Match Day Thread Rugby World Cup

The games are selling tickets, and I know it's better for the players health, but for me the format isn't working... it's more like a long series of international games than a world cup. Perhaps it will improve after the group rounds are finished. I wonder what the TV viewing figures are like compared to previous shorter, more compact competitions.

Jersey have gone bust, despite winning the championship. They've over paid players in the pursuit of attaining premiership status and bankrupted themselves... British club rugby is in the ****.

 

Both codes are in the ****. Health and safety concerns mean less parents want their kids playing. Both codes are hard and the drop out rate when they get to 17 or 18 and start going out at night more is high.

 

I'm surprised this is still rattling on. Seems to have been going ages. This must be like what the wife thinks about the Football WC.

Fortunately, I'm not exposed to it at all so its no relevance to me, other than it bugs me to see a thread unread on the forum.

 

Fiji beat AUS, lost narrowly to Wales, but are 9-0 down to Georgia at half-time!

 

Anyone watching New Zealand v Uruguay?

Cracker so far.

 

Only going one way. That 3rd try was a bit special!

 

It was unreal the way he scooped that into play.

 

And then just after that the pickup on the half volley 6 inches off the ground!

 

All the 6 nations are playing today/tomorrow, FRA/ITA tonight, IRE/SCO, WAL/GEO, ENG/SAM tomorrow.
Seems a strange coincidence!

 

Forza Italia!

 

The gulf between the tier A and B teams seems much bigger in France than it did in Japan (that might be in my head caused by negativity towards this WC or by the fact that Japan was a more 'neutral' venue and better for teams to raise their underdog game). Italy have tailed off hugely since their old guard retired over the last decade.

It won't change, but my opinion is that there's no point having Uruguay or Romania playing tier A teams - no Romanian kid is going to be encouraged to play rugby seeing his national team get turned over to that degree.

It wouldn't be a WC obviously, but I'd enjoy more watching Barbarians-style teams having a game against England, NZ etc rather than Chile and Namibia.

Clearly after this post, there's going to be a huge upset this weekend.

 

Obviously Samoa will tonk England

 

Australia? - they'll be lucky!

 

Think I called this one Eng 8-14 Sam

 

Samoa just had a try disallowed after it had been awarded and checked off-field, the conversion taken and the game restarted. Ridiculous.

 

The game had not restarted after the conversion and is perfectly within the rules to be reviewed.

 

It had though!

 

At last an interesting game after a succession of tonkings.

 

Oh no it hadn't!

 

If that's the case I retract my post, I was sure it had!