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 
Well, well, well! England very much the superior team.
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Well done England, that was outstanding
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That was a thrashing
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Itoje, Underhill and Curry were on another level
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Who was MoM? Underhill for me
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Hansen Out!!!
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Oooooohhhhh fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccckkkkkk!!!!!!
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Commiserations NZ!
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Well played England, I’ve never seen NZ treated like that, England never gave them a chance.
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I for one welcome our new English Overlords.
As every Welsh person has been forced to say in public since 1509.
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@FBC – Maro got it, think it would have been between those two.
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@tomp
Welcome to Chester
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Excellent, excellent performance from England. Made the ABs look ragged and bereft of ideas on how to get around England’s defensive blanket.
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Very good by England
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If England do win the final, does that mean we’ll hopefully see less of Smug Sir Clive (England’s World Cup Winning Coach – to give him his full name)?
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@BB For more Eddie Jones?!?
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“If England do win the final”
Let’s not think about that.
“does that mean we’ll hopefully see less of Smug Sir Clive (England’s World Cup Winning Coach – to give him his full name)?”
OK let’s think about that.
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@FBC – to be honest, I suspect most of the time Eddie’s just ripping the piss out of everybody. He’s not Full-On Smug like SCW and Dallio.
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Nice post match from Hansen and Jones.
Excellent humility from Maro of the match too.
{I would have given it to him myself, good as Underhill was, Itoje was great for the whole 80}
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WELL DONE ENGLAND!
Obviously a disappointment for me but we were outplayed. We had a bad day at the office, but that was primarily down to the relentless pressure. What little ball we could get was spoiled by the rush defence and all the loose ball 50/50 stuff ran away from us.
Itoje was immense and our tendency to hang off the rucks kept us under the hammer.
Fucks up the plans for next weekend…
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Only the third time it’s happened in 9 World Cups that NZ have been smashed. Aus twice and now England. Twice by Eddie Jones.
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I’d agree with Maro of the match. He was world class today. Underhill v good as well. Ford was terrific and Watson had a very good game.
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…………and breathe!
Tough NZ, but it has been coming from somewhere.
Great team performance by England. I thought Watson really set the tone outside the forwards in the first half.
Not sure why Daly was on the field if he missed from in front.
My man Slade not at his subtle best!
Whitelock had a mare.
Many contenders for MoM – Maro took it for the team. Ford was excellent.
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Good post, Suavo!
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Not inconsiderably pleased by that… genuinely amazed that we won and not comfortably, of course, but as clearly the better team.
Commiserations to the ABs—dangerous to the end—but they were beaten by a team having the game of their lives.
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Good words ElS, have a hug.
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Great win. Well done England. Bullied them entirely.
Itoje and Underhill were stars.
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I just realised – was Mo’unga playing?
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Lovely post, ElS – you are a gent, and so is Steve Hansen with his thoroughly decent post match interview. Good to see sport played so full-throated, but with respect.
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Well done England. Seemed ridiculous that NZ were still in it on the scoreboard for so long. But I needed those disallowed tries to stand in order to nail the office score prediction (although I was expecting the ABs to earn a try to go with the one they were gifted).
Big question for Wales now – try to get to the final for a thumping from the Saes, or cruise into the 3rd/4th playoff aiming for a first win over the ABs since ’53?
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Well fucking hell.
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Thought Daly was pretty good tonight. Despite his miss.
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Craigs – generous?
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Brilliant by England. Relentless, precise, fast, at full speed for the whole game. No mistake besides than lost line out. But they never were in danger of losing the game.
Feel a bit deflated as I expected better from NZ but honestly they were mediocre. I know it’s probably not the way England fans felt but for this neutral it was as a bit too easy for England.
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Flair…………it can look that way when the oppo deny you space and don’t let you play?
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@Slade
This is true, but I agree also with flair. England were amazing with their defence and the pressure they put NZ under.
Thing is, NZ teams of the past were great at dealing with the pressure. This team cracked.
England were impressively physical. NZ would usually put the fancy stuff away and step up to the mark and fight fire with fire before playing “nice” football.
Today, NZ just kept chucking it round, offloading and trying to run around England. They didnt step up to the challenge. I guess that makes what England did to them even more impressive. Beat them mentally as well as physically.
Do think though that NZ were a bit naive, kept looking to B Barrett, who was uncharacteristically poor.
This NZ side is nowhere near the side they were in the days of McCaw, Kaino, Carter, Nonu, Smith(s).
England are superb, though. No weaknesses. So much confidence and cohesion.
As I said before (a few times) this will be their RWC
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I did not mean to say Englang had nothing to do with NZ being mediocre. The English defence was so good that the ABs had no time to organise ( although I was a bit surprised to see them go wide so quickly, and therefore so ineffectively before they had pinned the English forwards in the middle of the pitch).
What I meant was that the game was a bit too one sided to be really fascinating for a neutral.
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Just looking in briefly* to say “Congratulations England”…..you were very, very good.
* half term family weekend away…..so can’t hang around to read back and interact…..
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Slade – didn’t really put a foot wrong imo.
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This is an impression that is is hard to describe, but here goes. The ABs looked scruffy, like kids sent to their posh friend’s birthday party on a Sunday afternoon, but only making a token effort to look the part.
The Haka looked a bit silly with all that drawn out shout-and-tongue work, and England were smart to spread wider and look down on it.
Then after the first English attack and eventual try, all the remaining visual mystique fell away, and they looked like blokes who hadn’t bothered to dress properly for the occasion. Socks down, bellies sticking out of shirts that looked too short, and a huddle under the posts that looked a bit shellshocked even though conceding an early try is not the end of the world.
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I would agree with Slade(?) about Watson being exceptional. He carried really well, avoided tackles and looked a threat because he was so eager to get the ball and run with it.
It makes me wonder how much players benefit from a successful Lions tour in the longer term, even if they were a bit knackered immediately after it.
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This morning the hound looked at me quizzically as I continued on past our usual turn around place on the trail. I continued walking toward the horizon, trying to find in the distance some aspect of the game where we were not completely outplayed. Hunger made me turn around otherwise, alas, I’d still be walking.
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“Itoje, Underhill and Curry were on another level”
As were Mako, Sinck, Lawes, Billy, Manu, Watson…….
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‘Welcome to a wet and windy Rodney parade
Well there’s me surprised
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I’d forgotten about that.
‘Mon the Weedge!
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Still can’t believe it.
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Looks a wee bit damp in Glaws.
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“Still can’t believe it.”
Me neither. I have never seen the ABs play deer-in-the-headlight rugby for a full 80 minutes before. England made them look second rate.
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