Who can smell an All Black choke??

[Engine]

In the last world cup, I think wales scored three tries to one against England and lost.

 

[gunnamatta bay]

So the ref is going to be blamed for the loss?

Let the post mortem begin in the NZ press. It should be good for the next six months or so.

 

[Kiwishark]

Personally I'm not hugely bothered by this loss

Piece of gold there:lol:

It's easy to blame the ref and he was disgraceful. But i tend to think it was our attack that cost us in the end. 72% possesion i think, wasted in rucks and kicks. I reckon it would have been at least 15-20 minutes of the game bogged down. How are we expected to watch and enjoy that? Even the purists, surely, watched more entertaining rugby in the days when sport was "purer". Kind of shows what has hapenned to rugby in my opinion.

 

[Twizzle]

Aussies did a pretty good job as choking as well

 

[SpaceMonkey]

So the ref is going to be blamed for the loss?

Let the post mortem begin in the NZ press. It should be good for the next six months or so.

NZ will win the world cup as soon as the NZ press (actually the worldwide rugby press in general) realise that the ABs are just a team, playing a game and that it's normal to lose occaisionally. Until then they'll just continually crush the team under the pressure of expectation.

 

[Iafeta]

lol @ the resting of players in the Super 14.

The ABs are cursed at WC time. They need to stop believing their own curse, as funny as this sounds, a strong period from the Warriors and Kiwis would be good for them to try and divert some of the love fest/hate fest when you lose press off them.

 

[steven_tiger]

Makes our exit easier to swallow (not that I'm a Union fan - only get into the WC) that the Kiwis got done. I watched the last 20 minutes and the French defended supurbly. They had to make 176 tackles to the All Blacks' 36. That's insane!

The try they scored (even with the blatant forward pass) was quality as well.

 

[Rovelli]

That try was excellent, but a forward pass is a forward pass - Michalak overran Traille clearly.

 

[Iafeta]

I'm an ABs fan, but to be honest, I couldn't get into this World Cup anyway. It was inevitable that the French would give it to the ABs and not surprising they won.

The press need to stop wanking off on union and understand there are other sports in New Zealand. The second they do and release the pressure valve, the second people will stop coming up with stupid "rest for the super 14" policies because they will just act rationally and normally. The microscope needs to be turned off the ABs, the New Zealand press needs to drop the British feast or famine type tabloid press mentality and perhaps then rugby will become enjoyable again, not only for the fans, but the players too who will be able to showcase themselves without fear of three articles popping up about one play.

Now is really the time for the Kiwis to pick it up, hopefully upset the Kangas, and go well in Great Britain and at least help the All Blacks out in the sense that the press will get off their backs. I really do feel IMO, that a strong league scene in New Zealand would actually in the long term be good for union.

PS: I think, and did think at the start of the tournament that South Africa are the best prepared team right now.

 

[eels_fan_01]

I know Wallabies lost but f**k its funny that All Blacks can never win the world cup, whats the point of their team, they dominate every year then get in the world cup the only thing that matters in rugby and choke little bitches.

 

[NK Arsenal]

:lol: @ NZ.

 

[kia ora storm]

I'm an ABs fan, but to be honest, I couldn't get into this World Cup anyway. It was inevitable that the French would give it to the ABs and not surprising they won.

The press need to stop wanking off on union and understand there are other sports in New Zealand. The second they do and release the pressure valve, the second people will stop coming up with stupid "rest for the super 14" policies because they will just act rationally and normally. The microscope needs to be turned off the ABs, the New Zealand press needs to drop the British feast or famine type tabloid press mentality and perhaps then rugby will become enjoyable again, not only for the fans, but the players too who will be able to showcase themselves without fear of three articles popping up about one play.

Now is really the time for the Kiwis to pick it up, hopefully upset the Kangas, and go well in Great Britain and at least help the All Blacks out in the sense that the press will get off their backs. I really do feel IMO, that a strong league scene in New Zealand would actually in the long term be good for union.

PS: I think, and did think at the start of the tournament that South Africa are the best prepared team right now.

I am with you bro...this WC was a borefest and I am a passionate AB fan but today could not really care either way that they lost....McCaw, Oliver, Robinson, Mils all went missing in the biggest game of their lives.

Good luck to the frogs...they outplayed us and took their chances.

The pretty rugby that the AB's played bit them on the ass...

 

[kia ora storm]

Ten reasons why the All Blacks' 20-18 loss to France in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals ain't that bad....

Richie McCaw's freshly cut hair put in a great performance.

They only won by two points.

Only one person lost $A5 million ($NZ5.89 million) by betting on us winning.

France could still lose the final.

We could have lost to Georgia.

Blue will never look as cool as black on a uniform.

What doesn't kill us can only make us stronger.

If it wasn't for the ref, it would have been different.

You can still drink your beer stockpile on New Year's Eve.

The French have never won an Oscar for best picture.

 

[pepe]

that graham henry now faces the firing squad when he arrives back in new zealand,could'nt happen to a nicer guy:lol: .

pepe

 

[Kurt200]

ahhaaha cant wait to see the papers, wallaby's to sack coach and raid some more league players . it wouldnt hurt for them to give lote tuquiri a pay rise either.

 

[edabomb]

Had a bit of a laugh when I got up to see the last 10 minutes.

The problem is that the All Black schedule is so chocker with the pointless Tri-Nations and test series that are only ever World Cup buildups really don't prepare the team. They only really play one big game every four years, and when they do they can't handle it not going all their own way.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Good luck to the frogs...they outplayed us and took their chances.

The pretty rugby that the AB's played bit them on the ass...

What????

We had 70% possession so obviously the nitty gritty wasn't the problem. We sure as hell didn't play pretty- it was the French who played pretty, they were totally dominated in every facet but managed to score 2 tries with no ball.

The All Blacks problem was that they were too scared to try anything and were actually TOO composed, too tight. They completely dominated every facet of the game and yet didn't fire a shot.

 

[kia ora storm]

What????

We had 70% possession so obviously the nitty gritty wasn't the problem. We sure as hell didn't play pretty- it was the French who played pretty, they were totally dominated in every facet but managed to score 2 tries with no ball.

The All Blacks problem was that they were too scared to try anything and were actually TOO composed, too tight. They completely dominated every facet of the game and yet didn't fire a shot.

IMO the whole "All Black dominance" theory pushed by the media did nothing for NZ in the end...when the game got tight the AB's did not have the mental toughness to believe in themselves and could not turn anything into points.

The whole first half was spent playing kick to kick when we should have chanced it and run it back...this never happened.

The French loved the tight play and NZ totally played into their tactics...very disappointing and you now have to query the resting of players and the rotation of players throughout 07 as this did not produce results.

 

[Iafeta]

Kia Ora, you name one interesting player... Mils Miliaina, to me, and I may cop it here, but he's a myth. Incredibly overrated. He's nowhere near the player that Christian Cullen is, and it's exlemplified by his low try scoring tally ratio. That's not because of luck, this team scores far more tries, but Mils is just an average journeyman.

Robbie Deans for All Blacks coach. He's no choker, his Crusaders win practically everything. Never, ever, ever have the "rest" policy again, mm kay?

 

[JJ]

He's no Christian Cullen, but he's a fine player.

Sadly, the All Blacks are serial chokers - losing Carter and Evans was horrific - but TH is right, they had all the ball and asked no questions of the French in the second half