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| Rugby Thread; All the Rugby news | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 7 2007, 12:51 PM (191 Views) | |
| Ninja Boi | Sep 7 2007, 12:51 PM Post #1 |
The Lego Master
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It is the first of 48 matches spread over 44 days with 20 teams playing in 12 different stadia. New Zealand are strong favourites while champions England, who start against the USA on Saturday, try to become the first team to defend the title. Wales, Scotland and Ireland begin their campaigns on Sunday. Four years ago in Australia, Jonny Wilkinson's famous last-gasp drop-goal gave England a gripping 20-17 win over the hosts and made them the first northern hemisphere side to win the trophy. But the champions, who are in the same group as many pundits' second favourites South Africa, have slipped to seventh in the world rankings since 2003, and are without the injured Wilkinson for at least their opening game. Despite a record of five defeats in their last six Tests and a dismal away record in recent times, coach Brian Ashton insists talk of reaching the semi-finals being a successful outcome is misplaced. "There is no minimum ambition for a World Cup, you have just got to go and win it," he said. "The pressure side of it has disappeared. I hope the players are relishing the challenge of doing something that has never been achieved before." The pressure of starting favourites is firmly on New Zealand, who have dominated world rugby since the last tournament, winning 38 of their 43 Test matches and only losing one game a year in the last three years. However, the All Blacks have lost in three semi-finals (1991, 1999 and 2003) and one final (1995) since winning the inaugural World Cup 20 years ago. Current captain Richie McCaw, one of the finest players of his generation, acknowledges his career will be incomplete without a World Cup winners' medal. "It's definitely going to define me, and it's going to define this team," he said of the forthcoming tournament. "We've been pretty successful over the last four years, but what happens in the next six weeks will be how you remember what this team is about." France, who have never won the Webb Ellis trophy, hope the tournament will feature a similar conclusion to the 1998 football World Cup, when the Champs-Elysees in Paris was lined with millions of people after the hosts' shock victory over Brazil in the final. "It was a huge event," recalled Sebastien Chabal, the bearded France forward who is a cult figure at English club Sale. "There were 10 million people in Paris and it was unbelievable. "If we can do the same as the football team, then I think we will have the same support behind us. We think a lot about winning the World Cup and I think we are in the right position to start the tournament." France are in the "group of death" with Ireland and Argentina - all three teams are in the top six in the world rankings. Ireland know that finishing second in the group will probably bring a quarter-final clash with the All Blacks in Cardiff. New Zealand are expected to comfortably top a group that also features Scotland and Italy, who meet in a decisive pool game on 29 September. Wales have Australia, the only country to have won the tournament twice, in their pool, but play the Wallabies in their Millennium Stadium home a week on Saturday, 15 September, with Canada, Fiji and Japan making up the group. We are ready and we will show a good face to the world French rugby chief Bernard Lapasset Cardiff is one of two venues outside France to stage matches, the other being Edinburgh's Murrayfield, which will host Scotland against New Zealand and Scotland against Romania in the pool stages. The semi-finals and final will be at the Stade de France in Paris, with Bernard Lapasset, the president of the French Rugby Federation, convinced the hosts will put on a memorable World Cup. "I feel sure it will be a big success," he said. "There has to be a good spirit in the stadiums, a sense of empathy between player and public. "But there has to be more than that. We in France have to demonstrate we can organise a big event. But we are ready and we will show a good face to the world." Lapasset, Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor of Paris, and International Rugby Board chairman Dr Syd Millar kicked off the festivities on Thursday night by lighting up a giant rugby ball suspended between the lower pylons of the Eiffel Tower. The official opening ceremony will take place at 2020 (1920 BST) on Friday at the Stade de France before the hosts and Argentina kick off the action. # The build-up to the event has been marred by an on-going row between a number of media groups and the tournament organisers. The media groups are boycotting official events in protest at restrictions over what coverage they are allowed to provide. As a result most British newspapers did not carry tournament-related pictures in their Friday editions. |
