alastair
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Post by alastair on Oct 15, 2023 21:08:57 GMT
I feel proper deflated. ☹️
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Post by muddyfunster on Oct 15, 2023 21:09:58 GMT
I really thought recent successes would have allowed that the 2023 iterations of France and Ireland to get over their inferiority complexes vs NZ and SA.
Both were good enough to win their quarters and both didn't quite execute the final 20 mins properly. It's all so familiar.
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sport✅
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Post by sport✅ on Oct 15, 2023 21:10:25 GMT
Eben may be a better physical specimen than you Danno, faster, stronger, more handsome, charismatic, but he's got nothing on your integrity. |
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Post by Danno on Oct 15, 2023 21:10:37 GMT
This is the point where I always lose interest in the World Cup, usual suspects in the semis once again, the last few weeks feel like a bit of a waste of time Yep. A procession next weekend, followed by the match that should not be and a final we've seen too many times now. |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 15, 2023 21:11:56 GMT
Ugh - so disappointing!
Only one game from four went the way I'd hoped (although two of them were stone-cold classics, which takes some of the sting out of the results).
A New Zealand vs. South Africa final incoming, and another SH World Cup win regardless.
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Post by Danno on Oct 15, 2023 21:13:15 GMT
Ugh - so disappointing! Only one game from four went the way I'd hoped (although two of them were stone-cold classics, which takes some of the sting out of the results). A New Zealand vs. South Africa final incoming, and another SH World Cup win regardless. Which one? Edit: nevermind. I do wish we'd had the hat trick of gobshite 10s weeping but noooooo. We had to go and beat Fiji. |
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sport✅
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Post by sport✅ on Oct 15, 2023 21:13:35 GMT
I'm sorry about all of this lads.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 15, 2023 21:14:43 GMT
Danno Wales vs. Argentina, which is scant consolation considering how much I wanted France and Ireland to win their games.
EDIT: Which I'm sure you'd figured out by the time I posted this 
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Post by Dougs on Oct 15, 2023 21:15:16 GMT
This is the point where I always lose interest in the World Cup, usual suspects in the semis once again, the last few weeks feel like a bit of a waste of time That's kind of my problem overall with rugby. Shocks are quite rare. Improvements are slow and incremental (see Argentina) but it all feels inevitable. |
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Post by elstoof on Oct 15, 2023 21:19:01 GMT
It’s just not a big enough sport to really sustain a World Cup. Might as well have the top 2 NH and SH teams have a little tournament after the 6N and Championship are over each year
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Post by muddyfunster on Oct 15, 2023 21:27:23 GMT
This tournament has been ruined by the draw.
On an unrelated note, England are the only unbeaten side left in the tournament.
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Post by muddyfunster on Oct 15, 2023 21:35:14 GMT
It’s just not a big enough sport to really sustain a World Cup. Might as well have the top 2 NH and SH teams have a little tournament after the 6N and Championship are over each year Think that's a bit much. It's not exactly Rugby League. There have been four different winners since 1987. Football has only had six different winners since 1986. Plus, Spain 2010 aside there's only been five different winners since 1954! It's the journey not the destination. If Ire vs NZ or Fra vs SA had been the Final and the tournament ended this weekend I think we'd all be going home pretty satisfied. It's a shame they met so soon. |
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Post by elstoof on Oct 15, 2023 22:14:40 GMT
Only 8 teams have ever reached the semi final
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Post by muddyfunster on Oct 15, 2023 23:13:09 GMT
True but there are only really 8 traditional tier one rugby nations. To Doug's point it does take a long time to effect change. This world cup has been closer in some regards then previous. The rugby world cup is nothing like as mature as football which had a 57 year head start.
Obviously football is a far more diverse and global gamr. My point was just that it's actually not that different in terms of the winners being fairly predictable.
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Post by Danno on Oct 15, 2023 23:20:28 GMT
It's up to WR now, teams like Portugal, Fiji, Japan, Uruguay, Samoa are playing great stuff, but they need the resources, structures and games to move on.
And WR will absolutely not bother because they are old rugger bugger cunts
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Post by muddyfunster on Oct 16, 2023 7:12:21 GMT
Perhaps yes, and it is an extremely difficult challenge to grow a sport's popularity.
However football didn't grow because FIFA was so great. Yes a lot of money was redistributed globally to developing nations but as we know a very significant part of that lined the pockets of corrupt officials in exchange for Presidential votes. Everyone has some experience of playing football, and then improved global media reach provided access for an interest that was already there and sponsors follow.
I think the biggest challenge for rugby is that currently most fans got into it by playing it. Casual rugby doesn't really work, it's too complicated, so you are quite reliant on more schools wanting to run rugby teams in the first place. I imagine that'll only get harder with the obvious safety and liability issues.
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Post by Dougs on Oct 16, 2023 11:29:25 GMT
Urgh.
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sport✅
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Post by sport✅ on Oct 16, 2023 11:36:36 GMT
Is the uhhh crotch thing some new tiktok celebration trend or something?
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Post by Dougs on Oct 16, 2023 11:57:04 GMT
Fuck knows, but it's weird as.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 16, 2023 12:06:55 GMT
I, for one, am baffled as to why the supporters of every other nation want England to lose.
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jono62
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Post by jono62 on Oct 16, 2023 12:09:39 GMT
I, for one, am baffled as to why the supporters of every other nation want England to lose. I'm baffled that your baffled. England are the big bad. |
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Post by muddyfunster on Oct 16, 2023 12:13:07 GMT
Nah, that's not what it means. Not really sure what that even is but its cause must be something else. Perhaps a brain injury? Also Sweet Caroline: it's not baseball. |
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Post by elstoof on Oct 16, 2023 12:14:00 GMT
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Oct 16, 2023 12:18:53 GMT
♫ I'll keep holding on, so tight ♫
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Post by Resident Knievel on Oct 16, 2023 23:38:59 GMT
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zephro
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Post by zephro on Oct 17, 2023 9:55:17 GMT
Too soon
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Oct 17, 2023 10:25:08 GMT
I clearly missed out during all my years of playing rugby... |
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Post by elstoof on Oct 17, 2023 10:26:48 GMT
Never too late Al!
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sport✅
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Post by sport✅ on Oct 17, 2023 10:39:17 GMT
No doubt we'll see alastair and his hero Haskell in the stands on Saturday getting up to all sorts of tomfoolery.
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Post by elstoof on Oct 17, 2023 10:42:27 GMT
Imagine how rough his hands are
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