Thetownend.com

Big kick off in a few hours time.  Have the All Blacks really got this wrapped up?  I'm not so sure.

Many happy memories over the years of early morning beer/rugby.  Looking forward to this.

Not so confident about tomorrow. We haven't looked the strongest in the warm up games. Argentina will be a big test.

But any excuse to get on the beers a little earlier :)

Unfortunate time for me to go on holiday this...

Tonga v New Zealand first up, that could be a bit of a stuffing.

I think the Argentina game is going to be brutal.  Argentina not the side they were 4 years ago, but still very physical.  The losing team will almost certainly then need to beat Scotland (who have two easy openers against Romania and Georgia) to make the last 8.

We'll beat Argentina, but it won't be inspiring, confident, or pretty.

Looking forward to the 2 haka's in a minute...

Realistically there are 5 teams that could win it, England & France from the northern hemisphere & the big 3 southern teams. Heard a good point made on the radio last night that the northern teams have more experience in playing in big pressure games - if you lose a single game in the 6 nations you are pretty much buggered, whereas if you lose in the Tri-nations know you will play them again the next week so can make amends.

Difficult to see past NZ, but then again most people have thought that for the last 3 world cups and look what happened there. Have a feeling the surprise package could be the US, but last 8 is likely to be pretty predictable

NZ won't win, they'll choke as always.

My money's on the Boks.

Aussies to win the tournament.

Enjoying this in HD!

The game seems to be taking off there.  One of the big networks has got hold of the coverage as well.  Expect to see them improve in the coming years.

New Zealand 20-0 Tonga...after just 30 mins.  I think that's called signalling your intentions.

Could be heading for a point a minute if they keep this up all game.

It's a bit one sided isn't it?

Alot of these group games will be!

I however have backed Tonga to beat New Zealand with a 60.5pt start!  So I hope the Kiwis will start to sub the main players pretty soon and save them for sterner tests.

Well done Tonga!

Deserved that try for perserverance as much as anything

Expected Tonga to start strong and get worse, turns out it was the exact opposite. The World Cup really gets started tommorrow.....Fiji v Namibia

Anyone not watching Japan vs France now get it on.  It's on ITV1.  Japan 21-25 France and France are on the rack.  Brilliant stuff from Japan.

I'm watching. France have turned it around massively.

Love that half the Japanese players have English names.

Rugby upsets much rarer than in football, I suppose.  The more experienced side often runs away with it in the final 20 mins.  Still 47-21 doesn't tell the whole story there.  France are not going to enjoy the aftermath of that game.

not really going our way as yet in this one.  always a tough game the argies but didn't expect us to be losing at half time

I think the ref has been particularly picky and has ruined parts of the game. Our players are getting frustrated, and it'll only get worse.

This is shit. Might as well just give them the Falklands.

It's the World Cup though, refs always get very technically correct at the major tournaments. England are just not helping themselves. Oh, and well done ITV for putting together the most boring commentators. Vickery is sending me to sleep.

Yeah, it's a shame as it ruins the game a bit. Agreed, our team should know better and need to learn from the first half experience.

this is gtting worrying, need coles back on

penalty, stupid

England are useless at most sports TBF footy, rugby and tennis to name a few.

Cricket is the only popular sport we seem to do well in ATM, unfortunately i don't like cricket  :(

Oh, were not too bad at athletics which will come in handy, well GB that is.

Have you ever seen such poor kicking in a game (on both sides)?!  If they had taken all their kicks, they would be out of sight.  And Wilkinson needs to have a word with himself.  Shocking.

At least there's the football later.  Have a bad feeling about this.

think that's a bit unfair, we're one of the best 5 teams in the world at rugby union and have been for some time now - if the argies were in the six nations they'd be very competitive

who cares about tennis, not a team sport, if you want to follow individuals then watch golf, snooker or darts in which we are more than capable of producing world class players.  i genuinly think nobody cares about tennis from a playing point of view and that's why we don't produce (m)any decent players, not enough passion from the potentials to want to do it

What was the streaker like

4 in a row now, poor

they should probably put Wilkinson to sleep. It would be the kindest thing

come on lads, big push from here

yess!!!!!

