Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:34 pm Post subject: Rugby World Cup
Even though this is still about ten months away, the qualifiers are underway.
The automatic qualifiers from 2003 are: England, Australia, New Zealand, France, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.
The following teams have also qualified: Samoa (Oceania 1), Fiji (Oceania 2), Argentina (Americas 1), Canada (Americas 2), USA (Americas 3), Italy (Europe 1), Romania (Europe 2) and Namibia (Africa 1).
Four positions still need to be filled.
In Pool A defending champions England and South Africa have been joined by Samoa and the USA with one side set to join them from the repechage rounds. On current form South Africa seems the slight favourite to win this pool, with both top teams struggling at the moment, but England struggling more than South Africa.
Australia and Wales have been joined in Pool B by Fiji and Canada with the winner of Asia's upcoming round-robin between Japan, Korea and Hong Kong to join them. Australia seems a certain winner here.
In Pool C Italy and Romania join New Zealand and Scotland with one more side to come from the repechage. New Zealand on top, of course!
In Pool D Namibia now joins France, Ireland and Argentina. Europe 3 will be the other team in this pool. France should be favourites, but on current form both Ireland and Argentina should not be underestimated. _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
I must say, I voted for France. Never underestimate the strength of a home ground advantage. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
I must say, I voted for France. Never underestimate the strength of a home ground advantage.
TRAITOR!
But you do have a point. At home, France will be very difficult to beat. But I can hope, can't I? _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
I must say, I voted for France. Never underestimate the strength of a home ground advantage.
TRAITOR!
But you do have a point. At home, France will be very difficult to beat. But I can hope, can't I?
Sure !
Seriously, I didn't know that the tournament was to take place in France. It increases the support for the local team but also the pressure on their shoulders. We all know that pressure management can be a risky business with the French. So that's a double-edged advantage, I think.
I must say, I voted for France. Never underestimate the strength of a home ground advantage.
TRAITOR!
But you do have a point. At home, France will be very difficult to beat. But I can hope, can't I?
Sure !
Seriously, I didn't know that the tournament was to take place in France. It increases the support for the local team but also the pressure on their shoulders. We all know that pressure management can be a risky business with the French. So that's a double-edged advantage, I think.
True. The only time we've won, was when we hosted the tournament in 1995, beating New Zealand (15-12) after extra time. The huge partisan crowd certainly played a part. _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
Hi!
My opinion :
France can win and it's my favourite for this cup (because nowadays they didn't win the word cup as other great national teams...), but the all blacks are very strongs....
I suppose the French would say that of the All Blacks, seeing that they were comprehensively massacred in the first leg a few months back.
I heard today that England fly-half Johnny Wilkinson is to be recalled for an international against another country whose name has slipped my mind. Ahh...that bastard who drop kicks his side to victory. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
I don't blame you, mate, seeing how the Proteas were such a let-down yesterday. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
If I have a good memory, Loic, you'd like to go to one of the matches. Then, look at the list of the matches here and go order your ticket! _________________ Karout hep bezañ karet
A zo kriz ha kalet
Gosh. World Cup tickets are always dear, aren't they? It doesn't matter if they are football or rugby or cricket. The organising committee is intent on charging the maximum possible price they can possibly exert without alienating their customers. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Indeed, it's always expensive. But as people who are fond of sport don't mind spending such an amount, then, I don't see why committees would bother at reducing prices!
Well, as you'll be in France during the World Cup, you could watch it on your TV. It'd be even better as there will be close-ups on the actions whereas you wouldn't see them clearly in the stadium! _________________ Karout hep bezañ karet
A zo kriz ha kalet
Connolly sees light amid gloom
Wayne Smith
May 07, 2007
AUSTRALIA is without a team in the semi-finals for the first time since 1998, Eddie Jones is facing the sack as Reds coach after the worst defeat in Super rugby history, yet still Wallabies boss John Connolly refuses to concede all hope is lost for the World Cup.
