ABs vs Wallabies

Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, October 16th, 2011 - 37 comments
Categories: sport - Tags: ,

Here we are again.  This time its ABs vs Wallabies 9:00 pm at Eden Park.  May the best team win (but it better not be Wallabies!).

37 comments on “ABs vs Wallabies ”

  1. freedom 1

    MMMM I smell Wallaby steaks for supper

  2. I’m slightly confident the ABs can do it. As has been shown in the past and last night sometimes games just don’t work out for the better team.

    The key will not be Cruden (he’s important, that’s at all) but whether the AB forwards can dominate – that’s where Australia is most vulnerable unless they lift themselves to demon level.

  3. Lanthanide 3

    Go Australia!

    • lprent 3.1

      Go away RWC sounds more like it.

      Hey L you don’t know how lucky ChCh was to lose their games. Throughout the world cup, on the nights that matches are on at Eden Park we get traffic and loud mouthed drunks playing “Dude, wheres my car” early in the morning.

      • Lanthanide 3.1.1

        I live in a back section in a very nice private lane, backed on to a river. Never have to worry about street hoons at all 🙂 Getting the wheeley bins out to the street is a bit of a trek though.

        • lprent 3.1.1.1

          Wind was in the wrong direction. I could hear and (despite being a wee bit deaf) understand the loudspeakers from Eden park after the game. They must have been loud.

          Good result though. Don’t know why, but beating the Aussies always feels so righteous – even when other kiwis do it.

  4. Carol 4

    I’m just looking for a good game and the best team on the night to win.

    • fender 4.1

      After last nights yawner I too want to see a good game.But for too long we have fallen over at world cup time and its time to put it right. I suggest they ban any National Party creeps from the ground as we have all seen how disaster follows them around.

      • Carol 4.1.1

        I think I don’t really care any more if the ABs win. I’m getting a bit sick of the media talking up the elite spectators (eg Stuff this arvo on the royalty and pollies that will be at tonight’s match. National teams should be there for all the spectators). Good on Julia Gillard for choosing not to come. I’m sure she has more pressing things to attend to.

        I don’t like it when players are red carded for crucial matches, but teams had been warned. I was one of the few who was supporting France and had predicted a French win, so I thought it was a dramatic contest.

        Wales COULD have won with 14 players but they (or their kickers) seemed to choke. France weren’t as good as I expected, but at the finish their defence was solid, and they maintained their discipline in not giving away a crucial penalty.

        • fmacskasy 4.1.1.1

          At the risk of being labelled an unclean heretic…

          I was kinda hoping for a Welsh win. I dunno what it is – but those guys were pretty cool. It’s a shame that victory was snatched from them in such a way…

          • seanmaitland 4.1.1.1.1

            Yeah, unfortunately the nice guys didn’t win (the Welsh that is) – played with spirit, heart and a lot of passion and were about a foot away from one of the all time great wins (when the ball went under the crossbar).

            The Welsh and their fans have been a joy to have at the cup – awesome people

  5. ianmac 5

    Which ever team wins tonight must win the cup. There is no way that France could possibly win given their limp performance last night.

    I think the Welsh Captain is appearing before the Disciplinary Committee about now 4 or 5 pm Sunday. The rules are that the ref consider the options carefully about malice and consult with the assistant ref. This ref moved so fast that his moves were lightning speed. Pity really. Spoilt the game.

  6. bbfloyd 6

    let’s hope the ref doesn’t kill tonights game as a contest like last night… 18 minutes of excitement….62 minutes of watching a funeral procession…

    and yes..the french were shockingly inept at doing things we used to take for granted from them…. even without their inspirational leader, it was only inexperience, and the odd dropped pass that stopped the welsh from winning…

    • Carol 6.1

      The RWC teams had all been warned of zero tolerance for dangerous lifting:

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/5793154/IRB-defends-red-carding-of-Wales-captain

      “A directive was issued to all Unions and Match Officials in 2009 emphasizing the IRB’s zero-tolerance stance towards dangerous tackles and reiterating the following instructions for referees:

      – The player is lifted and then forced or ‘speared’ into the ground (red card offence)

      – The lifted player is dropped to the ground from a height with no regard to the player’s safety (red card offence)

      Typical of France to be great one week and shoddy the next, or vice versa.

