- Alex Trickett
- 25 Oct 07, 11:18 AM
London - The Rugby World Cup blog is now closed for comments.
Thanks to all of you for reading - we have had some 10 million page views since launching back on 28 August. And particular thanks to all who have written in to share their thoughts with us.
You can continue to get your blog fix on our Editors, TMS and Mihir Bose blogs.
And keep your eyes peeled for new blogs in 2008, which will be a phenomenally busy sporting year. Olympics, Euro 2008, Ryder Cup... Bring it on!
- 主播大秀 Sport Rugby
- 23 Oct 07, 09:01 AM
Hang out the bunting, strike up the band, Tom and Ben are home.
Not quite in a jet draped with flags, awaiting a press corps and tumult of fans, more in a campervan, on a ferry, still wearing those flip-flops. And that vest. Probably.
So here's a best of Fordyce & Dirs, in photos and links to remind you of the past seven weeks' adventure.
You can check out all of .
Continue reading "Now That's What I Call Tom and Ben (in photos)"
- Tom Fordyce
- 22 Oct 07, 09:44 PM
Calais ferry port, Monday morning - C鈥檈st tout. Seven weeks to the day that we set sail from Dover, hope in our hearts and three clean pairs of socks apiece in our luggage, the time has come for Ben and me to go home.
It鈥檚 a very quiet Bloggernaut the pair of us sit in today. For once the well-known brand of mp3 player is silent, the rugby ball motionless on the floor.
The rear of the campervan, as always, looks like a cross between an abandoned refugee camp and an explosion in a pant factory.
Continue reading "Heading back to old Blighty"
- Ben Dirs
- 22 Oct 07, 01:08 PM
Paris, Sunday - My mother phoned me this morning and asked me what I want for dinner on Monday night.
Mrs Dirs is a quality cook, but that鈥檚 not what I wanted to hear the morning after England played in a . This trip is over. Make mine a roast or I think I鈥檒l start crying.
My initial reaction to 贰苍驳濒补苍诲鈥檚 defeat was pretty childish: 鈥渂othered鈥. Like most of the England fans still partying at 6am on Sunday morning, I was just happy to be there.
Continue reading "Best job in the world"
- Mark Orlovac
- 22 Oct 07, 07:23 AM
Waterloo station/ a cross channel ferry, Monday - As a final parting World Cup gift, myself, Tom and Ben (remember them?) thought we'd dish out a few prizes from the last seven weeks. First prize goes to all of you, obviously, for reading and joining in and making the blog what it is.
But after you lot, there have been some outstanding, and not so clever, achievements. Here's just a few. Let's call them "The Bloggys". (See if you can spot who wrote which ones!)
Continue reading "The Bloggys"
- Bryn Palmer
- 22 Oct 07, 06:59 AM
Well, it鈥檚 all over folks. Forty-eight matches, 44 days, 12 different venues and one winner.
South Africa took the ultimate honour, but many other teams and players gave us plenty of memories to sustain us through until .
So if you were picking a composite side from all the 20 nations competing in France, who would make it into your team of the tournament?
I鈥檝e canvassed the opinions of my colleagues in 主播大秀 Sport who have contributed to this blog over the last seven weeks, and this is our selection...
Continue reading "Team of the Rugby World Cup"
- Mark Orlovac
- 21 Oct 07, 07:06 PM
Paris 鈥 I doubt whether planning for the future of the England team was foremost in the minds of the bleary-eyed fans I saw wandering around the streets of Paris this morning.
After all the partying and heartbreak that accompanied Saturday鈥檚 simply getting home was as far ahead as these weary souls were prepared to look.
But as journalists gathered for player interviews in the bowels of the Stade de France late on Saturday night, some were already looking to next year鈥檚 .
Continue reading "Where do England go now?"
- Rob Hodgetts
- 21 Oct 07, 06:38 PM
London - England's World Cup final brings to the end another era and there will be a new-look side when the team take on Wales in the Six Nations opener on 2 February.
Not wholesale changes, maybe, but has already retired, while others could follow in the coming months. Brian Ashton - or whoever is the coach by then - will have free rein to start again with his selection.
We asked you earlier on Mark Orlovac's blog from Paris to send in your ideas of England's Six Nations starting XV.
From a very rough survey of about 20 replies, we've compiled the following composite England side.
Continue reading "Picking an England team"
- Tom Fordyce
- 20 Oct 07, 11:22 PM
Stade de France, midnight on Saturday - Can I make this blog sigh? Can I make this page shed a soft tear? Can I make these words jump off the screen and link arms with you?
