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Post by davemorton on Oct 28, 2023 22:51:18 GMT
A bit of a slow burner, the final. NZ didn't start to play until the second half. Perhaps they were all knackered after doing the haka. I felt battered and bruised myself at the final whistle. I've seen more fluent games (Bath v Leicester this afternoon, for one), but this was unrelentingly tough and competitive.
S Africa won their last three games (QF, SF and Final) each by one point.
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Post by hawke on Oct 29, 2023 6:16:31 GMT
Battered and bruised indeed. Yes SA are tough cookies and tough to beat. Indeed good for their country. Makes England's first hour in the semi seem even more remarkable. Awful to be sent off.
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Post by slowleftarmer on Oct 30, 2023 11:47:17 GMT
An interesting final - was it karma that saw their hooker go off injured after 2 minutes then?
But I confess i have no idea of the interpretation of the laws that saw one skipper have a yellow card upgraded to red whilst the other skipper avoided that punishment for 2 offences that were pretty much the same. A shame a huge final was partly spoiled by the cards. Yellow cards for slightly mistimed tackles whilst deliberate offside trying to notionally avoid the ball as he ran back, and a blatant off the ball tackle by de Klerk seemed to go unpunished in terms of cards even if penalties given.
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Post by davemorton on Oct 30, 2023 16:34:46 GMT
The two offences were very different, I thought, and the correct decision made each time, under the current 'protocols' by which the officials are bound. It was certainly 'karma' that the alleged racist abuser got injured. "Snigger under the blankets," as a Welsh friend of mine was apt to remark.
On scrum-halves, I have always thought that Care was the best of his generation. I like a running 9, but Eddie Jones seemed to prefer the box-kicking skills of Youngs, who runs like treacle. When Marcus Smith came along, the dream team was Harlequins' Care and Smith, but the Coach didn't agree. You might have the best wingers in the world, but if you've got Farrell and Tuilagi in midfield they are never going to see the ball.
I am reminded of forty years ago. A little winger appeared on the scene, with a bit of a Chinese look about him. He was fast, but he never scored any tries. The England captain and centre at the time was Paul Dodge, who couldn't pass water, never mind a rugby ball. He could kick, and tackle, but passing was not his thing.
Time passed, and suddenly Carling and Guscott were England centres. Rory Underwood ran in try after try. Just a coincidence, of course.
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Post by newby on Oct 30, 2023 17:12:17 GMT
It wasn't long after their Captain was sent off that New Zealand decided, after a bit of a committee meeting, to kick for the corner instead of taking a very kickable 3 points. They came away without any points on that occasion and it reminded me of Ireland in the their quarter-final against New Zealand. A couple of times, early in the game they got greedy and went for the corner, only to come away from an attacking position with zero points.
Both were tight games that could have gone either way.
I know it's an entertainment and you are likely to suffer a good deal of jeering from the crowd if you take the 3 points, but I feel it's better to build a score in a close game.
A bit like England did so well in their first game against Argentina.
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