When you're a sports journalist heading off to a World Cup to follow a team that are massive favourites and expected to beat up on a bunch of countries who actually dont even care that much about the game, this is why it pays to be just wee bit humble and to keep things in perspective ...
From the media watch section of Football365 ...
A big European bonjour to Chris Rattue of The New Zealand Herald, who didn't stop with England or France, but declared war on an entire hemisphere just three days into the Eggchasing World Cup.
Here's a selection of Mediawatch's favourite extracts from the 'Northern Teams Not Up To Snuff' article with which he greeted the opening round of games:
'It has taken all of one weekend for the inevitable truth of the Rugby World Cup to emerge, that the hosts - in a wider European sense - face a crushing embarrassment in their backyard.
'England will surely relinquish the Webb Ellis Cup...with a defeat of Dunkirk-like proportions, although without any glory.
'The French players may even get to return to their actual homes before the play-offs.
'European rugby is at a low ebb. It lacks the athletes to compete against the southern hemisphere sides.
'England created a thoroughbread team from a load of donkeys for the tournament in Australia, although they are making an ass of themselves this time.
'France, the country, looks beautiful at this time of year, but the World Cup is not a pretty sight. God knows what will happen when the All Blacks attack.
'It took only thirty minutes of the opening match between a magnificently determined, well organised but limited Argentina and a deeply confused French side to realise this tournament is now down to just three teams - New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
'There is a real chance that France will not even make the play-offs, as the myths about French rugby were cruelly exposed in the Stade de France.
'As for England, if this were cricket they would be dancing for rain and praying for a draw. There is no such place to hide in the rugby war.
'The word Titanic was written all over this French performance. English rugby is even more of a Titanic. It has spent four years steaming towards the jagged ice with the band playing loudly, but the beat is now provided by popping rivets that herald a thunderous descent.'
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Delusional and arrogant. They seem to believe that when we trounced
France C earlier in the year it actually had any bearing on the
World Cup. Lazy journalisim.
What would they know about Northern Hemisphere rugby anyway? They think the sun shines out of Super 14 and the Tri-Nations.
Barca2007-10-09 11:52:40
What would they know about Northern Hemisphere rugby anyway? They think the sun shines out of Super 14 and the Tri-Nations.
Barca2007-10-09 11:52:40
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The All Blacks seem to have learned from their mistakes only to the
extent that they are able to repeat them exactly.
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I think he's right. If we played that French team again with a full
strength squad we could annihalate them, and I think Australia
could rip England to shreds any day (except for that quarter-final
loss of course).
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I think he's right. If we played that French team again with a full
strength squad we could annihalate them, and I think Australia
could rip England to shreds any day (except for that quarter-final
loss of course).
So why didn't we/they then?
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I think he's right. If we played that French team again with a full
strength squad we could annihalate them, and I think Australia
could rip England to shreds any day (except for that quarter-final
loss of course).
Are you suggesting we didnt play a full strength squad on Sunday?
I agree the AB's would have won every World Cup since 1987 if
we played them again with a full strength squad
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so Marius, are the rules of this
"give-the-all-blacks-a-chance-handicapped-world-cup", that the all
blacks can send out their current full strength squad and the
opposition have to turn out with the team they used at the original
tournament?
just wondering like
tigers2007-10-09 21:08:15
just wondering like
tigers2007-10-09 21:08:15
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I think he's right. If we played that French team again with a full
strength squad we could annihalate them, and I think Australia
could rip England to shreds any day (except for that quarter-final
loss of course).
Are you suggesting we didnt play a full strength squad on
Sunday?�
I agree the AB's would have won every World Cup since 1987 if
we played them again with a full strength squad
Forgive me if I get the facts wrong, because rugby is by no stretch of the imagination one of my top sports, but didn't Carter and Evans get injured?
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I think he's right. If we played that French team again with a full
strength squad we could annihalate them, and I think Australia
could rip England to shreds any day (except for that quarter-final
loss of course).
So why didn't we/they then?
Must've been a bad day, because everybody knows that the All Blacks are better than France, and the Wallabies are better than England.
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When you're a sports journalist heading off to a World Cup to follow a team that are massive favourites and expected to beat up on a bunch of countries who actually dont even care that much about the game, this is why it pays to be just wee bit humble and to keep things in perspective ...
From the media watch section of Football365 ...
A big European bonjour to Chris Rattue of The New Zealand Herald, who didn't stop with England or France ....