Tonight, the nerve-frying, heart-squeezing, bone-shaking dream that has been .
At a Stade de France so cold the claps froze on your fingers, the Springboks did exactly what Brian Ashton鈥檚 boys had done for the last four weeks 鈥 held firm, made no mistakes, poured on the pressure and picked the enemy off with penalties.
Continue reading "England's World Cup dream dies"
- Ben Dirs
- 20 Oct 07, 11:09 PM
Paris - Hello all. I watched the final alongside my colleague Mark Orlovac at the Stade de France and rated the South African players. "Orlo" was in charge of England. Here's how we scored them.
Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts.
Continue reading "England v South Africa ratings"
- Ryan Jones
- 20 Oct 07, 08:22 AM
So it鈥檚 all over. After all the waiting, the hype and all the expectation, the tournament seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and leaves us with another four years to dwell over the next one.
What a tournament it was though. I think in hindsight, it will be regarded as the best yet for a number of reasons.
Continue reading "And rugby was the winner..."
- John Beattie
- 20 Oct 07, 08:13 AM
Honesty is the best thing I think. You see, the editor of the blog wants us all to pick our team of the tournament.
But I don鈥檛 want to. I want to talk about how rugby needs to get its act together. From a rugby point of view, this has been the worst ever world cup.
Continue reading "Five-a-side rugby anyone?"
- Tom Fordyce
- 19 Oct 07, 10:22 PM
Paris, Friday evening - Right 鈥 let鈥檚 get down to business.
Like , my nerves are currently clanging like a fire engine bell.
And while Ben is dealing with his personal squeaky-bum hour by , I鈥檓 going for the classic diversionary tactics.
Rather than torturing myself with the thought of how I鈥檒l feel if I don鈥檛 get a ticket, I鈥檓 drawing up a provisional timetable for Saturday鈥檚 shenanigans.
Continue reading "It's the final countdown!"
- Mark Orlovac
- 19 Oct 07, 05:32 PM
Paris - For a man supposedly not comfortable with the media spotlight, England coach Brian Ashton played a blinder on Friday.
In Friday's final news conference before in Saturday鈥檚 World Cup final, Ashton did not look like a man just 80 minutes of rugby away from writing his name in the history books.
He was calm, funny and relaxed, and dare I say it, could he have even been playing a few mind games ahead of the ?
Continue reading "Mind games, James Bond and Gordon Brown"
- Ben Dirs
- 19 Oct 07, 04:50 PM
Paris 鈥 Friday - Different players find different ways of preparing for a big match.
Some smash their heads repeatedly against the changing room wall, some insist on grabbing team-mates by the collars and bawling in their faces. Some, usually the backs, prefer to sit quietly in the corner or go for a wander.
In my playing days, I was what you might call a 'Thinker', spending hours sat on the toilet, in the same pose as , feeling sick and wondering how I managed to find myself so out of my depth.
Continue reading "Better a Thinker than a Blessed..."
- Ryan Jones
- 19 Oct 07, 10:58 AM
Swansea - After defying their doubters once again, and yes my hands are held up, .
That they will face South Africa in that game is an ironic twist of fate considering .
And should they manage to overturn the gulf in class evident on that day just over a month ago, it really would complete a comeback of such magnitude that it would sit comfortably in a list of the greatest of all-time, next to , or !
Continue reading "A step too far for England?"
- Tom Fordyce
- 19 Oct 07, 10:20 AM
Paris 鈥 Friday morning - Every now and then, you have a chat with someone so expert, so unarguably knowledgeable, that you just have to ferme your bouche and listen to every single word they say.
Such was the scenario the other day when I parked myself down next to Martin Johnson and Joel Stransky at a Visa Legends reception down the road in Bercy.
Did they know their onions? My giddy aunts 鈥 to the extent that I鈥檓 just going to step away and let their words speak for themselves.
Continue reading "Legends Johnson and Stransky re-live the nerves"
- Alastair Eykyn
- 18 Oct 07, 01:33 PM
Jon Snow does it. . And now we are doing it too.
forced us onto two wheels across Paris today, and what a liberating experience it was.
A thwarted attempt to board the only line alleged to be running dictated a breathless half hour time-trial along the River Seine, to hear from the Springboks for the last time before the big kick-off.
For the princely sum of a single Euro each, on which postmen used to wobble through leafy English villages, in days gone by.
Continue reading "Pedal power saves the day"
- Ben Dirs
- 18 Oct 07, 10:44 AM
Thursday morning, Paris - Former Middlesex and Durham seamer Simon Hughes tells a great story about an ageing bowling to the touring Australians at Chester-le-Street.
