Rugby World Cup 2019 - Ireland shit the pot all over again

[the_man_himself]

We’re going to do it

[gilgamboa]

@Halfpipe

On that not what sort of rugby are Armitage and Abendanon playing now? Both were recent European player of the year winners and play in positions England are weak in. Any chance Eddie would use recent results as a justification to recall these 2, or are they even at that standard anymore?

Armitage plays with Pau now and is still a good operator just doesn’t have same profile. He would be a good addition to their squad they are lacking a breakdown specialist. Hes also gotten relatively little milage on clock relative to when he was with Toulon.

Abendanon was never international class. Was great for a few years in a superb clermont side but he had many years of averageness under his belt before that

[Tim_Riggins]

I don’t think they are that broke. The Rand will always fuck them versus the European markets but they get big tv money down there relatively speaking. They fund a lot of things down there. Losing players isn’t great but they can still field good sides at the top level.

Australian rugby has been in worse financial health.

[Halfpipe]

It was revealed last week that the Bulls are essentially bankrupt and the others are not thought to be doing much better. The crowds going to games are abysmal for the most part, and with more players leaving it’s difficult to see how the rot can be stopped.

[Little_Lord_Fauntleroy]

Ireland Ireland Ireland

[GeoffreyBoycott]

@Sidney

You airbrush South Africa’s disastrous period under Straueli from 2001 to 2003 and their phoenix-like resurrection in 2004.

I was at Lansdowne Road in November 2004 to see the South Africa 2004 vintage first hand. I didn’t notice much of a phoenix-like resurrection. South Africa were beaten by Ireland for the first time since 1965. England hammered South Africa by double scores, 32-16 a week later.

@Sidney

Even under lame duck coach Allister Coetzee, they still managed to beat Ireland in a three match test series, and ran New Zealand to the pin of their collars (25-24) at Newlands in October 2017 in one of the most brutal test matches ever seen.

That test against New Zealand is a far better barometer of what to expect from them in the World Cup than an end of season November test in Dublin, which a lot of people here seem to mistakenly think is their true standard.

You’re placing an awful lot of store on that test in Cape Town. The three previous test results prior to that read:

New Zealand 57 South Africa 0
South Africa 15 New Zealand 57
New Zealand 41 South Africa 13

New Zealand have beaten South Africa 11 of the last 12 times they’ve played. South Africa were pretty bad 2001-03, I’m not disputing that, but they’re a hell of a lot worse now than they were then. They weren’t losing 38-3 to Ireland in that era or losing to Italy or Japan.

[Sidney]

@GeoffreyBoycott

I was at Lansdowne Road in November 2004 to see the South Africa 2004 vintage first hand. I didn’t notice much of a phoenix-like resurrection. South Africa were beaten by Ireland for the first time since 1965. England hammered South Africa by double scores, 32-16 a week later.

That’s all great, mate, but South Africa had already beaten Ireland twice in 2004 and won the Tri-Nations championship. They would go on to win the 2007 World Cup where Ireland would be dumped out in the group stage. That road to the 2007 World Cup for South Africa started with an excellent year for them in 2004.

@GeoffreyBoycott

You’re placing an awful lot of store on that test in Cape Town. The three previous test results prior to that read:

New Zealand 57 South Africa 0

South Africa 15 New Zealand 57

New Zealand 41 South Africa 13

New Zealand have beaten South Africa 11 of the last 12 times they’ve played. South Africa were pretty bad 2001-03, I’m not disputing that, but they’re a hell of a lot worse now than they were then. They weren’t losing 38-3 to Ireland in that era or losing to Italy or Japan.

Not sure of your point.

Ireland were beaten 60-0 by New Zealand in 2012 and beaten by Italy in 2013. Yet within a year of that Italy defeat the Irish media was talking of them as possible World Cup winners.

In 2015 South Africa were whitewashed in the Rugby Championship and lost to Japan at the World Cup itself.

Yet they pushed New Zealand to the brink in the semi-final and only lost 20-18. In reality they were probably the second best team at that tournament (a close call between themselves and Australia) and much of that team will be back in 2019.

In the 2017 Rugby Championship they drew twice with the Qantas Wallabies and finished a single point behind the Wallabies in the table. I don’t think many observers will be predicting the Wallabies to not be a factor at the next World Cup.

South Africa’s points total in the Rugby Championship was 14 ahead of Argentina, that’s the same Argentina who beat Joe Schmidt’s Ireland 43-20 at the last World Cup.

The point is South Africa have proved over the years that they are never a team to be written off and never far away from getting things together, especially when they appoint a good coach, as they have done recently.

[Special_Olympiakos]

I’m with sid on this. If Ireland play South Africa as expected in qf I would fancy South Africa to win.

[anon61956325]

Ireland destroyed them last year, beat them senseless — Ireland have the luxury of an easy enough group and being able to target this game. They have never had this before… Ireland will beat them and will at least reach a semi -final.

[Bisto]

We’re nailed on for the world cup lads…fill your boots. ,

[gilgamboa]

@Special_Olympiakos

I’m with sid on this. If Ireland play South Africa as expected in qf I would fancy South Africa to win

So woukd I. We are only a small rugby nation. QF about the extent of it really. Anything beyond that would be a massive overachievement. Erasmus is a brilliant coach and manager as well. He will turn things around v quickly with being allowed to select overseas players in a world cup year too. Brings Pieenar, Hooegard, Lambie, Taute, Kleyn, and dozens of other french based players back into the mix.

I think they are a good outside bet.

[Bisto]

Fuck off carter. This is rugby country…we’re unbeaten in six nations…who can live with us?

[Fagan_ODowd]

@Bisto

Fuck off carter. This is rugby country…we’re unbeaten in six nations…who can live with us?

Carter talking us down when we are the number Two ranked country in the world and we’ve beaten the top ranked country in the last year. You literally could not make it up. We will beat the shite out of this South African rabble.

[gilgamboa]

@Fagan_ODowd

Carter talking us down when we are the number Two ranked country in the world and we’ve beaten the top ranked country in the last year. You literally could not make it up. We will beat the shite out of this South African rabble.

Id be conservative by nature Fagan when it comes to our chances against the southern hemisphere sides

[anon61956325]

You couldnt make it up ---- getting excuses in fine and early… The so called unbeaten champions of EUROPE — will be lucky to get to a QF

[Ashman]

Champions of Europe guarantees nothing . The 2004 European champions in soccer failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup .

[the_man_himself]

People actually play soccer though mate. You could probably get all of the rugby quarter finalists bang on if you guessed them now

Anything less than a semi final would be very disappointing for us

[Fagan_ODowd]

Given our current world ranking and barring a Saipan type incident (which won’t happen because the IRFU is so well run) you’d have to say that failure to reach the final would constitute an underachievement

[glasagusban]

@gilgamboa

Id be conservative by nature Fagan

The rugby crowd are invariably Conservatives.

[Fagan_ODowd]

Ireland are 4-1 second favs to win this.