Incredible match yesterday. Hard to criticise anyone really, except for O'Gara who is a knob. He was a little bit unlucky to gett done for taking the man out but then why didn't he just jump? If he'd jumped as well it would have been ok.

Rob Kearney was a machine. That's the best performance I've ever seen from him. He looked world class.

I know I don't get why he just stood there. No idea what he was playing at really. Not gonna go and say that he cost us the game but fucking hell. I think he's past it at international level now tbh, he's so weak in defence too. That Sexston should come through as the Irish fly half, he was quality for Leinster this season.

Yeah he got clobbered when missing the tackle for SA's 3rd try. Not happy with him, he's a different player for Munster and I've never really trusted him for Ireland. Sexton has been impressive, really glad he stepped up in the latter stages of the Heineken Cup and was probably MoM in the final. Shows he has guts, something I think O'Gara has always lacked.

Im with ECG and think he was a bit hard done by tbh, wasnt like he really made any great effort to hurt the jumper.

But I think he (Ref) gave out a few like that didnt he? So at least it was consistent that if you infringe in the slightest on the jumping player you know your gonna get done.

I was more impressed with the Boks kicking tbh, I know they missed a couple early but my god some of those shots were monsters.

Pienaar's kicking was absolutely shit yesterday. I'd have taken him off and just told Du Preezs to do fly and scrum half, pretty much was anyway.

Jonah Lomu to sign with Marseille Vitrolles.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news...ectid=10581331

Well, I thought the big guy was done. Welcome back, again.

Might sell a few shirts for the minnow I guess.

He should play in the loose forwards.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/i...-Nations-games

Burger banned for 8 weeks. Serves him right. PDV should be banned as well for supporting it.

Morne Steyn will do just fine in the position. Never mind his kicking against the Lions, He kicked 4 drop goals in the super 14 semi finals. He's unreal.

Fucking right too the dirty cunt.

Damn right. Though I don't understand why Quinlan got 12 weeks and Burger gets off with 8. :?:

Yeah I'm a little confused by that myself.

What's confusing me even more is how Botha got 2 weeks for a clean ruck. :?:

With Quinlan too I think Leo Cullen even came out and said he thought it was accidental. I didn't see the incident, so can't comment. Is a bit strange.

I think Burger's gouge looked much worse too, for what it's worth.

Just saw the Botha hit again and I gotta admit that is harsh. Can't see much wrong with it tbh, it's a ruck so you don't have to wrap your arms around like you're making a tackle right? Is he appealing?

The Boks are thinking about appealing. But really, he's only going to miss the last test against the Lions, which he should probably not play anyway. So it'd be pointless... it's more the principle of the matter.

If Botha got cited for that why not O'Driscoll for his hit on Rousso.

Haha yeah. Some fucked up stuff this is. And who was the fella who went for someone's balls? Can't remember now.

Sheridan,
Parisse (Italian skipper) got banned for 8 weeks for eye gouging vs the All Blacks.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news...ectid=10581242

Also. Whiny Penis attempts suicide.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/2551506...uicide-reports

This eye gouging shit is getting pretty sick. If all these pro's are doing it then amateurs are going to follow as it's gotta be easy as fuck to get away with on the park on a Saturday afternoon at the bottom of a ruck.

Bastereaud is in a mental hospital lol, what an idiot

Sad that that ass Frog player had to lie like that, what sort of a reputation did he give the New Zealand public after a stunt like that

LOL man I hate Peter De Villiers as a coach, and even kind of as a person. But I will say one thing about him, he is a funny (unintentionally so) fucker

credit this to rugbyrugby.com

Rugby Rugby's Jan de Koning takes a look at the strained relationship between Springbok coach Peter de Villiers and the media, as well as his often used muddled and synesthetic metaphors.

Love him or hate him, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is a colourful character. At Monday's media gathering at the South African team's hotel the Bok coach was at his most entertaining (or irritating, depending on your view) best.

There is no doubt De Villiers has a strained relationship with the media and, despite his public utterances to the contrary, he does read and care what they say about him.

How else would you explain his numerous public and private run-ins with members of the media.

It is a fact that De Villiers declined the opportunity for 'media training' and elocution lessons - which could smooth over his relationship with the media.

