Sports Banter.

Had Poland and Greece at 1-1 in our Promotion
Also have Russia 2-0 against the Czechs so lets hope it stays that way

Originally posted by HollyMichelle
Had Poland and Greece at 1-1 in our Promotion
Also have Russia 2-0 against the Czechs so lets hope it stays that way

Jinxed myself the Czechs just pulled one back

I have Russia 2-1, decent match so far. Really disappointed with poland, looked so promising early on.

Originally posted by pyure
I have Russia 2-1, decent match so far. Really disappointed with poland, looked so promising early on.

I dunno they looked alright some really nice control and passing and good at creating chances, they just sucked huge balls when it came to finishing the chances

Originally posted by Waiboy
Not sure I'll get to post closer to the time, so with ~28hrs to go I'll just wish you good luck Ireland.

PS LeBron James is an f'ing beast.

Demoralising but great to watch NZ play rugby.No hope of ever reaching that standard over here.Simple as that.BOD says a win over the ABs will happen whether on this tour or the next 20 years.What a thing to say but i would take that 20 years now.

I am too afraid to look at the final result ♦

Yep, I hate to say it but the AB's looked like they could still go up a couple gears.

Cracking day of sport, with the Welsh up next, followed by England and the footie tonight. Plus, Fed Ex golf and the tennis in between. May need a lie down, knackered just reading about it!

Originally posted by HollyMichelle
I am too afraid to look at the final result ♦

42-10

Originally posted by ExternalUseOnly

Originally posted by pyure
I have Russia 2-1, decent match so far. Really disappointed with poland, looked so promising early on.

I dunno they looked alright some really nice control and passing and good at creating chances, they just sucked huge balls when it came to finishing the chances

I thought the Russians looked sharp, but if I was an Arsenal fan I'd be raging, as Arshavin was different gravy! Typical modern day diva footballer, turns it on when he wants to and sulks if things not going his way.

And WTF is it with all these sleeve tattoos? Do they have to copy Beckham?

Originally posted by 1984ioc
You still up for getting a fantasy league up and running Mark?We probably need to get a new thread going for it with rules and what not in the opening post if you can do that.Haven't done fantasy stuff before and i know you have so can you set a few guidelines and thoughts going so we can get our thinking caps on.

@Waiboy Are you in hiding already with the tour only a week away?Do you know something that we don't on this side of the world.I see history in the making soon!

Spoiler

but not on the tour of New Zealand

Ferris is out but generally a strong enough squad.Don't know how things are in NZ and with England too Mark but rugby players careers are getting shorter and so many enforced retirements happening nowadays.Countless players in Ireland have had to hang up their boots this year alone and i know Ferris and Cian Healy are now on restricted training regimes to prolong theirs and to try and keep their bodies in some sort of shape.

Anyway i look forward to the tests and England v SA should also be very interesting.

Mate, did we get anything sorted re: the fantasy footie? I've been off for a week, cheers.

Originally posted by 1984ioc

Spoiler

Nothing sorted Mark but all good.England beaten by a score i see.Haven't seen any highlights yet nor from the Welsh game.Scotland the only successful NH team this week

LOL! I was gonna post the exact same picture ♦

Obv couldn't find one with him fist pumping

I forgot to do a Euro Fantasy Team!

NOT HAPPY

Originally posted by HollyMichelle

LOL! I was gonna post the exact same picture ♦

Obv couldn't find one with him fist pumping

♦ I knew you would appreciate that one Gary.How are the nerves for tom?Bad feeling we are going to lose 3-0.Croatia just so technically gifted with Jelavic in top form and Modric lurking,it could be a long night.Need to get to half time 0-0 and then hopefully they become frustrated.Andrews to score if we do get one.Nothing turns my stomach more then Ireland in a big finals.Can't handle the stress at all even when expectations aren't much.

Originally posted by MattDenness
I forgot to do a Euro Fantasy Team!

NOT HAPPY

take Germany!
they play fantastic

Originally posted by HollyMichelle
Not looking forward to getting our asses handed on a plate for the umpteenth time at the hands of the ABs!

Might as well concede already... GG Wai!

