BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release

Subject: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,Eddie1
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 07:49 AM

Press Release
International Rugby Board (IRB) Rugby World Cup 2007
Following complaints to the IRB about the All Blacks being allowed to motivate themselves by performing the 'Haka' before their games,other nations were asked to suggest pre-match rituals of their own. The IRB Rugby World Cup 2007 Organizing Committee has now agreed
to the following pre-match displays:
1) The England team will chat about the weather, wave hankies in the air and attach bells to their ankles before moaning about how they invented the game and gave it to the world, but no one appreciates them.
2) The Scotland team will chant "You lookin' at me Jimmy?" before each of them smash a bottle of beer over their opponents' heads.
3) The Ireland team will split into two, with the Southern half performing a Riverdance, while the Northerners march the Traditional route from their dressing room to the pitch, via their opponents dressing room.
4) Unfortunately the Committee was unable to accept the Welsh proposal to form a choir and sing Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual".
5) Argentina will unexpectedly invade a small part of opposition territory, claim it as their own "Las In-Goals-Areas" and have to be forcibly removed by the match stewards.
6) Two members of the South African team will claim to be more important than the other 13 whom they will imprison between the posts. These two will then go about selecting the best parts of the pitch to settle on and claim that they have been there for centuries.
7) The Americans will not attend until almost full time. In future years they will amend the records to show that they were in fact the most important team in the tournament and Hollywood will make a blockbuster fi lm called 'Saving Flanker Ryan'.
8) Five of the Canadian team will sing La Marseillaise and hold the rest of the team to ransom.
9) The Italian team will arrive in Armani gear, sexually harass the female offi cials and then prepare pasta dishes, which they will flog to the crowd for a fortune.
10) The Japanese will shock fans buy demonstrating how to capture a whale for scientifi c research buy harpooning an opposition prop.
11) The French won't have a pre-match display and will simply hide in fear in the dressing room for the whole match.
12) The Australians will have a BBQ on their side of the fi eld and invite the opposition over before the game. The food and alcohol will be in abundance and by the start of the game no-one will remember what they came to the stadium for. After some streaking, the singing of dirty songs and the occasional chunder everyone will go home thoroughly convinced it was a bloody
good night.
.13) Samoa will prepare a huge feast in the middle of the pitch by digging a large hole and fi lling it with burning embers. They invite
the opposition over by saying, "We'd like to have you for dinner". It's only when the opposition get to the pit that they realize there is no meat and that they are the dinner!
Hopefully, with these policies now in place, further problems is this area of the game should cease to exist.
Regards,
Syd Miller
IRB Chairman
THE INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BOARD
Huguenot House 35-38 St Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Ireland
Tel: [phone] • FAX: [phone]

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,jimmy
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 07:52 AM

excellent !

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 08:25 AM

Hitting the nail on the head, well done.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 12:46 PM

Brilliant well done.


Scooby.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: gnu
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 04:04 PM

Hahahahaaa... excellent!

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: artbrooks
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 04:28 PM

The Mexican team comes in behind a Mariachi band, with each player wearing a green, white and red sombrero and clutching a 2-litre bottle of Cuervo Gold tequila. Uh-oh...looks like they may not be able to field a full team; a couple of their members apparently snuck across the border. Has anyone checked the US team to see if they are all legal?

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: skipy
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 06:32 PM

The Isle of man team have failed at the scruteneer for have 3 legs each!
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,John O'L
Date: 21 Sep 07 - 07:21 PM

It's good to see the RU making changes that actually bebefit the game for once. (Unlike the new scumaging rules).
This will have the All-Blacks scratching their heads.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 22 Sep 07 - 07:30 AM

That is brilliant!

Well done Eddie.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,ifor
Date: 22 Sep 07 - 03:50 PM

and of course the welsh team will sing "we 'll keep a welcome in the hillside"
ifor

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Morticia
Date: 22 Sep 07 - 06:10 PM

Just sent that to one or two friends, thanks!

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 07 Oct 07 - 05:09 PM

Well done England and France, my predictions were right regarding who would do best of the six nations and England out-muscled the Aussies and France proved themselves stronger than the All -Blacks. Like many others I was proved wrong regarding who would win, New Zealand were a huge disappointment throwing away a 13 points lead, shoving it up your jersey proved their undoing, this has certainly been the worst World Cup for open play, the big boot and heavyweight wrestling has come out on top.
England are in with a good chance of retaining the Cup, this is their type of rugger.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Oct 07 - 06:22 PM

But there's still Argentina for open play.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,Ard Mhacha
Date: 08 Oct 07 - 10:53 AM

McGrath this Argentine team are the most boring team in the Cup, and that is saying a lot when we have seen the muscle men in the packs dictating all, apart from the kicker in the tree-quarter lines, the rest of the backs are unemployed.
I have been watching rugby a long time but open play is a rarity in this CUP, the bottom line is, who cares, winning ugly will do, what a pity Ireland couldn`t win ugly, but never with those paper-weight forwards, winning is everything ask any England fan.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 08 Oct 07 - 06:37 PM

ask any England fan. Why?

