RWC 2011 SF2: Australia vs. New Zealand

[Chunderstruck]

It may seem easy to say in retrospect, but I honestly get this really bad feeling in the first couple of minutes when the WBs haven't turned up.

Felt it in the first 3N game, against Ireland and in this game. You can just tell by the first few hits that we're not fired-up enough.

 

[chief]

Can only think they are keeping Barnes for the Final.

Poite was another possible final ref, but the unexpected Frog victory has put paid to that plan. Feel sorry for M. Poite.

You really think they would be game enough to give Barnes NZ vs France in the Final. After the last NZ vs France. IRB are a bunch of panzy's.

But more to the point, can I just say the loss of Beale at the back really hurt the Wallabies too. It was his spark that changes games. Unfortunately that is rugby where injuries occur.

 

[Riptide]

Thats the truth of it. The one thing that sticks is the rubbing the hair, patting the head, the booing etc when we made mistakes. Very poor sportsmanship.

Christ, is that the best we've got in response now, question the quality of NZ sportsmanship? Need i remind you of the taunt from the Aus captain "Four more years!" Did you cheer that?

Better to focus on Australia's shortcomings. I saw Pocock was quick to rub McCaw when he was penalized in the first half.

Contrats NZ. The vast majority of posters here are gracious and acknowledge your superiority.

 

[Mica]

Well NZ won the game that mattered today.

Well done to the ABs. Played better and deserved their win
Better all across the park and played a smarter game is the general summary.

As I suspected the injury to Slade was a blessing for the Blacks - Cruden had a pretty good game if he was a regular in the side.
The fact that he has been brought in as the third choice first five and has had limited time with the team makes his effort all the more noticeable.

Unfortunately for us Wallabies fans the team brought more of the RWC SA game rather than the 3N NZ Brisbane game.
It just reinforces the fact that a game based around doing the fundamentals really well will nearly always beat playing an ad-lib and flashy (read low percentage) game.

Pocock certainly had a frustrating game didn't he?

I am starting to ramble so well done ABs, but you still have one more to go.
It should be a repeat of 1987, but who knows - France has been your bogey side.
Go forward and show that the southern hemisphere has the better rugby.

Good Luck - now where's my commiseration beer??

 

[SaderCheif]

Hard luck lads. Taking it on the chin, good on ya.
Im excited for next week.

 

[Jay]

Can only think they are keeping Barnes for the Final.

Poite was another possible final ref, but the unexpected Frog victory has put paid to that plan. Feel sorry for M. Poite.

Steve Walsh.

 

[Gnostic]

Totally dominated yet again by the ABs.

No tactics except box kicking yet again. No skills in the air, no effective chase.

At the start of the year I was vehemently against selecting Alexander at THP. Well well well. Tonight shows what you get if you select players in positions where they wouldn't rate even fourth best in Oz.

Deans yet again takes no responsibility for sending out a team totally unprepared tactically. Deans should resign or be sacked.

 

[Slim 293]

Oh, can I just say - Joubert, a bloody good ref. Happy to see that we don't have to deal with all that ref shit this week.

Agreed.

The Wallabies Have just never learned to adapt to Joubert's style despite the fact we've played so many matches under him...

 

[barbarian]

Congrats to NZ. Better team on the day, better team of the last four years. Hope you win it.

Well done to our boys as well. Started poorly, but showed some real guts in the second half and kept in the game right up to the end.

 

[mark_s]

We made too many mistakes, the All blacks made too few. The all blacks wanted it much more. There was one tackle late in the second half where Kaino held up the Aus ball runner and then pushed both the ball runner and two or three other wobbs backwards. Just not good enough from us. The blacks had us covered for most of the game and we were too shit scarred to give the ball enough air to find space. Not a single Wobb would be happy with their game, whereas only $BW could be unhappy from the black side of the field.


I hope the blacks win next weekend as its unthinkable that a team that lost to tonga could win the RWC a few weeks later. Of course the excat same could be said about Aus, just swap tonga for samoa.

 

[jollyswagman]

Congrats to NZ..... I just hope you go all the way. As a reds fan, QC (Quade Cooper) had my support all year but for fuck sake, he was given way too much rope this WC. Maybe I will regret this but I am hoping he heads to league with Sonny Bill as my heart won't be able to handle this shit for much longer.

 

[Karl]

Thats the truth of it. The one thing that sticks is the rubbing the hair, patting the head, the booing etc when we made mistakes. Very poor sportsmanship.

That was unnecessary. But the punters these days have no respect or class.

 

[Riptide]

It may seem easy to say in retrospect, but I honestly get this really bad feeling in the first couple of minutes when the WBs haven't turned up.

Felt it in the first 3N game, against Ireland and in this game. You can just tell by the first few hits that we're not fired-up enough.

I strongly question the sentiment expressed here in a few posts that Aus didn't want it enough. We wanted it! Perhaps last weeks effort against the Boks took a toll. NZ are just better across the park especially in the front 5, and Kaino/Read absolutely monstered Elsom & Samo.

 

[Bowside]

Can I just say congrats to graham henry. Produced a fantastic team both on and off the field. It must take a lot to come back from that loss in 07 and it would have been easy for him to walk away from it all but he didn't and now he is getting his reward.

Michael jordan once said:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Robbie Deans take note.

 

[spectator]

Haven't read too many other comments but well done All Blacks! Played like the No.1 ranked team in the world and thoroughly deserved the win. Love to see them take it out next week...

 

[minorbird]

You could definitely feel that hurt in the NZ performance tonight. Ruthless and focused. Great performance all around, especially up front.

 

[Chunderstruck]

Well done NZ for winning their pool, ensuring the easy QF and then turning it up big-time in the crunch game.

Aus screwed their pool stage, had a massively draining QF that probably had a big impact on this game.

 

[Jay]

Drove back to Wgtn and got in about 5 mins after kickoff.

Great performance by the AB's, Wallabies tactics were baffling and their inability to change even when needing a couple of tries to tie was retarded. They're a young side, but I'd have thought Deans would have instilled a bit more nous by now. But it's a testament to Australia's ability to pull shit out of the fire that even with 2 mins to go and 14 points up, I was still seriously nervous. They're gonna be hugely dangerous in a year or two and if they'd won this, it would have been a bit like 99 with dominant team being birthed during the tournament. But with no Beale they struggled to create, and the AB's will to win was just too much - epitomised by Kaino picking up Ioane and carrying him back from the line.

They say luck comes to those who work hard, and I think that was true to some extent. I have often said I hate the offside penalties like the one against AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), and that sort of luck went NZ's way all day.

Thanks for a good game, Wallabies.

 

[Slim 293]

And the award for biggest post-game jerk goes to...

Alexander has been great all year, and he has one average game and AHA! I TOLD YOU ALL! I AM A GENIUS! ALEXANDER WAS SHIT ALL ALONG! ALL OF THOSE GOOD GAMES WERE JUST A RUSE!

It's tied with the idiotic "McCabe offers NOTHING" post a few pages back.

Unlike his centre partner he made his tackles

 

[BRIX]

We kicked 31 times from the hand

Genia stifled our attack

They fronted up harder. Auckland is black