neutrals should be AB fans for final

handsomecake

the earthquake,the pike river disaster, another 5.5 earthquake last week,losing dan carter. mccaws broken foot,weepu's grandad dying midweek, jonah back in hospital again for a second time in the tournament and looking grim. their second outhalf going out with a groin injury.
their third string outhalf beating cancer and being thrown in to a world cup pressure cooker as a kid.
small country similar population to ours.
perennial entertainers.
play rugby the way it should be played.

france have trolled the world cup.vincent clerc ruined opening day in croker and we all know about thierry henry and nuclear testing on mura roa atol.

lets root for the little guy.


ka mate

wixfjord

handsomecake wrote: »

the earthquake,the pike river disaster, another 5.5 earthquake last week,losing dan carter. mccaws broken foot,weepu's grandad dying midweek, jonah back in hospital again for a second time in the tournament and looking grim. their second outhalf going out with a groin injury.
their third string outhalf beating cancer and being thrown in to a world cup pressure cooker as a kid.
small country similar population to ours.
perennial entertainers.
play rugby the way it should be played.

france have trolled the world cup.vincent clerc ruined opening day in croker and we all know about thierry henry and nuclear testing on mura roa atol.

lets root for the little guy.


ka mate

Booing Cooper like spoiled brats and the most ignorant man in world rugby at the helm...oh wait...

AnamGlas

Just another reason to go against the French really.

Hon the All Blacks!

handsomecake

wixfjord wrote: »

Booing Cooper like spoiled brats and the most ignorant man in world rugby at the helm...oh wait...

he has hit sir richard of canterbury on more then one occasion. not allowed

tolosenc

Anyone but the Blacks!

durkadurka

Little guy my arse

thomond2006

Sorry handsomecake, but the thought of posting CHOKE and FOUR MORE YEARS BOYS after the final is just irresistable. So I'll be rooting for France but I wouldn't begrudge New Zealand either.

twinytwo

thomond2006 wrote: »

Sorry handsomecake, but the thought of posting CHOKE and FOUR MORE YEARS BOYS after the final is just irresistable. So I'll be rooting for France but I wouldn't begrudge New Zealand either.

Normally i would go france... but they dont deserve to be in the final. And as much as i cant stand him richie deserves to lift the cup.

handsomecake

to be fair i was laughing as i typed thread. i knew which road it would go down.im just engaging in banter

.ak

I'll be supporting the ABs. But not because they're the little guy. Infact, they're clear favorites. They are Goliath, and France must be feeling like David right now...

I'm mostly supporting them because the majority of my favorite Super Rugby players are on the team. Also, they deserve it and France do not (unless France turn it up and fight for it).

.ak

.. and also because most kiwi's supported Ireland at this WC. That won't be forgotten.

B0X

I just realised that i correctly predicted the final in that gif i made a couple of weeks back. So i'll just leave it here again

roashter

New Zealand are around the 1/12 so don't think they are considered the little guy.

It'd be some achievement if France manage to win it, but I do hope New Zealand win as they have been the best team all tournament and thoroughly deserve it.

But never write off the French !!

Fight_Night

My allegiance to the NH overrides my distaste for the way France are playing. NZ too arrogant for my liking.

efb

€105 if they win, (€5 @ 21/1) says Allez les Blues!

efb

for those that doubt me...

irishbucsfan

I said at the beginning of the tournament that this would be the final I'd like to see.

It's a shame that France have been managed like they have. Realistically these two teams are the best two teams in the world.

In the forwards both teams are excellent. France should edge the front row battle with Poux(Barcella)/Servat/Mas but not enough to give them any huge advantage. The All Blacks have the stronger second row it seems, but I don't think that will equate to dominant lineout play as Bonnaire/Hari are their go-to guys with the beastly row lifting them. In open-field play though I think France's locks can be a liability. In the back row New Zealand have the McCaw factor which should give them the edge at the breakdown, although Thierry will be working his little French socks off to negate him. It will be interesting to see whether it's Read or Hari/Bonnaire who can influence the game more with ball in hand (I suspect Read).

