Rugby World Cup 2011

[amateur51]

Of the Northern Hemisphere teams left, only Ireland look capable of causing a further upset.

Care to elaborate, Ofcachap?

[Norfolk Born]

Well ... sooner or later, one Northern hemisphere team is likely to come up against one of the 'Big Three' Southern hemisphere teams, and Ireland have already beaten Australia in the group stage. Who's to say they can't beat them again, or get the better of South Africa or New Zealand? (Mind you, I've assumed from the start that the hosts will win the competition).

[Anna]

And Wales, playing against South Africa, Wales from half-time being 10 - 6 full-time was 17 - 16 Two more minutes and Wales would have done it!! Of course, down by here, we already have the final as Wales v NZ !!!!

[amateur51]

And Wales, playing against South Africa, Wales from half-time being 10 - 6 full-time was 17 - 16 Two more minutes and Wales would have done it!! Of course, down by here, we already have the final as Wales v NZ !!!!

That's EXACTLY as I saw it Anna

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

who can really say how it will go .... France for me are as likely to win as lose, ditto on 50/50 Ireland v Wales and S Africa V Australia ... the only dead cert is NZ v Argentina [or is it?]

the nature of the matches changes now, no longer pool tactics, just outright wins; and except for Argentina the teams all have a cat in the bag ... who will pull it out is the joy of the game .... [the cat may well be the ability to win ugly] ... and the All Blacks still have the biggest cat even after their injury woes ... if any other team wins against NZ, it will be a huge victory ...

[LHC]

Of the Northern Hemisphere teams left, only Ireland look capable of causing a further upset.

Wales look pretty good and appear to be enjoying their rugby far more than the other teams.

Ireland did well against the Australians with a limited game plan, but their backs still look very out-of-sorts. France are in disarray, playing poorly and losing. England too are playing poorly, but winning for the moment.

I think Wales will be too good for Ireland and England will grind out win against the French (mind you, I think England would be much better with Flood at 10 and with Wilkinson and Tindall on the bench).

[jayne lee wilson]

WHAT a puzzling game this rugger is. Great to read about all the scandals in the Guardian! I wish someone would explain how bonus points work. Could you win a final with a bonus point?!

Wales look pretty good and appear to be enjoying their rugby far more than the other teams.

Ireland did well against the Australians with a limited game plan, but their backs still look very out-of-sorts. France are in disarray, playing poorly and losing. England too are playing poorly, but winning for the moment.

I think Wales will be too good for Ireland and England will grind out win against the French (mind you, I think England would be much better with Flood at 10 and with Wilkinson and Tindall on the bench).

[Anna]

WHAT a puzzling game this rugger is. Great to read about all the scandals in the Guardian! I wish someone would explain how bonus points work. Could you win a final with a bonus point?!

No, bonus points are just used in the Pool tables. Once the teams get to the quarter-finals bonus points don't come into the equation because the finalists have been decided.

I'm almost feeling sorry for England now. Jeremy Guscott's waded in, Morne Steyn, the leading points scorer in the World Cup, says England should stop blaming the balls being used in the tournament for Jonny Wilkinson's goal-kicking woes. Steyn has a success rate of more than 85%, nearly double Wilkinson's and of course, Wales's last match, every conversion went flying over. Cueto gave a very silly video interview on BBC re Dwarfgate in which he said 'NZ is a small country and we didn't realise how big rugby is down here, so the boys got caught out' !!!! That comment is really unbelievably naive.

Ireland are now supposedly saying the match will be payback for the incident in Cardiff in March and Phillips's so-called dubious try, England will be refereed by Steve Walsh (of the famous incident which got him banned during the England 16 men on the pitch fiasco) Shame Wayne Barnes won't be reffing the Wales v Ireland as true to his Specsavers nickname he missed two forward passes in the Fiji match!! Oh, what Larks........ And then there's the French ........

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

er no jayne, bonus points were for scoring lots of tries [4 i think] in the pool matches; all the games now are knock out so the only points at issue are the ones scored on the field ...

[DoctorT]

Ireland are now supposedly saying the match will be payback for the incident in Cardiff in March and Phillips's so-called dubious try

Not 'so-called' Anna - it was dubious. The Welsh took a quick throw in with a different ball, which is not allowed and wasn't spotted by the officials. I'm looking forward to an Ireland France semi-final

[Anna]

Not 'so-called' Anna - it was dubious. The Welsh took a quick throw in with a different ball, which is not allowed and wasn't spotted by the officials. I'm looking forward to an Ireland France semi-final

Indeed, the ball was kicked into the crowd and therefore couldn't be used as it was handled and you cannot take a quick throw-in with a substitute ball. However, Jonathan Kaplan asked the other refs if is was to be awarded and they confirmed. A clear case for a video replay. Not the first time of course a Ref has given a completely wrong decision, and not the last. An Ireland-France semi would be an impossible dream I'm afraid, tempting though it sounds, weird and wonderful as the French can be I think it'd be nigh on impossible to turn that team around unless England ........ but look how they were trailing against Scotland ...... All things are possible.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

it is the case that all the fuss about behaviour refers to two nights in Dunedin three weeks ago .... recycled endlessly especially because of Tindall's spouse ... and Rothermere Rag sales figures ... as someone wrote about Ms V Price yesterday silence is the best policy [she gave an interview about how she felt when she found out about Huhne's affair] [funny she clammed right up about the alleged speeding thingy]

the real issue with the England squad is that it has not produced a convincing team yet ...

[Anna]

Reading the online sports headlines this morning you'd think England were the only team playing tomorrow, what with 'Jonny and me are the dream team' and Jonny this and Jonny that and speculation about the fragile psyche of Les Bleus and the warning that it'll be brutal. Surely the only important match, the one to watch, (everyone knows boring England will get through) is Ireland v Wales? I want to read about these teams, not England. I did however like this about the Welsh squad "The new breed are modest but conduct themselves like Olympic athletes and when you combine that with native Welsh genius ....

[DracoM]

I find England increasingly unwatchable. Amazingly boring, lacking any kind of invention, and full of strutting, preening, pampered non-entities, and the belligerent boorishness starts from the very top of the coaching echelon too. They now play / conduct themselves as their coach once did and still does.

My guess is that France might do more than give them a fright, and totally agree with Anna that the Ireland Wales game could be the one to watch, whereas the best rugby should be in the SA vs Oz game.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Lievremont claims [according to the Rothermere Rag] that the whole world wants France to beat England .... it sure feels that way ...