RWC 2015 Semi Final 1 - NZ vs RSA Twickenham

[cyclopath]

Is it really a surprise that your fans and coach are cocky given the way all but one team have been clambering over each other to reach the other side of the draw and hoping that someone else will beat you. South Africans deserve credit for being the only team to see the all blacks as just another match in a v long series

What a lot of gumph. They were locked into that path by the draw, unless, of course, they decided to gamble on losing games and coming second in their pool. Which I doubt they would have considered. I'm sure they would have been quite happy to not face the ABs until the final, given that the ABs were always the most fancied team to get there. Any team would, if they had a choice.

 

[mark_s]

What a great game this is gunna be to watch for Aus fans. It will be brutal, the boks will target the breakdown and A Smith, and try and make the blacks keep coming out of their own end. If they can keep their errors down and their physicality up throughout the game, then I recon they can stay close to the ABs. Easier said than done, especially as the ABs will know they have to meet the boks physicality. I wonder which side the neutrals in the crowd will be backing if it's close with 20 to go? I don't care who wins, maybe a slight preference for the ABs.

 

[cyclopath]

What a great game this is gunna be to watch for Aus fans. It will be brutal, the boks will target the breakdown and A Smith, and try and make the blacks keep coming out of their own end. If they can keep their errors down and their physicality up throughout the game, then I recon they can stay close to the ABs. Easier said than done, especially as the ABs will know they have to meet the boks physicality. I wonder which side the neutrals in the crowd will be backing if it's close with 20 to go? I don't care who wins, maybe a slight preference for the ABs.

I must admit, I always enjoy watching these 2 teams trying to beat seven shades of shit out of each other. I hope it's one of those epic SA v NZ battles.
I'm with you, can't really pick a preference, but probably lean towards the ABs as well.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Yeah agree fellas. I do enjoy a knock em down, drag em out game between these two sides. If in fact we do make it to the final it would be nice if these guys had played, say, 120 minutes of attritional footy?

 

[Cardiffblue]

What a lot of gumph. They were locked into that path by the draw, unless, of course, they decided to gamble on losing games and coming second in their pool. Which I doubt they would have considered. I'm sure they would have been quite happy to not face the ABs until the final, given that the ABs were always the most fancied team to get there. Any team would, if they had a choice.

Can't remember the last World Cup polarising opinion on national lines like this one is.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

It might be because it's one of the most open and hotly contested RWC's that I can remember.

 

[Cardiffblue]

Yeah agree fellas. I do enjoy a knock em down, drag em out game between these two sides. If in fact we do make it to the final it would be nice if these guys had played, say, 120 minutes of attritional footy?

Think you guys should be careful not to reap what you wish for. The Argies are not gonna be a walkover. Reckon that game might be just as close and will certainly be just as physical. No one is gonna come out of either game without injuries

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Think you guys should be careful not to reap what you wish for. The Argies are not gonna be a walkover. Reckon that game might be just as close and will certainly be just as physical. No one is gonna come out of either game without injuries

Yeah you're right. All of our games against Argentina tend to be pretty physical affairs. it's just that NZ v RSA steps it up a notch in those stakes. It's possibly the most compelling match up in world rugby. I can't wait, personally.

I fully appreciate that we're no certainties against the Argies either. Not by a long shot.

 

[Cardiffblue]

Yeah you're right. All of our games against Argentina tend to be pretty physical affairs. it's just that NZ v RSA steps it up a notch in those stakes. It's possibly the most compelling match up in world rugby. I can't wait, personally.

I fully appreciate that we're no certainties against the Argies either. Not by a long shot.

It's gonna be a good measure of how far Argentina have come in six months. Bummer for Wales. The only country ahead of us in both football and rugby rankings

 

[Dewald Nel]

Yeah you're right. All of our games against Argentina tend to be pretty physical affairs. it's just that NZ v RSA steps it up a notch in those stakes. It's possibly the most compelling match up in world rugby. I can't wait, personally.

I fully appreciate that we're no certainties against the Argies either. Not by a long shot.

Don't worry though. Both sides can take it. The All Blacks(probably) will be more than ready for the final a week later.

 

[aeneas]

Hell teeth aenas do you think the ABs would be listening to talkback radio from home whilst in London, I sure they not or reading rugby forums, hell even on this one just a week or so again you could read a kiwi poster saying that the ABs had no chance at all against France and Ireland were 95% sure of beating them, not sure if you would remember who posted that.

damn someone remembered that

I'm just amazed at the schizophrenic nature of the sports media in NZ. One week it's batten down the hatches we are all going straight to hell and next week it's relax we will steam roll everyone. NZ were awesome against France but the French were terrible.

SA are 1000 times better than them in this tournament, lapse against Japan aside, so this next game is not going to be a cake walk for anyone or the one after that should NZ be good enough to make it.

 

[Dan54]

I pretty sure noone really thinks it will be easy in the game this week, or the one after,if ABs make it that far, pretty sure I haven't seen any press from NZ or anywhere saying it would be. I was just more or less saying don't take a few comments on internet as being where country or press etc is coming from, and I bloody sure ABs won't be taking any notice anymore than Wallabies will take any notice of fanbois on Roar or even here etc, these teams are full of generally intelligent players who are too busy to read what a few idiots write!

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Hope this game lives up to the stories from this thread:
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/the-nz-sa-rivalry-how-fierce-is-it.13399/

Should be an epic battle.

 

[PaarlBok]

Hope this game lives up to the stories from this thread:
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/the-nz-sa-rivalry-how-fierce-is-it.13399/

Should be an epic battle.

Playing vs the All Blacks in a WC is our final no matter what happens in the real final.

 

[Braveheart81]

Playing vs the All Blacks in a WC is our final no matter what happens in the real final.

If SA beats NZ, that's what the winner of the other semi final wants to hear!

 

[Dewald Nel]

Lol. If we beat NZ and lose in the final, what happened vs NZ doesn't matter. At all.

 

[PaarlBok]

Lol. If we beat NZ and lose in the final, what happened vs NZ doesn't matter. At all.

Thats not going to happen. I have seen this so many time in sport in this kind of tournaments. No team will stop the Springbok IF we beat the All Blacks in the semi, not even a Lion team at home.

 

[Dewald Nel]

Thats not going to happen. I have seen this so many time in sport in this kind of tournaments. No team will stop the Springbok IF we beat the All Blacks in the semi, not even a Lion team at home.

Haha. Let's just focus on the All Blacks first. One game at the time. After Japan, nothing means anything any more until it actually happens.

Gotta love the optimism, though.

 

[PaarlBok]

See the differense between this test and the usual All Blacks vs Bok test is that both teams are playing their best available teams. Adding this will be the last time the senior players will be in such a big test against their ultimate measurement. If this dont bring out the best of legends like McCaw, Carter, Burger & Habana, then nothing will. Winning this semi will provide the necesary self believe and confidense to go all the way.

 

[PaarlBok]

Myself would prefer to rather see a 4 test series to decide the final count down between the two teams but have to accept the modern trend of WC rugby the ultimate in rugby. Bring on the semi final.