Botham, Hughes maintains, wasn鈥檛 doing anything with the ball at all, simply padding up to the crease and sending it down at a gentle military medium.
But to the Australian players, who were huddled in the pavilion, glued to the action and talking in reverential tones, every delivery was a potential hand-grenade.
It鈥檚 what sports people often refer to as 鈥減resence鈥, a word that has been used repeatedly in connection with Jonny Wilkinson ahead of Saturday鈥檚 World Cup final...
Continue reading "Why Wilkinson is the main man"
- Tom Fordyce
- 18 Oct 07, 08:24 AM
Paris, Wednesday night - Suddenly, I feel as if I鈥檝e fallen into the plot of a cheap, tear-jerking melodrama.
After seven weeks, 12 matches and 4,500 miles together in Le Bloggernaut, are about to be split up on the eve of the biggest sporting event we鈥檝e ever experienced.
Two men, one ticket.
I never liked maths, and I like that particular sum about as much as Bernard Laporte likes shampoo.
Despite having been to more matches, travelled more miles and watched more minnows than anyone else we can think of, only one of us has been given the nod by the organisers for the World Cup final.
And it鈥檚 not me...
Continue reading "Desperately seeking a Cup final ticket"
- Mark Orlovac
- 17 Oct 07, 05:26 PM
Paris 鈥 Luckily, I hadn鈥檛 finished my "England call on Hipkiss" feature for today.
The fact that I had even started thinking about writing it shows that for the umpteenth time over the last few weeks, I have been pretty presumptuous about this England team.
that Dan Hipkiss, the strong-running Leicester outside centre, would be named in the side for Saturday鈥檚 World Cup final against South Africa following the cruel injury to wing .
Continue reading "Cueto gets the nod"
- Ben Dirs
- 17 Oct 07, 11:17 AM
Paris - 鈥淐apture the atmosphere in Paris,鈥 cry the emails from the bosses back in Blighty.
Well, on the Wednesday before play in the World Cup final, is as Paris always is.
Lots of pretty women smoking and nibbling on croissants, lots of big-haired men looking magnificent in expensive sports jackets and shades. And not a Zulu-era Red Coat in sight.
Continue reading "France, je t'aime"
- Mark Orlovac
- 16 Oct 07, 05:20 PM
Paris 鈥 It has been quite a strange experience being around the camp over the last couple of weeks.
You would have thought that as the has progressed through the knock-out rounds, the tension would have increased. Now they could just be good , but I haven't seen any evidence of it.
England, written off and dismissed, are on the verge of becoming the first side to retain the but are not feeling the weight of expectation that maybe and did.
Continue reading "England locks ready for battle"
- John Beattie
- 16 Oct 07, 03:29 PM
I know, I know, it might seem a crazy idea, but I鈥檇 like all Scots, Welsh, Irish, French and Italians to support England in the rugby World Cup final. What do you think?
Aaargh, stop throwing bricks at me and let me put forward my logic.
You see, when I was a wee boy growing up in , the UK seemed a long way away. But it also struck me that all of us in the Northern Hemisphere are quite like each other. For instance, you can鈥檛 say that someone a mile north of the is markedly different from someone a mile south of it.
Continue reading "Why all six nations should back England"
- Rob Hodgetts
- 16 Oct 07, 12:43 PM
London - Has 贰苍驳濒补苍诲鈥檚 emergence in the World Cup final caught you by surprise? No, of course not, you cry. I always had faith.
But did you back your convictions by leaving the diary empty for 2000BST on Saturday, 20 October 2007? (If you are South African, you may have done just that)
Continue reading "Party or pooper?"
- Tom Fordyce
- 16 Oct 07, 12:16 PM
The outskirts of Paris, Tuesday - 鈥淐onfidence,鈥 sang Elvis - 鈥淭here's no job too immense when you've got confidence.鈥
While was a hero to most, he never meant squit to me. But, as I鈥檝e strolled around in the last few days, the words of the be鈥檘uiffed porker have rung in my ears time and time again.
If there鈥檚 a Springboks fan out there who isn鈥檛 completely and utterly 100% certain that his side will win the World Cup on Saturday night, I鈥檝e yet to meet them.
Continue reading "From Cape Town and Dover they came..."
- Alastair Hignell
- 16 Oct 07, 10:42 AM
You can鈥檛 predict with any certainty what will happen in . That鈥檚 why we play it. That鈥檚 why we watch it.
