Rugby World Cup 2007

[Infinite Jest]

^
Not to take this thread away from RWC, but...I've been a season ticket holder at Wellington (Hurricanes and Lions) for four seasons or so (thanks, Dad ). So I've seen a fair bit of live rugby, from teams that have made 1 Super 14 final, and 3 or 4 NPC finals, in the last 5 years. Good teams.

I've recently started going to watch the Wellington Phoenix (soccer). There's no comparision. The atmosphere is so much better, and so much more happens in the game (no waiting for 5 minutes for a scrum to be reset four times). Plus the crowds are bigger than for some Lions games.

Rugby's really going to have to do something or risk losing popularity. The new rules could be the answer, though it's mainly Aus/NZ pushing them at the moment. I haven't seen a game played under the new rules, so I can't tell you if they're better, but the story is they make the game faster and better....

 

[PinholeStar]

Well done South Africa.

Best team of the tournament & deserved winners.

Fucking dire final though. As I think has been ascertained in this thread you'd expect unimaginative, grinding rugby from the English, but the South Africans didn't seem to want to play much either. They had a game-plan, stuck to it, & executed it very well.

seuss: good post man (love the anecdote about Schumacher! :D ) & as usual I think that we're probably in agreement about most things when it comes down to it. I was just trying (in an absurdly verbose & roundabout way) to get someone (anyone!) to acknowledge that the team spirit that England had shown was worthy of at least a little praise, however grudging.

But the importance of South Africa's victory in light of all the social ills that have befallen its nation in recent times is not lost on me, & I just hope that the unity that is being spoken of right now can be channelled in such a way as to take the Rainbow Nation forward. In purely rugby terms at least, it has some testing times ahead with the implementation of the quota system, but this is relatively small-fry in comparison to the larger issues at play in the country, & although I would have loved for England to defend their title, the humanitarian in me is genuinely happy that South Africa won.

As regards the tournament as a whole, I thought that it was fantastic. Wales-Fiji & France-New Zealand were classics, Argentina's long-overdue recognition on the world stage was a joy to watch, the support that the crowds showed for the underdogs throughout was great, the minnows of Portugal getting some points on the board against the Kiwis raised the spirits, the Pacific Islanders passion & pride was humbling, & watching the Australian scrum get systematically taken apart by the English helped to alleviate the embarassment of the last Ashes just a little bit....

I agree that rugby union is moving in the wrong direction in terms of entertaining play, but hopefully the new rules that have been trialled in the southern hemisphere will be fully implemented throughout the world game. They seem to have made a difference & I'm all in favour of them, not least because it will force the anachronistic English RFU to wake up & smell the coffee, regardless of the recent unexpected success.

Pinhole: see, the whole 'All Blacks as entertainers' thing is kinda a myth that we use to confuse the rest of you

It works! :D

Nah, I know that the All Blacks myth is self-perpetuating to an extent, but it's one that I fully admit I like to buy into. There's something about these giants from the other side of the world taking to the field & performing the haka that appeals to my romantic nature. Rugby is a richer sport for the unique presence that they have in it.%)