He has also declined to have a translator at his side at media gatherings, which would allow him to speak in his first language - Afrikaans. This is common practice for many teams - like the French and Argentineans.

Having had the 'privilege' to be at a media conference conducted mainly in Afrikaans, it is easy to see how much more comfortable he is when speaking in his first language. The same applies when you have a one-on-one interview with him.

You sometimes get the idea that De Villiers deliberately provokes the media with his muddled speech. He appears to enjoy the attention and the reaction he gets.

He is fond of his metaphors, but as members of the press corps have suggested, you often need to decipher De Villiers.

However, this week he will have to explain himself in a private conversation with South African Rugby Union President Oregan Hoskins - the very man that once famously said De Villiers was appointed for "reasons other than rugby".

It has been suggested that this conversation, between Hoskins and De Villiers, will not be a serious ticking off, maybe just a quiet chat to pull the Bok mentor back in line and give him some "guidance".

The sad part is that the South African media has not been nearly as brutal in portraying De Villiers in a bad light as has been the case with the international media - especially this week when they have jumped at the opportunity to portray him as a person who condones eye-gouging.

The problem is that, because of his limited linguistics skills when speaking English, he fails to get his message across to members of the international media - who don't have the same insight into his confused grammatical ways. I know, as an Afrikaans speaking person, exactly how easy it is to get it wrong.

But it is De Villiers's choice to decline training and, as a result, he must bear the consequences.

But back to Monday's comedy show - or media ruck - when the British and Irish press tried their utmost to provoke the Bok mentor. At times they succeeded.

You can't recreate the atmosphere and the buzz every time De Villiers said something strange or confusing.

What we will do is put in print a few of his best metaphoric attempts at answering media questions and hopefully the readers will also be entertained - or irritated, again depending on your view.

Here are a few of De Villiers' most entertaining answers:

Asked about the prevalence and increased incidents of eye gouging around the world:
De Villiers: "I'm against anything that's not in the spirit of the game, anything. We won't go to that lows of being negative, in such a positive game that we have. We've got brilliant players in this country, they are world class, most of them. To try and even prepare them to do little small things that belong outside in the Bushveld - if we want eye gouge any Lion we will go down to the Bushveld, then we eye gouge them and see if we can outrun them or they haul us in. But we will never, never encourage anybody to be part of negative or anything that brings the game into disrepute."

De Villiers was asked, repeatedly, whether he still feels that flank Schalk Burger was not guilty of eye gouging. He was also asked if he had seen the TV evidence:
De Villiers: "Schalk's nature and character is - if you know the man like I know him - he won't ever ... he is too physical, he is more physical than any player in the world - to go to that kind of message to show he is the boss on the rugby field. He will never, ever do it and I don't think he did it, but we stand and abide by what's happened there [at the judiciary]. So eye gouging is something that we as a team, and especially me, will definitely - as biting, as head butting, as spear tackling, all those things that don't belong in the game. We want to promote this game amongst our youth, we want everybody to see how passionate we are about this game and we want to bring that passion about in our country. We want this game to be the biggest nation-building tool that there ever can be and by encouraging stuff like that we will be fighting a lost cause - so, I will never, ever be part of something like that. I'm telling you, I watched the TV footage, I'm not saying anything - because it is against what we decided as a team. I watched the TV footage and I am still convinced there was nothing that he went on purpose - when he saw the footage it was something that he was 'yoh' [taken aback], but he never meant to go into anybody's eye. I abide by what we said and will wait for the report."

Asked if he thought stiffer penalties will discourage acts like these - also spear tackling:
De Villiers: "I'm part of this lovely game and I'm very honoured to be part of this lovely game and there are some things I will enhance while I'm part of this lovely game - negativity is not one of those things. I don't make the laws, I don't write the books, about [the length of] sentences, I only abide by them. I don't appoint judicial officers, I don't always agree with them, but then again I'm part of the system and if you can't work within the system, if you want to have your own system, create your own world. So, there's a lot of things that I don't like in life, but while I'm part of this world I have to adjust to make it work."

