[RWC2023] Wales vs Fiji (10/09/2023)

[Welsh Exile]

yeah Fiji were on the wrong side of a few bad calls and were unlucky but they weren't robbed. They should've still won the game but they made mistakes which was on them at the end of the day.

Everyone loves Fiji so understandable some "neutrals" were annoyed"

 

[General Melchett]

Wales definitely get the brunt of it on this forum. It's something I've tried to take into account when posting.

I wanted Fiji to win, they play more entertaining rugby, absolutely no denying that. But I try to keep my digs consistent with what I would for other teams, apart from Scotland, I'm way harsher on those guys.

Yeah at times you've almost convinced me that we're just a bunch of mentally fragile bottle jobs with a powder puff pack and a flaky show pony of a fly half. Personally I think that's a bit harsh on Ben Healy who's still new to the international scene.

 

[Joe 90]

It's also really quite awkward for World Rugby as to when this terrible performance happened. I've not seen a performance so bad from a referee since Bryce Lawrence in 2011, but that was (for better or for worse) at the quarter final stage and World Rugby could just decide on other refs than him from picking him, and then he was completely phased out from elite panels within a year (and of course there was some really unfortunate backlash that he received).

This is the first round. World Rugby have Carley to ref two more games (France vs Namibia, New Zealand vs Italy). But really we would want him yanked out of the rotation.

I really thought the main ref that may be responsible for a bottle job would be Andrew Brace… I guess he could still do that. *Looks up who he is assigned to ref in the group stages* - Oh, of course Andrew Brace is assigned to Australia vs Fiji… of course he is. (Also England vs Samoa, why have we trusted this man with some of the biggest games in terms of upset potential)

Well said......That match last night had refereeing that was an absolute disgrace and the bit that really sticks, is that it was all so expected and obvious.

 

[saulan]

One thing reading posts on this forum, is that there aren't any non-Welsh neutral fans when it comes to Wales playing - especially in home nations supporters. I also usually support the underdogs but since so many hark on about rankings these days... weren't Wales the underdogs?

Fiji, based on resources and where they've been the last 12 years are the underdog story that are performing well and remain a tier 2 nation. Wales are in a strong domestic league and in a prestigious tier 1 annual tournament (6N). Those kind of match ups, the support will always be for that "underdog" team. Don't take it personally, it's not about Wales. It was the same for Japan vs SA in 2015, was the same for England vs Fiji and Samoa vs Ireland two weeks ago, and it will be the same for Fiji vs Australia.

Anyway, moot point... not asking any of you to support Wales, but I can sense the seething frustration by many of you about how that match went down.
For me, glad we won. And ALL of you would be the same if it was your team in these circumstances.

The frustration isn't with Wales, their Defence statistics speak for themselves and they played what they could do. The frustration is very much pointed at Carley, as he enabled all of that. Even Welsh attempts at time wasting, it's Carley's job to call that out and stop it.

I've played against an Army side full of Fijians and everything hurt. Like hell. They are true warriors. Im pretty sure I blacked out a few times as well

I see your Fijian army opposition and raise you playing a full second team game in 35 degrees against Paarl Boys High, to then have to replace an injured lock 5 minutes into the first team game with the opposition featuring Frans Malherbe. But yea, Wales bodies are going to be seriously achey today, those Fijians were running super hard.

 

[Which Tyler]

concatenation

I just want to provide some kudos for using this word, in what I presume is your second language.

And also to say that I didn't have to google it to see if it meant what it looked like it meant - or was even a "real" word in English. Not at all. Erm...

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Wales definitely get the brunt of it on this forum. It's something I've tried to take into account when posting.

I have to disagree with this. You can feel the forum uniting against some nations when they get to play. Wales ain't one of them.
Bah, maybe it's just me, but i dont think so. Australians have it 10x worse imo and half the board is waiting for NZ to miss something, anything, to lay the smack on them. England too, but the English are quite a few so the effect appears to be diluted.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

To an extent, I get it. We don't make many friends with the way we play and I at the best of times wish a lot of my fellow country men wouldn't throw stones inside our small glass house. I do hope we could win a big profile match at some point without an ounce of scrutiny or talking points. But there's always something. I will always take the win no matter what but for once just for it to be 100% deserved without any controversy.

I will hold my hand up to being one of the ones dishing it out to Wales a lot, unfairly at times (experiences back at uni when Wales were doing well). But having lived with 2 welshmen + others in a house share I'd like to think it's changed a bit. I don't begrudge Wales for what they are doing (other than the faking injury stuff which is just pathetic) but the standard of reffing around a lot of Wales games. That's not the fault of the Welsh at all, hell maybe you lot are going on a highly successful charm offensive, but it does seem baffling at times.

Credit needs to go to Wales in that it was a vastly improved performance and Wales did play well, it's just it feels like it wasn't a case of something right on a knife edge where a single 50/50 decision lost the game (eg Wales vs England where they spent about 15 minutes trying to work out if Adams or Williams had grounded the ball against us, ultimately deciding the game) but a series of multiple, pretty blatantly wrong decisions, all of which could easily have changed the result of the game.

As an English fan listening to how we always pay off the refs every time we win from the cesspit of social media, I appreciate it is grating to have every victory denigrated due to ref performance. That said, most games seem to involve controversy now and I think it is a statement about the state of ref performances rather than necessarily the teams involved. Annoyingly Rassie had a point, the issue was he framed it as the whole world is out to get SA rather than more generally making a statement about the inconsistency.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

in what I presume is your second language.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Yeah at times you've almost convinced me that we're just a bunch of mentally fragile bottle jobs with a powder puff pack and a flaky show pony of a fly half. Personally I think that's a bit harsh on Ben Healy who's still new to the international scene.