Boooooo

Hmm.  It's a win though.  Also, you have to give Argentina some credit there.  They're a top rugby playing nation now.  Impressive support from their fans as well.

Thats not that great an achievment really is it, considering how few nations actually play the game to any sort of competitive level

yes, but it still doesn't make us bad at it does it

A win's a win. Well done England.

So the pundits were Pienar, Dellaglio and....who was the other bloke?

Sorry, my rugby knowledge is a bit shit these days.

Danny Care... injured scrum-half

Thanks! I only caught the end and got the impression it was a current player who was injured.

Argies could have been out of sight had they kicked their penalties (they miss Hernandez) but then Wilko went on to miss more than ever.  Two very strong teams up front but both overly forward orientated.

A win's a win and vital for that as England would prefer to avoid the ABs in the quarters.

A fantastic effort from the Brave Bottoms earlier

Scotland edge to a 15-6 win against Georgia.  They've made heavy weather of beating the two weakest teams in the group.  Don't tell the wife, but I'm hoping for a thumping win when we play them on October 1st.

Nice winnings for me... Georgia + 19.5pts was 5/2

The wife just put Scotland the Brave on at full volume and our 1 year old burst in to tears.  I think he's English.

Phew. Scraped it.

 See the Surrender Monkeys lost to Tonga....their king will be happy.

William Wallace, Sir Alex Ferguson, Alex Salmond, David Tennant, John Logie Baird, Robert Burns! Your boys took one hell of a beating! Can you hear me Robert Burns, one hell of a beating!

Sort of anyway.

The French make me feel better about scraping that win.

The Scots came out so fast at the start that I think they tired sooner than England.  Not a great win, but an important one.

Getting France in the quarters is exactly the draw you would want.  We must not blow it.

Not the best performance today but a win is a win. Can't argue with finishing top of the group. Will obviously have to step it up going forward - thankfully France don't seem to be firing on all cylinders right now either.

Just gotten home from the match....
Two very poor sides and each would have been beaten by 30 points by either All Blacks, South Africa or Australia.
Just hope England are holding back something for the next couple of games.
What are the odds of an All Blacks v Ireland final and AB's winning by 20 points +  ?

One thing England have the knack of is winning ugly, and getting through. In fact they are becoming the Germans of rugby. The has opened up where they play the French next, who they've knocked out of successive tournaments, then could play the Irish or the Welsh, who England played in their warm up games against, in the semis.

England always doing what's necessary in the last quarter. 

Relishing the knock out phase now.

I predict NZ to beat England in the Final.

All teams (bar Argentina who play NZ) have a performance in them and the loss by NZ of Carter with no decent replacement at 10 (except Evans who's here playing for Quins) does significantly open up the tournament.

France are destroying England at the moment, still a long way to go though

Game over.

Needed to make the try before half time :(

Not out of this but need some points quickly, a quick try and were right back in this.

Surely it should be the French that surrender?

If only.  This is horrible.  England have teased us with the try but we all know how this ends.

Roll on 3pm.

Every time they seem to be applying pressure the ball gets given away with a stupid handling error. Utterly frustrating.

Its like watching Scotland.

G.O

Thats a try!

Paid the price for a shit England (or good French) start.

Hey ho, its only rugby.

It's just like the England Football team.

They are great until they have to play against a decent team, then the wheels fall off.

Still, nice to see the media giving the Rugger Buggers are hard time for off the field stuff :)

Had a bit of a go in the second half and scored a good try, but there were still too many mistakes and the damage had been done in the first half.

Wales would have murdered us in the semi anyway. Got to go to work with loads of Frenchies on Monday, not looking forward to it but I did say we'd lose so shouldn't get too much of a ribbing!

