Rugby World Cup 2011

[Alpha]

Not long to go, if you follow rugby (i.e. if you're not an American ).

Discussions about who you think will win, do well, whatever, both before, during and after the tournament. Which happens to be hosted right here.

I would attend a game, but unless I want to watch Namibia or something then I'm priced way out and will probably have to head to a bar (which will be cool anyway).

A number of issues have already arisen in relation to the tournament. One of the more controversial is England choosing this as their alternative strip:



Which, as you can see, is all black.

Though I suppose imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Streeeettccchhh:

So. This is a thread for discussion about the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Before you troll this or create hate thread, here is a blurb about why rugby is superior to all other sports:

SPOILER!!:

And now, finally, a good twelve hundred words into the article, we get to the crux of why I chose to include Shelford on the website this week – his incredible, literally balls-out actions during a match with the French national team in 1986 that was so hardcore and brutal it's simply known as the "Battle of Nantes". Actions that rank very high on the list of the most badass things ever recorded on the field of any sport throughout the course of history.

During his international match against the French, Shelford was basically just running around doing his thing (a "thing" that usually involved charging around the field without any kind of padding more protective than a headband and hitting dudes harder than Ronnie Lott decapitating a receiver on a crossing route) when all of a sudden, about 20 minutes in, he ended up on the bottom of a huge-ass pile of anarchy with a bunch of giant rugby mother****ers kicking and clawing for the ball. In all the fighting and battling for possession, Shelford was jacked in the face with a bare-knuckled roundhouse punch that knocked out four of his teeth. But that wasn't the worst of it – not long after getting de-toothed with a sucker punch, a French cleat found its way through the pile and struck Shelford directly in the ballsack, ripping it open leaving one nut hanging out of his scrote.

You are reading this correctly – the guy got Monkey Steals the Peached by a ****ing spiked boot in the middle of a rugby game. Displaying what can only be the utter, literal definition of balls-out, Shelford amazingly didn't even seem to give a shit about a wound that would have brought even a berserking Viking warrior to his knees in agony. Bleeding badly, missing a ball from his goodie sack, and in what could only have been excruciating pain in both his face and groin, Shelford didn't roll around on the turf crying like some kind of professional soccer flopper punk. He didn't get carted off to the hospital in an ambulance for emergency surgery. He didn't even go to the locker room strapped to the back of one of those little golf cart thingies. This psychotic madman got up, walked off the pitch holding his balls back in place, stood on the sidelines, and waited patiently while the team doc stitched up his nutsack on international television. Without anesthesia. With a cameraman right in his face, taping the entire gruesome procedure. I didn't find the footage of the incredibly-unhygenic surgery, but I'm not going to lie and say that I tried very hard, either. There are some things which can be sufficiently described with text and don't necessarily require people to see things that can never be unseen.

Seriously, are you kidding me with this shit? Not only is this the most insane tale of on-field toughness ever recorded, but shortly after having a threaded needle repeatedly jammed into in an area where most guys aren't particularly keen on inserting pointy objects, this unstoppable Rugby-Bot 9000 came back and played the second half with a stitched-up junkbag and a mouthful of gauze to prevent him from coughing and spitting blood all over the place Alice Cooper-style. Despite being only slightly more well-put-together than Frankenstein's Monster at this point, Shelford continued pushing it to the limit, and didn't slow down, half-ass it, or back down from hardcore contact – while trying to plow through for extra yards later on in the game he took yet another huge hit and ended up receiving a massive concussion. To this day the guy has absolutely no recollection of the game. Maybe that's a good thing… it would be the only game he played for the national team in which the All-Blacks lost.

[Alpha]

Bump.

I can't be the only one following this.

If you don't like/have never even heard of rugby, you might still like the opening ceremony:



^^ That broke TV audience records in my nation.

It has a very Maori and Polynesian flavour to it, which I thought was awesome. Really emphasised it as the home tournament not only for New Zealand, but for many Pacific Island countries too.

Anyway, on to sport.

NZ opened it up with a victory over Tonga, doing well in the first half, but losing a little momentum in the second, and just leaking a concession try for Tonga.

England seemed to struggle against Argentina, but pulled it away in the end. Their black shirts really do make them look like All Blacks though. They should stick to white.

I watched a little of the Ireland-USA game, which Ireland won. It was played on the 11th of September, and the US team had a Marines band from Hawai'i play before the game, making it a bit special.

