Rugby World Cup 2011

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...it was a gripping final and the ref was biased i thought, McCaw was late with his knee into Parra's head and should have seen a card red or yellow ......

NZ won every game they played in the tournament so a just result in that sense but not based on the final game alone ...

missed kicks were a significant feature of this tournament .... they cost Wales dearly

[Anna]

It wasn't the prettiest of matches and I honestly think that, given another five minutes, France could have taken it, they really did play with passion and NZ looked vulnerable. The reffing throughout the tournament has been inconsistent and as to the balls, have there ever been so many missed kicks (or does it just seem like that?)

Lewis Moody has retired as England Captain, now that poses a problem I imagine, Tindall is rather too tarnished to take over, Wilkinson's probably not the man for the job, also Shaun Edwards is leaving as coach for Wasps and has no contract (now the WC is over) with Wales. Hmm ...... will England beckon? Six Nations starts in February...

[amateur51]

It wasn't the prettiest of matches and I honestly think that, given another five minutes, France could have taken it, they really did play with passion and NZ looked vulnerable. The reffing throughout the tournament has been inconsistent and as to the balls, have there ever been so many missed kicks (or does it just seem like that?)

Lewis Moody has retired as England Captain, now that poses a problem I imagine, Tindall is rather too tarnished to take over, Wilkinson's probably not the man for the job, also Shaun Edwards is leaving as coach for Wasps and has no contract (now the WC is over) with Wales. Hmm ...... will England beckon? Six Nations starts in February...

An exciting game certainly in the second half but as you say, Anna, some 'inconsistent' referee-ing. looking back, the whole competition went on far too long but there again you do have to allow a decent amount of time off for teams to recover from injury (as the Samoan captain kept saying in aggrieved fashion). I don't know what the answer is but thanks goodness there's another four years before we have to go through that again.

Was the % of handling errors/game slightly down on previous years? Certainly the kicking was decidedly dodgy. Is Shaun definitely going then, Anna?

[Anna]

Is Shaun definitely going then, Anna?

Hang on Ams, I'll just text him .......... His contract with Wales is finished, but he's being rather coy, he is reported as having said "My future is up in the air, there is no doubt about it. I like coaching rugby, and I will have an open mind to anything, really." There are strong rumours that England approached him, informally, immediately after the team's poor performance.

Edit: And I think Robin McBryde's contract is also finishing!

[amateur51]

Hang on Ams, I'll just text him .......... His contract with Wales is finished, but he's being rather coy, he is reported as having said "My future is up in the air, there is no doubt about it. I like coaching rugby, and I will have an open mind to anything, really." There are strong rumours that England approached him, informally, immediately after the team's poor performance.

But being part of the England set up is a bit like trying to turn a Rover P4 into a performance car by fiddling with the ashtrays, surely? He'd be a prince in Wales and surely he knows that by now

[DracoM]

I hope that if nothing else comes out of this world cup, a rigorous course of instruction for elite referees on what constitutes illegal play takes place with numerous clips from the excellent TV coverage.

In the final alone, we had illegal high tackles not even penalised let alone carded, and we had serial and evidently carefully organised impeding of the ball at the break down particularly by NZ, a number of players were tackled in the air catching the high ball, and on three separate occasions lineout jumpers taken out in the air and no whistle. The TV editor even kindly focused on one such for us by re-running the incidents to show the infringement - which went unpunished as well.

Frankly, Joubert's refereeing was deeply untrustworthy verging on the partial.

[Anna]

But being part of the England set up is a bit like trying to turn a Rover P4 into a performance car by fiddling with the ashtrays

I don't know, it's not just the England team/coaches is it? The whole of the England RFU seems to have pushed the self-destruct button and now, there are calls for Clive Woodwood to come back and get a more hands-on mentality and kick the Twickers men in suits out of touch. I feel really sorry for England (and no sarky comments please!)

Edit: Agree with Draco. Let it be decided what is, and what isn't, illegal, and inform the players/coaches so we don't have spectators cursing one ref's partiality.

[Nick Armstrong]

Pretty dégoûté here chez Caliban, I can tell you.

The ref:

Anyone know of a good tumbril hire firm??

[Anna]

Caliban, it's only a game ............ Calm Down Dear

You been overdosing on the animated again? Just listen to the Liszt and be soothed ......

[LHC]

But being part of the England set up is a bit like trying to turn a Rover P4 into a performance car

Since 2003, the England coaching set up seems to have been mainly focused on turning performance cars into Rover P4s.

[Nick Armstrong]

Just listen to the Liszt and be soothed ......

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i see that Tindall has been fined £25k, half his fee, and dropped from the elite squad for his conduct unbecoming in New Zealand

[amateur51]

Hang on Ams, I'll just text him .......... His contract with Wales is finished, but he's being rather coy, he is reported as having said "My future is up in the air, there is no doubt about it. I like coaching rugby, and I will have an open mind to anything, really." There are strong rumours that England approached him, informally, immediately after the team's poor performance.

Edit: And I think Robin McBryde's contract is also finishing!

Good news that Shaun Edwards has re-signed for Wales, Anna. Any news of Robin McBryde doing similarly?

[Anna]

Good news that Shaun Edwards has re-signed for Wales, Anna. Any news of Robin McBryde doing similarly?

No news about McBryde at all Ams, not even a rumour, but what now for England as Martin Johnson has resigned? The only name I've heard mentioned is Nick Mallet and with Six Nations around the corner the RFU had better get their act together.

Edit: It seems England assistant coach Graham Rowntree has been approached by Wales, perhaps that explains the silence re McBryde?

[DracoM]

Fallout continues with Johnson's resignation. 'Fraid I will not be mourning. It's been an unlovely and barren period of dour charmlessness on and off the field.