Pool A - General discussion

[American Springbok]

Laughing at the USA is like laughing at the Bok "B-Team"....

omg roflmao.

Personally, I think the Boks will draw/beat England, making it Boks/England 1/2, setting up AWESOME matchups with England/AUS and SA/Wales.

However, the USA will beat Samoa and have a good chance against Tonga. They just need to get the ball out to the backs! Hercus, Emerick, and Ngwenya ftw!

 

[ws4life]

Laughing at the USA is like laughing at the Bok "B-Team"....

omg roflmao.

Personally, I think the Boks will draw/beat England, making it Boks/England 1/2, setting up AWESOME matchups with England/AUS and SA/Wales.

However, the USA will beat Samoa and have a good chance against Tonga. They just need to get the ball out to the backs! Hercus, Emerick, and Ngwenya ftw!

[/b]

U have USA to beat Samoa and Tonga?.... interesting. I see both Samoa and Tonga taking out the USA with USA best chance to come away with a win against the Tonganz. Who is this Ngwenya fella u speak of?

 

[Bullitt]

Laughing at the USA is like laughing at the Bok "B-Team"....

omg roflmao.

Personally, I think the Boks will draw/beat England, making it Boks/England 1/2, setting up AWESOME matchups with England/AUS and SA/Wales.

However, the USA will beat Samoa and have a good chance against Tonga. They just need to get the ball out to the backs! Hercus, Emerick, and Ngwenya ftw!

[/b]

Not to mention OMFG ChR1$ WyL3$!!!!!! !!! !111!ONE!11!


Sorry. Had to get that in... :bleh!:

 

[American Springbok]

Fair enough... my point is that the US will not be whipping boys to ALL teams in the group. We've definitely improved, and once our backline gets the ball, Tonga and Samoa watch out.... SA and England... carry on... I may be patriotic but I'm not delusional...

Oh, and Z Ngwenya is a developmental player who is ripping up the NA4 tournament. Methinks he's going to be a pick for the Eagles this year, and it'll be great to see some raw talent from North America at this year's cup.

Edit to my last post: US will beat Tonga, and have a chance against Samoa... I got it mixed up...

Reason: A nervous US beat Fiji last year. Tonga's best players are chanting the haka. The left overs are doing the Cipi-Tao and getting murdered by NZ in the same fashion as the US and Canada do. Tonga and Samoa have more of a rugby culture than the US and Canada, but thanks to our obscenely large athletic pool for all contact sports (most Americans start rugby after not making the college football team, and there's a LOT of those) we've evened the playing field somewhat... at least with second tier countries.

 

[ws4life]

Fair enough... my point is that the US will not be whipping boys to ALL teams in the group. We've definitely improved, and once our backline gets the ball, Tonga and Samoa watch out.... SA and England... carry on... I may be patriotic but I'm not delusional...

Oh, and Z Ngwenya is a developmental player who is ripping up the NA4 tournament. Methinks he's going to be a pick for the Eagles this year, and it'll be great to see some raw talent from North America at this year's cup.

Edit to my last post: US will beat Tonga, and have a chance against Samoa... I got it mixed up...

Reason: A nervous US beat Fiji last year. Tonga's best players are chanting the haka. The left overs are doing the Cipi-Tao and getting murdered by NZ in the same fashion as the US and Canada do. Tonga and Samoa have more of a rugby culture than the US and Canada, but thanks to our obscenely large athletic pool for all contact sports (most Americans start rugby after not making the college football team, and there's a LOT of those) we've evened the playing field somewhat... at least with second tier countries. [/b]

Huh??? uh I think the last time they played was at the RWC 03 and they lost (only just thanks to hercus's conversion going wide). Anyway nothing wrong with aith in ur team. I do hope ur right though, I would like to c them b competitive in Pool A (except against Samoa )

 

[golasso]

(most Americans start rugby after not making the college football team, and there's a LOT of those) we've evened the playing field somewhat... at least with second tier countries. [/b]

Reminds me of one of my fantasies where I have $300 million dollars to pay 45 NFL players to quit gridiron and train rugby fulltime for 18 months and then go on tour.