Sorry Posh but I completely disagree with that comment, if you don't mind me saying it sounds like a typical football fan watching rugby quote.  I believe the England rugby team are nothing like the England football side. In fact if I was to compare the English rugby team with an international football side it'd the Germans I'd say they were like.  They know how to win ugly, they know how to progress and usually they get themselves there or there abouts.

Even the Gerries have off competitions, by that I mean they sometimes fall in the quarters, just like England have today.  Let's be honest if England had won today they'd have had a great chance of getting to the final, where they'd probably not had a chance of winning, as Aus/SA/NZ have too much class for this England team.  If that had happened you lot wouldn't have been complaining.

If the England rugby team were like the football team you'd have been out in the groups as they wouldn't have had the bottle to come back against the Argies or the Scots. England may not have played well this RWC but you have to respect the fact they ground out results in the groups and avoided potential banana skins.

Credit to the French too, all the reports of dispute in the camp, the potential players revolt/strike just made them focus on the job in hand.  Next week's semi-final v Wales should be another quality match up.

And I thought you were Scottish?!  Must have made that up.


Spot on.  I think one thing England have been guilty of this tournament is coming out of the blocks too slowly and then having to chase games.  Happened against Argentina and Scotland.  And then again today against France...only this time we left the fight back too late.


Agree with this as well.  Wales have managed to peak at just the right time for the World Cup...which is what England managed in 2003 & 2007.  Gatland has turned them in to one of the fittest sides around and I think they have a great chance of making the Final.  And then anything can happen.

Got Wales in the work sweep so I'm happy :)

Wales certainly have come good at the right time but I'd be amazed if they could seriously challenge any of Aus/SA/NZ in the final, think any of those three would be able to defeat the welsh, the Springboks will have learned from the opener too.

And Bob's an english Jambo (if he supported Oxford he'd have the holy trinity of being a complete tosser ;-) ).

I know.  But can you imagine, for example, a NZ vs Wales final?  Stage set for the biggest All Black choke of all time.  I'd be glued to the box for that one.   ;)


OK...all makes sense now.

Wales being in the final would be good, but I'm not sure I'd be hoping they won, that'd be unbearable if they won the thing, almost as bad as 2003 that'd be, especially as I work a lot in Wales.

I don't mind the All Blacks winning, but I'm sticking with the Aussies.  Cue them getting dumped out by the Africans tomorrow.

I continue to marvel at the fact that the Scottish, Carling/Guscott/Moore/Johnson-hating girl I met 6 weeks before we won the World Cup eventually agreed to marry me.  Odds were seriously stacked against that one, for sure.

The two go hand in hand.  I hate all of the above too.  Had the misfortune of having to sit through a Brian Moore after dinner speech once, was actually relieved when he was completely shit, he nearly cried at one stage.  90% of the audience thought he was crap apart from one lad who (on his own) gave him a standing ovation.

Guscott's a pyschopath, and that's the words of one of Clive Woodward's management staff I spent a day with 'the only man in the England Rugby squad you wouldn't want on your team' as he's completely self obsessed.

Johnson's just a thug who got away with it, and what's not to hate about Carling, even his lager is piss poor.

Congrats on giving your future children a better life though Ardiles, the Celtic blood in their veins will stand them apart from the rest!

Wales defence was awesome today. Sean Edwards only went to be Wales defence coach because England wouldn't accomodate his request to keep coaching Wasps. On todays shockingly bad deensive display and complete lack of leadership our loss was definately their gain. Hope Wales lose to France. If not I will be cheering on SA/NZ/Aus in the final!i

I thank you.   :)

There not so much 'future', by the way, as very much in the present.  Two little reasons that I've not made it anything like as many games as I'd have liked recently, despite being only 60 miles from Swindon.  (Indoctrination starts in earnest next year I think.)

I'm about to show your last post to the wife.  I think it's going to make her evening.