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| chelseaskin | Sep 7 2007, 05:33 PM Post #2 |
CHELSEASKIN
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Posted Image COME ON ENGLAND Posted Image |
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| zarita | Sep 7 2007, 05:43 PM Post #3 |
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didnt that only happen last year? *confused face* |
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| chelseaskin | Sep 7 2007, 06:01 PM Post #4 |
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CHELSEASKIN
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Four years ago zar Posted Image Posted Image |
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| Ninja Boi | Sep 7 2007, 06:26 PM Post #5 |
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The Lego Master
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Oh dear... :laughter |
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| chelseaskin | Sep 7 2007, 07:43 PM Post #6 |
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CHELSEASKIN
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Latest france 3 argentina 14 |
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| chelseaskin | Sep 7 2007, 07:50 PM Post #7 |
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CHELSEASKIN
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Half time france 6 Argentina 17 |
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| chelseaskin | Sep 7 2007, 08:51 PM Post #8 |
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CHELSEASKIN
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France 12 Argentina 17 poor France Posted Image Posted Image |
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| Cyril | Sep 7 2007, 09:07 PM Post #9 |
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:lol: :lol: |
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| Cyril | Sep 8 2007, 08:54 AM Post #10 |
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anyone got a timetable of whose playing whom and when??? |
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| Cyril | Sep 8 2007, 09:32 AM Post #11 |
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22 Sep - 16:00 England - Samoa Nantes ooohhh can watch this when on holiday :P thanks Mr y |
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| Cyril | Sep 8 2007, 09:39 AM Post #12 |
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http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xAskZ1hoM30&...related&search= all sing together |
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| Ninja Boi | Oct 6 2007, 03:16 PM Post #13 |
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The Lego Master
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Rugby World Cup 7 Sept - 20 Oct, 2007 By Julian Shea Jonny Wilkinson scored all of England's points Australia (10) 10 Try: Tuqiri Pen: Mortlock Con: Mortlock England (6) 12 Pens: Wilkinson (4) Jonny Wilkinson was the scourge of Australia again as his four penalties put England in the World Cup semi-final after a thrilling win in Marseille. Lote Tuqiri's try put Australia 10-6 up but Wilkinson's boot and England's superior scrum kept them in the game. There was little flowing rugby in the second half but with neither side on top, it made for nail-biting viewing. Wilkinson and Stirling Mortlock missed late chances to win it but England held on for a memorable victory. Despite Mortlock's penalty giving Australia an early lead, he missed two others as England had the better of the opening 40 minutes. An unlucky bounce from Mike Catt's kick-through into the right-hand corner denied Paul Sackey the chance to score for England's opening try. Australia had not had a serious try-scoring threat before England's next one, set up when Jason Robinson's trademark burst of speed tore through the defensive line. Mathew Tait was central to England's next attack, involved several times in a sweeping cross-field move but for all their pressure, the only change to the scoreline was two Wilkinson penalties. The Wallabies made England pay when Tuqiri eluded the grasp of Josh Lewsey to stretch over in the right-hand corner, finishing off after Berrick Barnes' clever dummy allowed Mortlock's battering ram-run to set up the try. Australia's scrum was on the back-foot for the first half and shortly after the restart, it looked like England's pack had set up their first try. The pack was in reverse as George Gregan was smothered by Lewis Moody and Andy Gomarsall, trying to get the ball away. But with the try-line within England's reach, Wilkinson's pass caught Catt unawares