Neutrals who are you supporting?

[Dirty Ape]

Sigh..... this thread......

I don't get it, I really don't. I have lived in London for the last 14 years and my experience as a NZer and an AB supporter has been nothing like Kiwi_'s. I have rugby conversations all the time with all sorts of nationalities and the AB's get almost universal respect and acclaim. I am tempted to conclude that Kiwi_ just attracts negativity due to his.... personality.

I just really want to see Richie and Dan get the send-off their careers deserve. A win on Saturday will truly cement their legacies and cap the two greatest rugby careers ever. And I have watched every test match either has played.

And I've been watching the All Blacks play since before I could walk so of course I want the AB's to win. Come on lads!

(No i didn't vote)

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Get your stinking paws out of here You damn Dirty Ape.


Sorry couldn't help it

 

[Kiwi_]

Sigh..... this thread......

I don't get it, I really don't. I have lived in London for the last 14 years and my experience as a NZer and an AB supporter has been nothing like Kiwi_'s. I have rugby conversations all the time with all sorts of nationalities and the AB's get almost universal respect and acclaim. I am tempted to conclude that Kiwi_ just attracts negativity due to his.... personality.

I just really want to see Richie and Dan get the send-off their careers deserve. A win on Saturday will truly cement their legacies and cap the two greatest rugby careers ever. And I have watched every test match either has played.

And I've been watching the All Blacks play since before I could walk so of course I want the AB's to win. Come on lads!

(No i didn't vote)

You sound old, no offence and probably haven't experienced the London night life after an AB win, probably just the odd corner pub with the usual timid locals that you have the odd pint with and watch the game with in Putney or Richmond or what ever. Tube banter and street banter is poor here. Mellow relaxed pub chat is lovely(especially in a decent part of town), which I have pointed out on this forum more than once.

 

[nzlizard]

I voted for the AB's :redcard:

 

[Superalexmarket]

Australia wins!
Why? Because this RWC is not played in New Zealand...

 

[j'nuh]

New Zealand slightly.

I generally go for the underdogs but:
1. It's hard to completely dislike New Zealand. They play rugby the way it is meant to be. They are to rugby what Federer is to tennis or Spain to football; their all-round game is a joy to watch. They would be a lot more dislikeable if they tried to achieve success through playing negatively. Australia are exciting to watch too, to be fair. It's hard to argue that this final is probably the best permutation for the neutral.
2. I generally like the New Zealand players more than the Australian ones.

But tbh, it's not much of a difference to me. I'll be watching hoping for a good game rather than any particular team to win.

 

[Aristodemus]

People have nothing but respect for NZ where I live, doesn't mean they have to cheer them on as fans in every game they play (even though I personally would like to see them win).

 

[Dirty Ape]

You sound old, no offence and probably haven't experienced the London night life after an AB win, probably just the odd corner pub with the usual timid locals that you have the odd pint with and watch the game with in Putney or Richmond or what ever. Tube banter and street banter is poor here. Mellow relaxed pub chat is lovely(especially in a decent part of town), which I have pointed out on this forum more than once.

I'm 45. But yeah, my drinking dens ofchoice tend to be those where you can actually have a conversation - not so much the west end club scene.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

I lived in London for several years and the only negative bants i got was in cardiff after the 2007 QF and before Kiwi chips in, no, i'm not old and generally drank (and watched games) in the west end or around brick lane and old street when we lived out that way

some posters on here are making me think twice about who i'm supporting (decided to stick with the AB's ) so i don't blame the rest of you

 

[ncurd]

I think the only time people will get whacked off (unless your near some stupid tribal football fans) is if you pontificate how great you are. It's pretty much a cultural no no here (despite our reputation) if someone was spouting off how great the ABs were without being humble I can imagine how quickly quite a few people would want to see them put in their place.

 

[Dirty Ape]

So, the locals know a d**khead when they see one and respond accordingly. Sounds about right.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

I support no one really. Just want to see a good game.