The regular season of the Super 14 ended on a calamitous note for Australia when the Reds were thrashed 92-3 by the Bulls in Pretoria yesterday (AEST), eclipsing the record for the heaviest loss, the Waratahs' 96-19 hammering by the Crusaders in 2002.
Not only did that humiliation cap the worst season in Queensland's history but in the process it spelt the end of the Brumbies' wafer-thin chances of sneaking into the play-offs.
The Brumbies needed the Reds to pull off an utterly improbable win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld Stadium but from the moment the Pretoria team pulled down the kick-off and then drove the Queensland pack back 30m with a rolling maul, Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher knew it was all over.
The runaway win by the Bulls saw them snatch a home semi-final, with the Crusaders having to scramble to make unexpected plans to travel to South Africa as a result of Queensland's utter capitulation. The Sharks will host the other semi-final against the Blues in Durban, the first time in Super rugby that both play-off matches will be held in the republic.
Queensland aside, Connolly was well-pleased with the note on which the Super 14 competition ended for the Australian teams: the Brumbies registered their sixth consecutive win with a historic victory over the Highlanders in Dunedin; the Waratahs spoiled Tana Umaga's farewell party by beating the Hurricanes in Wellington; and Western Force won three home matches in succession before stumbling against the Blues on Friday night.
"Three of our four teams finished on a high," Connolly said. "And as far as the Wallabies are concerned, I've said from day one, even when the Australian teams were starting slowly, that once we got our top XV on the field, we'd be comfortable, provided the players came through the Super 14 in reasonably good shape."
The Wallabies' injury list is thinning fast, with Phil Waugh making a triumphant return for the Waratahs, Sam Cordingley coming through his first outing of the season without complications, Dan Vickerman set to return from his shoulder reconstruction next weekend and Chris Latham and Greg Holmes progressing well from their visits to the surgeon.
George Gregan, once again very much in the mix for the Test halfback position, was the only casualty of note from the weekend's round of matches.
Even Gregan's ankle ligament injury would not have caused him to miss next weekend's semi-finals had the Brumbies qualified.
The Reds finishing as the competition's basketcase could leave Connolly with some remedial work to restore the confidence of Queensland's few Test contenders.
"It is an issue when players have gone through what they've gone through," Connolly said.
Connolly will today name a squad of 45 players to assemble for a three-day camp in Sydney next week, with the 30-man party for the two Welsh Tests to be announced on May 20.
On the same day, the selectors also will announce the 25 players for Australia A.
Indications are the selectors will not venture too far beyond the tried-and-true in naming the Test squad, although pacy young wingers Lachlan Turner and Digby Ioane must be shortening for inclusion.
The vexed question of finding an understudy to Stephen Larkham at five-eighth remains a problem, with Waratahs playmaker Sam Norton-Knight possibly having edged in front of Reds youngster Berrick Barnes.
It remains to be seen whether it is also all over for Jones, whose debut season with the Reds has been memorable not for any on-field heroics -- Queensland won only two of its 13 games -- but for the many controversies in which the coach became embroiled.
It is understood a number of prominent Queensland rugby identities are pressuring QRU chairman Peter Lewis to dump Jones.
At a time when Jones desperately needs to be at home in Brisbane to repel borders, he will instead be in England for what he describes as "a week's holiday".
Yet rugby and English premiership club Saracens is likely to figure prominently in his plans.
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
Well, after Tour de France and Athletism and its doping hecatombs, Bernard Laporte, the French rugby coatch is suspecting the All Blacks anti-doping inspections because of their bad accuracies... What else???
What I'd like to know is... who voted for Wales as likely winners of the World Cup? _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
For the first time in my whole life I'm hoping that England will slash France completely. Something like 50-0 would be a wonderful surprise : I wouldn't like Laporte — a Sarkozian flunkey — to be appointed "minister" as a salary for victory. So good luck to all teams but France and may England win in Paris !
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So let's talk rugby!!!! 
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