Asked how he thought Burger's fingers make contact with Fitzgerald's eye:
De Villiers: "Some of us have a hearing problem. I said, that we stand as a group by what the team said - we are waiting for report and if the report comes out and by any means says that Schalk is guilty of eye gouging then we just have to abide by that. I believe it won't be the case, but we stand by that. We are waiting for the report and then I can answer your questions, I can't give you any answer without the report. [It was then suggested he was ducking the issue]: I'm not ducking the issue. It is just that I am working in the system, I'm not like you [the media] that have no system, you can work wherever you want to work. We are working in a system where we wait until the report has been tabled, then we will react. We are waiting for the report se we can dissect it word for word and then come to you with an informed answer and then we don't misunderstand each other again."

Asked if he had spoken to Burger about the incident:
De Villiers: "We are not cross with each other. We sat down at breakfast this morning, we sat down last night until 12.12 [just after midnight Sunday] waiting for them to finish [at the hearing]. So, ja, I have spoken to him and as I expected, he is an honourable man. If you take him way from rugby he will be the best person to have him around you."

Asked, based on his statement that Burger is an honourable man, if he felt that would be strong enough to overturn an appeal:
De Villiers: "What we must understand here, very, very clearly, is rugby is a contact sport and so is dancing. So guys who can't take it, make the decision. If you guys are really clued up with this game, there was so much incidents that we can say we want to cite this guy for maliciously jumping into a guy's face with his shoulder and stuff like that ... why didn't we do it? The reason why we don't do stuff like that is this game will always be a game to us and sometimes you get away with things that you don't even mean - sometimes you make decisions that's right and wrong and you get away with it and we are so part, and honoured to be part of it. If we are going to win games in boardrooms and in front of television cameras like this and think we should go shop and say to ourselves, do we really respect this game that we really honour so much and the passion we have for it - do we really want to be part of it. And if this case that we are going on now, why don't we all go to the nearest ballet shop, get some nice tutus, get a great dancing show going on - no eye gouging, no tackling, no nothing and then we'll enjoy it. But in this game there will be collisions and the guy who wins the collision the hardest, that's the guy we will always select. And if we are going to make it soft and we won a Test series and people don't like it, I can't do anything about it."

Asked about criticism from the South African media and suggestions that he (De Villiers) is the weakest link in the Bok team:
De Villiers: "I'm not disappointed with them [the media]. Everybody in life has an opinion. I don't react to opinions, I react on fact. If people think I am the weakest link, then we are bloody strong! I didn't know about the perception, and I do not even have time to think about it. I know myself that I am a God-given talent. I am the best ever that I can be, so whatever you think about me doesn't bother me. I know what I am, and I don't give a damn."

On the suggestion - from the Lions management - that the Springboks were lucky to win the first two Tests:
De Villiers: "I always describe lucky as getting into a bar and somebody hits you and misses, that's lucky. But if there's 80 minutes to play a game in and you at the end of the day look at the scoreboard and you are ahead, I think that is character more than luck. So people would say that our luck gives a new dimension to character."

lol fuck he's an idiot.

"I know myself that I am a god given talent".

I'll say one thing, at least he'll be one of Rugby's unique characters, to say the least. Too bad he doesn't know how to coach in a game.

Also, shouldn't Heiny Brussouw be starting over Burger anyways, regardless of eye gouge or not. And shouldn't Dewald Potgeiter be starting? I don't get it. I mean an international squad should be a team of players who are on form, not players who are of the old guard, just because they've been there. Dewald Potgeiter right now, is a better flank than Juan Smith, and Heinrich Brussouw is better than Schalk Burger.

The thing is with Potgeiter and Brussouw are those are two guys who don't focus on all that filthy bullshit that a Schalk Burger does. I'll never doubt Schalky's commitment but he is just too focusd on being "That" goon. It takes away from his game. Also, the physical style he plays has cuahgt up to him if you ask me. He's still a workhorse and he's still phenomenal but there's no doubt he's lost a step and doesn't QUITE have the same impact he used to.

In Potgeiter and Brussouw you have two guys that can flatout CHANGE a match. If you don't belive me, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Brussouw has 3 performances against the lions already where he essentially dominated them. Turnover ball all game. He almost got the cheetahs a win, in the first test the boks weren't the same when he came off, and when he came on in the last 20 minutes with Morne Steyn, the entire match changed. He got 3 KEY turnovers in 20 minutes, it was un fucking believable.