I never thought about the not making the football team angle -- I wish more college rugby programs emphasized that (maybe they do -- I've been out a while). When I get my friends who played football to come watch rugby, they are always impressed and intrigued (and confused).

 

[adam31]

I think USA could get out of the 2nd round this year.

 

[Italic]

South Africa
England
Samoa
Tonga
USA

That's my prediction anyway.

 

[SPIDER18]

I think USA could get out of the 2nd round this year. [/b]

if you mean make the quarter finals then your wrong they won't beat eng or sa.

 

[titokuwaru]

<div class='quotemain'> I think USA could get out of the 2nd round this year. [/b]

if you mean make the quarter finals then your wrong they won't beat eng or sa.
[/b][/quote]
i hope the samoans smash the pommies they have not looked like a top international team for years now. 1st sa 2nd samoa

 

[Prestwick]

Samoa won't beat England, I think people are getting a wee bit too far ahead of themselves when they start saying "smash the pommies!" and tripe like that.

South Africa, coming back nursing a bruised pride might just a bridge too far. Meh, we'll wait and see. It all depends on what England bring to the table in regards to their reformed pack, I'd like to see how well the pack mostly drawn from Wasps would perform against SH opposition because it has performed pretty damn well so far against other European opposition.

 

[Fa'atau82]

It's most likely that Samoa will bother SA but won't come near a win, and that England will find Samoa a handful and will have to be at their very best to contain Samoa.

Tonga will get hit badly by both England and SA i think, but for parts of the game they will show tongan rugby is improving as quick as the other islands. As for Tonga-USA, this is a tough one. I'd fancy Tonga to bash the living daylights out of the US, but the score wont be too high for Tonga. Samoa vs Tonga is a non-contest recently and the last 2 times they played, Tonga have put 1 try past Samoa in a 26-0 and 50-5 defeat in the PNC. Tonga will be tough, but Samoa should outlast them.

I am sure England will get a hit from SA, and so will Tonga and US, and probably Samoa, meaning that it is how well Samoa show improvement against England from previous years. They have the experience now to face England and know what can happen when you are winning, and i think Samoa genuinely can win.

Prediction

1. SA
2. Samoa
3. England
4. Tonga
5. USA

 

[Steven]

<div align="center">
</span>

[/b][/quote]



South Africa is a strong team and they will be hard to beat

 

[Substitute]

I think SA-England will be a lot closer than most people think. I still think SA will win.

As for Samoa a bonus-point defeat, albeit with a period when they were in the lead, does not mean they will bet England. To be honest both England and Samoa have gone backwards (my opinion - feel free to disagree). Samoa have an excuse money, England well...

My point is, as well as Samoa performed a while back, they won't beat England. Samoa don't have the quality, they'll make a go of it, but ultimately they'll fall short (They'll still finish 3rd).

 

[walkzzter]

South Africa
England
Samoa
USA
Tonga

My prediction :bleh!:

 

[Bull]

1. Bokke
2. England
3. Samoa
4. Yanks
5. Tonga

The Boks will use their "B" teams against the likes of Samoa, Tonga and the US.

 

[chrisdaniels]

in my mind, South Africa will take top, with england claiming second! Samoa will just miss out again, finishing third, with Tonga coming at the rear!


South Africa
England
Samoa
USA
Tonga

that is my prediction

 

[Henry Penry]

Its gonna be a hard 1 Sa vs Eng but remember its Nothern Hemisphere so Eng got a bit of an advantage

 

[P0IS0N]

Samoa won't beat England, I think people are getting a wee bit too far ahead of themselves when they start saying "smash the pommies!" and tripe like that.[/b]

Would you put your life on it?
England is way out of shape. They went downhill after the last WC, and they don't seem to be coming back soon. All Samoa needs is a bit of luck, and to get the ball out of the scrums. England will just kick it away.

 

[Bullitt]

You say that like Samoa are doing brilliantly. I'd be supprised if they get any wins of their warm up tour against Quins or Saints.

Okay, maybe they'll beat Saints... But even Sale can do that.