RWC: NAM v NZL (Olympic Park): Pool C

[saulityvi]

I think with so many amateurs, at least four of them in the 23, this was a good score against the best in the world

 

[Dismal Pillock]

The seas never parted. No jailbreak action. No quick lineouts or quick taps. NZ handbraking that shit up in favour of boring "structure".

Still, to be unable to engineer virtually any linebreaks vs a Namibia is a wee bit worrying

That was some mega-hot garbage from Savea out there tonight. Fluffed a flurry of attempted kick contestations and easily bundled into touch. Against Namibia. About to get his mega-salaried topknotted braided wifebeating arse dropped for some guy with half of 1 test cap and a fuckin' broken leg.

 

[aeneas]

Well fair play to Nambia on their tactics and execution of them.

However, that was NOT a great advertisement for rugby. How an 80 minute game can take 115 minutes of elapsed time (including half time oranges) is beyond me. Stoppages on top of stoppages on top of stoppages.

The NZ team looked flat and uninterested for much of the match. No one wanted to run straight with the ball aside from SBW until the last 10 minutes when surprise surprise the AB's discovered that there was heaps of space to be had out wide once you had drawn defenders first.............

 

[Brumby Jack]

How an 80 minute game can take 115 minutes of elapsed time (including half time oranges) is beyond me.

2 words..

Romain Poite

 

[Teh Other Dave]

Man, can't even call NZ flat track bullies. Lift your game.

 

[pjm]

I'd say that was a better result than Japan v South Africa.

 

[Cardiffblue]

Was it me watching highlights with one eye open or are some of the All Blacks barely lifting their arms into head on tackles?

 

[teach]

Nice touch after the game. A few beers in the changing room.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/spo...013-000000-4467d1fcc9df0094-e4a00060dd44-a8b1

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I had the 142-0 score Australia scored against Nambia at previous world cup etched in my mind but yes nambia improved since then with lot of players playing in France / Super rugby....

They did well I thought all things considered....

Nice touch for AB's to invite them in for beers afterwards as very classy.....

 

[qwerty51]

WR (World Rugby) needs to take a look had how the minnows are treating their games, purposely slowing everything down to be more competitive, it's a disgrace. Add in the TMO farce and games are going on far too long, very poor spectacle.

 

[Quick Hands]

I think that you are being a bit harsh on the Namibians in particular and Tier 2 nations in general. Amateur players or even professional players used to a lower level of rugby are going to fatigue more quickly than full time elite professionals. All teams at all levels try to slow the game down when they aren't in possession and as the All Blacks had about 80% possession in the match, you'd expect the Namibians to try to slow things down. It's also worth noting that in the first half in particular the ABs didn't do much to speed things up - I reckon they put on close to 10 chip kicks and had a number of long speculator type passes either intercepted or dropped in the attempt to intercept. They also put on a number of rolling mauls and kicked for touch from penalties. It was open to the ABs to take quick taps from every penalty to really speed things up but they chose not to do so.

Increased use of the TMO is a far bigger issue IMO. If it becomes used routinely on most tries and any suspected foul play during the match, it is going to create many more stoppages and slow the game down.

The role of the TMO should be to confirm a try or no try ruling where neither the referee or AR can make a decision and possbily to adjudicate on serious issues of foul play (i.e. red card type offences).

 

[Quick Hands]

The bookies are giving Namibia 76 and a half point start. I'm guessing it won't be enough.

You should have got on the Namibians, you would have made a nice little profit with that start.

 

[qwerty51]

I'm not being harsh, I know very well why they're doing it and it's ruining the game.

 

[Quick Hands]

I'll admit I don't know much about Namibian rugby, but this was a very good display regardless of the score which I expected to be a cricket score TBH.

According to Wikipedia (the only stats I could find), Namibia has 19 rugby clubs and about 1,100 registered players. Since 2010 they have also had a team in the Vodafone Cup, which is the level below Currie Cup in South Africa.

 

[Quick Hands]

I'm not being harsh, I know very well why they're doing it and it's ruining the game.

We'll agree to disagree, to put all the blame on the minnows for slowing games down ignores reality.

If the elapsed time goes over 80 minutes, it's either because of injuries or TMO referals not the activities of either team. Interesting that you assign no blame to the team which had 80% of possession. You also seem to overlook the fact that in another RWC match (SAF V JAP) it was the minnow who was trying to speed the game up and the Tier 1 nation who was trying to slow things down.

 

[qwerty51]

I'm blaming the "injuries". A prop went off for a concussion test that was total bs.

 

[Quick Hands]

That accounts for one minute.

 

[qwerty51]

It all adds up. Other various "injuries" throughout the game and interchange stuff.

 

[the plastic paddy]

I'm blaming the "injuries". A prop went off for a concussion test that was total bs.

How do you know? Did you examine him?

 

[Quick Hands]

It all adds up. Other various "injuries" throughout the game and interchange stuff.

That's true, but in any game both teams stop the match to bring on replacement, so that would have gone both ways.

Of more concern to me is the TMO time.

The big surprise in the match for me was that NZ seemed to meander along at the start of the match, punctuated by bits of individual brilliance. Once a match gets into that type of rhythm it's very difficult to get it moving faster as it goes along. I really couldn't understand why the ABs kicked a penalty goal and then spent quite of bit of time kicking for touch and setting up mauls, trying chips kicks, etc. In the context of the game, they worked against themselves. If the bigger picture was that they wanted to use the match to set patterns and try things out, then they should take much of the responsibility for the pace of the match. After all they did have 80% of possession.