As far as Potgeiter, the guy is just unreal. Not the biggest (much like Broussouw) even though he's about 220 pounds. He is however the definition of workhorse, he's all over the field, he makes try saving tackles, he takes ANYONE on, he's a natural born leader. The effort he put in against the chiefs in the S14 finals was unholy. As far as I was concerned he deserved a spot on the Boks after that match. And then the Emerging Boks drawing the lions was another story. He completely led his team from the front. It was unbelievable, I don't there was a passage of 1 minute where you didn't see him involved.

Now Heiny's got a start pending, and Dewald is on the bench for the Boks. Both should have been starting in the first place. I'm hoping Dewald gets in and steals the show like he can. Guys like these 2 are great for the game. Classy and hardworking. They are the future of rugby and South African rugby.

Lions really kept SA shut out in that match, thought SA might have got back into it before that intercept. But that was it.

Good series, good match for the Lions to end on. It was closely fought and 3 great games to watch.

Unlike the NZ series which was abysmal.

Fuck yeah, absolutely horrible rugby. Pretty happy we've got mccaw, soialo, sivivatu back for the tri-nations. But still missing a decent 10.

Not a bad Lions tour I feel.

However a few brits talking up the Lions now and havent they only won 2 tests in the last 3 tours?

Not knocking them but the writers, I even saw a pommie column claiming the lions were more relevant to world rugby than any national team.

Watched the Lions game in Tenerife, and what a great performance. A very enjoyable tour over all, and definetely brought some pride back to the jersey after the New Zealand debacle.

That stupid SAF coach, sayiong that eye gouging was a part of a contact sport. I feel like going up to that stupid fuck and raking his eyes and we will see if he is still saying that afterwards.

I always pictured you as a bit of an eye gougher mark, anything to get the job done lol :D

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Ow?

Huge test match tonight. NZ vs Aus, NZ has been doing it tough in their last 3 matches, while the aussies have looked well structured, but certainly not their best form.
NZ hasn't lost to Aus at Eden park since the 80s, so would be nice to keep that record up.
I say NZ by 2.

I hate Australian commentators, adding their sound effects to everything. It's like listening to fan zone.

Be interesting to see if NZ can keep it together. Should be a hell of a game.

Owned em, especially around the ruck and maul.

Richie McCaw is GOD.

Fucking pathetic, I'm looking at you Jason Eaton, go back to club rugby.

Heinrich Brussouw is THE NEXT BIG THING w00t

England get the 2015 World Cup and Japan get 2019.

England will be using Anfield, Old Trafford, St James' Park, St Mary's and the Emirates stadiums among others. That's pretty cool.

All Blacks= outclassed? I think so.

We can't even pass, catch, and kick the ball.
lol @ 8 penalties though, bring back the ELVs

Sour grapes. the penalties came from pressure.

Fucking hell New Zealand.

South Africans are the best chasers in the world.

Gotta hand it to the Boks they are getting the wins, and at the end of the day thats what counts.

Lots of talent in that ABs squad but fuck all composure atm. Wallabies vs. Boks will be interesting.

I havent seen Fixtures for the Tri nations this year, are the Boks coming to NZ? Because away games are the ones you gotta win to win the comp.

They'll be away from home. I agree with what you're saying but at the same time they prevented New Zealand from getting any bonus points, so all they'll need is to lose within 7 and not allow NZ to score 4 tries in a win, and they have it won. In saying that, the Boks still have to deal with the Wallabies.

Yeah watching the news tonight amongst all the fire henry crap I had a quiet thought to myself about bonus points.

Even one point from the republic tour might have made a massive difference.

A bit of emotion behind Aus to with Deans dad dying, might hurt them disrupted buildup etc, or it might stiffen there resolve a bit.

You can never tell with the bloody aussies.

Dusted them Aussies, good times :cool:

So boring, you guys remind me of the 2003 English side.

And you remind me of any poor NZ side... a bunch of whiney p33ns. :p

Gameplans are gameplans man. They put pressure on the opposition defensively, they force them to make errors, they dominate posession and lineouts and they take their points.

