Australia v New Zealand

[JJ]

I'm not sure what BS you are referring to. It's all been very respectful from what I can see.

I could give you a few things to ponder from that match, but there's no use crying over spilled milk.

Most has, but there's been talk of refereeing, bad luck, and your worst game of the tournament being in the final.

Yes there were two injuries, but Read was also hobbled for us, and it was pretty dominant the way I saw it - we had to play well and we did - in every position we have an advantage, and it showed imo - we turned down goal kicks which is a very non-union thing to do.

The binning was fine, just the process was strange, mostly the sudden change - but that was the only period we looked under pressure - and tbh you were lucky to have 15 on the field with the two hits on Carter, and pretty sure the one on McCaw in the try the third for Kepu... think it was also demonstrated in the last two games that while your scrum has improved, it's still mediocre at best

Pretty easy win imo - Cheika is a great coach, and the team over performed - but we're well ahead.

Next year will be interesting - not sure the losses will hurt us that much, as we have huge depth (Cruden, Barrett, Feketoa, Coles, Crockett, Moody, Caine, etc etc)- Australia also likely to lose some significant talent and much less depth

 

[Parra]

Funny that you compare Kepu's hits - that were also carefully reviewed, with a spear tackle. I thought the yellow was an OK result. Could've easily been red. But yellow was the right choice in my opinion.

Since you want to bring up specifics you missed the opening blunder where Barnes have NZ the lineout for some inexplicable reason after a charged down box kick. Or the soccer tactics where you 9 took a dive and pretended to trip, or Carter laying down to get the video replay. How did you not mention the deliberate trip of Mitchell right before NZ scored that last try?

None of this changes the result - but it was all there to see if you watched with both eyes open.

 

[JJ]

:lol: wasn't comparing with a spear tackle, and Hooper was a big player in that tackle anyway... wasn't much in Smith's tackle if you look again - and with Kepu it was 3 incidents - he can't be doing that

I saw those other incidents, Carter was hurt, no question - all are open to interpretation

We agree the better, most complete team won - I enjoyed the game - and was pleased that two teams playing positive rugby made the final

 

[Parra]

Kepu could've been carded after the McCaw tackle. He was borderline. I can't see that he could have pulled out of the Carter tackle, he was committed when Carter still had the ball. Still, 3 incidents should be enough. The 3rd went unnoticed didn't it?

 

[Rod]

I thought the late tackle penalty was harsh, I don't think Kepu was that late on the hit at all.

Also thought the yellow card was harsh, IMO that tackle wasn't card worthy and two tries is a big price to pay for a tackle that wasn't even that bad. But at least union is reasonably consistent in their constant dishing out of yellows for any sort of dangerous tackle. As JJ said it was the process more than anything that was frustrating, Owens had a good look at it and decided he wasn't going to give a card, then the TMO basically forced him to watch more replays and give one.

Absolutely nothing in the last try Mitchell just fell over Whitelock and he'd already knocked on by that stage anyway.

 

[Parra]

Whitelock clearly sticks his leg out. Then acts dead.

That tackle was an auto-card. The TMO was politely giving Owens a chance to not f**k up. He was choking on the idea of carding an AB.

 

[Rod]

Whitelock clearly sticks his leg out. Then acts dead.

You're sounding like one of those troll pom articles who try to see something wrong in everything we do now.

Just be thankful you got to play against 14 for 10 minutes otherwise you wouldn't have got past 3 points.

 

[Parra]

No need for the arrogance.

It was a trip. The 9 took a dive earlier. Doing these things and acting indignant is part of the AB style. Nothing new.

The better team won, no doubt about it. Even when we got close we weren't really in it and there was a sense of the key AB's just changing back up a gear and finishing us off. Which is what happened.

As for playing short for a while - it's part of the game and no hard luck story. We've had to do it enough times and so have most sides. Our discipline was a concern going into this and it was poor discipline that saw Smith carded.

 

[Rod]

When was this dive?

 

[shiznit]

Gotta laugh at Rod Kafer trying to say Ben Smith should have been red carded... :lol:

If anyone was lucky not to be red carded it was David Pocock... He's lucky the refs missed him m stomping on McCaws head.

 

[Parra]

When was this dive?

Got a penalty for pretending to trip on the legs of a player on the ground. Standard stuff, but not in the spirit of the game. Got called 'clever' as they do nowadays.

 

[Rod]

If anyone was lucky not to be red carded it was David Pocock... He's lucky the refs missed him m stomping on McCaws head.

Ah yeah I forgot about that.

 

[ozbash]

15 people were tackled by security as they tried to get too close to SBW receiving his replacement gold medal. They all later told Police that the story of the young boy inspired them and that they too wanted to know what it feels like to have a RWC gold medal around their neck. After further investigation the Australian Rugby team were let off with just a warning

 

[Twizzle]

Dont give up your day job Oz

 

[Meth]

Got a penalty for pretending to trip on the legs of a player on the ground. Standard stuff, but not in the spirit of the game. Got called 'clever' as they do nowadays.

I saw that. He did dive, but to draw attention to the fact that the player was on the wrong side of the ruck and a penalty was due. That sort of thing happens in both codes. Not really sure how I feel about it.

Smith yellow was correct…a red would have been ridiculous and calls for a red are ridiculous.

The Pocock thing was probably accidental and is the sort of thing that is best left on the park.

This All Blacks' team has earned our respect and one or two embarrassed concessions. Through the whole tournament (and before that), we have been unreasonably skittish- writing off Savea, Carter, McCaw, Read, Nonu...the blokes that we've talked down turned up and absolutely smashed the blokes that we've been talking up. Scrum. Breakdown. Line-out. Place kicking. We were superior in every facet of the game. Again. Because that's what they do. They ignore what we say and they do what they do. Long may it continue.

The Wallabies are a team on the up again.

Folau is a total myth. Never seen him do anything against a quality international opposition to earn the hype around him.