Eerily prescient.

Originally posted by 1984ioc

Originally posted by Waiboy
Not sure I'll get to post closer to the time, so with ~28hrs to go I'll just wish you good luck Ireland.

Demoralising but great to watch NZ play rugby.No hope of ever reaching that standard over here.Simple as that.BOD says a win over the ABs will happen whether on this tour or the next 20 years.What a thing to say but i would take that 20 years now.

To be fair, he was trying to say he expected a win v the ABs, but didn't want to sound like a twat and/or open up the obvious comeback which is he hadn't beaten the ABs in his whole career to that point, so how could he seriously expect to beat them in the near future?

As for the match, I don't think it's unfair to say Ireland were lucky to stay as close as they did. The ABs found just short of the line on 3 or 4 occasions where they failed to capitalise on line breaks, and Ireland's try was probably a 14 point turnaround as the ABs looked rampant at the time.

I have to say I couldn't for the life of me understand what Ireland were trying to do. Certainly their kicking was poor, but also I thought they didn't trust their forward pack enough. It's obviously tough losing the likes of Ferris and POC and harshly exposes a lack of depth. Ireland have only one option, go the 10 man rugby route - harry, niggle and go balls out around the fringes of rucks/malls. They'll cop a hiding in the media for resorting to that style of play, but it's the only way they can keep in the match for a longer period of time. Perhaps they can look for opportunities to get expansive, but the sheer bulk of their game plan needs to be negative.

It looks like Ireland are completely outgunned in set phase, and the ABs will get better for the game they've had. The ABs traditionally start the International season poorly - and from here on in they'll drop into their patterns of play better The only way to contain them is try everything possible to interrupt those patterns. As much as the jersey pulling is on the lower side of tactics to employ, it's probably moving toward the type of tactics that give Ireland the best chance of staying in the match.

@ Wales/Aussie: WTF? What the hell was all that kicking from Priestland? You've got a three quarter line of Roberts, North, Cuthberston and Halfpenney and you spend all your time putting up half arsed worthless kicks? Really disappointing from the 6 Nations champs.

@ SA/England: Didn't see the game, but on hearing Steyn kicked 17 points and England scored late in the game I get the feeling I didn't miss too much. The best thing about this series for England is that they'll get a real measure of where their rugby stands on the back of this series and on watching the SA performance in the upcoming 'Rugby Championship'.

@Waiboy Talk from the Irish camp all week was that the only way to beat the All Blacks is to attack and use our backs as much as possible.There was 7 Leinster players starting so i don't think they could resort to the forward game you were on about especially missing Ferris and POC.I really fear the next 2 tests.NZ are playing with such confidence now that ye are WC champs and that any lingering doubt that was in their heads pre WC is now gone.Domination for the foreseeable future is all i see.

What good will this tour do Ireland now?Any confidence carried on from the HC success of Leinster will quickly vanish and it's back to the same old,same old.8th in the rankings at the moment with the draw for the next WC coming up.Not a great place to be.

England and Wales will be better placed in the next tests i think though England have the altitude to deal with also.I do expect either or both to get some positive results over the next few weeks.

I hate to say it but the AB's 2nds would beat all NH test teams. Wales are not the team that everyone makes them out to be, not when you have a 10 such as Preistland. To be brutally honest, I cant see IRE/WAL/ENG winning a single test between them.

The England match was the typical mind-numbingly, smash it up the middle and boot it long affair, with rugby occasionally threatening to break out. At my count in Eng's starting 15 there were 2 Safa's, a Samoan and a Kiwi.

How can this be? Until the our respective Unions address the issue of overseas players, I cant see the any NH team wining a test series in the SH. Take Ulster for example, with the addition of a couple of talented Safas and a decent Kiwi prop, they make the final of the Heni!

Surely with the amount of registered professional players in the English game, there most be a talent pool big enough to be able to select 15 home grown players? I'm not being a typical xenophobic Brit, but there is something badly wrong. The whole junior/academy set ups, need to be looked at, we need to start a fresh and maybe, just maybe, we can begin to produce players who can run the ball, whilst thinking on their feet!