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 09 Oct 07 - 05:27 AM

McGrath why?, winning by any means is perfect for your team, England fans will be laughing at the other Celtic nations whose powder-puff forwards let them down,winning ugly is forgotten about when that Cup is raised overhead, ask any FAN.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Big Phil
Date: 09 Oct 07 - 06:00 AM

The all Blacks had no need to play ugly rugby, they had the players to play the "open" game but chose not to.

England do have a great chance, because their pack are a pack of men, not boys, but I fear they may be defeated by a quick ball handling/running side, the Froggies spring to mind.........Hope I am wrong.......

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Oct 07 - 06:46 AM

a quick ball handling/running side,

You mean a side playing real rugby?

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Les from Hull
Date: 09 Oct 07 - 02:02 PM

Yes, Ard Macha, Ireland need forwards of the Raging Potato type. England could find it difficult against France at home, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 09 Oct 07 - 02:42 PM

Big Phil you are right, New Zealand were a disgrace they were capable of playing an expansive game but choose to use their forwards. This was likely the Manager`s decision during the half-time break, holding a ten point lead looked to be enough,well done the French for battling back against all of the odds.
Picking a winner between England and France won`t be easy, the bookies have France strong favourites at 7-2 on, the bookie nearly always get it right, this time those odd look ridiculous, I fancy South Africa to beat Argentina and to come out as overall winners.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 05:14 PM

So it turned out the odds were ridiculous, once again the art of winning ugly was demonstrated in full by England, France were gradually ground down and the ever reliable boot of Wilkinson proved to be a winner.
I can safely say that this was the worst World Cup game I have seen, I only wish it were Ireland winning ugly.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 06:45 PM

France were gradually ground down Not what I saw. England snatched a victory in the last few minutes and managed to hold on to it, but I don't think they'd have been able to do so if they'd had to do so for much longer.

It really is a crazy game though. Basically like something that could have been dreamed up for Ripping Yarns. Systematised scragging.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 05:43 AM

McGrath watching games like these would drive people to watch US Football, that is how bad this World Cup is, the backs have joined he ranks of the unemployed.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: mandotim
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 06:07 AM

I was a forward in my playing days; only people who don't understand the finer arts (some would say 'black arts') of forward play would see this World Cup as poor quality. There are fifteen men on a team, and not just seven backs. This competition has proved that the best backs in the world won't win matches behind a beaten pack. Attacking back play is only one element of the game, and historically it has been rare as a winning strategy on its own. Forward control and rock-solid defence has always been the foundation of winning sides, even those lauded for their back play. Just throwing the ball around in the backs gets you Fiji, who can win at sevens but not the full game, depite their fine showing in this Cup. Their seems to be a romantic (Celtic???) notion that a game is only 'good' if the backs score all the points with sweeping moves from inside their own half. Watch closer, and see the skill and technique employed up front.
Tim (The son of a hooker, although my Mum doesn't like it when I say so)

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 04:09 AM

That try the French gave away free in the first couple of minutes proved to be the winning margin. That plus the destruction of the French scrum (as it started), forcing them to bring on the big guns (especially Chabal) too early. He would probably have got that try late on had he been fresher. I think South Africa will be seriously worried now, as England will have learned from their previous caning.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 05:35 AM

Man dear, but some peoples idea of a good game is a forward battle won by the team with the best kicker, this World Cup has been devoid of open play. I know what I prefer and it isn`t a return to Jurascic Park.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 05:45 PM

I think you would just prefer any play as long as Ireland was involved, Ard. Sorry, they just didn't make the grade:-P

:D

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 04:36 AM

Believe it or not, I didn`t give Ireland a chance, my previous postings on another World Cup Thread will confirm this, I said then that France and England offered the best hopes for the northern hemisphere teams.
Be it whatever country I prefer to see Rugby played with the backs being used.
England reaching the Final with a one dimensional side was a great achievement, they played to their strengths and in the latter stages stuck rigidly to their game plan, This has not been a World Cup for the neutral observer, this will be no concern for the followers of England, you are correct when you say Ireland or any other country would take England`s place, this dosen`t alter the fact that the Rugby has been brutal.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 04:43 AM

