# Rugby World Cup 2015 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 17, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123 "2015-08-17T22:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/41 "2015-09-26T04:27:54Z")
Yeah the Pumas are looking good Agree the boks will be looking to show they are in the saddle, but one can always hope for a petulant meltdown. England Wales is a huge game, I hope it doesn’t get wrecked with excess ‘passion’ and general nonsense discipline issues. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/42 "2015-09-26T05:41:16Z")
Italy may be looking for some redemption , but Canada may sense this is a game more in their league . Unfortunately I can’t see anyway for Canada , it will be France and Ireland coming out of that group , but it is a game Canada can come out of and make a stir , a very polite stir , but a stir nonetheless . ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/43 "2015-09-26T20:06:06Z")
> **[England v Wales: Rugby World Cup 2015 – as it happened](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/sep/26/england-v-wales-rugby-world-cup-2015-live)** > > Wales produced a stunning comeback to beat the hosts at Twickenham in an enthralling match in Pool A follow along here 16-9 at half time, too close to not be nervous ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/44 "2015-09-26T20:44:57Z")
All square with 8 minute.s to play ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/45 "2015-09-26T20:55:55Z")
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/46 "2015-09-26T20:58:43Z")
Wales left body parts out there tonight. What a game 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/47 "2015-09-26T21:07:31Z")
I could only read along on the Guardian, but looks like Wales showed quite a bit of determination there, great job. So England - Australia next Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/48 "2015-09-26T21:11:58Z")
A draw would have been OK for England there at the end, but they didn’t take it. That’s commendable, but in retrospect not the right choice. The influence of Japan not taking the draw, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/49 "2015-09-26T21:18:41Z")
Wales looked done with three players going off injured, 7 points down and 15 minutes to play. They then scored the try of the match, kick a 50 metre penalty and hold out England. As J K Rowling may well tweet again, “You can’t write this stuff.” ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/50 "2015-09-27T09:36:18Z")
It was a pretty poor match to be honest, the two tries were good but the ill-discipline from both sides (and terribly so from England) made it stop-start and hard to love. With the kicking quality that Wales have you just can’t give away that many silly penalties and expect not to be punished. I thought from the start that there’d be nothing in it and full marks to Wales for having the greater stamina at the end. It still remains interesting though. I reckoned on England having to beat either Wales or Australia so from that POV nothing has changed. England will have to play much, much better though. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/51 "2015-09-27T16:44:00Z")
Yeah England gave away 7 penalties, a good way to loose a game. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/52 "2015-09-27T16:52:44Z")
And normality resumed , huge thumping of an amateur Uruguay side by the Australia second string. i thought The Eagles would put up a closer fight . Ireland in the process of demolishing Romania ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/53 "2015-09-27T17:23:31Z")
The USA surprised me and showed strongly against a Tier I team - Scotland. For a while there an upset seemed possible and the Eagles were leading 13 - 6 at half time. Scotland dominated in the second half and their experience provided the spectacle you’d expect. Even so the final score at 39 - 16 didn’t reflect the strength of the US team in my opinion. It really is exciting to see smaller teams rise and create a proper battle. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/54 "2015-09-27T17:34:36Z")
In terms of enjoyment, I missed the Springboks vs Brave Blossoms game but was thrilled by the extraordinary result. So far the two matches which have had me jumping out of my seat in the early morning hours (New Zealand) are Italy v Canada and England v Wales. Canada played superbly and gave Italy a shock. It was close and exciting. Wales holds a special place in the heart of Kiwis because it is a similar sized small nation which has adopted rugby union as its passion. But England have often proved to be too strong. Indeed England probably deserved to win - just - but the final result to Wales provided yet another injection of spectator joy into this World Cup. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/55 "2015-09-27T17:48:30Z")
Even my rugby mad, South African ex-pat former co worker whose daughter married a Japanese guy missed South Africa - Japan. That’s how one sided we all thought it would be. Tonga - Georgia was another close thriller. My phone keeps trying to correct Georgia to heroic which is an apt description of their defence in that game. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/56 "2015-09-27T21:38:23Z")
As an Aussie, i’m not quite sure what to make of this round of games. The Wallabies crushed Uruguay, and looked pretty strong and disciplined in doing it, but it’s very hard to get any indication about future prospects from a game like that, especially given that they sat quite a few of their regular starters. The England-Wales game was not a great spectacle, with too many mistakes from both teams. I think both of those teams will have to improve on today’s performance considerably if they want to beat Australia. Wales did show lots of heart, especially at the end, and it was great to see them get the win, but they’re going to have a lot of problems in their last two games if they don’t get a few of their injured players back. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/57 "2015-09-27T22:25:52Z")
I must be one of the few who think it was the right decision from England to kick to the corner at the end. The penalty was not guaranteed, however good a kicker you are, so in effect they traded a 75% chance of a draw for a 50% chance for a win. Good odds in my view - the error was throwing to the front of the lineout, making it easier for Wales to push the maul into touch. If you’re going to throw to the front, have it straight off the top and run it. I also don’t get all the pessimism. If England beat Australia they will almost certainly qualify. If they fail, well they weren’t playing well enough to win the competition anyway so no matter. Go big or go home. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/58 "2015-09-28T09:12:37Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I must be one of the few who think it was the right decision from England to kick to the corner at the end. The penalty was not guaranteed, however good a kicker you are, so in effect they traded a 75% chance of a draw for a 50% chance for a win. Good odds in my view - the error was throwing to the front of the lineout, making it easier for Wales to push the maul into touch. If you’re going to throw to the front, have it straight off the top and run it. > > I also don’t get all the pessimism. If England beat Australia they will almost certainly qualify. If they fail, well they weren’t playing well enough to win the competition anyway so no matter. Go big or go home. If they thought they could pull it off then I applaud their ambition. However, on the balance of the previous 20 minutes they hadn’t really been monstering the line-outs or mauls so I don’t think they were playing to their strengths. The main point though is that that decision didn’t lose them the game, ill-discipline did. On the balance of play there was nothing between the two teams and in those sorts of games if you keep giving easy penalties to a brilliant kicker you are going to be beaten. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/59 "2015-09-28T16:50:31Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > If they thought they could pull it off then I applaud their ambition. However, on the balance of the previous 20 minutes they hadn’t really been monstering the line-outs or mauls so I don’t think they were playing to their strengths. Maybe not, so win a quick lineout off the top and play a few phases - in the end another tired Welsh body might snap and you have your breakthrough. Sure, it’s risky but then it’s a risky strategy in the first place as was proved. I maintain it was the right decision to go for the corner but then the wrong way to execute the next play. Easy with hindsight, of course - you’ll rarely see a better defensive maul in the 75th minute than the one Wales pulled off. You’re absolutely right about your other point, of course. I think England’s discipline is generally much improved since the Johnson (as coach) era, let’s not return to those days. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123/60 "2015-09-29T10:37:43Z")
The English got a second line-out one minute after the one the Welsh shoved into touch. They fumbled that one badly. I think it was the right decision to go for the corner/lineouts. As shown, they probably get a couple of goes at it, and there is always a chance that they would get another penalty in a more favourable position. (I’m not sure about the mathematics of ‘A draw is as good as a win’.) Good decision in my opinion. Fact is, they stuffed their own chances - one, because they gave the Welsh a chance to push them into touch (which they did), and the second - all by themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rugby-world-cup-2015/728123.md?page=4)