With O’Mahoney and O’Connell gone, and questions still over Sexton I’m hoping Sean O’Brien doesn’t get a lengthy ban. No idea why its taking so long to hear the news there.
I went to work on Monday feeling like I’d played in the France match, I was that wrecked.
Irish rugby tweetinghe’s got a one week suspension. With O’Connell out through injury who will be your locks against Argentina?
I think we’re half-resigned to it anyway 
Oi!!!
Gets even more emphatic
Ouch! 
My thoughts on the quarter finals:
South Africa v Wales - Despite South Africa looking less than stellar, I just can’t see a battered Wales getting through this one.
New Zealand v France - France have looked plodding all the way through the group stages, but I can’t shake the memories of 1999 and 2007. New Zealand should win unless the French find some magic somewhere.
Ireland v Argentina - Argentina are a good side, and will run Ireland close, but I think the way the Irish played against France shows that they’re going to be just a little too strong in the end.
Australia v Scotland - This is the best Scotland side since the time of the Hastings brothers, but it still won’t be enough to get best an Australian team that looked confident and powerful all through the toughest pool in the competition.
…here is an article that is summing up the mood of the nation regarding the upcoming game against the French:
We are all mentally preparing for a loss. I suspect that if we do beat the French, NZ supporters may become slightly insufferable, and I apologise in advance if we do. But no-one here is taking the next game lightly.
In a magnificently Gallic move the French players are reported to have just dumped their coachon the eve of the quarter final.
pour encourager les autres ?
no telling what’s going on there, well OK , it is France being French, not thatthere is anything wrong with that.
FWIW Lisiate you got group B,C and D right in your OP, Other than a Samoa/japan switch and It/Rom
Group A , well, personally I was blinded by unfounded patriotism ( or is that a redundant phrase) so other than England doing what we do best , spot on.
No arguments there, Wales will give it their all, hope it is not all over by 1/2 time though
maybe NZ can substitute the Haka for perfecting the Heimlich maneuver on each other , just in case
They are positive and happy, Ireland is probably wondering ’ how in the hell are we going to do this with half the team out" Could be a bad tempered scrappy game. Rooting for the pumas , because well , rooting
No debates there, but could they both lose and let Ireland or Wales through ?
A wounded Springbok is a dangerous animal - All Black lore. I can’t see Wales much as we all love them, surviving South Africa.
And again, the mercurial French are magnificent on their day. They almost won the last World Cup.
New Zealand is nervous because we know the All Blacks have not been tested yet. Statistically they can win over Les Blues but match by match? I’m nervous.
…NZ 62 France 13 ten minutes to go.
Still not confident.
New Zealand seem to be pretty good at this whole rugby thing
Wow. I’d hoped to get up to watch it but only managed to catch the last minute. Well done Kiwis!
They may even have learnt a bit of strategy in not going balls-out and peaking at the pool stages, then getting complacent and tripping over their dicks in the knock-out stages. Hats off to Steve Hansen; I don’t think we’ve seen an All Blacks this, well, strategic before.
Just seen some highlights. Watching forwards running around and passing like wingers? Priceless.
Well that’s that then .
Great handling by a big lunk of a prop? It ain’t no thing.
A pity about Wales. I have a soft spot for our fellow sheep shaggers.
Meh. Historically, all the Welsh have been good for at the WC is now and then pissing on the English bonfire. Their overall record against South Africa is terrible and while they fought hard for this, I’m not overly surprised to see them go out.
Meanwhile if Scotland beat Australia I’ll be astonished. Ireland should have just enough left to beat Argentina but that will be all she wrote for the Northern hemisphere this time round.
20-10 to the Pumas at 1/2 time