Just another point which may give the England fans a boost, in the Soccer World Cup in 1954 the then West German team were thrashed by a brilliant Hungarian team 8 goals to 3, this was in the preliminary section, when the two sides met in the Final the Hungarians despite leading by 2-0 lost 3-2. England can look back on the 35-0 defeat to South Africa and take heart from this.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 03:22 PM

Funnily enough I didn't give England much chance and bow to your greater knowledge of the game, Ard! What do I know - I was dragged up in Swinton/Salford and believed that the only Rugby game was the one with 13 men! I didn't even predict that well and backed St Helens in the challenge cup. But what else could I do - support a Yorkshire side;-)

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: 8_Pints
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 06:37 AM

To me the "best" open game was the Fiji vs Wales game which certainly had me on the edge of my seat!

Bob vG

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: gnu
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 01:28 PM

Well, how ever it happened, I will be cheering England on from start to finish.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 02:22 PM

Does everyone know what the England teams' anthem is btw?

The Gambler. Honestly! Kenny Rogers has even becoe a fan.

D.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,Elfcall
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 03:24 AM

Dave

St Helens DID win the Challenge Cup this year. It was the SL Grand Final where they came unstuck.

Elfcall

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: PMB
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 04:06 AM

And Salford got regulated!

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Gurney
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 11:34 PM

Regulated?   How many referees were there?

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Oct 07 - 04:02 AM

Damn! You are of course quite right Elfcall. Like I said - what do I know.

PMB - Sssssshhhhhhh.

At least Swinton didn't. They can't get much lower...

:-(

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: CET
Date: 19 Oct 07 - 07:23 PM

Well, just to get back to the thread title, a dig at Canada's linguistic make up is fair game, but the idea that French speaking Canadians would sing the Marseillaise is just damn silly. I'm not sure the Samoans would get a bick chuckle out of the suggestion that they practise cannibalism either.

I will be cheering for England tomorrow, but part of me wishes I could see Chabal and Dominici et al.

Edmund

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: gnu
Date: 19 Oct 07 - 07:36 PM

Yes, lad. Me Mum would SKELP anyone that would say same. And she is as LeBlanc Acadian as they come... true Canadian.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 04:03 AM

For all the rugger-buggers, an apt quote from Rudyard Kiplingm " The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack", think, England`s forwards and Jonny Wilkinson.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: skipy
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 01:39 PM

Shirt is on, off to the club.
COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 01:47 PM

South Africa will win.I dont support England as they hate the Celts.


Scooby.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 02:17 PM

You'd be hard pressed to find five Canadians who know the words to "La Marseillaise." I think their choice would be "Gens du pays."

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: folk1e
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 05:56 PM

OH NOOOOO
We lost, but did it in true Brit style (2 stupid penalties given away and a try that was too close to call((even on video))!
Well done the 'Box

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: skipy
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 07:03 PM

That try, was a try!
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Lanfranc
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 09:24 PM

Alas, by my understanding of the Laws, it wasn't, skipy! Viewed from the rear, it was clear that his left foot went into touch a fraction of a second before the ball touched the ground. Ergo, no try. How a ref could have called that convincingly in the days before video referees, God knows...

It was a Northern Hemisphere vs Southern Hemisphere struggle, and the south won with the better team who made less mistakes! One thing this World Cup has proved is that Argentina deserves to be admitted into the ranks of premier Rugby-playing nations and a place will have to be found for them in another of the international competitions.

Once again, Rugby has proved what an over-hyped, over-paid and ultimately boring game the one played with a round ball has degenerated into! The only things Wilkinson and Beckham have in common is that both are injury-prone and, on a good day, both can perform amazing feats with their feet. However, neither of them is worth the ludicrous sums that the Beckham hype is able to command, as LA is discovering to their cost and chagrin.

Roll on 2011!

Alan

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,Bardan
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 09:46 PM

Ah well, good match in fairness. Well done to the springbocks. I'm bloody glad we got to the finals, and the better team won on the day.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: GUEST,Whitbread
Date: 21 Oct 07 - 05:54 AM

All credit to South Africa. At least we won't have to watch the highlights from now to Christmas !

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: ard mhacha
Date: 21 Oct 07 - 06:02 AM

Ashton has found the winning formula for next season, kick the ball into the air and let his N-Men forwards loose, God help Rugby if this is applied next season.
This was bloody boring for the neutral.

Subject: RE: BS: Rugby World Cup - Press Release
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Oct 07 - 07:41 AM

I thought the 'boks were the better team from the snatches I saw between acts at the festival but, as I said before, what do I know!

I think I may know more that the great dane who says I dont support England as they hate the Celts. Wonder where that amazing leap of logic and non-sensical stereotyping came from?

:D