2011 Rugby World Cup

[NEW.ERA]

Great game overall. Canada wins 25-20, also Adam Kleeberger's beard, fantastic!

[fumbler]

Great game overall. Canada wins 25-20, also Adam Kleeberger's beard, fantastic!

Yes what a game, probably equal best game so far.

Samoa beat Namibia comfortably.

[Luigi]

good game from new plymouth with the usa edging out russia 13-6. Found this picture on the RWC website, thought it was funny!

[BrySmalls]

Congratulations to the Eagles for beating someone else other than the Cherry Blossoms.

[DEAD!]

good game from new plymouth with the usa edging out russia 13-6. Found this picture on the RWC website, thought it was funny!

... response: WE WON THE COLD WAR

[fumbler]

Russians and Americans fighting about stuff that the rest of the world has never ever cared about.

Adam Byrnes Number 19 for the Bears, a great Aussie and a good Melbourne Storm player.

[Luigi]

i'm starting to realise that the difference between top tier teams and second tier teams is decision making and defense.

[Saintsfan]

i'm starting to realise that the difference between top tier teams and second tier teams is decision making and defense.

Actually defence is the area that second tier teams have improved the most (hence why teams can't run up 60 and 70 point wins so easily any more). Decision making and unforced errors are probably the biggest differences right now.

[jr79]

The biggest area of difference for me is the fitness levels. The professional teams are running out 80 minutes at full intensity, whereas you see a few lazy penalties and defensive mistakes from the second tier nations in the last 10-15 minutes of games.

[Saintsfan]

The biggest area of difference for me is the fitness levels. The professional teams are running out 80 minutes at full intensity, whereas you see a few lazy penalties and defensive mistakes from the second tier nations in the last 10-15 minutes of games.

That's a good point, especially when seperating the very very best from the rest.

The difference in decision making is often speed of thought. The All Blacks, Wallabies etc recycle possession very quickly, they hit gaps super quick, the move between phases of play quickly.

[Saintsfan]

All Blacks look set to hand the Japanese the first real trouncing of the competition, 30 points before half time!

Edit- nearly 40!!

[Luigi]

my facebook news feed right now:

"the awkward moment when ireland have 16 players on the field the whole game... Well, thats only if u count a ref as one of their players, which he might as well have been"

"Ireland + the ref + urge to kick at every opportunity vs Wallabies?"

"what a disgusting piece of refereeing"

what a disappointment, of the 3 games so far that I have actually cared about, 2 of them have been decided by bad refereeing.

[Saintsfan]

If your blaming Australia's defeat on the ref that's just bull. It was a good tense game of test rugby where Ireland created more penalty opportunities. Remember as well that refs have been told to favour the team going forward, and in tight play in this match it was almost always Ireland going forward.

[Saintsfan]

If your blaming Australia's defeat on the ref that's just bull. It was a good tense game of test rugby where Ireland created more penalty opportunities. Remember as well that refs have been told to favour the team going forward, and in tight play in this match it was almost always Ireland going forward.

[Luigi]

If your blaming Australia's defeat on the ref that's just bull. It was a good tense game of test rugby where Ireland created more penalty opportunities. Remember as well that refs have been told to favour the team going forward, and in tight play in this match it was almost always Ireland going forward.

true, it wasn't just the refereeing that lost us the game, we didn't exactly play well either. That said there were some blatantly bad calls, especially around the scrum

[Saintsfan]

If your blaming Australia's defeat on the ref that's just bull. It was a good tense game of test rugby where Ireland created more penalty opportunities. Remember as well that refs have been told to favour the team going forward, and in tight play in this match it was almost always Ireland going forward.

true, it wasn't just the refereeing that lost us the game, we didn't exactly play well either. That said there were some blatantly bad calls, especially around the scrum

Well there was at least one blocking call that would have given Ireland a penalty that wasn't given, and Ireland were controlling the scrums throughout the game. It wasn't the scrum that really did for Australia mind, it was the slowness of possesion they were getting.

[Saintsfan]

Interesting little aside from the Ireland win incidentally- unless France beat the All Blacks, the final is almost certain to be European team against a Southern Hemisphere team. In the history of the competition, only the 1995 South Africa vs New Zealand final did not follow that pattern.

[Luigi]

Interesting little aside from the Ireland win incidentally- unless France beat the All Blacks, the final is almost certain to be European team against a Southern Hemisphere team. In the history of the competition, only the 1995 South Africa vs New Zealand final did not follow that pattern.

and in the 5 times that's happened, the northern hemisphere team has only won once.

[Luigi]

hard fought win from wales, both teams played well.

[Breakwood]

Damn Canada hung around with France for the most of the game, and let it slip away in the last 10 minutes or so. Honestly I'm happy with the showing. Japan is up next, and a win means we're qualified for the next World Cup.