And if you could, you wouldn鈥檛 share it with the millions of readers who have visited this website in the last few weeks.
驰辞耻鈥檇 your house, liquidize your assets and cart all your life-savings down to the nearest .
Continue reading "South Africa to win"
- Mark Orlovac
- 15 Oct 07, 05:10 PM
Paris 鈥 To be honest it wasn't that much of a surprise.
England fans feared the worst when wing Josh Lewsey gingerly limped off the field at the half-time whistle of Saturday鈥檚 semi-final .
And earlier today it was confirmed that a hamstring strain has robbed the Wasps flyer of a chance of playing in his
Continue reading "England ponder Lewsey replacement"
- Alastair Hignell
- 15 Oct 07, 03:40 PM
and his magnificent will return to next week to massed crowds, bands and prime-time TV.
Their achievement in becoming the first Argentina side, the first team from outside the founder-nations, to reach the last four of a , will be rightly saluted.
And while Puma-mania grips , elsewhere in the rugby world drums will be banged, tables will be thumped and the demand will bellow out, "Something Must Be Done".
Continue reading "Crying out for Argentina"
- Ben Dirs
- 14 Oct 07, 11:55 PM
Paris - Big sporting occasions can mess with people's minds. On Saturday night, as my brains were being blown out by the , I found myself making the sign of the cross and I very nearly cried.
When I tell you that I鈥檓 not sure I believe in God and that I blub about once every 10 years, usually when watching , you get some idea of the mind-bending atmosphere that was swirling round the Stade de France as England beat the World Cup hosts.
The scenes after the final whistle will live long in the memory: French fans disappearing from the ground as quickly as bath water being sucked down a plughole; England fans roaring along to Wonderwall; the tears of Sebastien Chabal.
Continue reading "Ugly win a thing of beauty"
- Mark Orlovac
- 14 Oct 07, 10:40 PM
Paris - It worked so well on Saturday we're continuing the Orlo/Dirsy blog partnership for the SA v Argentina ratings, but this time with added Fordyce!
Here are our player ratings for the Boks' semi-final win over the Pumas. I have rated South Africa and Ben and Tom are now so inseparable they have jointly rated Argentina.
Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts!
Continue reading "South Africa v Argentina player ratings"
- Mark Orlovac
- 14 Oct 07, 04:51 PM
Paris - The headlines said it all.
鈥淩ageant鈥 (infuriating) and 鈥淯ne Frustration Infinie鈥 (you can guess what that one means) screamed the press as France awoke after another draining evening with the realisation that for them, their .
The French inquest into the events that occurred at the Stade de France was already underway in earnest, with many supporters questioning why Lionel Beauxis was taken off so early in the second half.
Continue reading "England in the final mood"
- Alastair Eykyn
- 14 Oct 07, 04:49 PM
Last night was an education. An illustration of the power of the united collective. A masterclass in ice-cool concentration from 贰苍驳濒补苍诲鈥檚 . And the perfect example of the twin imposters at work.
Immediately after the match, I was in the bowels of the Stade de France, in the flash interview area next to the tunnel, waiting to speak to the men of the moment.
Minutes after Wilkinson鈥檚 boot had put an , the players from each side streamed past the door that I was leaning on. The players鈥 emotions in these moments are always extreme, but having spent many an hour loitering in tunnels and outside changing rooms post-match, microphone in hand, I can safely say I have never witnessed anything quite like it.
Continue reading "Desolation and delight at the Stade de France"
- Tom Fordyce
- 14 Oct 07, 12:17 AM
Paris, early hours of Sunday morning - Words - you fail me. Legs - you can鈥檛 hold me. Liver - stand by me.
I鈥檓 dreaming. I must be. Except in dreams I鈥檝e never thrown myself into the arms of a bug-eyed, bawling Benjamin Dirs while bellowing myself bandy and thumping myself on the legs like a banjaxed Keith Moon.
Continue reading "England in dreamland"
- Mark Orlovac
- 13 Oct 07, 10:50 PM
Paris - A brand new partnership of me, Orlo, and him, Dirsy, together in one blog.
Here are our player ratings for England's semi-final against France. I have rated England and Dirsy's rated France.
Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts!
Continue reading "England v France player ratings"
- Ben Dirs
- 13 Oct 07, 08:40 AM
I鈥檓 normally loathe to use military metaphors when writing about sport. Unless, of course, is playing at arrows, in which case, it鈥檚 entirely appropriate.
