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My mistake. At the end of the day, it is going to be very hard to make comparisons with 2 different teams facing different sets of opposition. Stating the obvious I know. But while some comfort can be gained by statistics, I think they are essentially meaningless.

Happy to hear that. Long range forecast is at best showers, at worst moderate to heavy rain. A bit early out to call though.

All Blacks. They have been a preparing for this for a long time (1987 WC to be exact). They can play a tight game or a free flowing game (may not always work, see All WC except 1987). They may be short Carter but they have 2 former All Black 1st V's in the squad (not counting Slade)...

But how many tried did they concede against crap opposition?

Pleased to see Gear is in the squad. I thought he should have been there ahead of Toeava. Will keep Jane on his toes too.

I wasn;t making any claim that Boks played like angels. I was cheering them on simply because I am more confident of the ABs beating them. If they had better ball control and stopped turning it over after 5 phases they could have won.

As shaky as we are at 1st V, at least the AB's don't have to constantly rearrange the backline to compensate for Cooper's poor defense. He is going to be tested and you saw last night how just one try can do it. Not sure if Pocock will be quite as invisible this week. As has been noted by...

Thing is, no team is going to be the one to stand up and say 'We are going to play strictly by the rules, there will be noone on our side who will slow down the ball, not roll away quickly or attempt to impede defenders". They would get slaughtered. Not saying it is right, just saying.

Lets not underestimate the Argentinians. They were pretty ferocious in defense and slowed the ball every chance they could. I was pleased to see an AB team taking its time and patiently building pressure. Though I was having palpatations. AB's were always going to win, they were playing near a...

If thats the way CJ plays after a thursday night on the piss, I will shout him a few myself.

Australia looked very shaky tonight with an experienced 10.

Listening to the post match stuff, certainly seems like they played to a plan. Play a patient game. Nothing silly and try to minimise risk of injury. They could have gone hell for leather and broken someone.

But seriously, 2 great nailbiter games of rugby. On the edge of my seat. Good to see the ABs playing a very patient game, just wished they had scored a few more friggin points earlier on! Thought Cruden looked a lot more comfortable when he came on. Bet the Saffas are spewing about all the...

Sorry. I wasn't listing features that I believe an inexperienced team should be able to do. I am coming from the direction of coaching top age group teams in a school that has produced a number of All Blacks in recent years. So obviously I have a much better skill set to choose from. KISS would...

Make sure you have a good lineout. Especially short variations. If you are up against monsters, a 4 man lineout with a bit of movement can often tip the scales in your balance. I think a good lineout can be more important than a dominant scrum. I would be happy with an adequate scrum and a...

If the worst happens we still have Thompson, Read and Kaino. Kaino is in devestating form. Read is nearly back on form. From http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/5748117/McCaw-faces-major-test-surviving-finals "Asked if McCaw's foot was getting worse, Henry's reply will probably...

Would have loved to see Brad Thorn and Bakkies "Baby eater" Botha go toe to toe. That would have made the ground shake.