For Ireland to get to final they would have to (likely) get past France,Argentina and England. Possible, but unlikely. TBH, i dont 'get' the love-in for Ireland - after all, its not even as if they have a good side- i expect the to come 2nd in their group after France and then get eliminated in quarters by Oz.
Gonna cherry pick my work for RWC, seems to be a pure coincidence that my locations are in the same place as England and the same dates and times, must have been pure luck
For Ireland to get to final they would have to (likely) get past France,Argentina and England. Possible, but unlikely. TBH, i dont 'get' the love-in for Ireland - after all, its not even as if they have a good side- i expect the to come 2nd in their group after France and then get eliminated in quarters by Oz.
I don't get the love in for Ireland either. England giving them a going over at the moment.
Eng 21 Ire 13 How Ireland kept it to 8 points i will never know - Eng had 2 tries disallowed and Ireland hardly got out of their own half all game. And they're no. 2 in the world and better than Oz/SA/England/France ??!! - think they've been on the Guinness.
It's out loads mate I had to take it to Stuart Lancaster at a rugby club near Leeds the other week after we had finished with it. That cup has done some miles
Eng 21 Ire 13 How Ireland kept it to 8 points i will never know - Eng had 2 tries disallowed and Ireland hardly got out of their own half all game. And they're no. 2 in the world and better than Oz/SA/England/France ??!! - think they've been on the Guinness.
They lost last week and dropped to third, they will drop again after that result.
Eng 21 Ire 13 How Ireland kept it to 8 points i will never know - Eng had 2 tries disallowed and Ireland hardly got out of their own half all game. And they're no. 2 in the world and better than Oz/SA/England/France ??!! - think they've been on the Guinness.
They lost last week and dropped to third, they will drop again after that result.
I was more worried they'd been on you mate!!
Awful Irish performance and couldn't believe they were as close as 2 points for a while there.
One man doesn't make a team, but Rob Kearney's absence was really noticed. Joel Schmidt will be giving them a rocket for some time after that.
For Ireland to get to final they would have to (likely) get past France,Argentina and England. Possible, but unlikely. TBH, i dont 'get' the love-in for Ireland - after all, its not even as if they have a good side- i expect the to come 2nd in their group after France and then get eliminated in quarters by Oz.
Remember they've won 6 nations 2 years on trot, can't be mugs doing that. France scraped past Scotland tonight so either you can't take these games too serious or France are also not in great condition either.
Can anyone tell me why the draw for the groups is made about two and half years before tournament? Seeing as a lot of it is done on the rankings which would be totally different by time tournament starts.
According to one source, the thinking is as follows; Obviously, the draw cannot be left to the last moment, even though that would most accurately reflect the standing in world rugby. There is a need for certainty as teams prepare their cup schedules well in advance in terms of training venues, hotels and the like. Also, fans need to be able to book tickets and make travel plans.
But really it makes no sense. I was talking to a couple of the Georgia staff last night, and they said they liked it in terms of preparation, but apart from the fact groups have always been announced very early in Rugby, no one, including a couple of IRB people at Kingsholm yesterday, has a good reason why.
If they can do the football world cup draw the December beofre the tournament am sure they logistics would not be too hard to sort the rugby one out a lot closer to the event.
Wales: First choices at scrum half and full back, the excellent Rhys Webb and the brilliant Leigh Halfpenny, will miss the Tournament through injuries sustained in last weekend's 'friendly' ... Halfpenny especially will be missed for his metronomic goal kicking. These injuries theoretically improve England's chances of qualifying from their group.
I have no love for the Welsh when it comes to matters Rugby, but these absences are a great shame and will seriously weaken not just Welsh prospects but the game spectacle as a whole. Webb is a very dynamic halfback, fleet of foot with a quick pass .. he'll probably be replaced by the vastly experienced and worthy Mike Phillips, a more combative, slower and much more 'traditional' model of a scrum half. As for Halfpenny ? .. the Welsh will find him almost irreplaceable
Liam Williams will most likely replace Halfpenny, and is probably actually a bigger attacking threat than Halfpenny is. They will miss his goal kicking the most, but Dan Bigger is no mug with the boot.
Massive losses for the Welsh, but I wouldn't say fatal. They don't have huge depth anyway the Welsh, so it certainly tests their squad.
Anything that helps England is a bonus especially the way we give silly penalties away.
