Reply to: Come on Wales!

[Mich the Tester]

Anyway, for what it's worth I'm collecting some drinkies from the Dutch national captain tomorrow evening who bet me a bottle of wine that Aus and Wales would win at the weekend. I've told him to do the world a favour and predict that France win the final.

[Doggy Styles]

Not all of them; Matt Dawson was there, saw it first hand and said the ref was right. He's a world cup winner, not your average run of the mill pundit.

Pienaar and Dalaglio on ITV are also world cup winners and they couldn't stop saying how wrong the decision was.

But I concede Dalaglio isn't that bright and Pienaar comes from a country where they think anything should be allowed.

[Mich the Tester]

Reminded me of England 2003

Indeed; perhaps we can hope they'll be just as ineffective afterwards!

[Arturo Bassick]

NZ were brutally efficient; nothing amazing, just good solid team play without errors. Did you ever see a NZ player isolated without support? Was there ever a moment that an NZ player committed himself to the ruck unnecessarily? Did they make any over the top tackles? No; every player had support on his shoulder every time he had the ball, the field was covered all the time and every time one player made a sensible tackle (just stop the guy is enough), another one was there to rip the ball.

Textbook rugby really, well deserved victory.

Reminded me of England 2003

[Mich the Tester]

Having seen the highlights of the game on Sunday I seem to be disagreeing with all the TV pundits.
It was a bad tackle and deserved a red card.
Like others have said, it was the kickers that really let the side down. 3 pens, 2 drops and a conversion and 14 Welsh could have stuffed the French.
New Zealand looked in terrific form against Aus. Unless the French turn up for their 1 outstanding game then the trophy is NZs.

NZ were brutally efficient; nothing amazing, just good solid team play without errors. Did you ever see a NZ player isolated without support? Was there ever a moment that an NZ player committed himself to the ruck unnecessarily? Did they make any over the top tackles? No; every player had support on his shoulder every time he had the ball, the field was covered all the time and every time one player made a sensible tackle (just stop the guy is enough), another one was there to rip the ball.

Textbook rugby really, well deserved victory.

[Mich the Tester]

Having seen the highlights of the game on Sunday I seem to be disagreeing with all the TV pundits.
It was a bad tackle and deserved a red card.Like others have said, it was the kickers that really let the side down. 3 pens, 2 drops and a conversion and 14 Welsh could have stuffed the French.
New Zealand looked in terrific form against Aus. Unless the French turn up for their 1 outstanding game then the trophy is NZs.

Not all of them; Matt Dawson was there, saw it first hand and said the ref was right. He's a world cup winner, not your average run of the mill pundit.

[Arturo Bassick]

Having seen the highlights of the game on Sunday I seem to be disagreeing with all the TV pundits.
It was a bad tackle and deserved a red card.
Like others have said, it was the kickers that really let the side down. 3 pens, 2 drops and a conversion and 14 Welsh could have stuffed the French.
New Zealand looked in terrific form against Aus. Unless the French turn up for their 1 outstanding game then the trophy is NZs.

[Doggy Styles]

Glad the all blacks made it through. They're playing peerless rugby. Just hope they finish the job now.

The Holy All Blacks? Not me.

[Ruprect]

Glad the all blacks made it through. They're playing peerless rugby. Just hope they finish the job now.

[Doggy Styles]

Because those refs ****ed up and this one didn't.

WHS

[stek]

WHS.

It's a shame that both Jones and Hook had such bad games. Halfpenny can be forgiven for his monster attempt but the other two are both ex Lions' kickers.

Still gutted but it's time to move on.

Why does it annoy me that the commentators don't say 'Ha'penny..' Am I 'of an age?'...

[Pondlife]

It was a shocker of a tackle and the reaction of the French after it says it all. There doesn't have to be malice, but a bad tackle is a bad tackle.

Shame, I was hoping Wales would win the WC.

The RC shouldn't be the talking point anyway, the kicking let Wales down.

WHS.

It's a shame that both Jones and Hook had such bad games. Halfpenny can be forgiven for his monster attempt but the other two are both ex Lions' kickers.

Still gutted but it's time to move on.

[Incognito]

It was a shocker of a tackle and the reaction of the French after it says it all. There doesn't have to be malice, but a bad tackle is a bad tackle.

Shame, I was hoping Wales would win the WC.

The RC shouldn't be the talking point anyway, the kicking let Wales down.

[Mich the Tester]

So why were the other similar tackles during the competition- there were four of them - either unpunished or, in one case, yellow carded...? With no subseqeunt three match ban...?

Because those refs ****ed up and this one didn't.

[stek]

Not as many as have broken their necks in collapsing scrums though...

And how many those? Really?