And I don't know maybe it's the tight forward in me, but I see nothing wrong with winning based on raw physicallity.

Boring

pwnage

It is boring as bat shit, but winning is winning.

Cant deny that.

This Tri Nations has been boring as fuck as a neutral. But credit to SA, they know how to win games. It's weird, they just sort of run away with games without you even noticing. You just know after about 20 minutes in they're not going to lose.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...ins-All-Blacks

Carter back for NZ

Also, his girlfriend Honor Dillon is smokin'

I dont know if he will make that much of a difference, although he had a few good dabs for the Cantabs the other night.

Just seems like theres to much other stuff were not doing right. However sometimes one thing going right that wasnt has a flow on effect.

And like the guy or not (I dont) hes got ice in his veins, maybe that coolness under pressure will rub off on a few others.

Yeah, we need new coaches, but it's too late now, we gave our best coach to Aussie.

It's magical for South Africans tho :D

The Lions Tests were mroe exciting though. Because they actually played with some piss and vinegar.

He isnt exactly destroying the Rugby world from Aus.

I think people need to stop sucking Deans nuts until he actualy wins a few games.

I think its amazing we lose because our coaches suck, yet when Deans loses the players didnt try hard enough. Would we be ok with Deans losing all the time if he was ABs coach? Or would all the knucle draggers be calling for his head to?

No Offense BC just really sick of all the negative BS when we lose a few. We are such bad sports.

I just think our game plan is too predictable, and they're worring too much about attacking rather than territory, kicking, and our hands. We need to start doing those right, and the gameplan doesn't currently allow for that.

I agree, but at some point you have to say the players arent implementing the game plan as well.

Surely the plan wasnt to attack from inside our own half and run the ball every time we had it. I just dont beleive a coach would use that plan against SA. And I dont believe players would follow that without question.

Were taking poor options. As isay im not a Carter fan but he is cool under pressure and takes good options. He might well have a great effect on all this.

Oh yeah, I mean we lost all over the park, I think the luxury of halfbacks is a joke, as neither cowan nor leonard have fired, and you know it's dodgy when Weepu is your best option, despite the fact Henry isn't bothered playing him.
Nonu has been quiet, mostly because the halves haven't been distributing the ball, and his kicking game isn't up to it at the moment, and I think we need that kicking game at 2nd five. Smith has been great though.

Yeah Smith is brilliant. I cant believe there are still dropkicks out there calling for him to be dropped.

Nonu could do with some bench time to show him hes not irreplacable but he hasnt looked bad. It was invitable defences would find ways to shut him down and the fact hes such a threat is often what gives Smith his room I feel.

I dont understand why Weepu is a specialist bench player yet Henry pretty much acknowledges hes the best we have at the moment.

And WTF is Joe Rockokoko and Toeava doing near an ABs jersey at all.

Sivivatu has been shit as well. Brad Thorne was totally quiet in both tests against the Boks... he's been out gunned by Botha and obviously Isaac Ross is not ready to deal with Mr. Matfield in the lineouts. Rockocoko is lost out there, not a brain in his fucking head. Nonu's been figured out.

The one thing that the NZ boys have been very good at is the scrums and they should really expose the Boks in that department. But I feel as though the Boks know that the scrum is their weakness and are prepared to deal with the consequences. But Woodcock is a great scrummager and so is Owen Franks who I think earned himself a spot in the losing efforts. A shame to lose Mealamu because Hore has been fucking terrible, it's not that I think he's a bad player, more, his confidence is just totally shot.

What shocked me was how Brussow outplayed McCaw AND George Smith. We'll see how he does on the road, but I remember watching something on Youtube about he he's been giving McCaw a run for his money even since the Super 14 this year. Spies outplayed Soia'alo (pardon the spelling :p), dunno if it was because Spies played well or Rodney was shite. Kaino is kind of just there filling space, Juan Smith is much better than him.

Also I must agree with you guys, Conrad Smith is shit hot, a massive threat, he made the Boks look retarded on that one try he scored.

Weepu should definitely be started but I feel as though his fitness is in question? He seems a little pudgey... correct me if I'm wrong?

However it's going to be a different story when the Boks are travelling. The ABs are goin to have the home field advantage and their going to be blood thirsty, and these "new improved" Boks are untested on the road. So we must wait and see.

