2011 Rugby World Cup

Pool A:
New Zealand
France
Tonga
Canada
Japan


Pool B
England
Argentina
Scotland
Georgia
Romania


Pool C
Australia
Ireland
Italy
USA
Russia

Pool D
South Africa
Wales
Samoa
Fiji
Namibia

Fixtures

• All the pools look pretty easy, except maybe D. Hope Fiji and Samoa don't take each other out but that may happen.
• A few big pool games:
• Argentina vs England 10/9
• South Africa vs Wales 11/9
• Australia vs Ireland, 17/9
• Wales vs Samoa 18/9
• NZ vs France, 24/9
• Fiji vs Samoa, 25/9
• South Africa vs Samoa, 30/9

I'm guessing quarterfinals will be:

From there semis will probably be:
South Africa vs New Zealand
Australia vs England

and anyone's game from there.

Oh and opens this friday with NZ vs Tonga.

Players to watch? know shit all about the northern hemisphere teams. Can't believe Wilkinson is here though, so overrated.

Selection is weird for NZ. we have a few incumbents with pressure on them. Muliaina hasn't played that well and Dagg is looking good for fullback. Weepu has been playing great at halfback but he's just too much of a good sub to have him starting, in that he can cover first five as well. Andrew Hore vs Keven Mealamu is tough to pick.

Kieran Read was a big loss, although Vito played really well when he came on last week. As did Ali Williams.

We're screwed if we lose McCaw or Carter. Slade is clearly nowhere near Carter, and I don't think we even have a substitute openside for McCaw.

It wouldn't matter so much if France beat NZ since they're in the same group, and both will probably go through to the quarters.

Wallabies have a good team but i don't think it's the best. Couple of good backs but weak in the centres. Couple of decent loose forwards but poor front row. Their draw is the easiest but that's not necessarily a good thing. It'll be a shock when they finally get to the semis and play a good team.

South Africa's strategy is gonna work in their pool against Samoa and Fiji, and it worked against the ABs last month, but unless Graham Henry and co are idiots it won't work again.

I mean we knew that the opposition can't run the ball or retain possession more than a few phases, why would we persist with short kick-offs and little chip kicks? kick deep man.
Edited by hendrix - 9/11/11 at 5:31am

BTW anyone know anything about how England have been playing this year? I never follow Northern Hemisphere rugby, but it seems like they're sending the same team they sent to the 2003 WC. It'll be interesting to see how they go against Australia.

That's pretty poor if they're not being broadcast in the US. NZ is losing money on this world cup, on the faint hope that it'll bring tourism/whatever.

tonight: