England v France: Who are you rooting for? And who do you suspect will in fact win?

[marty21]

...and that's why they teach kids to tap-tackle.

that tackle won the game

ugly game, tense x 1000s

 

[Gingerman]

Yep was'nt pretty but effective,if they win the tournie playing like that,what dos that say about the state of the game today not knocking them for their tatics,at the end of the day they're in the final,while the more entaining sides are out.

 

[The Boy]

Yep was'nt pretty but effective,if they win the tournie playing like that,what dos that say about the state of the game today not knocking them for their tatics,at the end of the day they're in the final,while the more entaining sides are out.

Have england ever played pretty rugby? In my mind they will always be a team that plays ten man rugby, but they do it well and it wins them games - one world cup and a shot at a second. As the saying goes "The forwards win the game, the backs decide by how much".

 

[London_Calling]

This is just silly

Wouldn't mind the Argies in the Final - assuming we're still in the realm of make-believe.

 

[Gingerman]

So the French are still the best team never to have won the World Cup,roll on 2011.

 

[tarannau]

Fairplay England. The moment when I knew the game was up for the french was when Chabal was knocked backwards by Sackey and Flood of all people. Control was always with England - if only Wilkinsn was in form it would have been more comfortable.

Hoping for Argies rather than the Saffa in the final though. Forward wise and they've got the bigger bruisers.

 

[The Boy]

Fairplay England. The moment when I knew the game was up for the french was when Chabal was knocked backwards by Sackey and Flood of all people.

Don't know what I'm still doing on this thread, but the moment I knew we were fucked was when Traille started mincing about in the in-goal area wasting time before touching down for a 22 drop-out. There was still ten minutes left and we were ahead by a MASSIVE one point. Daft.

Anyway, I can't believe I'm saying this but if the RGs don't win tomorrow I might even support the English next week

Given that they have been the *worst* defending champions and, given their early showings could be described as the worst finalists ever*, I can just imagine Phil Vickery lifting the Webb-Ellis trophy with a slightly embarassed look on his face.

Oh, while I'm here can I nominate Jason Robinson for man of the match? To my shame I've always remembered him as the guy who would run latteraly for 10 metres, side-step noone and then get turned over. Tonight though he was flawless and I liked the nice touch of letting him walk on his own to celebrate his 50th cap.

*this in no way is sour grapes. Given the last 3 or so years, I think we can safely describe them as being the worst defending chamions. The worst finalist part is just a reflection on the way they have been regarded since their first couple of games. They thouroughly deserved the win tonight and last week. Once again well done.

 

[marksims68]

I cannot believe this, I simply cannot believe it.

ENGLAND ARE IN THE RUGBY WORLD CUP FINAL!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm very drunk, will have a huge hangover in the morning but I dont care, because ENGLAND ARE IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL!!!

No amount of anti-England chatter can dampen my mood, if you hate England I dont care, if you hate Rugby I dont care, I am one VERY proud Englishman this evening.

 

[TAE]

Rugby, not soccer.

yeah, this is the game where the players cause the trouble.

 

[The Boy]

Rugby, not soccer.

footage of the french and kiwi firms in action before the QF:-

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gAVQEn-cqWg

 

[david dissadent]

*this in no way is sour grapes. Given the last 3 or so years, I think we can safely describe them as being the worst defending chamions. The worst finalist part is just a reflection on the way they have been regarded since their first couple of games. They thouroughly deserved the win tonight and last week. Once again well done.

Not really all that controversial an opinion. At times over the past three years it has not even been fun laughing at them they got so bad.

 

[The Boy]

I am one VERY proud Englishman this evening.

And so you should be. You deserved the win tonight, even if I do believe that we would have won were it not for the fact that our coach is a fucking loon ;-)

 

[The Boy]

Not really all that controversial an opinion. At times over the past three years it has not even been fun laughing at them they got so bad.

I know, I just thought I should add that as a qualifier given the circumstances,

 

[Calva dosser]

I watched it in the Café. Convinced England would lose about 36-O.

I supported France, of course, but fuck me they just didn't give up did they?