But, as I sit here tapping this out in a darkened hotel room, the glow from my laptop serving as my only light, I can鈥檛 help feeling like an army scout, sent into enemy territory to test the waters in advance of 贰苍驳濒补苍诲鈥檚 invading hordes.
Continue reading "Paris primed for English invasion"
- Mark Orlovac
- 12 Oct 07, 05:31 PM
Paris 鈥 I鈥檒l have to be honest here, I woke up this morning with butterflies in my stomach. It did not take me long to work out the reason why.
After all the hype and build-up, we are just over 24 hours away from Saturday鈥檚 massive clash between .
The anticipation is building.
Continue reading "England calm before storm"
- Ryan Jones
- 12 Oct 07, 12:47 PM
Swansea - World Cup 2007 has experienced somewhat of a lull this week in the wake of last weekend鈥檚 dramas, and for me the period of calm has been put to use by partaking in a spot of nostalgic indulgence in memories of semi-finals gone-by.
Admittedly, people who know me will be the first to tell you that I am far from rugby鈥檚 greatest historian, but even I know that the encounters that have taken place in the semi-finals of the previous World Cups have produced matches of such acclaim that they will long be etched in the history of the game and many will be recognisable to even the newest of rugby followers.
Continue reading "More classic moments in store?"
- Tom Fordyce
- 12 Oct 07, 07:43 AM
The outskirts of Paris, Friday - Just one day to go now until .
Gulp.
Right now, Ben and I are incapable of doing almost anything except run round in ever-decreasing circles, squeaking in schoolgirl fashion before collapsing to the ground like a pair of over-dramatic old luvvies.
Continue reading "Quelque chose pour le weekend?"
- Ryan Jones
- 11 Oct 07, 11:24 AM
Swansea - Sorry for the delay guys, it's taken me this long to recover from the weekend!
Moral of the week: don鈥檛 come to me for your betting tips! Two out of four isn鈥檛 bad but it isn鈥檛 exactly good either.
Humble pie time first to the legions of England fans who so promptly let me know that my tip, the Australians, were on their way home and their team that I had "written off鈥" were marching on through.
Fair play, in that game and their tactics were spot on.
Continue reading "No more tips from me!"
- Ben Dirs
- 10 Oct 07, 09:55 PM
Fontainebleau 鈥 Hello you. Today, Tommy and I have come over all altruistic and decided to share some of our five-and-a-half weeks鈥 worth of Rugby World Cup experience with those making their way over for the on Saturday.
Here are some of the key tips we鈥檝e picked up during the course of our grand escapade. Agree or disagree, just don鈥檛 bang on about your licence fee.
Continue reading "Your Paris checklist"
- Mark Orlovac
- 10 Oct 07, 06:40 PM
Paris 鈥 Make a note of the date. It has been quite a momentous day for those of a persuasion.
For the first time in almost two years, an England head coach has been able to keep the same starting XV for successive games.
It is an incredible statistic and highlights how injuries and muddled thinking have disrupted the reigning champions over the last few years.
Continue reading "England stick with winning formula"
- Tom Fordyce
- 10 Oct 07, 05:22 AM
Macon, Wednesday, en route to Paris - 400 kilometres down, 400 to go.
At this stage of the trip, with the sunny pitches of the south disappearing in Le Bloggernaut鈥檚 dusty wake and the bug-battered bonnet pointing towards the autumnal north, we鈥檇 expected to feel as glum as in a library.
Instead, our chuggathon up the autoroute has seen the pair of us so sparkly-eyed and perma-smiled that we could pass for aged members of a particularly bad-looking boy-band.
Continue reading "Gaga about Paris"
- Mark Orlovac
- 9 Oct 07, 04:12 PM
Paris 鈥 鈥溾, sang Bobby McFerrin in his 1988 number one hit of the same name.
Jut in case you are too young to know, McFerrin鈥檚 song was the most inanely cheery pop song I can remember and is still as infectious now as it was then.
But I would put my house on betting that this particular ditty will not be on any of the mp3 players used by the England pack out here in France. You see, they're not called the "Grumpy Old Men" for nothing.
Continue reading "Grumpy England look for improvement"
- Ben Dirs
- 9 Oct 07, 01:21 PM
Aix-en-Provence 鈥 Tommy and I set sail from Marseille on Monday afternoon like a couple of battered sailors fleeing a storm and have now weighed anchor in the calmer waters of .
Thousands of others will have done the same and will now be cowering under duvets all over the globe, still struggling to come to terms with the weekend they鈥檝e just experienced.
There will never be another two days like it. Apart from next and , that is.
Continue reading "The journey to Paris begins..."
