Heartbroken by Ireland’s tragic crash-out last week, I forgot about putting up a new post yesterday. So this is a rushed affair.
Further reading
Don’t miss Deebee’s analysis of the quarter-finals, or Utnapistm’s predictions for this weekend.
On the telly this week
Friday 25th October
| Ulster v Cardiff | 19:35 | S4C / Premier Sports 1 |
| Munster v Ospreys | 19:35 | TG4 / Premier Sports 2 |
| Bath v Exeter | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 26th October
| England v New Zealand | 09:00 | ITV |
| Dragons v Glasgow | 14:45 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Gloucester v Wasps | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Treviso v Kings | 15:00 | FreeSports |
| Connacht v Cheetahs | 17:15 | TG4 / Premier Sports 1 |
| Zebre v Leinster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Edinburgh v Scarlets | 19:30 | Premier Sports 2 |
Sunday 27th October
| Wales v S Africa | 09:00 | ITV |
| Leicester v Saracens | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Who’d’ve predicted that a loss to the Boks in that 1st round match would have put us in the easy side of the draw? And a likely(?) spot in the final….
Just joshin’
A shame both sides were happy to play such an expo-displeasing style but it remained so close it was still moderately interesting.
England nailed-on, from that showing. Sorry deebs.
Gonna have to try to get myself up for a neutral’s final next week. The booze cupboard will get a bit of a hammering.
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…………that was a tough one………well done to both SA and Wales, who missed one or two key players.
Owens is a wonderful player.
I don’t think Wales had any other choice in how to play and I think Garces was a little generous to SA at the breakdown, but what do I know.
A classic, grim, semi-final.
I think England will prefer a full strength SA to a full strength Wales – but worried about England’s wings.
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Also, you can’t beat SA with power only. You must take risks, run the ball, surprise them, grubber kicks, quick taps etc. You can’t pin all your hopes on the oppo ‘s mistakes, lucky bounces, ref interpretations. ..
I wonder what Gatland’s plan B was?
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Mike Phillips is a terrible pundit!
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“such an expo-displeasing style”
Agree that box-kicking is a bit of a niche area for an Expo.
All very disappointing, did nobody tell them they were supposed to be keeping me happy?
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“Gonna have to try to get myself up for a neutral’s final next week.”
It’s going to be a real struggle given that England play the most attractive rugby by far.
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Last time England won it overtime was on so I was able to go to work instead of watching it. Those were the days…
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We did run at them early on. Mapimpi made a very good covering tackle and North ran quite well.
They’re tough to play because they compete at the breakdown a lot – which NZ didn’t do yesterday – and the defence really comes up quick. You can’t do it all the time and it’d be a risk too far to do it much from the not great positions on the field Wales found themselves in. New Zealand tried to run it from everywhere against England as did Australia and Japan went for that strategy v SA.
The kicking game isn’t great to watch but it’s a fair plan if the kick and the chase is good and Wales’s chase is very good usually.
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At least the sun is shining. And there’s nowhere better to spend a sunny afternoon than the M5, the M42 and the M1.
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I can happily enjoy the theatre next Saturday lunchtime. Might watch the first half and save the second for later.
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oof. hard luck Wales, players gave there all. Bit disappointed by the really slow ball from Davies, he didn’t seem very interested. Boks, are monsters, hope ref next week stops all the flopping over the ball at rucks. Odd drops by Moriarty, suspect lights, both Faf and Willi dropped easy catches in the same area in the second half. Maybe there are different bulbs in some at one end ?
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Want to know what that monster Corbyn did yesterday? He fell asleep on a train to Edinburgh while England were playing v the All Blacks.
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……..to Scotland, you say? Whilst ‘everyone’ is not looking……………………
He cannot be trusted if he is going to sell out to the Scots!
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Dastardley Scots obviously forcing appointments on poor old Corby just to make him miss the England game. Shame on them.
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Jo Swinson didn’t even tweet her congratulations to England. She has no shame.
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That was a tough watch but think we can take something from this tournament and move forward, which is a credit to Gatland.
Thought Garces allowed SA to make a mess at the breakdown and Wales’ back row did not cover themselves in glory. Tipuric goes missing too often in big games and I think JD should have been on there today.
England must be nailed on for the final. The only way SA might be able to target them is through Daly, but he was good yesterday.
For Wales, this is a good chance to beat New Zealand, we need to take it and show we belong at the top.
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Heinz out. Spencer in.
Anyonenjeatd anything on other injuries? I think May and Watson are both big worries. Faz as well.
Just realised that in fact we were the smallet team yesterday rather than the behemoths we’re often described as. The boks will still present a massive physical challenge. Those tour games where we threw away good starts still linger in the memory.
Nothing is nailed on.
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Ah yes. The bronze medal game. Should be a goodun.
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Tough watch doesn’t cover it. 80 kicks and only Leigh Halfpenny on the field that can actually catch.