Actually has Sivivatu even been playing because I get him confused with Big Joe all the fucking time.

Yeah, Sivivatu has been playing, and everyone thinks he's shit, but I rate him, and think he looks fucking dangerous every time he has the ball. Too bad he's a one man band at the moment.

Sivi has been pretty good IMO, always looks dangerous and breaks the first tackle but never seems to have any support lately.

I dont think Fitness is an issue for Weepu GDN, hes always been a bit pudgy but his workrate doesnt seem to drop over a full 80 at provincial and S14 level. I know International is faster paced but its the only comparison I can make.

Thorne did ok IMO, but once again hes bloody lonely as far as bruisers go. And Soialo (sp?) is not in his best form. Even if he was though Spies is a monster, probably the best 8 getting around in world rugby IMO.

Kaino is very hit and miss, some days super physical and perfect back up to Thorne, other days he doesnt exist. I think they should put Read there just because hes consistent if not amazing every time. TBH the AB loose trio still has a long way to go. They look far from there imposing best and a lot of the teams performances come back to that I feel.

At the same time though I think the Boks must be credited for their performances, clinical and disciplined.

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:D

What a game!
Now that's how you play rugby. Aussie and NZ, though they were gonna win at half time, 12-3 up, pretty much equal as fuck till the last moment. Awesome. Fucking Carter is the man. So is Sivivatu, Ross, Thorne, Mccalister, they all had an awesome game too. Cowan picked it up in the 2nd half, awesome footy.

It was exciting but not awesome. Neither team played well. Both put in massive efforts but neither did anything awe inspiring.

South Africa plays boring shit rugby. That was a fucking rollercoaster. What a match.

Yeah I guess it does suck when you're losing

How have the last ten years been for you as an SA Fan?

(seeing as were gonna drag this into petty crap)

Meh I'm fine with it, but my main man James (Whom I heart dearly) is being a prick :p.

The past ten years have actually been fun, I've watched a team grow a great deal. Ups and downs, getting stuck by the ABs and wallabies, sometimes sticking it to the wallabies and ABs, I love the rivalries personally, it's what sports are all about. I stuck out watching the fucking atrocious Rudey Strauli Boks and then saw how much better (yet still developing) they became under Jake White.

However now SA is winning in James is being a suck and not acknowledging how well the Boks are playing. When Aussie and NZ were sticking it to the Boks I never complained about how Aussie and NZ played, I took my lumps and watched it, and blamed the Boks for losing. I didn't piss and moan about Aussie or NZ winning like someone is doing about the Boks.

Fact is they're playing efficient rugby, they can win without the ball and they have unbelievable defense and are superior to both the Wallabies and the ABs in the lineout and in the breakdown and under the high ball. In can all change in an instant but at the end of it I'm not gonna whinge like you boys :p

Fact remains, I enjoyed watching Aussies and NZ but they were 2 VERY vulnerable teams playing one another. There were holes all over the place in both sides. Australia was ill-disciplined, New Zealands handling and timing was fucking terrible, there was a lot of pointless fucking kicking and the lineouts were scrappy.

I will never say it was a bad game, it wasn't. I respect all those players and everyone on the field showed courage and heart. Stephen Moore showed me a hell of a lot, I gained tons of respect for him. Rocky Elsom although kind of an idiot with his bad discipline showed why he is one of the top tough guys in the game, and showed balls of steal. Mils Muliaina was fucking fantastic, Isaac Ross is developing quite well, McCaw is losing a few steps but he still is extremely courageous, as is Dan Carter who I think is pure class.

I can see this shit fairly objectively especially considering I bleed green and gold, I think it was a good game but neither team played well at all. The way I can relate it, is kind of like Griffin vs. Bonnar in the UFC when they fought for the first time. Neither guy brought their 'a' game, there wasn't top skill in that fight but it was still a brutal brawl and still blood and guts, neither guy had any skills other than hear that were impressive it was just the will to compete.

When it comes down to it right now, the Boks are better than both these teams and in saying that I realize they can totally fuck up and lose on the road, but if they play like they have (their boring shit terrible rugby that keeps winning games) they're going to keep winning. The fucked up thing is they have played nowhere close to their potential, they have not played their best and have coasted to fairly comfortable victories.