That team just gets under my skin. Great fans though, had incredible fun in Murrayfield and expect the same in Paris in a few weeks.

Healy is Scotland and Munster, I could never be too harsh even if I tried...

 

[MattGaff]

Really? The anti Wales card?

Just my perception I guess. I'm not offended, just feel that the majority, if not all non-Welsh here really wanted Fiji to win. Maybe to gloat, maybe to see a Welsh melt down? I don't know? But it seems the referring wound up people here more than say Fiji were playing Georgia who would have got a better response on here?!

 

[Joe 90]

When is the Rugby World gonna wake up, to the fact that the Tier 2 nations are just not being allowed to get anywhere near the top table.......This has been going on for decades and still it happens....witness last nights digrace of a refereeing game between Wales and Fiji...the bias was out of control. Fiji had a kickable penalty awarded against them at the start of each half...which basically said u ain't gonna be allowed to win and sure enough they weren't.

A one off might be explained away as bad luck, but not every World Cup.....which is what has been happening for cup after cup.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Just my perception I guess. I'm not offended, just feel that the majority, if not all non-Welsh here really wanted Fiji to win. Maybe to gloat, maybe to see a Welsh melt down? I don't know? But it seems the referring wound up people here more than say Fiji were playing Georgia who would have got a better response on here?!

Fair enough. You have to understand that the Welsh are somewhat overrepresented here. Not a single Fijian poster. Forums tend to work on dialogues of sorts, so I guess it's almost natural for the non welsh to assume the voice of those who are missing. I don't see any anti-welsh sentiment, none at all.

 

[General Melchett]

I have to disagree with this. You can feel the forum uniting against some nations when they get to play. Wales ain't one of them.
Bah, maybe it's just me, but i dont think so. Australians have it 10x worse imo and half the board is waiting for NZ to miss something, anything, to lay the smack on them. England too, but the English are quite a few so the effect appears to be diluted.

I think the anti Wales sentiment on here is more apparent during the 6N. Scots aren't too far behind. Ireland and England have some kind of weird 'get a room' love in going on - probably due to Andy Farrell.

 

[Joe 90]

Just my perception I guess. I'm not offended, just feel that the majority, if not all non-Welsh here really wanted Fiji to win. Maybe to gloat, maybe to see a Welsh melt down? I don't know? But it seems the referring wound up people here more than say Fiji were playing Georgia who would have got a better response on here?!

It's the fact that it happens to all Tier 2 countries, whenever they threaten a Tier 1.

 

[Groundhog]

I have to disagree with this. You can feel the forum uniting against some nations when they get to play. Wales ain't one of them.
Bah, maybe it's just me, but i dont think so. Australians have it 10x worse imo and half the board is waiting for NZ to miss something, anything, to lay the smack on them. England too, but the English are quite a few so the effect appears to be diluted.

I think there's a pretty large contingent of people myself included who don't really post on SH matchday threads, World Cups or Autumn Internationals aside, and vice versa I'm sure. So if the Aussie thing is true I don't see too much of it.

For me, the Welsh get a pretty supreme ribbing on here especially around 6N times, which is a natural consequence of the forum having a v large English contingent. I don't apologize for it though, it's very mostly banter.

I personally enjoy ribbing the Scots these days. It's good honest work.

 

[TommiG88]

Just my perception I guess. I'm not offended, just feel that the majority, if not all non-Welsh here really wanted Fiji to win. Maybe to gloat, maybe to see a Welsh melt down? I don't know? But it seems the referring wound up people here more than say Fiji were playing Georgia who would have got a better response on here?!

I think because it's a big game which could decide the final positions. If this was any other big game I suspect it would have been a similar reaction

 

[Derpus]

Congrats to Wales for hanging on to grab the win.

Not specific to this match thread but I'm looking forward to the day when artificial intelligence replaces the following:

1. TMO
2. On field officials
3. Selective TV Directors
4. World Rugby

5. Rugby players

 

[TommiG88]

I won't deny it, I will always favour anyone over Wales and Scotland.

Wales - because at uni in the late 00ies they were good, and anyone with a slight bit of welsh ancestry in them would start claiming they're welsh yet never stepping foot in the country.

Scotland - because I was abused at Murrayfield by a very angry Scot's man who poured his Guinness on my chair and back when England scored.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Let me see if I understand this correctly.
I'll break it down a bit, just for ilustration purposes:

1) anti Welsh sentiment by non welsh when Wales is playing
2) anti NZ sentiment when the ABs are playing by non-kiwis
3) anti Eng sentiment when Eng is playing by non-Engs

So you're saying that 1) is more prevalent/stronger than 2) or 3), correct?

Sorry, i don't see that. At all.

 

[MattGaff]

I won't deny it, I will always favour anyone over Wales and Scotland.

Wales - because at uni in the late 00ies they were good, and anyone with a slight bit of welsh ancestry in them would start claiming they're welsh yet never stepping foot in the country.

Scotland - because I was abused at Murrayfield by a very angry Scot's man who poured his Guinness on my chair and back when England scored.

I went to Uni in Hull in early 00's and got a mixed bag. Anyone from the south would try to wind me up or lay on the 'banter'. Anyone from the North treated me better as we share a working man's background for rugby (miners basically)... and the locals more of a love in because of Clive Sullivan.