Rugby World Cup

**pete** · 09/10/2007, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by joeSoap

Who's Roddan? Even allowing for typo's....

I have no excuse or retort

**geysir** · 09/10/2007, 12:48 PM

Who is a bad referee and who is a good one? so I can keep an eye out.

I like Rolland's manner and interaction with the players. None of that loud attention seeking drill sargeant routine, he looks to be quietly effective and in control, you'd hardly notice him on the pitch.

**osarusan** · 09/10/2007, 12:49 PM

Whats the name of the NZ ref who sent off a Scottish player for kicking a welsh player a few years ago? Steve Walsh? I think he's a good ref. I don't think Rolland sees enough infringements at the breakdown.

**OneRedArmy** · 09/10/2007, 1:01 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

Who is a bad referee and who is a good one? so I can keep an eye out.

I like Rolland's manner and interaction with the players. None of that loud attention seeking drill sargeant routine, he looks to be quietly effective and in control, you'd hardly notice him on the pitch.

Spreadbury is a prize tit but thankfully his star seems to be falling.

Alan Lewis is a smug little so and so and talks far too much.

Wayne Barnes made a few big mistakes and seems to compensate for his age by being very whistle happy.

Joel Jutge would be among the better refs, and to be fair Rolland is there or there abouts.

Jonathan Kaplan has made a few high profile mistakes in his career.

Steve Walsh should have packed it in after his anti-Northern Hemisphere bias came out in the las Lions tour.

Paul Honiss is also fairly good. Marius Joncker and Kelvin Deaker also seem to be up and coming.

**joeSoap** · 09/10/2007, 1:02 PM

There's no such thing as a good referee.

You'll always find somebody wronged by the ref during a game.

I like the interaction between ref, linesman and TMO but at times the refs are now scared to go with theiur gut (Alan Lewis on Sunday) and call on the TMO for any try that involves contact over the goal line. It slows things down too much, although I'd say both sets of forwards are glad of the breaks.

**paul_oshea** · 09/10/2007, 1:05 PM

Anyway, it'll be allez anyone but les blancs. I'm a very bitter individual.

I think thats cos secretly you have a soft spot for England, as was evident during the ireland v czech game......

**shakermaker1982** · 09/10/2007, 6:34 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

Who is a bad referee and who is a good one? so I can keep an eye out.

I like Rolland's manner and interaction with the players. None of that loud attention seeking drill sargeant routine, he looks to be quietly effective and in control, you'd hardly notice him on the pitch.

Chris White

I'm still angry about how he handled Ireland-France. We'd have lost anyway but he didn't help.

The kiwi's have taken a shine to Barnes after the game on Saturday evening........ death threats etc.

**Soko** · 09/10/2007, 9:21 PM

Donal Courtney is the worst international referee on the planet

**paul_oshea** · 10/10/2007, 9:55 AM

waynebarnesucks.com

**paul_oshea** · 10/10/2007, 12:18 PM

Re:Ireland THere is a thin line between wholesale change and complete conservatism and all the great coaches know how to balance it.
Ireland must begin a rebuilding process and look beyond the usual 20 or so suspects, they must build depth into their squad and give 'fringe' squad members game time and a belief that they have a genuine shot at a place in a match XV. Get rid of the cliques in the squad too.
O'Sullivan also needs to understand the concept that modern test rugby is about 22 players and not 15...just look at how the english and french used their subs to strengthen and build on good performances on saturday.

I would take a few dodgy 6N campaigns for the sake of team building and tactical/strategic tweaking. If it means the team will be successful in the long run..

**osarusan** · 10/10/2007, 12:21 PM

Almost, Paul.

http://www.waynebarnessucks.com/

**shakermaker1982** · 11/10/2007, 9:31 AM

A lot of English fans I've spoken to are very confident about their chances this Saturday. They are even talking about winning the bloody thing......I for one would be truly amazed if they managed to beat France and S Africa (were they to win). France should surely be too strong? Obviously if they get dragged into a dog fight with the English forwards it could be a difficult and tense but I can't see England scoring too many points. Keep the penalty count low against em and you have this English side in all sorts of bother.

Would love to see an Argentina-France final. First and last game of the tournament - what would the odds have been on that?

**IsMiseSean** · 11/10/2007, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

Would love to see an Argentina-France final. First and last game of the tournament

That was the case for euro2004, grecce and portugal (i think)

**Dodge** · 11/10/2007, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by JGKyne

That was the case for euro2004, grecce and portugal (i think)

Correct, and the same winner of both games too

**shakermaker1982** · 11/10/2007, 11:03 AM

I thought there was a recent football example but couldn't think or remember who it was!

I tell you what if Argentina were to win the cup it would be as big a shock as Greece winning the Euro's IMO.

**Cymro** · 11/10/2007, 12:10 PM

I can't be the only one who's appaled by the staggering overreaction of the New Zealand fans re Wayne Barnes. It's worse than the Swiss ref Urs Meier got when he (rightly imo) disallowed Campbell's goal, which eventually led to England being knocked out of Euro 2004.

These idiots need to see that it's just a game and that refs do make mistakes. Also, as Brian Moore pointed out in the Independent the other day, Barnes also let Rodney So'oialo's four fouls at the restart go. At least he was consistent.

Anyway to reiterate I am appalled at the insanely harsh treatment of Barnes by the NZ fans. They should just accept they are a nation of chokers and not pass the buck all the time.

**dfx-** · 11/10/2007, 9:22 PM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

I tell you what if Argentina were to win the cup it would be as big a shock as Greece winning the Euro's IMO.

More importantly if that England side were to win it, it would be as bad for the history of sport as Greece wining Euro 2004.

Horrible, horrible side.

**DmanDmythDledge** · 11/10/2007, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

Would love to see an Argentina-France final. First and last game of the tournament - what would the odds have been on that?

France were available at 7/1 and Argentina were around 20 I think. Given that when the '06 WC was on Brazil and Argentina were the favourites to meet in the final and were slightly more than 20/1 the odds would have been very high

, especially after the first game.

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

I tell you what if Argentina were to win the cup it would be as big a shock as Greece winning the Euro's IMO.

Argentina are 4th in the world, have players like Hernandez and Contepomi. The two events are incomparable.

**shakermaker1982** · 12/10/2007, 6:56 AM

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

Argentina are 4th in the world, have players like Hernandez and Contepomi. The two events are incomparable.

They might have been a top 5 side in the world rankings but many would have agreed before the start of the tournament that New Zealand were clear favourites, so much so that if you suggested Argentina would win the thing before the first game you'd probably be put in a straight jacket

...... throw in the fact that Argentina were drawn in the group of death alongside the hosts and us (best chance of a northern hemisphere winning the thing the experts claimed

), do not have any real competitive internationals until world cup time and were also beaten well by a Welsh side back in August leads me to the conclusion that were the Puma's to win the thing it would shock the foundations of the rugby union fraternity and be comparable to the Greece victory 3 years ago.

I don't think they will win the thing (if they scrape past the Bok's I think the French will have learned their lessons from the first game) but this world cup has surprised me too many times already so I cannot be that confident in that assertion!

**IsMiseSean** · 12/10/2007, 9:09 AM

Hopefully after the WC Argentina will be taken seriously by the IRB. Surely the time has come to let them play in Tri or Six nations. I think it would be better for them to play in the Six Nations because all their top players play in Europe so they could be weakened by injuiries and tiredness if they were to play in the tri nations