      • RedLogix 6.1.1

        Yes one fleeting, unfortunate moment and the game was ruined foreveryone. Even the French can take no pleasure in winning it.

  7. Afewknwothetruth 7

    ‘May the best team win (but it better not be Wallabies!).’

    Are you braindead Anthony?

    The ABs winning the RWC would be an utter disaster for NZ. We would hear nothing but how wonderful NZ is and how a wonderful government had made it all happen.

    Rugby is the device used by the ‘magician’ to keep the masses distracted while the really nasty fasicst agenda is pushed along. (and internationalised sport more abouit corporate sponsorship and money-making than actual sport anyway).

    There really is no hope when so many are so deceived. I suppose the mass hysteria just goes to show how easily misled NZers are.

    I spoke with a group of ‘Occupiers’ this afternoon. Thankfully they are not deceived by the rugby charade and see rugby for what it is (charade= absurd pretence). Unfortuantely there were only a handful of them.

  8. r0b 8

    Are you braindead Anthony?

    Certainly feels that way some days.

    The ABs winning the RWC would be an utter disaster for NZ.

    I agree with you on a lot of stuff AFKTT, but in this case I think you’re taking rugby a bit too seriously…

  9. randal 9

    I am going to listen to the drama unfold on the wireless.
    I hope our boys win.

  10. Carol 10

    Al Jazeera reporters are having a bit of a problem lately with NZ/Aotearoa word pronunciation lately – what with NZ making some world headlines. I’ve hear Tauranga pronounced Tarawanga, and Tauranja.

    Tonight they were reporting on the RWC and it got my attention when they said there was a story about the All Blacks and the hacker. This sounded intriguing until I realised it was about the ABs’ haka.

  11. Jum 11

    It does not matter who wins (AB’s tonight did) the RWC final; what matters is how New Zealanders act in the few weeks afterwards.

    Clark helped get the RWC here; Key got the kudos.
    Labour did all the planning for New Zealand’s infrastructure needs; Key got the kudos.
    Everything that has been opened by NAct in the last 3 years, if needing resource consent, had been started by Labour; Key got the kudos.

    Labour has a good story to tell of pre-November 2008 and a better story to write post-November 2011 under a Labour coalition. Labour needs to look at the coalition partners and what their vision statements are and work with them.

    Most of all the Labour billboards are BRILLIANT! They make the NAct billboards look as fake as the fakers the NAct parties are – full of conmen on cheap unimaginative billboards.

    KEEP OUR ASSETS IN THE OWNERSHIP OF US ALL, PHIL. We are counting on you and the rest of your Labour partners not to let NAct steal them from us.

    Remember, John Key is freeing up assets which belong to us, in order for his blind trust to buy them. He stands to gain millions from our loss. So do all the other wealthy personalities around him, like Owen Glenn, the business rotundtable, this government which is forcing it through next year if they get back in – all our assets, not just the energy assets. These people are thieves. They were trusted to manage our assets; instead they have stolen them.

    Never mind the mandate; the energy assets’ sale realisation is already accounted for in the last budget. So, they have stolen them.

    • seanmaitland 11.1

      Except for Eden park – Clark can’t claim that one – it was an absolute shambles – half of her government were wanting to build a new stadium on the waterfront!

      As a Nats supporter I have to praise her and her government for helping us win the right to host the cup – was a brilliant effort that one.

      Compared to the other World Cups I’ve been to, this one rates very highly – due to the passion of the fans and the brilliant support of even the minnow/lesser teams. France 2007 isn’t even on the same page as this one.

      • Morrissey 11.1.1

        France 2007 isn’t even on the same page as this one.

        On what basis do you make such a statement? Were you drunk throughout the 2007 tournament?

        By all accounts except yours, the 2007 tournament was a roaring success. It should have been entirely held in France, of course, with its rugby-mad population—especially in the south-west.

        You shouldn’t let your enthusiasm for New Zealand rugby fool you into thinking this is the only place which goes crazy for the game.

        • seanmaitland 11.1.1.1

          Wow – “by all accounts” – let me guess, did you read that on the internet?

          How many games have you gone to this time to compare to previous World Cups you have actually been at? The final will be my 7th game from this iteration. I went to 6 games in France.

          Apart from the standard of rugby being atrocious – the games I went to involving minnow teams at ’07 had comparable crowds to over here, but the atmosphere and support was totally missing – people may just as well as been sitting at home watching on TV.

