Official Rugby World Cup Thread

[LVR]

Ok, so who's going to support their country in the Rugby World Cup starting on the 8th?

here are links to your home teams official page at the World Cup. You'll find fixtures, results info etc.

Good luck to all countries and may your team meet Australia in the World Cup Final

GO Australia (Wallabies) !!!!


WALLABIES QUESTION #1. Do DROP BEARS really exist? See here for answer.....

POOL A
ENGLAND
SOUTH AFRICA
SAMOA
USA
TONGA

POOL B
AUSTRALIA
WALES
FIJI
CANADA
JAPAN

POOL C
NEW ZEALAND
SCOTLAND
ITALY
ROMANIA
PORTUGAL

POOL D
FRANCE Lost to Argentina 12 -17
IRELAND
ARGENTINA
GEORGIA
NAMIBIA


Cheers

[The Big Easy]

I hope this one goes better than the cricket!
First match is against Somoa on Sunday, should be a real bruiser!

[LVR]

New Zealand 76 Italy 14
World Cup favourites New Zealand completed a 76-14 destruction of an awe-struck Italy side in their Pool C opener in Marseille.
Just as they did when they won their only previous Rugby World Cup 20 years ago, the All Blacks began their campaign by sending out a warning to their rivals with a classy display against the Italians.
Graham Henry's side racked up 38 points in the first 19 minutes against an Italian side who were a shadow of the team who gave Ireland a scare last month and beat Wales and Scotland in their best-ever display in this year's Six Nations.
The All Blacks scored 11 tries, including a hat-trick from winger Doug Howlett and two apiece from Richie McCaw, Jerry Collins and Sitiveni Sivivatu.
Flyhalf Carter contributed 17 points with the boot to overtake Grant Fox and move into second place behind Andrew Mehrtens in the list of top All Black test scorers.
New Zealand demonstrated the mixture of pace and physicality that has characterised their play over the past two years but, worryingly for their rivals, they never looked as though they even needed to hit top gear.
McCaw was the master of the loose, Carter was cool and composed at flyhalf and outside him the backs burst through the Italian defence almost at will.
For Italy, there was little positive in the first half to take from the match, but they did show more heart in the second though a far better display will be needed if they are to beat Scotland and take second place in the group.
The All Blacks may have been light on match practice since winning the Tri-Nations, but they took just 64 seconds to breach the Italy defence, McCaw striding in unopposed after a lineout 15 metres out.
McCaw crossed the line again six minutes later, barrelling his way over from two metres out after scrumhalf Byron Kelleher had slipped him the ball after a ruck.
Howlett, centre Mils Muliaina and Sivivatu added three more quick-fire scores to leave the Azzurri reeling.
The gulf in class was made glaringly obvious when fullback Leon MacDonald sped through the Italian midfield after making a mark just inside his own 22 and fed Sivivatu who thundered over for another try to make it 43-0.
Italy managed a face-saving try just before the break when winger Mark Stanojevic raced over after intercepting from Kelleher.
They rallied at the start of the second half when All Black prop Carl Hayman was sin-binned, but the onslaught resumed when Chris Jack sidestepped in from 10 metres out, leaving Carter to bring up the half century with his conversion.
Howlett crossed the line twice more to join Christian Cullen at the top of the list of all-time All Blacks try scorers with 46.
Collins helped himself to two more tries, the second a neat kick and chase, before Italy centre Mirco Bergamasco ended the scoring with a late consolation try.

[LVR]

Reigning champions England began the Rugby World Cup with an unconvincing 28-10 win against the United States in Pool A at the Stade Felix Bollaert here today.
It was only when the Americans were reduced to 14 men towards the end of the first half that Jason Robinson - who scored England's last World Cup try in the 2003 final - and Olly Barkley crossed the line.
Barkley, playing in place of the injured Jonny Wilkinson at outside-half, also kicked 13 points in a morale-boosting display ahead of Friday's crunch game against South Africa.
But the US deservedly had the final say thanks to a 74th minute try from replacement forward Matekitonga Moeakiola, which captain Mike Hercus converted, after England No.8 Lawrence Dallaglio had been sin-binned.
There was a general lack of sharpness about much of England's play, compared to that shown by tournament favourites New Zealand during their rout of Italy earlier in the day.
Nevertheless, Barkley gave England the lead with a fifth minute penalty only for Hercus to counter from the re-start.
And it was the United States who nearly scored the game's first try when outside-half Hercus intercepted a stray pass and broke clear.
As he ran out of pace, he found centre Paul Emerick, who appeared to be tripped illegally by England captain Phil Vickery. But the prop escaped punishment from referee Jonathan Kaplan.
England, as has often been the case during their post-2003 slump, saw several moves in open play break down with the all-round form of Barkley, whose grubber ahead scrum-half Shaun Perry failed to gather, providing some consolation.
England reverted to their familiar tactics of the cross-kick and rolling maul before US centre Vahafolau Esikia was yellow-carded for hands in a ruck.
Barkley's ensuing penalty was the prelude to a pair of tries which helped secure a 21-3 halftime lead.
First, centre Mike Catt's cross-kick set up Robinson. Then lock Ben Kay released Barkley for a converted try.
Flanker Tom Rees powered his way over for a third try early in the second-half - England's last score of the game.
Eagles wing Salesi Sika went close, knocking on in sight of the line after a tackle from centre Jamie Noon. But they had the satisfaction of seeing Moaekiola make the most of a series of close-range penalties.