The cycle of of life sports.

RWC finalist on the last two occassions, once winners. As we see in all sports, a rise and and fall of generations and a rebuilding process. The squad we sent out was neve going to be good enough to win the competition. What the fuck was Wilkinson doing there? Kicking shit throughout.

Having said that, we do have a decent core of younger players and provided we can win a 3 out of 4 6Nations and bring one or two players though, anything could happen.

Only bad thing is that I have to live in France at the moment, so I am currently getting lots of shit!

Vichy?

Me too!  I offered to swap with a Welshman when he pulled out France.  He turned me down.  So I'll be cheering on the land of his fathers next week.

Of course!

You do that!  We've just kept ourselves in the Euro's til Tuesday, so not a bad end to the day.

Martin Johnson to hold press conference at 11pm BST ..... Will he go?

Given the fact he has been backed by the biggest Union with by far the biggest budget, this calamity of a campaign must be seen as a serious failure.   

Joe le taxi for Johnson?

Big is not always bet for fuck sake (no offence)

We've had a squad that competed for the las two RWC's for fuck sake, this squad had no chance of repeating their pre-decessords achievements. Maybe the next time it comes around we will have a sound footing but this is a rebuilding process for us, much as it is in other sports for the likes of Australia etc etc.

I hate France...

Really hope Wales win just to piss off janaage

wales wales wales shit wots occuring.

It won't really piss me off at all, but carry on.

Glad to see the Aussies knock out the Springboks, I had a feeling they'd win the tournament this time around (hardly the biggest shock in the world if they do).

Excellent to see the Argies go head to head, toe to toe with the All Blacks, 7-6 up after 30 mins or so. Slade's not having the best game, so much pressure on his shoulders.

It's all falling in to place!  Of course I remember that.  (Quite by coincidence, it was just 7 days after England's World Cup win the previous Saturday.)

One of the coldest days in memory!  Football didn't really help either.  I think that was the game that Mike Spearman walked around the stand handing out vouchers for the club shop as a thank you to fans for making the trip.

Ah right. Perhaps unbearable was too strong a word then.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15234032.stm

Grow up you bunch of idiots,embarasing and really dangerous.

And they used to complain about the antics done by English footballers. The rubby boys have taken it to another level.

Hmmm.  I think we're going to see changes.

Shame, because Tuilagi is a fine player.

Yeah it was freezing that day and I think we lost 2-0. I did indeed receive a voucher for £5 for the club shop, however my journey that day was fairly easy, Edinburgh to Hartlepool not that much of a drive!!

I was with Neil, a Jambo who kept going on about the Rugby World Cup still having 6 minutes to play and that England would not be world champions until those 6 minutes were played! Can't remember where he got that idea from however!

I'm no fan of english international rugby players but think some in the press are over reacting just a tad over their behaviour in recent weeks.  Especially the whiter than white Saint Brian Moore.

Of course, they're in the business of selling newspapers.

And I fucking hate Brian Moore.

I'm not bothered about their behaviour, in fact i find it mildly amusing. At least they stop short of gang rape and such like

it's a joke, they're expected to go out there, behave like robots and bring us home a trophy.  just let them unwind and enjoy themselves and they'll enjoy their rugby more and probably win more often.  this doesn't just apply to the rugby boys but all international sports men and women.

I honestly think one of the major issues we face in this day and age is the advent of the 'breaking news' sensationalist type of reporting events.  So what if an England player jumped of a ferry and swam to shore, it was funny, no harm was done.

Thats a good point...but jumping behind a moving ferry in a busy harbour is just plain stupid,if the captain had changed direction he could easily have been killed...Ferry's dont just move by the wind blowing them  :D they are powered by stuff that would have mashed him up in seconds......fun yes,stupidy no.
He like Tindal will be laughed off the Island....made even worse by the fact we were absolute shite on the pitch.