We'll really be able to attack the breakdown when it is 40/50m out now as while Dan Biggar is a very good kicker, he doesn't have the range Halfpenny does, so giving away a few penalties at that range shouldn't have the same consequences.
Anything that helps England is a bonus especially the way we give silly penalties away.
We'll really be able to attack the breakdown when it is 40/50m out now as while Dan Biggar is a very good kicker, he doesn't have the range Halfpenny does, so giving away a few penalties at that range shouldn't have the same consequences.
A few more tickets went on sale at noon for the Olympic Stadium. I managed to get tickets to see France vs Romania, £35 each (I was too slow for the £20 ones!)
Wales: First choices at scrum half and full back, the excellent Rhys Webb and the brilliant Leigh Halfpenny, will miss the Tournament through injuries sustained in last weekend's 'friendly' ... Halfpenny especially will be missed for his metronomic goal kicking. These injuries theoretically improve England's chances of qualifying from their group.
I have no love for the Welsh when it comes to matters Rugby, but these absences are a great shame and will seriously weaken not just Welsh prospects but the game spectacle as a whole. Webb is a very dynamic halfback, fleet of foot with a quick pass .. he'll probably be replaced by the vastly experienced and worthy Mike Phillips, a more combative, slower and much more 'traditional' model of a scrum half. As for Halfpenny ? .. the Welsh will find him almost irreplaceable
Agree with this. Much as Wales are England's nemesis you don't want to see great players missing out through injury. I think this tips the balance in England's favour as to qualification from the pool. Should change the odds too which is a lesson not to hedge too soon!
As expected England name unchanged team to play Fiji.
Brown, Watson, Joseph, Barritt, May; Ford, B Youngs; Marler, T Youngs, Cole, Lawes, Parling, Wood, Robshaw, Morgan.
Bench: Webber, M Vunipola, Brookes, Launchbury, B Vunipola, Wigglesworth, Farrell, Burgess.
Don't like the balance of the bench with Burgess there over Slade/Goode/Nowell, but hopefully that will the change for the 'bigger' games against Wales and Oz.
Got my venue ops uniform today and vehicle passes, fully accredited so the games begin for me from now, has been quietly understated I feel so far but I can really see it ramping up from here on
Comments
Possible, but unlikely.
TBH, i dont 'get' the love-in for Ireland - after all, its not even as if they have a good side- i expect the to come 2nd in their group after France and then get eliminated in quarters by Oz.
England should be a lot further ahead than they are.
How Ireland kept it to 8 points i will never know - Eng had 2 tries disallowed and Ireland hardly got out of their own half all game.
And they're no. 2 in the world and better than Oz/SA/England/France ??!! - think they've been on the Guinness.
Awful Irish performance and couldn't believe they were as close as 2 points for a while there.
One man doesn't make a team, but Rob Kearney's absence was really noticed. Joel Schmidt will be giving them a rocket for some time after that.
Obviously, the draw cannot be left to the last moment, even though that would most accurately reflect the standing in world rugby.
There is a need for certainty as teams prepare their cup schedules well in advance in terms of training venues, hotels and the like.
Also, fans need to be able to book tickets and make travel plans.
But really it makes no sense. I was talking to a couple of the Georgia staff last night, and they said they liked it in terms of preparation, but apart from the fact groups have always been announced very early in Rugby, no one, including a couple of IRB people at Kingsholm yesterday, has a good reason why.
I have no love for the Welsh when it comes to matters Rugby, but these absences are a great shame and will seriously weaken not just Welsh prospects but the game spectacle as a whole. Webb is a very dynamic halfback, fleet of foot with a quick pass .. he'll probably be replaced by the vastly experienced and worthy Mike Phillips, a more combative, slower and much more 'traditional' model of a scrum half. As for Halfpenny ? .. the Welsh will find him almost irreplaceable
Massive losses for the Welsh, but I wouldn't say fatal. They don't have huge depth anyway the Welsh, so it certainly tests their squad.
Great under the high ball as well as his kicking.
Brown, Watson, Joseph, Barritt, May; Ford, B Youngs; Marler, T Youngs, Cole, Lawes, Parling, Wood, Robshaw, Morgan.
Bench: Webber, M Vunipola, Brookes, Launchbury, B Vunipola, Wigglesworth, Farrell, Burgess.
Don't like the balance of the bench with Burgess there over Slade/Goode/Nowell, but hopefully that will the change for the 'bigger' games against Wales and Oz.