- 主播大秀 Sport Rugby
- 9 Oct 07, 09:21 AM
By Sean Martin in Wellington - Could it be so? , the country that lives and breathes rugby union, is slowly falling out of love with the game?
There was the over the All Blacks鈥 shock World Cup quarter-final exit 鈥 it led , talkback radio was awash with the topic and web pages were hastily constructed on the subject.
to say that the referee was at fault. Heck, even the prime minister and leader of the opposition weighed in with their tuppence worth.
Continue reading "Rugby's allure fading in New Zealand"
- Alastair Hignell
- 8 Oct 07, 04:37 PM
Paris - It is not true that the first word a French child learns to utter is 鈥渘on鈥. It just feels like it.
The petty bureaucracy for which the host country is infamous has, it seems, become even more of an art form.
The stadium entrance you used yesterday, you can鈥檛 use today. You鈥榬e not allowed to take this lift - even though it鈥檚 the only one that will take you to the press conference. You mustn鈥檛 go through that door - even if your accreditation allows you to be on the other side of it.
You can buy a soft drink in the media centre, but not a sandwich - even though the two are stacked next door to each other in the cooling cabinet.
Continue reading "The word is 'non'"
- Tom Fordyce
- 8 Oct 07, 12:00 PM
Marseille, Monday morning - There鈥檚 no two ways about it 鈥 that was without doubt the greatest sporting weekend I鈥檝e ever been involved in.
Marseille this weekend has been a city drenched in beer, tension, disbelief, sorrow, happiness and wild, wide-eyed celebration.
Even now, with the streets finally emptying of campervans, sleeping fans and plastic pint pots, you can still almost feel the excitement bouncing off the sticky pavements.
Continue reading "Sweet and sour memories of Marseille"
- Mark Orlovac
- 8 Oct 07, 11:56 AM
Paris 鈥 The reaction of the players as the final whistle went at the Stade de France on Sunday night said it all.
Some sank to their knees, others looked blankly into space, Sean Lamont angrily threw his gumshield to the ground.
As the Argentina players and fans started their delirious celebrations, Scotland were left with the feeling that they had just blown their best of chance of reaching the last four of a World Cup since 1991.
Continue reading "Scotland ponder what might have been"
- Mark Orlovac
- 8 Oct 07, 03:42 AM
Paris - I was at the Stade de France on Sunday night for the quarter-final between Scotland and Argentina as the Pumas reached the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time.
Here's my player ratings for the game, let me know what you think.
Continue reading "Argentina v Scotland ratings"
- Rob Hodgetts
- 7 Oct 07, 10:48 AM
Christchur-... I mean Cardiff - Well, well. So . And sometimes on the same day.
Not many of us thought France could emulate and beat the mighty Kiwis. (I have to confess I wrote the first take of this intro about lunchtime and it looked very different.)
Even fewer thought Les Bleus could surge from behind and pull off, if not quite a , then a very good second best.
Continue reading "D茅j脿 vu for KO'd Kiwis"
- Rob Hodgetts
- 7 Oct 07, 07:15 AM
Cardiff - What a night! Two shocks in one day is too much to take. Anyway, here are my ratings for France's quarter-final against New Zealand.
Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts!
Continue reading "New Zealand v France player ratings"
- Mark Orlovac
- 7 Oct 07, 02:06 AM
Paris 鈥 Anyone know where I can get my hands on around 3,000 boxes of painkillers?
The reason I ask is because I reckon I could make an absolute fortune selling them on the streets of the French capital after the mother of all parties on Saturday night.
And who can blame anyone from feeling slightly groggy the morning after one of the most incredible days in World Cup history?
Continue reading "Paris parties like it's 1999"
- Ben Dirs
- 6 Oct 07, 07:26 PM
Marseille - More bad news for those who have been complaining about us wasting their licence fee for the last five weeks: 鈥nd we鈥檙e going with them!
Not even as I weaved my way through the puddles of sick and empty beer glasses that littered Marseille鈥檚 Old Port at 6am on Saturday did I think were going to beat Australia.
Continue reading "England spark Marseille party"
- 主播大秀 Sport Rugby
- 6 Oct 07, 05:38 PM
Marseille - Tom and Ben here, together in one blog. Here are our player ratings for England's quarter-final against Australia. Tom's rated England and Ben, Australia.
Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts!
Continue reading "England v Australia player ratings"
- Mark Orlovac
- 6 Oct 07, 11:28 AM
Paris - 鈥淓very team needs a Chris Paterson鈥, said a television commentator as the pinpoint Scottish kicker landed another penalty in the last weekend.