I agree, and yeah, it is nicer when you win. Boks still suck. :p

Cmon GDN thatys not fun dude :p

But seriously your right, the Boks are a step ahead, im not gonna deny that.

I just wish they would play a little more openly at times. I dont want them to turn into England.

That said winning is winning and they have done a good job of convertain back to this style of rugby after the ELVs something Aus and NZ havent done well.

One man's crap rugby is another man's entertaining rugby. There's no use in playing expansive rugby against teams whose defenses can handle any bit of rugby you try to play. Instead they are able to win the match without a ton of ball but purely based on defense and territory. I don't view myself as a purest or anything, but I find their tireless work at the breakdown and their undying effort in defense very entertaining. They all hit insanely hard, and now they have brussow who's been outgunning Smith and McCaw in at being a fetcher. He doesn't get penalized nearly as much as his Australasian counterparts (at least so far).

Their lineouts are un fucking believable, and Fourie Du Preez is the best scrum half in the game and his box kick is sickitating. The reason I find it entertaining is because the Boks actually efficiently execute their gameplan whereas right now, Aussie and NZ just seem lost out there, which is so strange especially from the all blacks.

Also, that try Smit set matfield up with was a thing of beauty, so it's not like they can't play expansive rugby, they are just conservative with picking their spots.

One mans conservative is another mans boring :)

But if NZ were doing it you wouldn't complain ;)

I was a prop dude, played a lot of 1st 15 at Highschool and a little rep rugby, dont get me wrong I appreciate a bit of forward argy bargy.

I just think with some of the best attacking backs in the world at there disposal they surely could run it a little more.

But I guess no ones going to change anyones opinion.

I think once again it points out how annoying NZ fans are though, if we were winning like that the rpess would be slamming the ABs for boring rugby. At least SA fans can appreciate a win is a win.

The problem with the Boks right now is they have a very defensive minded structure, they want to suffocate teams with it, so in doing that it's robbing them of being able to have good offensive spacing. Much of their strategy is the kick and chase, and I think their spacing is based on doing that as opposed to moving the ball and playing risky rugby.

I mean it's not like South Africans can't play that kind of rugby, just watch what the Bulls did to the Chiefs in the S14 finals... but what they're doing right now is working. They are able to keep calm under pressure and they have the best pack in the world (aside from scrummaging). Habana and Pieterson right now are being used for the chase as opposed to finding space and it's working... why stop it?

I said Ireland played boring rugby when they won the 6 Nations and ECG bit my head off. I thought it was a compliment :$ All that matters is winning. Smash mouth rugby is where it's at if you want to be successful. Pretty shit usually gets you nowhere (NZ failing to win World Cups, Ireland not winning a 6 Nations for years, etc). South Africa just simply tick over the points by sheer physicality and pressure, and it's amazing.

Another big win for the Boks. It'd be great to see them truly click on all cylinders though.

:( Bakkies might miss the next test, huge blow to the pack :'(

Was good to see them throw the ball about, glad to see it.

Now not to knock that but I wonder if perhaps it was because they dont see Aus as a threat, or is this a new gameplan. I somehow doubt they will adopt a similar running approach against the ABs.

Then again if they beat Aus again and secure the Tri nations they have nothing to lose, perhaps they will.

A free flowing SA backline against a free flowing (for the first time this year) AB backline would be something to behold.

Also when does everyone get off the Deans bandwagon? I see finaly a few kiwis have STFU about "make him ABs coach or we quit the country". I say fuck off then tbh.

Good win by Aussie, Boks acted like they didn't want to play tonight. Especially at scrum time. Aussies held onto possession and really took it to them.
Bring on next week!

Yeah real off day for the Springboks today. Sets next week up quite nicely. It's a long shot but at least it's still alive.

They looked tired, that Brisbane heat is notorious for visiting sides.

:cool:

www.rugbyrugby.com

The New Zealand judiciary, in the guise of a SANZAR disciplinary committee, had the last say against the victorious Springbok team of John Smit.

SANZAR Judicial Officer Paul Tully saw fit to ban Springbok centre Jaque Fourie for four weeks for a 'dangerous tackle' in the closing stages of the Boks' 32-29 Tri-Nations clinching Test victory against the All Blacks.

