vinnyt77 The 99 final loss to Australia after having beaten the great lost All Blacks side with Lomu, Cullen, Mehrtens Wilson et al was so French.

      alistair C’est vrai 👍️ I also saw France exceed their talent in 2007, when they beat NZ in the quarter final, then ran out of puff against England in the semi.

      I think this French team is sturdier.

      I’ll happily be proved wrong. As an England fan, I have zero expectation, so am just looking forward to a bunch of good games over the next month.

        Heading over for the Ire vs Scotland and South Africa matches, will also prob head the ¼ final and watch Ireland come home early again.

          Heno I think you’ll beat Scotland, but I think South Africa might be too much for you. They’ve looked awesome in their last couple of outings.

          I think your quarter final is going to be New Zealand, who have got a long time to recover from their big group game tonight, and I think you guys might be knackered after an incredibly tough group…

            vinnyt77 Got tickets for the quarter finals in Marseille

            Good effort, enjoy!

              Funny to see Macron get roundly booed in Paris. Genuine loathing

              • Heno replied to this.

                alistair yeah they hate him!

                Good game last night NZ were good up till halfway into the second half then France put it on them, France’s defence at times wasn’t great but they got really good turnovers at key points and took the wind out of NZ, if the heat keeps up it’s going to have a massive impact on teams.

                  bosstrabs South Africa - France final.

                  <OLB> YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST.

                  Unfortunately this could be the next round match now.

                  I actually thought NZ would beat France, but then France* hit their stride in the knockout.

                  *They haven’t topped their group since 2003.

                    What has rugby become? The guy has jumped into Tom Curry. How is he supposed to react?
                    The laws of the game have become harsh, intrusive and overbearing.

                      alistair The laws of the game have become harsh, intrusive and overbearing.

                      Love it! 😆

                          alistair The rules are the same for everyone, yet England seem to struggle more than others. 4 red cards in Internationals since March is dire.

                              SM001 No way he deserved red. The game bas gone soft. He’s watching the ball at all times

                                  alistair The game bas gone soft.

                                  Horse shit. The game is harder (more complex) and harder (more physical) than it’s ever been.

                                  You are not, however, allowed to made head on head contact in almost any circumstances - for pretty fucking obvious reasons. Curry knows it’s his responsibility to avoid a challenge that could result in head contact, but didn’t. I don’t love the decision - I think it was borderline, but can see why the red was given….

                                    vinnyt77 the rules may be the same for everyone but its spoiling many people’s enjoyment of the game looking at the viewing figures. The microanalysis and interference is off the chain. No flow or fun

                                        alistair Which viewing figures? The 2019 RWC was the most watched in history, and the ’23 Six Nations had some of the highest viewing figures ever… Club rugby - yeah, dire.