2023 RWC Buildup, Squads, Fixtures 'etc'

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257126#Comment_121257126

Agreed. I'll be shocked if they make the final. It's possible though.

pickarooney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257126#Comment_121257126

They didn't really rest their front liners against Samoa.

South Africa had week 5 off and have rotated more than any other team.

Jacovs

So they are sticking to the first team, same team that played last week.

pickarooney

Not sure why they brough Am in.

For all the talk about how the group stages were a waste of time and the real competition started at the knockouts this thread is a ghost town on the eve of the semi.

Rugbymad2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257895#Comment_121257895

Think they have it wrong.i would have had a lot of those starting players on the bench and I would have had Trevor,fourie,kock,snyman and kleyn,van staden,Williams libbok,esterhuisen,am leroux all starting.

FrancieBrady

England's only hope is to stay in this game until late and hope for something game changing at the end, a card, a mistake etc. I'm expecting a massive defensive shift from Borthwicks team.

Advantage has to go to SA though.

Jacovs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257925#Comment_121257925

Maybe brought him over if there are any injuries, have him training with the squad and ready to go if needed. Share his experience with the younger guys.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257941#Comment_121257941

I suppose if they picked a weaker team and then lost, we wouldnt be very happy.

Rugbymad2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258025#Comment_121258025

Our team is evenly matched thru the 33 players,I would have been more concerned about fatigue after that France game.but anyway What a weekend to be alive,mighty Stormers to beat lions,proteas to pump England and the book to pump England.

Jacovs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258059#Comment_121258059

I dont know about evenly matched across the 33, there are clear first choices in most positions, but it is more evenly matched than most other teams I think. I agree that they couldve rotated a few players.

This weekend really is mad for sport fixtures, just for what I am interested in:

Friday:

Rugby Semi Final 21:00-23:00

F1 Qualifying 23:00-00:00

Saturday:

MotoGP Qualifying 01:50-02:30

MotoGP Sprint 06:00-07:05

Cricket Eng vs SA 10:30-18:30

URC Stormers vs Lions 16:05-18:00

F1 Sprint Qualifying 19:30-20:30

Rugby Semi Final 21:00-23:00

Sunday:

F1 Sprint 00:00-01:00

MotoGP Race 05:00-05:50

F1 Race 21:00-23:00

Rugbymad2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258145#Comment_121258145

Binder

proteas

stormers

boks

sa woman

all to win 😜

TheRona

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258170#Comment_121258170

Hope you get all your wins this weekend, but just to let you know, it's only right that NZ win the cricket and rugby world cups. 😁

Yeah_Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258145#Comment_121258145

I agree that you're not evenly matched across the 33 but in the forwards you are. You could swap the first and second choice in the Bok pack and it wouldn't make a difference. Except at hooker with Marx out.

Looks like you have a great weekend of sport ahead. I'm not a motorsport fan but it's pretty good for me too.

The RWC semis.

NZ v India cricket world cup.

URC starts.

Gallagher Premiership starts (I know a lot here deride the comp but it often has some very entertaining matches).

Merseyside derby.

Chelsea v Arsenal

Sheffield Uth v Man U

And the wife is out for a boozey lunch with friends on Saturday. They don't usually finish till midnight. Life is good 😁

OldRio

I thought the EPL started last week?

techdiver

Am I alone in having lost interest in the rest of the tournament?

From the start I was like a giddy child watching every game no matter what minnow was involved. My days were spent on YouTube watching all the rugby world cup content I could find and on social media reading everything.

Since last weekend (with Ireland and France out) I have avoided every bit like the plague. I've completely lost interest. Rugby World Cups have become like groundhog day with the same teams over and over again contesting finals and winning. The game is in a bad place, lets be honest. Oh great a potential third meeting of New Zealand and South Africa in as many months. It's becoming stale.

I'm starting to think the timing of the world cup gives a massive advantage to Southern Hemisphere teams. We are at the start of a season with nothing to build on going in other than some meaningless warm up games. The Southern Hemisphere are just off the back of (albeit shortened version of) their Rugby Championship.

Despite the fact that Ireland performed way better at this tournament than any other previous I am still more disappointed than any previous one (and I was at the loss to Argentina in 2015). Maybe that's part of it. The fact that we had the best team ever, played at a good level and were still sent home makes me even more depressed even though coming into the tournament I said that I would accept a QF loss as long as we didn't go out in a whimper like every other world cup.