and his knock-on cost England their best try-scoring chance so far. Although the attack failed to produce a try, Wilkinson notched another penalty to reduce the deficit to 10-9. Australia were just re-establishing themselves in the game when Tait's inspired hack from a stray pass by George Gregan sent play back down the other end of the field. Rocky Elsom was panicked into conceding a penalty that Wilkinson slotted over to give England the lead. Drew Mitchell's introduction instantly gave Australia more punch in attack but Nathan Sharpe's knock-on at the vital moment scuppered the attack. When Gregan conceded a clear penalty for off-side on the halfway line, it seemed set up for Wilkinson to apply the finishing touch to another memorable win, but his kick drifted inches wide of the left-hand post. Mortlock then had a chance to snatch a late victory for Australia with a penalty, but made a mess of it and England held on for their biggest result since the 2003 World Cup final. England: Robinson; Sackey, Tait, Catt, Lewsey; Wilkinson, Gomarsall; Sheridan, Regan, Vickery (capt), Shaw, Kay, Corry, Moody, Easter. Replacements: Chuter, Stevens, Dallaglio, Worsley, Richards, Flood, Hipkiss. Australia: Latham; Ashley-Cooper, Mortlock, Giteau, Tuqiri; Barnes, Gregan; Dunning, Moore, Shepherdson, Sharpe, Vickerman, Elsom, Smith, Palu. Replacements: Freier, Baxter, McMeniman, Hoiles, Waugh, Huxley, Mitchell. |
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| Ninja Boi | Oct 10 2007, 03:57 PM Post #14 |
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The Lego Master
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England unchanged for semi-final Catt keeps his place after a strong performance against Australia England coach Brian Ashton has named an unchanged team for Saturday's World Cup semi-final against France in Paris. After a series of injuries he finally had a full squad from which to pick for this game, but has gone for the same XV and replacements who beat Australia. Centre Andy Farrell, who was forced out of the quarter-final team, is fit but his stand-in Mike Catt keeps his place. Flanker Lewis Moody was the only worry with a sore shoulder but he has recovered sufficiently to play. Ashton admitted it made a pleasant change being able to pick the same team two games in a row, but said they would have to produce a different kind of performance to beat France than they did to beat Australia in the quarter-finals. "It certainly makes a difference. The 22 out there last week more than merit another shot at it this week," he said. "We need to improve in all areas, we know that. I can't imagine we will catch France off-guard in the same way we caught Australia off-guard." The decision to go with an unchanged squad means Andy Farrell, who was originally picked for the Australia game, does not even make it to bench, with Mike Catt and Toby Flood in line ahead of him. "Mike took his chance last week, simple as that. It was a very, very difficult decision," he said. "Toby came on with 18 minutes to go in a hot pressure situation and I thought he handled himself exceptionally well in all areas of the game." England will be led out by Jason Robinson, who is winning his 50th cap. "This is what I came out of retirement for. It is a massive, massive game," said the 33-year-old former Sale player, who is retiring from all rugby after the tournament. Ashton, who coached Robinson when he left rugby league for Bath, said: "He is a remarkable player and I am delighted he came out of retirement. England and France have met three times in previous World Cups, England emerging 19-10 winners in a violent quarter-final in 1991 in Paris, and 24-7 in the semi-finals four years ago. France won the 1995 third place play-off between the teams 19-9. England won this year's Six Nations encounter, but the French recorded back-to-back wins over England in pre-tournament warm-up games. Like Ashton, French coach Bernard Laporte has named the same starting XV and bench that won their quarter-final, against New Zealand. England Robinson; Sackey, Tait, Catt, Lewsey; Wilkinson, Gomarsall; Sheridan, Regan, Vickery (capt), Shaw, Kay, Corry, Moody, Easter. Replacements: Chuter, Stevens, Dallaglio, Worsley, Richards, Flood, Hipkiss. |
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| Ninja Boi | Oct 10 2007, 04:06 PM Post #15 |
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The Lego Master
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Remaining World Cup Fixtures Saturday, 13 October 2007 England v France, 20:00 Sunday, 14 October 2007 South Africa v Argentina, 20:00 Friday, 19 October 2007 Losers 1st S/F v Losers 2nd S/F Saturday, 20 October 2007 Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 |
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11:18 AM Nov 23