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Was no fun at all killer. Not that the boks will care
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We’ll make them care next week. It’s going to be a lesson in caring.
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Ha! Decent confidence.
Play like that again and we’ll be alright.
To do that 3 weeks running is going to be a big ask though. Hope the injuries aren’t too bad
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Can we re-learn 10-man rugby in the space of a week?
I’m not sure these poncy, offloading forwards can remember how it’s done.
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Watched our game again and Daly was really good. Two vital carries and passes in the move that lead to the first try and fairly solid thereafter.
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Bok fans in my hotel enjoyed it.
I apologize for my negativity and name-calling.
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Sinkler was magnificent with his offload and handling all game wasn’t he? The one 2 phases or so before the try was outrageous. Only the NZ forwards are meant to be able to do that.
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Sinckler has become some player, not least because the discipline has been stabilized. We can expect that element to be tested next week.
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Think we’ll go back to Faz at 10 next week to counter the SA centres.
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We’ll want as few scrums as possible. They definitely have the edge there.
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What was so impressive about Sinckler against NZ was the way he went into contact purely to offload, it wasn’t a secondary thought after the tackle
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Reports that Sam Burgess may be forced to retire because of injury
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/sam-burgess-retirement-south-sydney-rabbitohs-shoulder-injury/544fcc37-44d5-4402-ac75-01009c8a2445
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Ah well
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Congratulations to SA….and commiserations to Wales
Nothing much to add to what’s been said. As a forward “in my day”, I quite enjoyed the old arm wrestle this morning….
Looked like Wales wanted to “hammer the hammer” – try to nullify the strongest part of the SA game… South Africa seemed content to pin Wales deep and work for knock forwards, scrums, and penalties….
With Kolbe missing – it seemed like a good time to test SA wide defence ….maybe without Liam Williams and JD of unknown fitness it was put to one side.
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*Tries to recategorize today’s game as enjoyable arm-wrestle*
Recategorization not found.
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Next week should be a great contest. England’s pack is pretty monstrous itself, so don’t expect us to have much dominance there and the England backs are more creative. The Boks will have to do more than just kick, but I’m not sure they’re set up to do that. If Kolbe is fit it makes a big difference to an attacking threat from both our ball and if England opt to kick to his wing.
England have won the last two Tests against SA, so will be going for the threepeat.
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England have of course had the benefit of an extra day off and playing a match less, so will romp away with it as the poor old Boks struggle along gamely. England by 27.
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3 of the last 4 Champions played the Sunday semi-final.
Just worried that Rassie’s gone full Moneyball on his strategy for this World Cup and run the numbers. The Boks can play some good running rugby – Scotland game last year, Australia and Argentina in the Rugby Champ. de Allende’s been fantastic running on the gain line but you feel they need something more than that and the box kick.
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One behemoth lumbers up and rears up into another behemoth.
David Attenborough (for it is he): “4 tonnes of blubber will keep out the cold but won’t protect against an opponent’s thumping attack”
Flashback to this morning, right enough.
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Lovely Beadle! So another week of agonising over injury reports, form, tactics, weather and dog knows what else. Can we get there already please!
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Its precisely the strategy that when done well we’ve struggled to counter in the last couple of years.
We need to start fast and stay fast for as long as possible before hanging on later
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Only time in that 4 when you controlled the game was when Danny Cipriani was at 10. Get him in.
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Surprised by how much the result and performance has clouded my day. Thought I was sanguine and fatalist this morning and set my expectations accordingly, but I feel pretty depressed about the match and where we go from here.
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“I feel pretty depressed about the match and where we go from here.”
New start. Give thanks and praise to Gats who has turned us from a comedy team to twice World Cup semi-finalists, 3-time Grand Slammers etc etc from a mob that got beat by Fiji by trying to out Fiji them.
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@Iks it was England’s best ever performance yesterday and I’m sat contemplating likely defeat to those rotten battle droids.
Humans eh?
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The Lane Train needs bringing in. Preferably Friday.
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Hard luck Welsh peeps, and well done Deebs!
Will Pivac go for revolution or evolution?
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Gats has been brilliant for Wales.
Changed them forever I think. Same with Schmidt and Ireland, there’ll be good and less good times but neither are going back to comedy bad on the world stage and that is good for NH rugby.
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I was surprised we even got that close, seeing as we were down to 48 year old Mark Taylor on the wing and one of the physios dressing up as Aaron Shingler.
When they’re playing non-contact rugby on Mars and worrying about brittle collarbones being broken by vigorous tags, I’ll be telling the grandkittens about the time we nearly got to the Earth final with Wyn Jones and Tom Francis starting.
It sucks, but it’s not like getting clowned in the pool stages.
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Iks – at least you put in a creditable performance. I see no future with us, especially without Schmidt.
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@Yos that’s one reading. The other would be you had a genuine chance to get in the Final, which would have been against a team you’ve already beaten twice this year.
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