Rugby World Cup 2011

[sammymaguire]

All these games are pointless anyway. NO team will beat the All Blacks

that's been said since they won they first WC in 1987

Phil vickery thinks he is giving a HT teamtalk. Im waiting on the effing and blinding to start

On their own home turf this year.

[tyroneman]

Ah now lads ,  Johnson has done a fantastic job with the English...

For me anyhow he has:

- Kept them at the top of the tree as one of the worlds most hated teams (in any sport)
- Ensured they are never more than mediocre at best, sparing us a team England tabloid frenzy
- Shown them to be some of the biggest (dumbest) cheats of world rugby
-Blown away the thugs game played by gentlemen nonsense that the tabloids and D4 would promote
- Allowed the public to see them for the overhyped, ignorant, arrogant t!ts they really seem to be

And all this while managing to display not one ounce of charm, wit or humility.

I suppose the fact John Terry thinks he is doing a fantastic job says it all.......

Well done Martin. Hope you are there for another 10 years.

[laoislad]

So who do we play next?
It's great all the same that we have a handy run all the way to the Final isn't it.

THIS IS RUGBY COUNTRY! TOGETHER STANDING TALL!

[Capt Pat]

Same team against the Welsh.Though Bests fitness is still up in the air. I would have played Sexton instead of O Gara as I don't anticipate this game being decide on penalties.

There is something I got right. The Welsh gameplan was in part built around O Garas weaknesses. Running at him when in possession and standing off him marking other players when he had the ball forcing him to run which he can't do to any great effect.

Don't look at my match prediction thread. Just about completely wrong.

[sans pessimism]

So who do we play next?
It's great all the same that we have a handy run all the way to the Final isn't it.

THIS IS RUGBY COUNTRY! TOGETHER STANDING TALL!

Very like Laois hurling/football

[Capt Pat]

"This is rugby country"?.............................WALES

[haze]

So who do we play next?
It's great all the same that we have a handy run all the way to the Final isn't it.

THIS IS RUGBY COUNTRY! TOGETHER STANDING TALL!

Made a for a nice break from Irish people sheepishly over obsessing about about English soccer teams.

Presume post is tongue in cheek but annoying all the same.

[Carmen Stateside]

Wales won?  you got to be joking.  But it was meant to be Ireland England semi final.

[Capt Pat]

Did anyone else see the man in the Irish jersey beer in hand at the end of the England defeat dancing a jig of joy. We did win today

[Capt Pat]

The Irish defense was terrible today. Leaving the blindside unguarded 5 yards out against Mike Phillips is not very clever.

Iris fans are bawling their eyes out in the stadium. All that beer and feeling homesick for rugby country is the cause.

[Myles Na G.]

Did anyone else see the man in the Irish jersey beer in hand at the end of the England defeat dancing a jig of joy. We did win today

Spotted that too, but it just depressed me. For a short while I'd thought we'd become a serious rugby team, able to compete in semi finals and finals, rather than an average team whose fans have to make do with celebrating England defeats. Back to reality, I suppose.

[Shamrock Shore]

Disappointed but the better team won. No disgrace.

[seafoid]

Did anyone else see the man in the Irish jersey beer in hand at the end of the England defeat dancing a jig of joy. We did win today

Spotted that too, but it just depressed me. For a short while I'd thought we'd become a serious rugby team, able to compete in semi finals and finals, rather than an average team whose fans have to make do with celebrating England defeats. Back to reality, I suppose.

A "serious" rugby team might have won more grand slams. The rugby pool in Ireland is very small as well.   

[Main Street]

That girlie choir chorus for Ireland's call was ominous, you couldn't imagine the All Blacks having that.

Sad that it has come to this. We had plenty of time scrapping inside their 25 but Wales were superb there and clinical with their opportunities. Wales thoroughly outplayed Ireland in most departments leaving Ireland ragged at the end.
It's the All Black's world cup to lose.

[anglocelt39]

Not that i'd profess huge expertise but it seems we went out there with a very real possibility of being on the plane home after the group stages which would not have been acceptable and would have led to a few of our (extensive) coaching ticket with big questions to answer. So emptied the tank big time against Ozzies and Italy to make 1/4 final. Looks like the effort caught up today and well beaten. Has to be hard to sustain the required level of physical intensity week in week out.

Afraid perennial 1/4 finalists is about where we are at in this comp, this year with a bit of luck we could have made a semi at the outside. Really sorry for O Driscoll who has to be on borrowed time now and is an outstanding Irish sportsman regardless of what your preferred code is. Given the hype and giddiness of the past few days (20 point defeats of the Taffs etc) not sure I could have coped with us making a final in this.