Irish marks the moment the Irish ceased to be a regional power and became a world power in Rugby. It was huge.

(Sorry Aussies - it's a reflection of your status that beating you means this much)

Yeah my short stature put me closer to the ball I had a bit of and advantage till I got hit that is, but that was always the trick (not getting hit)

Clodhopper;1370461 wrote: Oh - and I hope that the win over the Aussies by the Irish marks the moment the Irish ceased to be a regional power and became a world power in Rugby. It was huge.

(Sorry Aussies - it's a reflection of your status that beating you means this much)


I will hold thumbs for the Irish. I like they way they play - more with brute force like a true southern hemisphere team ---- only joking!

Sadly for us, it means we will probably face the Aussies in the quarters - which could well bring our WC to a sudden stop.

I will hold thumbs for the Irish. I like they way they play - more with brute force like a true southern hemisphere team ---- only joking!


We English have seen the Irish play like that several times in recent years, usually but not exclusively against us! What they haven't done is beat the SH much and never IN the SH before, nor have they managed to put together several performances of that intensity or better: this year the Irish produced the best Rugby of the 6Nations competition, but England won it. Really hope this bunch of lads can kick on from here. There's no doubt they have the talent.

Sadly for us, it means we will probably face the Aussies in the quarters - which could well bring our WC to a sudden stop.


I don't see why. The Aussie pack looks very vulnerable to me. Just starve The Beast for a week or so before the game...:sneaky:

Keep it tight and scrummage and maul them to death. Yeah!:)

Speaking under correction. The Aussies changed their captain just before the WC. We did that last time and it worked out very badly for us. There is nothing like experienced leadership when it comes to WC pressure.

The Beast is a wonderful rugby player. Also from Zim, but we quickly gave him citizenship. Very tough and rough on the field and the nicest guy off the field. We just love him to bits.

Wales made a couple of silly mistakes against us. In a game between Wales and Ireland, my money is on Ireland. If they should meet in the Quarters.

I just realised something interesting. Assuming that the All Blacks beat France then the top halve of the QF could be Ireland vs Wales and England vs France .... all Northern Hemisphere teams

In the bottom could be RSA vs Australia and All Blacks vs Scotland or Argentina mostly Southern Hemisphere teams. (I hope for Argentina just because I like them:) )

An Australia / All Black final in very unlikely and a final between North and South very possible.

Dixie: Seems a N/S final is likely. On current form the Irish look likely to be the representative of the North.

USA 5 Australia 10 after 27 minutes! Great stuff from the USA!

The Aussies are allowing the US to play. I don't suppose it will last, but the US looking good at the moment and gaining in confidence. Tried to maul them just now.

Aaaah. US lose the ball in the tackle and an Aussie counterattack sweeps the 3/4ths the length of the field. Try converted, 17-5.

Did you fall asleep Clod?

Anyway, 67-5 ouch!

:yh_rotfl

It was a close game

Well you got a try against the Aussies and believe me that is not to be sneered at. I was out today but will watch a replay later.

I am (obviously) very curios to see the Aussie form as we will most likely have to try our luck against them in the quarters.

K.Snyder: Friend turned up to watch the game with me. Couldn't really tap away at the pc.

Kiwis pulverising the French at the mo.:-1

Afraid it was always likely the US would get a bit of a kicking. Aussies are good anyway, and had a point to prove after the Irish game.

England played a bit better today against Romania. Still not good enough but improving.

Looking at their game against the French, the AB looks very good. Unless they choke:sneaky:, I expect the AB to take the cup.

It seems, for us to retain the cup, we will have to beat the Aussies, then the Kiwis and then the best one of the Northern hemisphere. All consecutively and not get a lot of injuries in the process. Based on our current form, I cannot see us doing it, but I can still hope for the best.

England looked good in their game against Romania. I think their form can improve and can do well. Depending if they can beat the French in the quarters. Methinks they can make the final.

I just love the Puma's am really looking forward to their game against Scotland. The Puma's has big match temperament and they might just surprise with a win.