I'll probably still watch it but I'm not looking forward to it in the same way I was even looking forward to watching the likes of Fiji v Portugal.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258628#Comment_121258628

Can't wait to see how it pans out tbh.

Only regret is we are not still in it and we are unlikely to see anymore stunning games like Irl V NZ and SA v FRA. Honourable mention to the other two lesser quality QF's. Maybe the final might. We'll see.

Dubinusa

I am all in with the boks!

Shehal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257126#Comment_121257126

Maybe they are fresher but the reality is SA are a far superior side so the fact England are fresher I don't see making much of a difference.

pickarooney

I've pretty much lost interest. I just can't bring myself to care who wins. I'm even supporting England in the semi, that's how bad it's got.

SaoPaulo41

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121259234#Comment_121259234

Very same, I don't really care about it now, will certainly still watch , but don't care. Like if it's a NZ V SA final who cares which country wins 4th wc.

eagle eye

I was the same on Sunday.

I'll watch the rest of it and I'm shouting for New Zealand to win both SF and F by large margins. If that happens I'll feel a lot better about things

AbusesToilets

Desperately hoping for a miracle, England vs Argentina final.

Podge_irl

As long as South Africa don't win I'll be moderately content. Eng>Arg>NZ>cancelled world cup>SA would be my order of preference.

Pete_Cavan

SA will get the job done against England with a bit to spare. I think playing the same team will catch up with SA in the final though, England are belligerent enough to stress SA more than the Argies will NZ. NZ will win their game comfortably and have an extra day to prepare ahead of the final.

ersatz

Squidge has a great analysis here of how the Boks managed to mangle France's breakdown by setting up a metre behind the ruck and isolate any pick a go runners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFhgKfmQZiE

swiwi_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258628#Comment_121258628

I think it’s a crying shame France are out. Everyone has their reasons for supporting this or that team but here in France, where I currently am, the life has been sucked out of the tournament. France vs Eng would have been much more appealing than SA vs Eng. And the French would have liked nothing more than a final vs NZ much like a final vs Brazil in soccer. Obviously I’m happy NZ went through but Ire vs Wales would have held more appeal than NZ vs Arg. I’m hoping for a NZ vs Eng final, would at least offer up a final clash that has never occurred previously.

Digifriendly

Going to be a bit controversial but here goes. If you lose interest in the greatest rugby tournament simply because your team get knocked out do you really have the best interests of the game at heart? Surely the game itself is greater than the partisanship shown by supporters of teams.

S. Africa vs NZ could well be the final and could prove to be as great a game or even greater than Ireland vs NZ or France vs S. Africa. Rugby will win if it is. Is that ultimately not more important than if your team wins the WC? Interesting to see views on this.

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261486#Comment_121261486

Most are lamenting the exit of France, not Ireland. A lot of the recent posts have come from our Kiwi and Saffer friends whose teams remain in the tournament.

The fact is that there were two excellent quarter finals and now we are facing two semi finals which look quite one sided. Even if one or both are close games, they have the feel of foregone conclusions. Just something which has to be done, then onto the real business of the final. Doesn't feel like any real jeopardy involved, as was the case for all the quarters, even if upsets are still a possibility.

The final itself will likely be played between two teams who have dominated the competition, each having won the tournament three times including the last 4 (likely soon to be 5) editions. If that is the case, it would be difficult to generate excitement as there's no story here to draw in the neutrals.

Maybe we get a brilliant semi final or a brilliant final, or more than one brilliant game between them, but as of right now, there doesn't seem much to get excited about.

sydthebeat

^

That's it in a nut shell.

The combined bookies spread for the two semi finals is 31 points!!

I don't think we've ever have such expected one sided semis before, and it's very hard for neutral fans to get excited about that, especially after two absolutely world class quarter finals.

I'm shouting for Argentina as they would be the only new name on the cup, but really, they haven't a snowballs chance in hell

Podge_irl

A NZ-SA final would be a boring concept, even if the game itself may be excellent.

Hurrache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261486#Comment_121261486

Don't think it's because your team got knocked out, moreso the two semis are pretty uninteresting with not much of a chance of any excitement, particularly since two of the quarters were magnificent games