RWC Final: England v Springboks
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I am going make my most controversial post ever...
I don't know if I want South Africa to win world cup. There I said it.
Don't get me wrong, I'll bollocking for them come Saturday and will be go ballistic if they win, but I think it will be bad for the game in globally and in South Africa if they win.
Rugby in South Africa has been a shitshow for about a decade now with probably the worst administrators of any sport anywhere in the world. A season where we fall over the line in the Rugby Championship and the World Cup will I think convince the powers that be that they can continue with this shit and all will be alright.
They are already starting with that process with Rassie step down as coach to focus on his role as director of rugby for SARU. The issue is that I can't see anyone taking reigns of Springboks while having a backseat driver sitting at the head office managing the team from afar.
On the other side we have England whose national team has been very very good in this four year cycle. Success that has been built on very good junior teams over the last decade.
The biggest issue I would have with England winning is that it would make Owen Farrell happy, and that is just to ghastly a proposition, so go Bokke.
@SidBarret great post mate about SA rugby.
I admit the Farrell factor is an issue...
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Just occurred, and apropos to nothing: SA have never lost a World Cup Final.
Every other country to have made it to a Final has lost at least 1.
NZ 1
France 3
Aus 2
Eng 2@booboo said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
Just occurred, and apropos to nothing: SA have never lost a World Cup Final.
Every other country to have made it to a Final has lost at least 1.
NZ 1
France 3
Aus 2
Eng 2Wow, despite the gains countries like Wales, Ireland and Argentina have made in recent years, still only 5 teams have ever contested a WC final.
Wonder how many have made the semis?
Obviously all of the above 5 finalists plus,
Argentina, Wales, Scotland... don’t think I’m missing any?That makes 8 semi finalists.
And quarter finalists,
The above 8 plus, Fiji, Japan, Canada?, Samoa, Ireland.
13 quarter finalists.
Not sure why I bothered working those out, just interesting yet useless stats I suppose.
I’d like to see more quarter and semi finalists over the next few years, (so long as it’s not at the expense of the ABs), as I’m sure World Rugby would.
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I’ve loved a lot of rugby teams. Starting with Pienaar’s Transvaal of the early nineties, my unbeaten u14c team, the 95, 97 and 09 Boks, the mighty Happy Valley RFC, Whiteley’s Lions. But these Boks are special.
I don’t have the ability to articulate how much promise and hope they represent. Maybe as a reluctant but now long-entrenched expat I don’t have the ability to really understand it either.
But this short video put it into some kind of perspective for me: Siya
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Just occurred, and apropos to nothing: SA have never lost a World Cup Final.
Every other country to have made it to a Final has lost at least 1.
NZ 1
France 3
Aus 2
Eng 2 -
interestingly, between England & SA they have played 6 finals, and only 1 try scored between both teams (SA have not scored a try in a final)
While I wouldnt expect a try-fest, you'd expect a few?
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interestingly, between England & SA they have played 6 finals, and only 1 try scored between both teams (SA have not scored a try in a final)
While I wouldnt expect a try-fest, you'd expect a few?
@taniwharugby said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
interestingly, between England & SA they have played 6 finals, and only 1 try scored between both teams (SA have not scored a try in a final)
While I wouldnt expect a try-fest, you'd expect a few?
And only three tries overall in those finals. Thank God Aus turned up eh?
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@taniwharugby said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
interestingly, between England & SA they have played 6 finals, and only 1 try scored between both teams (SA have not scored a try in a final)
While I wouldnt expect a try-fest, you'd expect a few?
And only three tries overall in those finals. Thank God Aus turned up eh?
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@Catogrande er, yes, yay Australia!
@taniwharugby said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
@Catogrande er, yes, yay Australia!
Well you lot were no help!
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@taniwharugby said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
@Catogrande er, yes, yay Australia!
Well you lot were no help!
@Catogrande I am getting a sneaky suspicion we have been down this road before...
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@booboo said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
Just occurred, and apropos to nothing: SA have never lost a World Cup Final.
Every other country to have made it to a Final has lost at least 1.
NZ 1
France 3
Aus 2
Eng 2Wow, despite the gains countries like Wales, Ireland and Argentina have made in recent years, still only 5 teams have ever contested a WC final.
Wonder how many have made the semis?
Obviously all of the above 5 finalists plus,
Argentina, Wales, Scotland... don’t think I’m missing any?That makes 8 semi finalists.
And quarter finalists,
The above 8 plus, Fiji, Japan, Canada?, Samoa, Ireland.
13 quarter finalists.
Not sure why I bothered working those out, just interesting yet useless stats I suppose.
I’d like to see more quarter and semi finalists over the next few years, (so long as it’s not at the expense of the ABs), as I’m sure World Rugby would.
@Gunner And a slightly different analysis.
We are great in pool play - 9-0 against our strongest rival
We are excellent in the QFs 8-1
We are pretty good in the Final 3-1
But only average in Semis - 4-4
I'm somewhat inclined to think that you should add the Semi and Final scores together, because you're usually meeting a pool winner - hence a 7-5 outcome would reflect that historically we're a strong top four team.
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Willie Le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (c), Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherb, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawarira
Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, RG Synman, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn
England name their team at 3:30pm
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That's a handy bench.
Will Le Roux have another mare and hand England territory and possession?
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15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs; 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Reserves: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Dan Cole, 19 George Kruis, 20 Mark Wilson, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Jonathan Joseph
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Willie Le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (c), Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherb, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawarira
Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, RG Synman, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn
England name their team at 3:30pm
@Duluth said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
Willie Le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (c), Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherb, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawarira
Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, RG Synman, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn
England name their team at 3:30pm
I would have kept Nkosi on the right wing and picked Kolbe at full back.
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Youngs injured early could be telling.
Still not convinced that Slade is fully match fit.
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Youngs injured early could be telling.
Still not convinced that Slade is fully match fit.
@MiketheSnow said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:
Youngs injured early could be telling.
Still not convinced that Slade is fully match fit.
Slade is the worry, he’s a great player and adds a lot to England’s attack but has been a run short of a gallop in the RWC. Nowell is either still not fit or has dramatically slid downhill in Eddie’s thoughts. I’m not too worried about Spencer coming on for Youngs, as I feel he should have been there from the start. What does worry me is an early injury in the back three. No real cover there.
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Question for you Mike, now that the immediate pain of missing out on the final may have lessened, which would you rather have in your pocket - RWC final or ending 66 years of hurt and beating NZ? And no, I’m not giving you the option of winning the Cup.