 

[The80sDogCancer]

Who cares about this kiwi chap, he is the only NZ troll on this forum that I am aware of.

Go watch some Brad Haddin or George Gregan and come back and answer this question, that's what the Aussies will be like when they start winning something and nobody likes that.

At least McCaw and Carter etc have some class, and also g we only won 1 cup in 24 years (less than Aussie and South Africa and we are winning it too much lol) short memories some of you have.

Yeah Saying the AB win too much doesn't seem like a fair enough reason to 'not' be going for them and this is comming from an Aussie! Who ever does win will be the most successful country at world cups

 

[The Jones Boy]

I'm 45.

Hah!
I knew it.
Just a whippersnapper.
Young people today...

 

[igy]

Not supporting any team but i think Australia will take it.

Very exited about the game tho, it will be epic.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Are Kaino and Richie too old?
Will Pocock and Hooper have the mastery?
So many key challenges around the park.

 

[KeyboardWorrier]

Don't think they're too old.

 

[webbyinjapan]

The ABs for me. Not merely because I feel they have been the best in this tournament, but they have played the World's best rugby for so long! That young No 7 they have isn't bad either is he? I wish Nonu and Carter were Welsh too!!

 

[Jaguares]

Straya

Reasons?

1 Is very predictable and boring the same champion
2 Because I love the Australian style, running rugby
3 Because our code is struggling to survive in Australia against the powerful AFL, NRL and A-League and our code shouldn't die in a beautiful country like Australia
4 Because players like Richie McCaw, Nonu, Conrad Smith, Mealamu, Woodcock have won a WC and too many Bledisloe Cups and players like Stephen Moore, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, David Pocock, Drew Mitchell, Kepu and others deserve win a WC.

In few words. In a long term, a loss of NZ can't be an issue for the popularity of the code in that country. In Australia the situation is very different. The Aussie Rugby Union with good health could be positive even for the Kiwis, a competitive Bledisloe Cup in Australia could make more money for both team. More money from Australian TV is more money for NZRU. Like the Japanese money in the Super Rugby. Our code should grow, in NZ can't grow more because is so popular. In Australia our code can make more fans and more money, that would be good for every rugby supporter around the world

 

[RoosTah]

With truckloads more money.
With the Institute of Sports backing that Aussie kindly let the Kiwi's borrow occasionally because we don't have any facilities of that quality because we can't afford it.
With your far greater catchment because you have 20 million people to our 4.5
... and yet we are begrudgers, nice one.

This isn't really accurate... in fact it's not even close.
- First up, Australia has a population of 20 million, but only NSW and Qld have any genuine rugby footprint from a developmental standpoint (Melbourne and the Force are populated by NSW/Qld players, plus a few foreigners). That gives Rugby a population base closer to 10 million in Australia.
- Secondly is the fact that Rugby is minuscule compared to Rugby League and AFL here. From a developmental standpoint NZ and Australia have roughly the same number of adults playing the game. Meanwhile, Super Rugby is only available on pay TV, which has a penetration rate below 30% and frankly most people even in NSW and Qld just know very little about the competition. As a point of refrence, when the Waratahs won the Super Rugby ***le last year, the epic home final at Olympic park only got 3/4 full and its ratings peaked at 600k (compared with the 4 million+ that watched the NRL and AFL GF's each year). These stats are important, as it leads to my final point: money.
- Third, the ARU are basically broke. The TV contracts they get for tests and Super Rugby are quite literally one tenth of what the AFL and NRL earn respectively (current deals). In fact the game got so poor last year that they instead of pouring money into clubs and development, they started asking for money BACK.

So from a resources standpoint NZ is arguably better off - Rugby is the national game, has a very strong and long standing two-tiered national competition that feeds into Super Rugby and its is prominent in the school system. In addition, the All Blacks are a global brand with massive recognition, meaning their promotion rights go for quite a lot more. Moreover, I've also read that the government directly subsidises the All Blacks, something why doesn't happen for the Wallabies.