And how right he is.
For the 30-year-old is one of the prime reasons Scotland are facing a quarter-final clash with Argentina on Sunday rather than joining Wales and Ireland on the plane home.
Continue reading "Hail the kicking king"
- Ryan Jones
- 6 Oct 07, 10:58 AM
Swansea - Eight left and by the end of the weekend there will be four.
Which four that will be has yet to be determined, but what is for sure is that the make-up of the semis will be heavily influenced by the performances of each of the team鈥檚 key players.
Here鈥檚 my rundown on this weekend鈥檚 central figures and who will end up winners and losers.
Continue reading "Barnes will inspire Australia to victory"
- Mark Orlovac
- 5 Oct 07, 03:42 PM
Paris - Yes I know it wasn't supposed to be like this, World Cup hosts France playing their quarter-final against New Zealand... in Cardiff.
The fact that Wales is the host for this epic contest has not gone down well here and the French mood is not helped by the fact that no-one expects them to win 鈥 with some French journalists giving them only a 10% chance of victory.
There is no doubt that the All Blacks are huge favourites but we all love an underdog don鈥檛 we? So let鈥檚 see if we can't give the hosts some hope.
Continue reading "Can France beat New Zealand?"
- Tom Fordyce
- 5 Oct 07, 11:28 AM
Marseille, Friday morning - England probably think they鈥檝e got a tough task on their hands, in the World Cup quarter-finals this weekend.
They have. But I can tell them now that it won鈥檛 be as hard as driving Le Bloggernaut around a lap of the .
That鈥檚 right. On Thursday afternoon, fired up on baguette and an over-ripe piece of goat鈥檚 cheese, we took our stinking campervan into one of the world鈥檚 richest countries, put pedal to metal and let rip.
Continue reading "Dang. Dana-nang neh-neh ne-ne-nah nang..."
- Alastair Eykyn
- 4 Oct 07, 05:27 PM
Cardiff - We were left in no doubt as to the identity of the World Cup鈥檚 biggest star today. The peace and tranquillity of the Vale of Glamorgan country club was shattered by the sound of journalists on the hoof.
A sound not too dissimilar to the migration of the across the plains of East Africa. A thunderous stomping from one end of the designated interview room to the other.
The reason? One spiky-haired, fresh-faced, mild-mannered, extravagantly talented fly-half. There鈥檚 only one Dan Carter.
Continue reading "Carter the unstoppable points machine"
- Mark Orlovac
- 4 Oct 07, 01:22 PM
Paris - Just a day after learning he would get a shot at redemption, .
The Saracens centre has suffered a catalogue of injuries since his and now he has another to add to the list.
Continue reading "Cruel blow for unlucky Farrell"
- Ben Dirs
- 4 Oct 07, 09:54 AM
Menton, Cote d'Azur - I have to be honest, I鈥檓 not really into visiting graves. As my nan used to say, you鈥檙e a long time toes-up - what鈥檚 the point in hanging about with dead people while you鈥檙e still alive?
But I made an exception for William Webb Ellis, the man often credited with inventing rugby union and without whom this magnificent trip of ours may never have happened.
The Webbler lies in the in Menton, a resort nestled between Monaco and the Italian border.
The former pupil of Rugby School spent the last six months of his life trying to recover from TB in the dry Mediterranean air, although, given some of the gradients in this town, he might have been better off in Holland.
Continue reading "A toast to William Webb Ellis"
- Mark Orlovac
- 3 Oct 07, 03:43 PM
Paris - England coach Brian Ashton sprung a few surprises when he announced his team for in Marseille.
And the message he has sent out to the Wallabies is a simple one 鈥 we want to bully you at scrum time.
Continue reading "England throw down gauntlet"
- Tom Fordyce
- 3 Oct 07, 02:43 PM
The suburbs of Marseille, Wednesday - Hold onto your seats, for I have shock news for you: plan to defeat features some of the most radical strategies ever unleashed on a rugby pitch.
I鈥檓 still shaking after what I鈥檝e just witnessed, to be honest.
But at the risk of being hung for treason, here鈥檚 the inside scoop.
Continue reading "England unleash cunning new plan"
- Mark Orlovac
- 3 Oct 07, 01:17 AM
Paris - Argentina are getting ready for the biggest game in their history, but you never would have guessed.
In the Parisian suburb of Enghien-les-Bains, the Argentine management team held their first press briefing since reaching the quarter-finals with the last Sunday.
And boy, were they relaxed. Which is just as well really, considering that Argentina鈥檚 impressive exploits in France have gripped a normally football-mad nation.