          Then if you add on to that the fact that there was no access to heartland rugby or similar tours like are available throughout NZ for this world cup, no fan zones, and the fact that half the French people you talked to didn’t even know the tournament was going on – it made it a bit of a bomb. The only thing it has been celebrated for is that 2+ million tickets were sold.

          • Morrissey 11.1.1.1.1

            …did you read that on the internet?

            It was a popular success in France by all accounts. That means reports by journalists (sporting and non-sporting) and by people who went there. You are the only person I’ve ever seen who has disparaged the French side of the tournament. All reports commented on how well organised it was and how enthusiastic the crowds were.

            Apart from the standard of rugby being atrocious…

            What on earth does that have to do with it being held in France?

            …but the atmosphere and support was totally missing…

            “Totally” missing, was it? The stadia were full at virtually every game in France in 2007, and rugby crowds in France are usually far livelier, noisier and larger than in New Zealand—and yet here you are, claiming that “atmosphere and support was totally missing”. No offence, but were you sober when you were at those six games?

            ….half the French people you talked to didn’t even know the tournament was going on

            Nonsense. I don’t trust your word on that as far as I could kick you.

            The only thing it has been celebrated for is that 2+ million tickets were sold.

            That was the “only thing”, was it? And, by the way, that number completely undermines your assertion that “half the French people you talked to” didn’t know it was on.

            • logie97 11.1.1.1.1.1

              … just goes to confirm that the RWC is World Famous in New Zealand. Just where do they get the “3rd largest sporting event” in the World from.

              • Colonial Viper

                I’d be very surprised if rugby union even has 10% of the viewership of football (i.e. soccer), globally.

                Even in Australia rugby union players are clearly only second rate stars to Oz Rules players.

                • The Voice of Reason

                  Fourth rate, CV. Behind cricket, rules and league and about to be overtaken by football.

                • Morrissey

                  With the greatest of respect, Colonial Viper, you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

              • Morrissey

                … just goes to confirm that the RWC is World Famous in New Zealand.

                And Britain and Ireland. And France.

                Just where do they get the “3rd largest sporting event” in the World from?

                I agree with you entirely. That’s a pathetic slogan, even if it is true. That’s what happens when you entrust the promotion of a sporting tournament to an advertising agency with little or no understanding of or feel for the sport. In the case of the RWC, of course, the sheer power and momentum of the event rendered all the shoddy and embarrassing advertising campaign null and void.

                Best of all, that dull Feelers cover version of the third-rate “Right Here Right Now” was abandoned and forgotten, and THIS became the unofficial anthem of the tournament…

  12. Carol 12

    I think now the ABs will cruise into winning the RWC. In the end I found lat night’s win a bit of a let down. It looked like it might become a great contest, then the ABs gradually kicked themselves beyond Aussie’s reach.

    And already I see the celebrating is starting to bubble away, with Stuff & NZH websites foregrounding the win, pushing Rena off the top spot.

    I fear we have now seen the best of the RWC contests, and the final will be very ho hum.

  13. logie97 13

    … and the Sonny Bill sideshow has proven to be just that. A distraction. In case people have forgotten through the euphoria, he was sin-binned for an appalling act of thuggery – his only contribution to the match. The guy had nearly hijacked the build-up to this country’s finest campaign. With a bit of luck he will now return to Rugby League and the young rugby followers will see the performance of Ritchie McCaw as something to emulate…

    • freedom 13.1

      he was only on for a total of three minutes ten seconds and on his very first involvement in play he decides to plant a shoulder? Hard to see it as anything else but a lack of respect for the top class efforts of the All Blacks on the field.

      He does not deserve, nor should he get, a berth in the finals team.
      Maybe he just played league for too long and simply cannot adapt.

  14. Carol 14

    Oh_oh. It looks like the ABs never will win the RWC for the second time. The gods are against them:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/5799038/The-world-will-end-again-on-Friday-night

    Newsflash: The world will end on Friday night.

    This shocking prediction comes from US Christian broadcaster Harold Camping, the same man who said the world would end on May 21 – and also on September 6, 1994.

    • Morrissey 14.1

      It looks like the ABs never will win the RWC for the second time. The gods are against them…

      They certainly are up against the gods of rugby on Sunday…

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