[LVR]

FRANCE have already suffered their biggest embarrassment as hosts of the 2007 World Cup. In the greatest upset in the tournament's history since France defeated New Zealand in the 1999 semi-final at Twickenham, the Tricolores shamed their nation by losing the opening match to Argentina 17-12 at Stade de France on Friday night.
France are now under serious threat of missing the quarter-finals, especially as they have been drawn in the most difficult of the four groups. And such a dreadful start by France has cast a pall over the tournament, which needs the home nation to do well for the World Cup to have a presence in the hearts and minds of the locals.
If France continue to play such mindless and juvenile football as they did against the highly physical Pumas, they will be easy pickings for group rivals Ireland and become the first World Cup host nation to suffer the ignominy of not being part of the finals mix.
Maybe the French team were distracted by a very strange opening ceremony that will be remembered as a tribute to testosterone. For 15 minutes a large group of men, dressed in what we think were space suits, cavorted around the ground, jumping, dancing, wrestling and doing somersaults to crazed drumming.
There was a lot of running around by people in funny hats, while spruikers tried to get the crowd involved. They didn't.
None of it made much sense, somewhat like the French team performance. But enormous credit has to be given to Argentina. They devised a simple plan to upset the French, revolving around muscling up against them, endlessly putting up high balls in the hope of unnerving the outside backs, and repeatedly hassling them at the breakdown.
Captain Agustin Pichot masterfully kept the pressure on and France, who never led during the game, should have been beaten by more.
Once again the 33-year-old proved that he is clearly the best halfback in international rugby by winning endless loose ball, irritating countless opponents with his midfield snipes, grabbing intercepts, and being in the right place at the right time. Constantly lurking alongside him were several fierce forwards who stalled any French momentum.
The Pumas went to an unexpected 14-3 lead on the half-hour mark, after scoring the only try of the game. Argentina fullback Ignacio Corleto was on the end of a movement that began with an intercept from one of the many flaky French passes.
France gradually narrowed the gap and on occasions looked dangerous, especially when they got their driving maul to work early in the second half. The French pack marched about 35 metres towards the Argentina line in the 46th minute and then attempted a succession of drives at the line. It appeared inevitable they would score but Argentina eventually won a turnover.
France had too many big names missing on such an important occasion and relied too much on too few, including fullback Cedric Heymans, who performed well under the high ball but received little support.
France were eerily off their game, and Paris was eerily quiet last night.

[LVR]

Australia 91 Japan 3
WALLABIES back-rower Rocky Elsom led Australia to a crushing 88-point victory over Japan in their World Cup opener in France by scoring three of their 13 tries.
But it wasn't all fun and games for the Wallabies, with reserve back Mark Gerrard in doubt for this week's clash against Wales at Cardiff after being helped from the field by two team officials in the 68th minute with a leg injury.
Gerrard, who had only come on a minute earlier for captain Stirling Mortlock, was smashed in his first run with the ball and clearly in distress as he left the field.
In warm, sunny conditions before a crowd of 40,043 at Stade Gerland in Lyons, Elsom bagged two tries in the first half to help Australia to a 23-3 half-time lead, and then his third just 90 seconds after coming back on for the second-half rout.
The game was always destined to be a big Wallabies win, even more so with the Cherry Blossoms playing without three of the best players due to injury, including world record Test tryscorer, winger Daisuke Ohata.
Nevertheless, it was an opportunity for the Wallabies to not only show where they were after not playing since July 21, but for individuals in the squad to display their wares.
Elsom clearly seized the day; as did so many others.
Australia left the Japanese ragged in the second half.
Elsom's third try at the 41st minute was followed by nine more to Adam Ashley-Cooper, Chris Latham (two tries), Berrick Barnes (two), who was making his Test debut, Drew Mitchell (two), George Smith and, finally, Adam Freier.
The Japanese came out courageously in the first half and were clearly ready to capitalise on any mistakes made by the Wallabies, twice turning over ball in the first five minutes.
In another attacking move by Australia, where Stephen Larkham cross-kicked into the Japanese corner with the plan being for right winger Lote Tuqiri to score, the ball instead went loose and ended in the hands of Japanese winger Hirotoki Onozawa, who brought the packed crowd to its feet with his 30m dash down the touchline.

[soccerjunky]

Argentinas upset of France must have been great to watch but i don't see any coverage of those games in the usa

The fact that England is the reigning champion is impressive considering the British isles(England,Wales and Scotland) as a whole are smaller than the size of Texas....

The cup is basically a 3 horse race South Africa, Australia and New Zealand although i will always back the 3 lions, i just don't think they can repeat without Wilkinson..

LVR nobody watches rugby here in the usa so i doubt u'll get much enthusiasm.....Mostly baseball and nfl here... i don't think i've ever been able to sit thru a complete baseball or football game on tv... the nfl has only been on since thursday and it is sooooooooo boring....u have to watch 45 minutes of beer commercials just to make it to half time....

[alpac]

I grew up in South of France in Toulouse where Rugby is bigger than soccer. I played Rugby from 13 through my college years and only stopped after I lost 2 teeth and broke 2 fingers. I am so frustrated that there is no coverage of the Rugby World Cup here in the USA. The fact that France lost against the Puma was unexpected but not totally surprising to me. The French team got too confident after having won all their test matches in the previous several weeks. Next match for France is Ireland and that is going to be another tough one. The All Black and Wallabies are my favorite for this world cup.

[kirkX5m]

allez les bleus, on y crois!

[The Big Easy]

Aren't there any special packages available just for the World Cup through cable/satelite?