I'm hoping France beat Ireland next weekend

[Kiwi_]

Yeah people are being a bit too OTT because we didn't cash in on our trillion points. Can see that with all the tears about Sopoaga. I'd also like to face France.

Pfff the tears about Sopoaga aren't about the ability to blow teams out, it's about the fact Dan Carter isn't our best 1st 5 anymore.

 

[Mcfadden]

How dare you speak of the great one like that

 

[GoTheNaki]

How dare you speak of the great one like that

He's right though.

 

[81st_Minute]

It can't happen as the ABs and Ireland will meet in the finals.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Whatever happens at the Millennium I will be there to cheer on my beloved AB's.
MY only hope for that game is that we show the resolve and intensity that we gave to the last meeting with the Wallabies at Eden Park.

 

[81st_Minute]

The Wallabies still have along way to match a determined ABs side.

 

[The Jones Boy]

The Wallabies still have along way to match a determined ABs side.

No they don't, stop behaving like a drongo.
The Aussies are on song and so are the Boks, it's US who have to lift our intensity and we won't get a chance to do that until we hit the Millennium for the quarter final. If we don't find that intensity then we will be OUT.
Now get back in your barn until you have something sensible to say.

 

[81st_Minute]

Uh, yes they do. Big time. And once again in this RWC, time will prove me correct.

 

[Mcfadden]

That kind of attitude just gives us a bad name really. I'm sure the Wallabies do have things to improve on, but I wouldn't be so bolshey about their chances against an ABs side. If certain elements click for them, then they'll be an extremely credible threat. Kinda sick of reading arrogant dismissive comments like those, or that Wayne Barnes is the only thing that'll hold us back - it just gives our opposition ammunition if we fall.

 

[The Jones Boy]

You're in NZ right 81?
It's passed your bedtime and I have to go to work.
I suggest you do some history homework and have a look at our success rate in RWC's, it's hardly glittering with prizes.
There is a long road to hoe yet and the Aussies and the Boks both look in great form against recognised opposition while we are stuttering, against Georgia.
No offence to Georgia but our handling errors were atrocious and our rush to attack without setting the platform made us look well below par.
It's 'US' that needs to lift our intensity for the quarter finals.
The other big southern hemisphere teams are already there.

 

[Kiwi_]

Australia look like a hungry confident team. They have a couple of world class players dragging them along by the scruff of the neck, but it's enough, they have the belief they can do it, which makes them an extremely dangerous outfit, we just have to make sure we are more accurate and don't play into their hands, make the tackles we usually make and we will beat them.

 

[RoosTah]

To be frank, Australia desperately need to beat Wales this weekend... to lose would be setting up a knock out series lined up against the Springboks and the All Blacks would just be too much.

The Wallabies were as good as I've seen them in years against England, BUT if there's one thing that didn't escape my attention when I watched the game again, it's that we missed A LOT of first up tackles in that first half. That's something you can come back from against a side like England, but not against off load and support play masters like the All Blacks.

No path to the final will be easy - Ireland and France are clearly capable of beating Australia too, but the boks and ABs is a pretty brutal path..

 

[valley commando]

To be frank, Australia desperately need to beat Wales this weekend... to lose would be setting up a knock out series lined up against the Springboks and the All Blacks would just be too much.

The Wallabies were as good as I've seen them in years against England, BUT if there's one thing that didn't escape my attention when I watched the game again, it's that we missed A LOT of first up tackles in that first half. That's something you can come back from against a side like England, but not against off load and support play masters like the All Blacks.

No path to the final will be easy - Ireland and France are clearly capable of beating Australia too, but the boks and ABs is a pretty brutal path..

Oz didn't look that confident under the high balls either, lets hope they pick Cooper on Saturday it would improve our chances.

 

[Tarasque]

The all Blacks are still the best team in the world and Argentina is as usual one of the most difficult team to play, so i don't care much who win the next game the game after will be the only one important, PSA should start the B team against Ireland.

 

[TheOvalBall]

The all Blacks are still the best team in the world and Argentina is as usual one of the most difficult team to play, so i don't care much who win the next game the game after will be the only one important, PSA should start the B team against Ireland.

I honestly don't think the French can beat the All Blacks. They've been poor under PSA, and they will come unstuck against the AB's.

 

[Tarasque]

I honestly don't think the French can beat the All Blacks. They've been poor under PSA, and they will come unstuck against the AB's.

The All Blacks are the best, the coachs doesn't matter, this is all about the players.

 

[munstermuffin]

I see Irish fans all over the net vastly overrate their chances.
A couple of Irish posters on here were implying the game against France was a Full gone conclusion and that Ireland were up there with the all blacks.

I just can't see it myself.

On a very good day they could turn over the Aussies maybe, but they're still capable of struggling against Scotland and Italy.

I'd love to see where this is coming from. Have read through a lot here and not 1 Irish poster has said its a forgone conclusion. But I'm presuming your a troll. So I'll just hit a few facts at you.
Nobody said Ireland was better than Wales but the fact is they're equal. You say Wales have beaten Ireland consistently but again that's false. They won in Dublin before that lost in Cardiff before that lost in Dublin before that won in Cardiff. Now if your going to troll maybe get some stuff right like the use of consistency and the facts. They're not even ahead in the head to head over past few years.

On to SH teams. Ireland have a much better record against SH teams in last 10 years than Wales and Scotland. Again that doesn't imply much just defeats your point Ireland can't compete against SH teams.

 

[munstermuffin]

I honestly don't think the French can beat the All Blacks. They've been poor under PSA, and they will come unstuck against the AB's.

They were worst in 2011 and nearly did it

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I absolutely cannot understand this overrating of Ireland.
Everyone seemed to buy into the media hype surrounding England and actually have them as condensers for the cup.
We now see how misguided that thought was.

I see Ireland as a very similar prospect.
Who have they beaten in the last year that makes people beleive that they somehow stand a chance of beating the Aussies or All Blacks? a South African team that also lost to Wales, Argentina and Japan?

They have been lucky to win the two Six Nations they won, they lost games in both tournaments, and they've lost to us twice in last year.

Ireland are no better than England or Wales.

Look at what Aussie just did to England, they'd do the same to Ireland if they got the opportunity.

A few things on this. The Ireland team that beat SA was hit pretty hard with injuries, almost as bad as Wales at the moment which was the most impressive thing about it and they beat the Aussies too. They're also the winning side in Europe, losing one competitive game in the last 12 months, (England showed the warmups mean very little) and winning is a habit that teams need to have heading into a World Cup.

Man for man Ireland are no better than Wales when fit, I think both sides have more balance than the English, but I would argue they have the better coach. They are also the team that have delivered in Europe and they have the advantage of having their World Cup start next week, that's the advantage we have over the rest of the field which we did need to give ourselves a **** at the cup.

Overall I think you're showing a disliking of Ireland rather than anything else, you say Ireland are as good as Wales but lambast their ability, could Wales beat France or Australia? I'd fancy them more against France than Ireland, still thinking Ireland would win, but like Ireland's chances against the Aussies more. Unfortunately I think injuries will see Wales bow out in the quarters and a win next week will gat Ireland further than that.

 

[Chistera]

They were worst in 2011 and nearly did it

They only nearly did it because the players rebelled and took over from the coach. Yachivili, Harinordoquy and others were the leaders and they're not around anymore, don't think that Dusautoir is of the rebellous kind.
PSA was careful not to include rebel individuals as Mermoz or Trinh-Duc, it won't happen this time around.