Continue reading "Chilled out Pumas play it cool"
- Ben Dirs
- 2 Oct 07, 04:25 PM
Marseille - Down at Australia HQ in 鈥檚 Old Port, could only have looked more relaxed had they been receiving facials while fielding questions from the floor.
A slight murmur went up when I asked George Smith if he agreed with Australia Rugby Union chief executive John O鈥橬eill鈥檚 comments that all of his countrymen 鈥渉ate England鈥.
Continue reading "Old Port, old rivals"
- Ryan Jones
- 2 Oct 07, 03:36 PM
Swansea - Well what can I say?
What an absolutely torrid weekend. and .
I can鈥檛 say that I鈥檓 hugely surprised that Gareth was asked to vacate his position following the defeat on Saturday because history has shown us that when the national team underachieves heads have tended to roll - and this World Cup campaign will be categorised as an underachievement.
Continue reading "Another new chapter"
- Tom Fordyce
- 2 Oct 07, 11:55 AM
Marseille, Tuesday morning - 鈥淥h, what an atmosphere!鈥 Ben chirped this morning. 鈥淚 love a party with a happy atmosphere!鈥
I sighed. No man likes to be woken up by a semi-naked rugby fan from , particularly when he鈥檚 dancing around singing lines from his favourite songs - but for once Dirsy had a point.
After four weeks of phoney wars and soggy squibs, the party feels like it鈥檚 truly about to start.
Continue reading "For those about to rock, we salute you"
- Bryn Palmer
- 2 Oct 07, 06:45 AM
Paris 鈥 So 40 matches down, eight to go.
The group stages are over and we are down to our eight quarter-finalists.
So I thought it was time for another batch of awards, reflecting on what we have seen so far. Again, let me know if you disagree or want to offer your own suggestions for additional honours.
Best game: .
No contest this one. Much as it was painful to watch, as a Welshman, Saturday in Nantes threw up one of the most enthralling games in the entire history of the World Cup. Nine tries in total, Fiji scoring 25 points in 10 crazy first-half minutes, Wales hitting back to lead 29-25, Fiji going back in front, Martyn Williams鈥 intercept try to give Wales the lead again鈥iji winning it at the death. Bewildering, breathtaking, heartbreaking stuff.
Continue reading "Highs and lows of the group stages"
- John Haughey
- 1 Oct 07, 05:57 PM
It hasn鈥檛 quite matched the national trauma induced by departure from five years ago but Ireland rugby team鈥檚 hapless efforts in France have gripped the over the past three weeks.
Two months ago, a semi-final place in this World Cup was being spoken about as the minimum acceptable requirement for this so-called Golden Generation of Irish players.
Instead, their World Cup was over before we made it into October as the shambolic displays against and Georgia were followed by conclusive defeats against and .
Continue reading "Emerald Isle wants answers after World Cup flop"
- Alastair Hignell
- 1 Oct 07, 04:09 PM
Thank God for
If the chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union hadn鈥檛 put it so succinctly, we would never have known. "It doesn't matter whether it's cricket, rugby union, rugby league 鈥 we all hate England,"
As a statement of the bleedin鈥 obvious, it鈥檚 one of which Basil Fawlty would be proud.
In recent times Ronan O鈥橤ara and Imanol Harinordoquy, among a whole host of others, have uttered similar sentiments.
Crowds at 贰苍驳濒补苍诲鈥檚 last two matches, at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes and the Parc des Princes in Paris, have backed up the theory put forward by head coach Brian Ashton that there won鈥檛 be any neutrals at 贰苍驳濒补苍诲鈥檚 matches.
In fact, several supporters were seen at the Parc wearing T-shirts proclaiming their affiliation to the Gwent branch of the Tongan Supporters Club.
Continue reading "Advance Australia unfair"
- Ben Dirs
- 1 Oct 07, 10:43 AM
To lose one Six Nations side before the quarter-finals of a World Cup is unfortunate. To lose three just goes to show how stagnant and outmoded northern hemisphere rugby has become.
Some claim this tournament has proved that rugby runs stronger and deeper than ever before, with and cited as prime examples.
I don鈥檛 go for that. After all, the All Blacks and Australia have been gubbing the minnows at this World Cup just as they always have done.
I hesitate to pick on the Scots 鈥 at least they managed to scrape through their group - but it was our misfortune to witness which was the rugby equivalent of a wet weekend in Prestatyn with only a stack of LPs for company.
Continue reading "Northern exposure leaves Dirsy depressed"
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