At least there is something to smile after the not so flattering exit of the Proteas at the recent forgettable world cup. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
You're right, all this excitement has made us forget all about the cricket world cup. (BTW, Graeme Smith still insists that they did really, really well there.... ) _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
But hey, who cares which team won??? The main thing is, the trophy is in SOUTH AFRICA!!!!! _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
7 tries! The Springboks have given The Three Lions a good mauling! _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
South Africa press enjoy England thrashingStephen Jones, The Sunday Times Rugby Correspondent
There was just the merest hint of sympathy from the South African media after England's horrendous hammering. Normally a thrashing of England would have been plastered over the front pages but many South Africa Sundays were content to lead on what would after any normal win over England, be seen as a minor story - about a former minister plotting with foreign money to overthrow the president.
Indeed, the suggestion that the win was seen as being devalued by England's weaknesses allowed another rugby story to leap ahead. The legendary Springbok prop (aren't they all?) Tommie Laubscher, was killed on the morning of the match in a road accident, struck by a car after he had stopped to assist at an earlier accident. "He never saw the inside of a gym, but he would strike terror," said one of the tributes.
But others could not resist a dig at England. Clinton van der Berg of Johannesburg's Sunday Times, was merciless. "England's plodders were scattered across Bloemfontein yesterday, the Springboks giving them their biggest belting in 101 years of fixtures between the two countries.
"It was wonderful stuff if you were a South African fan, but the joy must be tempered by the facts. Yesterday’s massacre was rather like witnessing the mugging of a little old lady having her pension money stolen ... England were brave. They were also utterly hopeless ... you can quibble all you like about the dead spots in the game, but seven tries to one is a pretty decent return against the world champions.
"Importantly, it also helped to exorcise the result seared into the mind of every Bok fan: the 53-3 capitulation at Twickenham in 2002. Any defeat of England remains thoroughly enjoyable."
"Bok blitz in Bloem" was the heading in the Cape Argus, while other papers fastened on to the prospect of even more abject humilation in Pretoria at the Second Test. Tellingly, one marketing company reported that tickets for Pretoria were now selling quicker than before the Bloem mismatch, suggesting that South Africans find wins over England more satisfying than they dislike forgone conclusions.
Louis de Villiers in Rapport, the Afrikaans language paper, may have said it all. "Bokke bler 50-tal teen Rose," he wrote. It is hard to disagree. _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
Historically, rugby was played by the British upper-class, wasn't it? But what makes it 'the sport of gentlemen'? You tackle each other to the ground!
Yes, but we do it in a gentlemanly manner...
Historically, in England rugby was played by the upper classes (the gentlemen), as you said, while soccer (football) was played by the lower classes. Which is why it's often referred to as the sport of gentlemen* (although many, and most probably Loic, would rather consider cricket as the sport of gentlemen... )
* And comparing the behaviour of rugby crowds (in Europe at least) to that of soccer crowds, rugby remains the sport of gentlemen (supporters)... _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
I am not a rugby supporter, but I'd also like to add my two pence worth based on my observations of the sport.
Rugby, or more specifically the union code, continues to retain a vaguely elitist air because it is a staple of all-boys independent schools, at least in Singapore. Football is often played and contested more ardently amongst the neighbourhood schools.
Rugby players, or ruggers as we would call then, also tend to be more educated. Most professional footballers are nothing but wretched school dropouts. When was the last time a Cambridge or Oxford graduate had entered the starting IX of any football team anywhere?
I am not sure about rugby, but cricket had been led by a Cambridge graduate in the late 90s (Mike Atherton) followed by a first class honours in mathematics from Durham graduate (Nasser Hussein). Footballers, in contrast, just don't have the same amount of brains. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Historically, rugby was played by the British upper-class, wasn't it?
Historically, rugby union was, and still is to a certain extent, favoured by the English middle-upper classes. Rugby league is predominantly working class, especially in Yorkshire.
Speaking of rugby league, I watched a league match between Queensland and New South Wales in a brewery on Wednesday. I think it is just as exciting as union although I must say, 13 a side is certainly much more tiring than fielding a starting XV. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Most professional footballers are nothing but wretched school dropouts.
No, they just can't be dropouts. You have to go to school first to become a dropout. _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
Well, they could have been sitting in the classrooms not learning anything. I do know for a fact that David Beckham failed to get a single 'O' level. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Ha ha. Sorry for being unambiguously ambiguous. I was watching the match at a brewery.
So the rugby world cup is coming closer and closer. What do you make of the All Blacks' chance of winning the world cup? Would the Three Lions retain it? How about the Springboks, Les Bleus and the Wallabies?
Speaking of French rugby, I have always found it interesting that it is the sport of the southwest. It is tempting to think that rugby has a natural affinity with the rugged masculine culture of the rural south and totems of the macho culture would include bullfighting in the summer and scrums in the winter. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
I think it will be (in this order) New Zealand, South Africa, Australia or France. England has no chance.
We recently lost in the Trinations to both NZ and Australia, but with 20 players who stayed at home to "rest" for the World Cup, so it was basically a B team. Considering that we still gave both the Wallabies and the All Blacks (at full strengt) a run for the money, indicates that we pose a strong threat. And certainly it would seems as if NZ is not so confidant anymore that they'll win.
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
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You're right, all this excitement has made us forget all about the cricket world cup. (BTW, Graeme Smith still insists that they did really, really well there.... 