Looking at the USA / Aussie game, my humble opinion: USA needs to re-look their defense. Their tackle technique is wrong and also they do not keep the defensive line. They allow their line to be pulled towards the mauls leaving the opposition wings and centers an open path to the goal line. They need to trust each other on defense, but I presume that comes with playing lots of games together. But still they were not disgraced at all.

Well done Puma's! *very happy for them* My second favourite team!

Bryn Mawr;1367906 wrote: No doubt at all that we have to beat the Pumas but the grudge match will be against Scotland - if we loose that one then we'll never live it down. If loosing to Scotland means that we don't progress out of the pool stage then the team might as well not come home.


@Bryn Wishing you luck for the game tomorrow.

Oooof, that was close. There is no team in the world that knows how to disrupt us like Scotland.

But we're not good yet.

We've got lots of good young players. We are a year, perhaps two, behind where we should be. We know after the Blackett report that petty, futile, internal pointscoring has wasted AN ENTIRE DECADE.

Getting back to the day to day.

Next we play the French.:-3

They looked utterly appalling. Truly and irrecoverably pathetic against the Tongans.

That makes the French at their most dangerous. Especially if we hear talk of a French revolt against Lievremont in the next week.

By all indicators we ought to win against the French. Oh bottoms.:wah:

I went down to the pub to watch the match before we went down to sort the boat out and by the time it reached 3 - 12 I was bricking it.

OK, after that there was not much danger of us going out and it was pleasing to win in the end but we did not start by looking like a team out to win the World Cup.

The French? Never to be taken lightly, especially when the odds are stacked against them - oh, my poor nerves!

Bryn Mawr;1371588 wrote: I went down to the pub to watch the match before we went down to sort the boat out and by the time it reached 3 - 12 I was bricking it.

OK, after that there was not much danger of us going out and it was pleasing to win in the end but we did not start by looking like a team out to win the World Cup.

The French? Never to be taken lightly, especially when the odds are stacked against them - oh, my poor nerves!I was going to say something Bryn that would help you with your grieving but I cannot come up with anything...Crumpet?...There there...(Just leave him alone there's nothing we can do)...

K.Snyder;1371995 wrote: I was going to say something Bryn that would help you with your grieving but I cannot come up with anything...Crumpet?...There there...(Just leave him alone there's nothing we can do)...


I wish the Welsh all the luck in the world

I caught the highlights of the SA / Aus match when I got home - SA nearly made it a real upset.

Bryn Mawr;1372234 wrote: I wish the Welsh all the luck in the world

I caught the highlights of the SA / Aus match when I got home - SA nearly made it a real upset.


RSA came stone last in the last tri-nations. Our form is just not what it should be. Perhaps because we played the cup with some players who should have retired last year.

Clodhopper;1331479 wrote: Agree with the general point you are making, but the French side we saw in the 6 Nations earlier this year was very, very good indeed, they've already beaten the Kiwis in New Zealand and there are noticeable comparisons with how England were when our lads won it (this time I think we are about a year behind where we need to be to win it). I'm not saying the French are a cert, but I reckon they've a very good chance. Particularly since if the ABs have a bogey team, it's Les Bleus.


I tip my hat to you. Way back then, you saw the potential of Les Bleus.

Dixie;1372773 wrote: I tip my hat to you. Way back then, you saw the potential of Les Bleus.


If the real France turn up it could be interesting, if the team we've seen so far take to the field then it will be a massacre.

Let's all do the HAKA. Go Kiwi's!!!!!

All Black's Haka + Translation - YouTube

Les Bleus done good - after that performance they deserve all our respect.

OK, the All Backs won and deservedly so but for the French to pick themselves up after playing so badly throughout the tournament and make such a close match of it is worthy of all our respect.

Bryn Mawr;1373329 wrote: Les Bleus done good - after that performance they deserve all our respect.

OK, the All Backs won and deservedly so but for the French to pick themselves up after playing so badly throughout the tournament and make such a close match of it is worthy of all our respect.


It was a good and close match.