So if the AB's selectors are going to lose their jobs because
they got it so wrong, what will happen with this twat? A good idea
would be to send him out to dinner with Stephen Jones then assign
him to some 2nd rate French newspaper for 12 months haha.
What's sight without sound? Love without peace? Copulation without conception?
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so Marius, are the rules of this
"give-the-all-blacks-a-chance-handicapped-world-cup", that the all
blacks can send out their current full strength squad and the
opposition have to turn out with the team they used at the original
tournament?
just wondering like
just wondering like
Tigers, you've tied me in knots there - but just in case it
wasnt clear, i did intend for my comment to be read with a slight
touch of sarcasm
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Rattue the man who called Wales the village idiots of world rugby.
He is a muppet.
"Not that it matters, because the All Blacks could play in sackcloths and they'd still stomp all over France." His comment last wednesday.
I guess in his position of making predictions and putting it out there he takes the risk of getting egg on his face. Part of being an opinionated person i suppose.
sanday2007-10-10 08:30:30
"Not that it matters, because the All Blacks could play in sackcloths and they'd still stomp all over France." His comment last wednesday.
I guess in his position of making predictions and putting it out there he takes the risk of getting egg on his face. Part of being an opinionated person i suppose.
sanday2007-10-10 08:30:30
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so Marius, are the rules of this
"give-the-all-blacks-a-chance-handicapped-world-cup", that the all
blacks can send out their current full strength squad and the
opposition have to turn out with the team they used at the original
tournament?
just wondering like
just wondering like
Tigers, you've tied me in knots there - but just in case it
wasnt clear, i did intend for my comment to be read with a slight
touch of sarcasm
just adding a slight touch of absurdity Marius,
I'm finding it increasingly difficult to treat any of this 'national mourning' crap with any degree of seriousness - a view we seem to share
(perhaps i should have whacked a
into my post)Ballane was right the whining, self pity and cod psychology from the NZRFU and media is wearing a bit thin
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The rest of the world must think we are a bunch of morons. All in
mourning over a game. Pathetic.
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I must admit I'm always a bit of a miserable git when england get
knocked out of a football comp (well, miserable after the initial
24 hours of anger and ref and ronaldo blaming)
(despite not having lived there for 34 years, and despite not giving a toss what england do in any other sport)
but like all blacks fans I'm slowly learning to get used to it
(despite not having lived there for 34 years, and despite not giving a toss what england do in any other sport)
but like all blacks fans I'm slowly learning to get used to it
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I think he's right. If we played that French team again with a full
strength squad we could annihalate them, and I think Australia
could rip England to shreds any day (except for that quarter-final
loss of course).
So why didn't we/they then?
Must've been a bad day, because everybody knows that the All Blacks are better than France, and the Wallabies are better than England.
Sorry LG but being the "best" means fronting up when the pressure really goes on and the AB's just can't do it in the World Cup. They may be technically brilliant but they lack mental grit. That's why the world's great teams spend so much on sports psychologists.
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I think he's right. If we played that French team again with a full
strength squad we could annihalate them, and I think Australia
could rip England to shreds any day (except for that quarter-final
loss of course).
So why didn't we/they then?
Must've been a bad day, because everybody knows that the All Blacks are better than France, and the Wallabies are better than England.
Having the NZRFU, rugby journos and the likes of Graham Henry repeat that we're the best team in the world ad nauseum doesn't make it so. The fact that the ABs haven't won the WC (and let's not forget that that win was on home soil, without South Africa participating, when Australia was rubbish at the time, and in the amateur era! )since I was in the primary school leads me to treat such claims with a healthy dose of skepticism.
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Lets not also forget, that when we won in the amateur era, we were
bending the rules a great deal, so were basically the only
professional team in an amatuer sport.