Things went bloody quiet at the end.

 

[London_Calling]

I think we can safely describe them as being the worst defending chamions. The worst finalist part is just a reflection on the way they have been regarded since their first couple of games.

"worst defending chamions" - But this is a nonsensical label, or category. Complete media creation and meaningless.

The cycle is four years, you start at the end of a WC and you build for the next 4 years until the following WC, after which you start again - just look at all the England players who retired after Sydney.

If you want to be the best between WC's then you need another competition - the All Blacks would be great at that - otherwise, it's just another idiotic way to bash the 'arrogant' English. It's a ridiculous concept.

 

[Limejuice]

We win! They lose!

My hangover should be gone by the final!

Watched the game in our village pub. For the last 20 minutes, even the people in the restaurant abaondoned their tables to watch the match.

Just as I did last week after the lordly All Black and sulky Wallaby defeats, I've looking for the French headlines this morning. The word I see is 'cauchemar' - nightmare.

How satisfying is that?

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

"worst defending chamions" - But this is a nonsensical label, or category. Complete media creation and meaningless.

The cycle is four years, you start at the end of a WC and you build for the next 4 years until the following WC, after which you start again - just look at all the England players who retired after Sydney.

If you want to be the best between WC's then you need another competition - the All Blacks would be great at that - otherwise, it's just another idiotic way to bash the 'arrogant' English. It's a ridiculous concept.

Call a fucking journalist. I agree with each and every word of one of your posts. Better record the time and date, eh

Well said.

When it counted, England stepped up. I do wish people would remember that England spent years building up to that last WC win, and most of them retired straight after, and our talisman got injured. It's no surprise we had a dodgy few years. But now we are back, with a decent-looking, young squad.

 

[The Boy]

"worst defending chamions" - But this is a nonsensical label, or category. Complete media creation and meaningless.

The cycle is four years, you start at the end of a WC and you build for the next 4 years until the following WC, after which you start again - just look at all the England players who retired after Sydney.

If you want to be the best between WC's then you need another competition - the All Blacks would be great at that - otherwise, it's just another idiotic way to bash the 'arrogant' English. It's a ridiculous concept.

Oh come one. You honestly see the WC as the be all and end all? One tournament makes up for the best part of four years of mince? Seriously, as much as I wish it was us going into the final next week there is no way I regard this as the failure of a four year plan, nor am I already looking forward to the next WC.

Are you really saying there is no value in the 6N? That the summer & autumn tests have been devalued to the status of 'friendlies'?

 

[marksims68]

And so you should be. You deserved the win tonight, even if I do believe that we would have won were it not for the fact that our coach is a fucking loon ;-)

Thank you sir!

*doffs cap*

 

[London_Calling]

Oh come one. You honestly see the WC as the be all and end all? One tournament makes up for the best part of four years of mince? Seriously, as much as I wish it was us going into the final next week there is no way I regard this as the failure of a four year plan, nor am I already looking forward to the next WC.

Are you really saying there is no value in the 6N? That the summer & autumn tests have been devalued to the status of 'friendlies'?

Doesn't matter what I think.

I certainly believe what's how the rugby world itself is nowadays - everything is geared towards building for the next WC, the players and managers imply as much all the time with their talk of 'preparation' and 'platforms' and 'building towards', etc.

Do you think it's a co-incidence the French and Kiwi and other coaches leave after the tournament ends?

 

[London_Calling]

I agree with each and every word of one of your posts. Better record the time and date, eh

Congrats and welcome to the light !

 

[tarannau]

Are you really saying there is no value in the 6N? That the summer & autumn tests have been devalued to the status of 'friendlies'?

Of course they're worth something, but the World cup's now the tournament that every team would love to win over all others. Ask a Kiwi if they'd swap five year's worth of Tri Nations crowns for another World Cup title and they'd bite your arm off in a shot. And equally I'm sure France would have passed on 6N success in favour of a World Cup final shot.

Still pleasantly bemused by England's success. It's a triumph of teamwork, momentum and sheer bloody mindedness - suddenly all those grizzled has-beens look like genius selections rather than liabilities.