This weekend is too good to last. If I set the alarm for 6am, Hamilton will fuck it up, surely.
I was SO looking forward to being a Kiwi in London for a NZ final. Damn those French! Amazing game - my voice is hoarse from shouting at the TV. I’m rooting for Argentina now.
Tell you what, I’m really glad I’m not in NZ - they’ll be stringing up Graham Henry as soon as he steps off the plane.
Four more years, All Blacks, and not all the patronising in the world about the plucky Portuguese can amend it. Mind you, if England get past France I’ll be astonished.
:dubious:
Anyway.
It was a pretty tense match, just like the France game. I was rooting for England today (obviously) while my mother was rooting for France (I’m still building a gallows). The next game is going to be very interesting. I really like Sébastien Chabal he’s a fucking monster (even I admire the guy).
It’s been a great day… Pole position for Hamilton, United scoring four goals, Peterborough winning, England (and France) winning. Red Sox going 2-0 up while the Yankees are 0-2 down…
I hope Hamilton doesn’t ruin it, I guess we’ll find out in the morning. I’ve already set the alarm. If all goes well he will beat Alonso while Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all lose. A man can dream…
I didn’t do that in my dreams since I was…ummmmm…
Bugger. Hamilton has retired from the race.
Hey, I picked France to win the tournament way back in the original Cafe Society World Cup thread: the All Blacks, as always, were way too cocky, poncing about the South of France as if they were gracing the tournament by their mere presence, and the actual games were a mere condescending formality. The buggers never bloody learn any humility; they’re the same every World Cup: stop believing your own press handouts; you can gloat after you’ve won the competition. Still, I didn’t think we’d choke quite so early: earliest exit ever.
It’s all down to Fiji now…
Ah, NZ media. My favourite quote so far, from Murray Deaker:
I think boofhead is my new favourite word.
We beat the Aussies didn’t we? At this moment in time, anything is possible. Wilkinson was amazing. Hell our entire side played some of the best rugby they have for a long time. Just wow.
Oi!
Yes a great day indeed apart from one thing.
Those bastards from mould trafford winning 
Not to hammer the point, but he really wasn’t. He was alright, but no better; had he kicked with his usual accuracy we would’ve had over 20 points, and the game would’ve been over as a contest much earlier. Add in some dubious decision making and a couple of handling errors, and it wasn’t a great day at the office. This game was won and lost in the forwards’ contest; Sheridan in particular was absolutely immense, in a way we haven’t really seen since late last year. But with ball in hand, aside from a couple of briefly exciting breaks we didn’t really show any more invention or adventure than we have in the last couple of years, while the Aussies always looked dangerous coming forward - had our pack not denied them quick ball, they would’ve overrun us.
Without wanting to get overly English about this, it really wasn’t a pure or total performance in any sense - pretty much all of the England players admitted as much after the match. If anything, the scoreline really didn’t reflect the dominance we had at the breakdown, and while this was at least in part due to some ferocious last-ditch defending from the Aussies, it rather points to a failure to convert possession and territory. Mortlock was inches away from making a kick in the final minutes that would’ve seen Australia win, and this despite our undeniable dominance (and/or shutting down) of most of the crucial game areas.
All of this is not to say it wasn’t a brilliant result, of course - I think I pulled a muscle cheering - but I’ll take some convincing that it wasn’t a flash in the pan (albeit one carrying a lot of promise for the future).
Well, OK yes, there is that I think I may have jinxed him at one point by extolling his virtues to a friend, but still, we did play some good rugby IMO.
And now with all the quarters over, there are no Pacific nations and no Celts left in the competition. Amazing. Fiji handed South Africa a brief scare, but didn’t really have the necessary game in the end. As for Scotland, they lost less badly than I expected, and that’s all.
It would be quite something if the last game of the World Cup was a replay of the first, but the smart money is on a South Africa - France final.
Yeah, that would be my bet.
Christ, how depressing. I don’t know which of those teams i dislike more. Probably the Springboks.
Deaker is right. The French are not and were not that good. Apparently the All Blacks just didn’t want to win it. I’m too depressed to say anything else. Except for this, go Argentina.
Who are you and why are you masquerading as a New Zealander? Shouldn’t your username be First Five-Eighth? 
My face, this thread, egg, all over the place. Etc.
Yeah. But it’s good egg, and they’re still in it, and there’s still hope, eh?
furthermore, the Redsox are doing well so all is right in the world
Oh, if there was any justice…