Rugby World Cup 2011 - New Zealand

[Jimbob]

couldn't help but post this You tube bit on the opening ceremony. Clearly Kiwis can take a joke after their transport system chokes.

[Jimbob]

from my kiwi friends

14-10-2011 12-43-56 PM.jpg (35.15 KiB) Viewed 601 times

[pharvey]

Just a few hours to go before Wales take on ''Les Bleus'' in the first of the RWC 2011 Semi-Finals....

From being quietly confident after the win over the Irish last weekend, I'm nervous in the extreme today.....

It's a huge game for Wales, their first Semi-Final since the inaugural RWC in 1987 and a ''real'' chance of making the final. Reports say that 60,000 fans will be making their way to the Millennium Stadium to watch the game on the big screens - the capacity of Eden Park is some 58,000, so Cardiff will actually have the bigger crowd 12,000 miles away from the game!!

Wales made slight favorites by the bookies, ''French'' Ref. - jinxed? Nah, surely not - Wales by 7!!

Anyway, here's to a great game (well ref'd!!)

[PeteC]

Yes, good luck to Wales If they win today I'm going to pick them over New Zealand in the final....discounting an Australian win which I don't think will happen. Pete

[pharvey]

Yes, good luck to Wales If they win today I'm going to pick them over New Zealand in the final....discounting an Australian win which I don't think will happen. Pete

Cheers Pete, should be a cracking game - as should tomorrow's........ A NZ victory is no forgone conclusion, but as I said earlier, it would take a brave man to bet against them at home in the RWC!!

[JimmyGreaves]

Well I will be rooting for the Welsh today and looking forward to a good game without biting my nails for 80 minutes

What I don't want to happen is the Wallabies to win tomorrow.

Whose the only unbeaten team left?

[pharvey]

Well I will be rooting for the Welsh today and looking forward to a good game without biting my nails for 80 minutes

Glad to hear it JG and much appreciated support - I would certainly be the same were the roles reversed!!

Who's the only unbeaten team left?

There is only one at the moment, but I hope that will change should Wales get through and meet them next weekend!!

[PeteC]

I don't know what to say about the first half. Wales one man down, Hook in and not kicking well due to bad shoes it appears. However, the French look dismal. Wales could pull it off in the second half even one man short. They have to sweat blood though. Good luck to them! Pete

[JimmyGreaves]

Don't know what to say about that, Losing Adam Jones to injury then the captain sent off and ruining the semi final. The French playing an abysmal kicking game. Just wished that Wales could have knicked it. Well hoping for a NZ v French final now with NZ showing the French how to play some running rugby.

Gutted for the Welsh side.

Did any of the two kiwis get their marching orders when they spear tackled BOD during the Lions tour? Warburtons tackle looked tame compared to that!

This is Matt Dawson's take on the French, what a plonker!

"It wasn't pretty but the French impressed me - they kicked the corners, played the wet conditions and the slippy ball and said, 'go on, score from 80 yards with 14 men, I bet you can't'. For a team with no connection with their coach they were magnificent and fully deserve to be in the final.

"It's about winning on the day. It doesn't matter if it's ugly or pretty or big scores, low scores and that's why I think the French were magnificent."

[dtaai-maai]

Devastated for the Welsh lads - a heroic performance let down by some poor kicking (11 points missed + a couple of awful and untimely drop goal efforts).
Should the skipper have been sent off? Probably, but I doubt there'd have been too many complaints about a yellow card.
It ruined the game.
Well actually it didn't, but only because the Welsh played like heroes.

The French must be the worst team ever to get to the final and I hope they get hammered out of sight by a record score next weekend.

[pharvey]

Absolutely devastated......

Adam Jones off early, which hurt....... (dirty.... )

What the fcuk was Sam thinking with that tackle.... BUT sending off!!!???!?!??! Are you having a fcuking laugh referee?? Put Wales down to 14 early in the game... I suspect your (French) father will be proud!!

Bitchy I am, but ultimately the fault lies with our captain. The tackle was fcuking stupid and would have put us to 14 men for 10 minutes regardless. He took the risk and landed us with 14 men for 60 minutes.... Thanks mate!!

The ref...... well, he always has been a cnut!!

[JimmyGreaves]

Absolutely devastated......

Adam Jones off early, which hurt....... (dirty.... )

What the fcuk was Sam thinking with that tackle.... BUT sending off!!!???!?!??! Are you having a fcuking laugh referee?? Put Wales down to 14 early in the game... I suspect your (French) father will be proud!!

Bitchy I am, but ultimately the fault lies with our captain. The tackle was fcuking stupid and would have put us to 14 men for 10 minutes regardless. He took the risk and landed us with 14 men for 60 minutes.... Thanks mate!!

The ref...... well, he always has been a cnut!!

Know how your feel, last week it took me till late Monday to get that feeling out of my head and guts.

Chock Dee and Jai Yen Yen.

[pharvey]

Absolutely devastated......

Adam Jones off early, which hurt....... (dirty.... )

What the fcuk was Sam thinking with that tackle.... BUT sending off!!!???!?!??! Are you having a fcuking laugh referee?? Put Wales down to 14 early in the game... I suspect your (French) father will be proud!!

Bitchy I am, but ultimately the fault lies with our captain. The tackle was fcuking stupid and would have put us to 14 men for 10 minutes regardless. He took the risk and landed us with 14 men for 60 minutes.... Thanks mate!!

The ref...... well, he always has been a cnut!!

Know how your feel, last week it took me till late Monday to get that feeling out of my head and guts.

Chock Dee and Jai Yen Yen.

Cheers JG..... likely to to me a while longer to get over it, but then again I'm Welsh!!

There's going to be some bitching about the ref no doubt, but I'm not getting into that. Our Captain put a stupid tackle in that under the law is completely illegal - normally a Yellow Card, perhaps even only a penalty. The Red Card in this instance was extremely harsh IMO, but there's always the risk.

Wales played 60 or 70 mins with 14 men (undeservedly) and were still extremely unlucky not to win. To go out in this way is..... well, devastating.

Trust me, the ''Bronze Final"" will be the better of the two.

[Big Boy]

Absolutely devastated......

Adam Jones off early, which hurt....... (dirty.... )

What the fcuk was Sam thinking with that tackle.... BUT sending off!!!???!?!??! Are you having a fcuking laugh referee?? Put Wales down to 14 early in the game... I suspect your (French) father will be proud!!

The ref...... well, he always has been a cnut!!

What a good comparison this gives with your beloved wendyball Rooney was the bad guy last week, and Jones' tackle was just as bad. IMHO he got what he deserved.

As for the ref, rules is rules, and if somebody breaks them, well done that man for having the balls to execute them. I seem to have read a lot about England breaking the rules, and they should have had more control on this forum. Well the Welsh captain should be castrated for showing such a lack of control in such an important match.

My personal view - there was no way a Welsh team was going to beat a side that could beat England

[dtaai-maai]

What a good comparison this gives with your beloved wendyball Rooney was the bad guy last week, and Jones' tackle was just as bad. IMHO he got what he deserved.

Sorry BB, you're talking through your arse - there's absolutely no comparison. Have you ever played a game of rugby?