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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we could have used a REAL centre (tana) and a halfback with some
guts (piri) - a fit lock with some balls never went astray
(flavell).
the team for the france game should have read
Front Row - Hayman Oliver Woodcock
Locks - Flavell Williams
Loosies - Collins Sooialo McCaw
Halves - Weepu Carter
Centres - Mauger Umaga
Wingers - Howlett JoRock
Fullback - Muliaina
Bench
Kelleher (Halfback)
Nonu (Centre, Wing Cover)
Mauger (1st Five, 2nd Five)
Jack (Lock)
Masoe (Loosie Cover)
Tialata (Prop Cover)
Hore (Hooker)
THAT team has BALLS
the team for the france game should have read
Front Row - Hayman Oliver Woodcock
Locks - Flavell Williams
Loosies - Collins Sooialo McCaw
Halves - Weepu Carter
Centres - Mauger Umaga
Wingers - Howlett JoRock
Fullback - Muliaina
Bench
Kelleher (Halfback)
Nonu (Centre, Wing Cover)
Mauger (1st Five, 2nd Five)
Jack (Lock)
Masoe (Loosie Cover)
Tialata (Prop Cover)
Hore (Hooker)
THAT team has BALLS
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we could have used a REAL centre (tana) and a halfback with some
guts (piri) - a fit lock with some balls never went astray
(flavell).
the team for the france game should have read
Front Row - Hayman Oliver Woodcock
Locks - Flavell Williams
Loosies - Collins Sooialo McCaw
Halves - Weepu Carter
Centres - Mauger Umaga
Wingers - Howlett JoRock
Fullback - Muliaina
Bench
Kelleher (Halfback)
Nonu (Centre, Wing Cover)
Mauger (1st Five, 2nd Five)
Jack (Lock)
Masoe (Loosie Cover)
Tialata (Prop Cover)
Hore (Hooker)
THAT team has BALLS
the team for the france game should have read
Front Row - Hayman Oliver Woodcock
Locks - Flavell Williams
Loosies - Collins Sooialo McCaw
Halves - Weepu Carter
Centres - Mauger Umaga
Wingers - Howlett JoRock
Fullback - Muliaina
Bench
Kelleher (Halfback)
Nonu (Centre, Wing Cover)
Mauger (1st Five, 2nd Five)
Jack (Lock)
Masoe (Loosie Cover)
Tialata (Prop Cover)
Hore (Hooker)
THAT team has BALLS
Mauger is good but not so good that he can act as cover for
himself. I'd put McAllister in as inside back cover.
Its no longer a problem.
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we could have used a REAL centre (tana) and a halfback with some
guts (piri) - a fit lock with some balls never went astray
(flavell).the team for the france game should have readFront Row -
Hayman Oliver WoodcockLocks - Flavell WilliamsLoosies - Collins
Sooialo McCawHalves - Weepu CarterCentres - Mauger UmagaWingers -
Howlett JoRockFullback - MuliainaBenchKelleher (Halfback)Nonu
(Centre, Wing Cover)Mauger (1st Five, 2nd Five)Jack (Lock)Masoe
(Loosie Cover)Tialata (Prop Cover)Hore (Hooker)THAT team has
BALLS
�
Mauger is good but not so good that he can act as cover for
himself. I'd put McAllister in as inside back cover.
I would prefer Mauger's shadow/cardboard cut-out on the bench to McAllister.
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"I guess in his
position of making predictions and putting it out there he takes
the risk of getting egg on his face. Part of being an opinionated
person i suppose."
Not so much an egg on his face but two omelette's an egg fu yung and and four battery hens!!
Not so much an egg on his face but two omelette's an egg fu yung and and four battery hens!!
The answer to life's problems are rarely found at the bottom of a beer glass - but it's always worth a look.
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what that guy wrote in his article...
G.
...priceless!!
I have to say, I care bugger all for rugby, but after Italy were kicked out, I was obviously supporting the AB's, but during the match with France I couldn't help but cheering for the Underdogs as they completed a massive achievement..
I have to say, I care bugger all for rugby, but after Italy were kicked out, I was obviously supporting the AB's, but during the match with France I couldn't help but cheering for the Underdogs as they completed a massive achievement..
G.
VUW AFC - Victoria University Football for life
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With France wouldn't it be more a case of them being the
"Underfrogs"?
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With France wouldn't it be more a case of them being the
"Underfrogs"?
OOOOH dont call us we'll call you!!
The answer to life's problems are rarely found at the bottom of a beer glass - but it's always worth a look.
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I still love the AB's, they're still good enough to play the
curtain raiser at a Phoenix game later this year, or at least to be
the pre-game mascots....
Selhurst Park, 25 January 1995
What else could he have done?
What else could he have done?
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With France wouldn't it be more a case of them being the
"Underfrogs"?
OOOOH dont call us we'll call you!!
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With France wouldn't it be more a case of them being the
"Underfrogs"?
touchee...
I'm Italian so not a good supporter of the French...
peace
g.
VUW AFC - Victoria University Football for life
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