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• #5052
Ox Nche changed the game.
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• #5053
FFS. That's so harsh.
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• #5054
Crickey! Almost though they'd won it.
NZ for the win?
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• #5055
Come on NZ!
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• #5056
Yet another game going down to the wire, superb
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• #5057
That hurt.
Tactically we smothered them until the scrum found an edge.
But being ahead for 2 minutes was enough.
I think the All Blacks will find them out also.
Good game.
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• #5058
Great game that. Pollard with the absolute minerals there. Made it look like a simple conversion in front of the posts.
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• #5059
Gaaahhhhh š
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• #5060
Well - it was so much better than expected. It's gutting to lose like that but the scrum changes just killed us off. Once you start to give pens away like that it's over.
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• #5061
Farrell gobshiteing to give SA their first points is really annoying me now.
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• #5062
As Ox Nche famously says 'Salads don't win scrums'. He was MOM for the Boks, game changed when he came on.
Bloody good effort and fight from England, rain a real leveller and they matched up physically. George Martin was huge and his departure also made a big difference.
Problem for Boks is they need to freshen up for NZ.
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• #5063
Yes and no, great if you like lots of unforced errors.
Love a highly technical, highly skilled game even if it's low scoring. This was not that.
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• #5064
Fuck.
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• #5065
Problem for Boks is they need to freshen up for NZ.
Your boys looked really tired in both halves. New Zealand gave their big players a rest around 50-55 mins and have an extra day recovery so that definitely could be a decisive factor.
Definitely agree that George Martin going off was also big. Itoje was back on form too. Haven't seen Etzebeth nullified like that in a while.
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• #5066
I didnāt say it was a great game, just superb that it went down to the wire.
But thanks for the shade.
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• #5067
Main guy who needs a rest is Bongi. They'll definitely go 6-2 v ABs and start Pollard and Faff. I think Moodie may come in for Arendse on the wing too.
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• #5068
No need for any thanks.
It being down to the wire didn't outweigh how bad the standard of rugby was in my opinion, but if you enjoyed it then great.
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• #5069
As someone who doesn't watch much rugby I've always wondered what the point of scrums is.
The ball goes in diagonally (which so far as I'm aware is against the rules but they may have changed in the years since I played), there's a bit of pushing, everyone falls over and it gets reset or someone gets a penalty.
Occasionally I've watched rugby with someone who plays in the forwards and they seem to appreciate it but normally it's just a load of people wondering what's going on.
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• #5070
I think the point is to take 16 lumps out of the field of play for a period and make some space for the backs to do something pretty
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• #5071
Iām the same as you. Occasional viewer of RU (internationals). Ball has been going in diagonally for years - a bending of the āshoulder in line with your own packā rule. Playing scrum half at school, that would have got me a detention.
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• #5072
Just shows why tight heads are one of the best paid positions. I think if Sinclair could have stood strong, SA would have run the risk of turning in and getting penalised. But he couldn't, and they didn't and the scrum was lost. Why do you pick an old man like cole who offers nothing around the park? Oh yeah, they can stay strong when the pressure comes.
It was good to see England play well and match SA for a large part of the game. Hopefully this is borthwick's England and not just a one off due to an over performance. Need to find a couple of young south African props with English grandparents tho.
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• #5073
Whatever you think of Erasmus (and he has a lot of faults) the one thing he has done is create a squad who have absolute faith in each other and the management. Nothing better exemplified it than the substitution of Eben. He's their best player and if they win the WC will win IRB player of the year yet he wasn't having a great game and was hooked. He didn't complain, kick water bottles or look angry, just shuffled to the bench.
Can you imagine the reaction of Sexton or Farrell if they were subbed on 40 mins? Also would the coaches have had the bottle to sub them? Sexton should definitely have been subbed in the NZ game but the whole squad was about him and built around him that Ireland were too scared to take him off. Borthwick should have subbed Itoje instead of Martin, Martin was having the game of his life and England lost loads of physicality when he went off. However, Itoje is the big name so stayed on. Yes SA have incredible depth but it still needs players to understand and accept that it's not about the individual for squad depth to be exploited.
Apparently Matfield texted Duane earlier on in the tournament when Jasper was picked for the Ireland game to check he was OK with being dropped from the 23. Duane just replied One Team, One Goal. If they do win this WC it really will have been a squad win.
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• #5074
Main guy who needs a rest is Bongi.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/67185493
Looks like he might be getting that rest.
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• #5075
I wonder what he said...
there you go