posted Jul 12, 2008

Loved the match and absolutely happy that the better team won - took their chances and pulled off a great win - and I'm happy to as an ABs fan that we're doing ok. Lets face it we have a much younger inexperienced team and we were simply outsmarted and out grunted. We do seem to have issues in close in defence (well we did last night) and I'm sorry but Andy Ellis has to go - I'm currently the best half back in Canterbury on that performance and I'm 43! He dithers around too much, doesn't have a bullet pass, is a crap defender, kicked like he was wearing gumboots, and doesn't run enough from the base. Anyone else want to change the overseas player eligibility rules?

Personally Im just wishing this was the good old days and this was a 3 test series - this feels like a proper good old tour test series to me! And I'd love to not have had those pointless England Ireland matches for another wonderful ABs Bokke test. These matches have been sensational for my money.

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posted Jul 12, 2008

Yeah I hear ya buddy, bring back the tours, it just makes you think how much it better it was, how much more even it was when there were tours. Now the touring side usually loses, bar you cheeky AB's who have snuck a few in SA! But in them old days the touring Boks or ABs would lose the first test, fight back and win the 2nd and then a tussle for the last game, it gives the teams a chance to learn from each other whereas now its more about using new tactics to confuse opposition and sneak a win.

This was the first 2 test series in NZ since the old 3test series, and it's no co-incidence that the boks snuck one in there.

Go Bokke
Go All Blacks

May the mutual respect and passion stay

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posted Jul 12, 2008

Your a man of contradictions Gevil.Here you show respect.On SA boards you show contempt for everything that isnt biased toward South African.I will agree with you on these boards.Go ABS,Go Bokke.

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posted Jul 13, 2008

CONFUSED....
Du Plessis cleared of charges that he eye-gouged Thomson, with Sanzar (South Africa, New Zealand and Australian rugby) judicial officer Kim Garling ruling the contact was CARELESS and not deliberate.

Last week an All Black up ends a SA player, the ref does nothing, and a panel after the match gives him a one week ban. The SA player was lucky to get away with only a groin strain.

This week a SA player 'carelessly' does no more than APPEAR to gouge an All Black and gets three week ban.

WHERE@S THE PARITY???

Oh, I forgot this is New Zealand rules Union Rugby...

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posted Jul 13, 2008

Six nations followers should watch this and realise.......... THIS IS THE REAL DEAL. It is how rugby SHOULD be played, fast, huge hits, decent kicking and high skill levels. Makes Wales' GS look slightly overhyped to say the least.

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posted Jul 13, 2008

handy legend, did you watch the game?!!!
It was garbage!
The hits were big. That's it. The skills were non existent. Kicking was ok, but handling? Proper tackling? retaining the ball in contact? Rucking? passing was some of the worst I have ever seen from two of te traditionally best back divisions. The Saffers passed several to fresh air and the Kiwis kept stopping their man with the ball.
I thought All black backs were brilliant against England, but they would have struggled to even beat that second XV with this rubbish

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posted Jul 14, 2008

handy-legend

What a pile of crock! I watched a repeat of the game in full having heard it was "awesome".

As fenranger says above, big hits (even if quite a number of dubious legality), athleticism impressive, commitment & great fitness. That's pretty much it. The second half was a big improvement on the first but that doesn't say a lot.

Little structure, huge error count. Headless chickens comes to mind, especially the first half.

Great bit of skill to win it mind you and Lauaki's score was well worked. Otherwise not a lot to recommend it.

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posted Jul 14, 2008

Yes i did watch the game, it was great. Yes the first half wasn't anything special, but the second was in a different league to anything we saw in the 6nations. If you watch the contact area, that is why the error count was so high, players are thumping into it, trying to gain a psychological advantage, the errors came from the sheer physicality of the game. All Blacks brilliant against england? Correction, england LET them play well.
SA strangled them (like england did in wellington 2003) and NZ didn't
like it. It wasn't an armchair viewers game, it was a players game.

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posted Jul 14, 2008

Very close match, with the wind playing its part. in the end it took a moment of individual brilliance to win the game. Maybe SA were a bit lucky but then again Leon McDonald was lucky to still be on the pitch so it all worked out in the end.

Bet Craig Dowd was feeling sick by the end of it all! haha!

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posted Jul 15, 2008

Stressing that i am neutral supporting neither side.A few comments great game,Well done both sides.The incidents,Burger/Williams no attempt to tackle Williams[no arms]head clash unfortunate.Williams out of it for about 10 minutes before going off[ABs effectively a player shortfor period].Thomson/Duplessis ,Thomson ON GROUND contact made in area of eyes.Citing board decided it was not a deliberate Punch or Gouge but was dangerous.Smit/Thorn[first test]Dumping was a reaction not a spear tackle .Smit needing surgery was not caused by that incident.AllBlack selection Somer ville is a great prop and the most experienced one[after Dowd].A scrum missing the architects of domination of previous week .With Williams in some doubt why was not another Lock added to squad.Ellis at this level is inexperienced and takes to long to clear ball[takes a couple of steps before passing],.A back row of an 8 and a 6 playing left and right flanks and a 6 playing 8 got found out.Considering the total inexperience of the side the second half was a credit to the AllBlacks,but trying to use a line out to set up drop goals{WHAT LINE OUT].It would have been better to play for a kickable penalty Carter seldom misses them.7 drops tried [2 successful between both sides.Since ABs almost scored a try in seco nd half . 2 point loss to RWC /irb no.1 no shame even at home.High tackles to many[it seems no one goes low these days] Macdonald may have deserved a yellow too.England second 15 beat this side, face facts the AB under 20s would have beaten any side we sent on tour.Tours yes full 28 match tours to Nz,SA.,Aus,UK.dump mickey mouse tours.4 [not 3]Tests.on a 5 year rota,an A team set up to tour Fiji/Tonga/Samoa/Argentina.Even Scrap world cup for major players SA,NZ,Aus,.Eng,France.RWC to remain for rest that way smaller nations would have a real chance . The clubs would squeal but maybe they would spend time developing teams rather than just buying them.

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