Fourie appeared before Tully at a hearing held in Hamilton on Sunday, after being cited by Citing Commissioner Scott Nowland for a tackle in breach of law 10.4 (i), on All Blacks player Ma'a Nonu in the 70th minute of the match.

Tully rejected Fourie's plea that the tackle was 'reckless' rather than 'intentional' and should be viewed at the lower end of the penalty scale.

"There was a reckless lifting tackle which was clearly dangerous and placed the player in a vulnerable position when he landed on his neck and shoulder," Tully said in his judgment after viewing video evidence.

Fourie indicated that for recovery reasons he would not be available for South Africa's Currie Cup competition next week and the suspension would begin the following week - from September 26/27.

He has thus been suspended up to, and including, 19 October.

The ban comes in the wake of the enormous outcry in South Africa about the gross inconsistencies in these judicial hearings, especially when New Zealand and Australian teams and officials are involved.

It resulted in protest action by the Springboks in the final Test against the British and Irish Lions, when they wore white armbands with the words 'Justice 4' - in support of Springbok lock Bakkies Botha, who had a two-week ban slapped on him for clearing out a ruck.

The South African Rugby Union, Bok captain John Smit and the players were all fined by the IRB for their actions.

But it did serve to highlight the fact that there is some truth in the suggestion by the world's top-ranked team that their are unfairly being targeted.

This will also be borne out by the fact that none of the All Black players were cited for some of the disgraceful behaviour they were guilty of.

All Black wing Joe Rokocoko was penalised - but not carded or cited - for an air tackle on a Springbok, which caused injury. The Kiwi clearly had no intention of going for the ball and the South African player also landed dangerously on his head.

New Zealand No.8 Kieran Read was penalised - but again not carded or cited - for a late shoulder charge on a Springbok, long after the whistle had gone.

While there may be some argument that neither player heard the whistle, and thus continued playing, Read's illegal actions - which also falls in the law 10.4 (i), category - certainly warranted further action, as he too caused harm to the Bok player.

However, hiding behind the tags 'SANZAR' and 'independent', the judiciary cited and banned only Fourie.

No doubt, there will be another outcry about this inconsistency

The whole game was like that though, continuous off the ball shit from both sides.

It was scrappy, tough and confrontational. Hes probably been a little hard done by but the tackle did look bad, especialy in slow mo when you see his knee on Nonus face. Rockoko was a bit of nothing i reckon, no malice just bad timing.

Reed is another story, silly, and he probably should have been at least sited.

Was interesting to see the ABs take it to the Boks at the breakdown, hell I would say the ABs won the breakdown. Just goes to show how important a bit of kicking can be, my god what a boot on Steyn.

Well done to the Boks on winning the Tri Nations.

The ABs were the better team at the breakdown for the majority of the match, while the Boks were the better team at the breakdown when it really counted, if that makes sense.

Was nice to see Jon Smit get his revenge on Mr. Thorne via smashing the shit out of him.

It kind of does, but if anything that game showed the importance of a superboot in your team. Even when your on the backfoot you can tick up points and thats important.

The thing is, SA have 2 super boots, I fail to see how in all of New Zealand they can't match. This is the fucking all blacks for christ's sake. Last I checked it's the same team that has Dan Carter, who is not exactly a slouch with the boot. Problem is, the big dumb island boys (see: Sivivatu and Rockococo) get confused as shit under the high ball. They don't know what to do when they don't have an opposition who isn't at all afraid of them. I think they are both class players, but jesus they don't have brains, and they don't have the nerves.

Not a fan of Rockoko, Sivi is ok but very hot and cold. I dont understand how Corey Jane gets left on the bench, hes such a good player who has an eye for a gap on the outside and is an even better fullback.

As for kickers it kind of goes in Cycles, teams have great kickers and then go through bad patches with less kickers. And lets be honest Francois Steyn is something else, I dont think I have ever seen someone line up a 60 Metre conversion with no wind in NZ and hit it.

The Boks are just a great team atm, they have all the components. In fact they are where the ABs usualy are 2 years out from a world cup, im not sure thats a good thing for them come cup time.