Really looking forward to this match, can the Aussies dump the all blacks out?  Despite them playing badly all tournament I reckon they can.  On a side note my 9 month old is transfixed by the haka!!

The All Blacks look way too good for the Aussies at the moment.

Aussies would have taken heart from their first attack though.  Looking a bit dodgy defensively though the Australians.  Be interesting to see second half, if it's still close, how easy the All Blacks find it to finish the game off.  How they handle the inner city life, inner city pressure.

Them versus the French will be something brutal I fear.

The All Blacks are, with the possible exception of Wales, the only country to have turned up at this World Cup.  Whilst I've enjoyed the close matches, some have ben real edge of your seat stuff, the tries haven't exactly flourished.

Good luck to them next week though, as they deserve to win the RWC.

Fucked up competition. Never thought I would see the chokers and the jokers in the final.

I can't see the All Blacks choking this time, I really can't.  They were outstanding today.  Australia simply beaten by the better side.  The way they sat on that lead for something like 30 mins at 17-6 is something even we (STFC) could learn from.

The only nagging doubt I have at the back of my mind is that France might replicate their (Football) World Cup campaign of 1998 where they had a ridiculously easy group and then golden goaled it vs Paraguay, scraped past Italy on penalties, saw off Croatia in the semis and then managed to get Brazil to roll over for them - in bizarre style - in the final.  It still bothers me that they won that tournament.  Could they creep up and win this one too, after all their problems?  England rolled over for them, Wales got robbed by the ref.  Who knows what the final will hold?

All Blacks on home soil, I can see them winning by a big margin (for a final).

The IRB always seem to play the tournament at the wrong time for the Northern Hemisphere sides. Playing it in Sep/Oct is perfect for the Soutern hemisphere sides, as it's coming to the end of their season, whilst it's at the start of the normal season for the northern sides, as due to the fact they start preparing in June/July, they hardly get a rest from the previous season.

It'll be a major surprise if the French win this, but the All Blacks will know, don't discount them.

I'm sure that the French half of Monsieur Rolland's family were very proud of his performance.

I hope the All Blacks smash the shit out of the French in the final

Agree about the rugby but I wouldn't be so worried bothered about the footie.  No other world cup winners have ever gone on to fluke the Euros two years after fluking the world cup  (and only one other team has ever been world AND European champions at the same time).

I agree, it's the All Blacks (Can I say that without Cola accussing me of being a racist?) game to lose, and no doubt, on home soil, with the crowd behind them, they will do the job.

I suppose it's their time really, they've been touted at every RWC I can remember as dead certs, and they'll not have a better chance than this.

Its almost impossible (bar mass food poisoning like 1995 in SA) to imagine a scenario where NZ don't win.

Is there a Rugby World Cup on? Thought it was just Mike Tindall's stag do.

France didn't deserve to get to the final. They've had plenty of luck both against England and Wales. That said we didn't take our chances against France and made too many errors which you can't afford to do. Wales were not helped by the ref but even with 14 they should have closed that game out.

I really can't stand France in general and it's about time New Zealand won it. I really hope the All Blacks punish the French big time. Hoping for a win of at least 30 points or more.

Matters not one bit, they are there. People always say that about our football team in the Euros or World Cup but you can only beat whats put in front of you, if you have luck, then so be it (you will need it along the way)

Never really like France, mainly for the reason that they are very racist yet raid the colonies to fill there sports teams

No one can deny though, they have the best national anthem...

Italy have. France would make the final though.

Anyone who has been in the Millenium stadium/Arms Park for a Wales international game would probably disagree.

Whatever you think, one thing for sure it's far more inspiring than God Save the Queen

Yeah but isn't every anthem?

And the post-mortem.

Leaked Report: England's RWC Shambles (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/8908818/Englands-Rugby-World-Cup-shambles-laid-bare-as-leaked-report-blames-greedy-players-and-weak-leaders.html)

This makes very interesting reading.  I'm actually quite encouraged by the frankness of the comments there.  There will be change.