Official 2015 Rugby World Cup Thread

[Tom Cruise]

War George North

Biscuit chin is one concussion away from retirement isnt he?

[vorgaphe]

Biscuit chin is one concussion away from retirement isnt he?

The Khan of world rugby

[Left Hook Tua]

im gonna say new zealand wins their pool.

[Y0@NN]

Biscuit chin is one concussion away from retirement isnt he?

Wales are gonna take your slot.

[vorgaphe]

Wales are gonna take your slot.

Na not a chance. We did a job on them at their place in the last 6 Nations. They have faded since the Lions tour in 2012 and have a dreadful record vs Aus. It will be England and Aus who got through.

[MDPopescu]

Yeah, but that doesn't matter, the tournament was on the line in the previous game.

The NZ open style isn't suited to World Cup knock-out rugby which is usually tight and defensive. They were lucky to win in 2011, France were unlucky, Craig Joubert basically handed it to the hosts.

... South Africa has the best defense... France's scrum is (and always was) made of primitive gorillas -- which results/resulted in numerous penalties...

[McGoorty]

no

Aren't there about three teams in that one? No disrespect to League they've produced some great Union players.

Well no, many more than three but there are three top tier teams but some of the pacific island nations are very strong as well, France is a sleeping giant and most European nations have teams vying for a spot. I hope they have 16 teams in the world cup finals series but there was some crazy talk about just having ten but that would be a retrograde step. currently there are about 48 nations that are now full time members of the International Rugby League federation and another 30 odd that have observer status. There are more than 70 countries with their own domestic competitions, so while your back was turned rugby league has grown triple fold in the last five years. So while Union grows league is growing at about the same rate, we just started later than you lot thats all. In comparison i would rate Union as currently having only one top tier team, The All Blacks as no one has beaten them in a series since Moses was a boy, at least in Rugby League Australia, the usual world champs do lose to NZ and to England at times.

[McGoorty]

As for league producing great union players. I would say we made them great then union stole them because it can't produce many good players itself. Yes we used to steal a few players in the old days but thats cos union never paid them a cent back then, in fact that's how league began in the first place, cos players were starving.

[Tom Cruise]

As for league producing great union players. I would say we made them great then union stole them because it can't produce many good players itself. Yes we used to steal a few players in the old days but thats cos union never paid them a cent back then, in fact that's how league began in the first place, cos players were starving.

Lol Union produces plenty of great players.

[Weebler I]

In comparison i would rate Union as currently having only one top tier team, The All Blacks as no one has beaten them in a series since Moses was a boy, at least in Rugby League Australia, the usual world champs do lose to NZ and to England at times.

The All Blacks just lost the Rugby Championship to Australia.

Australia have won 71% of RL World Cups, the All Blacks just 25% and both of those were at home.