The only other game I've seen (although I wanted to watch Scotland too) was Wales against South Africa. I think the Welsh were robbed by a dodgy Wayne Barnes call over a penalty kick, going down 17-16.

Is anyone else here watching it?

We have: Welsh people, English people, Scottish people, Australians, two New Zealanders, lots of Americans (but lol, what's rugby), Canadians. I'm not sure about Japanese, and I'm pretty confident there are no Fijians, Tongans, Samoans, Namibians, Italians, South Africans, Argentineans, French, Romanians, Georgians...

BUT. I can't be the only one who cares... surely?

[The_Dream_Recluse]

I don't really follow rugby, but this year's cup looks to be pretty damn awesome. I too will likely be heading to the pub to watch this with some friends soon xD

[Alpha]

Where do you live?

^ 4 words

[The_Dream_Recluse]

Haha, you might end up getting a warning for that

I live over in Australia, you asked me like when i first joined haha

[Alpha]

Oh yeah! I remember now. You have an 'American' vibe going on though. Need to eenseert sim moree Aussie into your posting stylee.

[The_Dream_Recluse]

Oh yeah! I remember now. You have an 'American' vibe going on though. Need to eenseert sim moree Aussie into your posting stylee.

Hahaha, how do i have an 'American' vibe? You obviously haven't read my Lulu jokes mate

[RamesesII]

Oh yeah! I remember now. You have an 'American' vibe going on though. Need to eenseert sim moree Aussie into your posting stylee.

Thet es so not oh wee talk Alpha, I am so following it this year just to debate with you.

A recap as of now to date I haven't started following it yet.

I am tipping the Kiwis to win .......................psych jk Alph had you there, Aussies FTW

I think the new England jerseys are a hoot.
I don't know how this is meant to be intimidating though. haka
I only wish they would do the full version I actually like watching it.

[Alpha]

I don't know how this is meant to be intimidating though. haka

I miss Tana (for the uninitiated, the guy leading the haka). He lives near me though. He shops where I work, and I see him every few weeks. His car is flaaaassshhh.

But yes. I'm picking a South Africa v. NZ final. Because England are doing terribly, and I think it'd be funny if Australia didn't get out of pool.

[RamesesII]

Roos flogged Italy in their first game but I don't suppose that would have been hard.
I am so upset, I totally forgot about it I am surprised my mate hasn't been over bugging me to watch it with him.

But yes. I'm picking a South Africa v. NZ final. Because England are doing terribly, and I think it'd be funny if Australia didn't get out of pool.

Rofl I will still follow it if we didn't, Springboks have always been a strong contender.

[Alpha]

So another weekend gone by, and the tournament's first real upset: Ireland taking down Australia for the first time ever.

The Irish had gritty and persistent defence, and the Australians couldn't get their attack to gel. Just when you think they're going to score, Quade Cooper (the dickhead) does a fancy pass, which is intercepted by an Irish defender, who then manages to run 95m, only just missing out on a try at the other end of the pitch. It was incredible.

In other games, Wales beat Samoa. France had an iffy game against Canada, but did well in the last five minutes.

Oh! Just remembered. Australia's loss means it is now very likely that only one of the three favourites (South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) are going to make the final, as South Africa and Australia are likely to meet in the quarter finals, and then New Zealand are likely to play the winner of that in the semi-final. The semi-final will really be the game to watch, and the final perhaps a formality -- not to undermine the skills of whatever non-favourite team makes it there.

Also, this guy: Walesmanusamoa9-34 Moamoagale. That is seriously his legal name.

Gale, now 17 and a science student at the National University of Samoa, says the tournament encounter makes him feel like the "meat in a sandwich".

But he is proud with his unusual name, adding: "There is nobody in Samoa with the same name.

"Many Samoan people are named after relatives, friends etc which are very common in Samoa.

"There are also boys named Manu Samoa [the name of the Samoan national team] but there is only one Wales Manu Samoa 9-34 Moamoa Gale and that is me."

[RamesesII]

Of course the referee for the match between Ireland and Australia was NZ he had to be because the knock ons that he didn't call is what peeved me off. But Australia tried to pull of a shepard that didn't get unnoticed, I think the downfall of our game was our sloppy scrums and we couldn't follow through with our plays.
They were to predictable and Ireland made use of that to their advantage.
Ireland played an excellent game strong defense although their offense wasn't too sharp, like Alpha said that was an extremely good interception mad by Ireland that they almost took home not that it would have made a difference to the outcome.