In the backs the French are completely hamstrung by Lievremont's incredible stupidity. Parra/Yachvili aren't comfortable together but they make the most of it. Cruden has grown into his situation and is doing his very best to fill the boots of His Carterness. I thought he was excellent today. With Weepu playing great rugby at times I think New Zealand will feel confident about the half-back matchup. In the centers the All Blacks have the scary partnership of Nonu/Smith who are capable of changing the complexioin of the game. Mermoz/Rougerie are good, but they're not in the same class as the All Black guys. Finally you look at the back three and you really accept that these are the best two teams in this tournament. Clerc/Pallison/Medard are all fantastic players, and yet so are Kahui/Jane/Dagg. I really couldn't guess which is the better back 3, they're both phenomenal and both are capable of scoring bags of tries.

On paper these are the two best teams in the world. I think we could very easily have been looking at this game and thinking to ourselves, "wow this is going to be the best final of all time," but a certain Mr. Lievremont has done his best to put himself between his team and success.

I absolutely want the All Blacks to win. They've gone through a lot. Their fans were reportedly amazingly welcoming to the travelling (and emigrating) Irish. They play exciting rugby. They contribute to Irish rugby as well, thanks to the token kiwi that it seems every Irish club has! Also, the French have a player called Thierry. Most importantly though, Marc Lievremont absolutely does not deserve to win a world cup, as much as his players do. The only way I'd be happy with a French win would be if they sacked Marc on the eve of the final.

Jess16

I think Parra is one of the best kickers in the world and the All Blacks are some of the biggest cheats. However, rugby has undoubtedly changed and All Blacks are, literally, the forerunners of that change. On the basis of their superior fitness, ball handling, tactical play and management, I think they would be deserving winners over France.

I think the referee will ultimately determine how this game is played and will have a strong influence on the outcome of the day.

wixfjord

efb wrote: »

for those that doubt me...

Feels good doesnt it! We should start a club!

twinytwo

Jess16 wrote: »

I think Parra is one of the best kickers in the world and the All Blacks are some of the biggest cheats. However, rugby has undoubtedly changed and All Blacks are, literally, the forerunners of that change. On the basis of their superior fitness, ball handling, tactical play and management, I think they would be deserving winners over France.

I think the referee will ultimately determine how this game is played and will have a strong influence on the outcome of the day.

I wouldnt write france off though, if they turn up and play to win.. which dosent happen very often. They can win.

duckysauce

allez les blues 17/1

Jess16

twinytwo wrote: »

I wouldnt write france off though, if they turn up and play to win.. which dosent happen very often. They can win.

I don't think I did write France off I feel quite sorry for them the way they've been mismanaged and ultimately not enabled to play to their full ability as a result

Morf

twinytwo wrote: »

I wouldnt write france off though, if they turn up and play to win.. which dosent happen very often. They can win.

I've spent the last three French games thinking this. I'm happy they beat England who were slightly more dismal but this awful France team doesn't deserve a World Cup. For many reasons that Handsomecake suggested, New Zealand do.

chupacabra

Last week I dreamt of a 33 - 7 final score to New Zealand. However I ALWAYS support the underdogs. So im rooting for France.

Fishooks12

I love seeing the Kiwis being beaten especially given how cocky their media and fans are

Hon the French

Iron Hide

If NZ win, Graham Henry will never acknowledge the presence of another team apart from NZ on the pitch ever again.

C'Mon the Travelling Circus

freyners

B0X wrote: »

I just realised that i correctly predicted the final in that gif i made a couple of weeks back. So i'll just leave it here again

if you predict the score right too im calling shenanigans

Diabhal Beag

Would be some feat to lose to Samoa and still win a World Cup so for that novelty alone I'm hoping for a French win.

irishh_bob

self esteem is important and kiwis need this win more than ireland needs full employment , let the baby have its bottle , the kiwis can celebrate being the biggest fish in the small pond which is the international rugby community for the next four years , they live in a world of thier own down there anyway so its not like england winning the soccer world cup where everyone has to listen to thier constant bragging , the win will be forgotten in a week by the rest of the world

durkadurka

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Would be some feat to lose to Samoa and still win a World Cup so for that novelty alone I'm hoping for a French win.

Tonga, but point taken

tolosenc

Allez les Bleus, meme si vous avez pas tres bien joué, et malgré le fait que votre entraineur est con, je vais vous supporter car vous, la peuple française, m'avez acceuilli énormement quand j'y habité. Et aussi, ça me ferait chier si les Blacks gagneraient !

handsomecake

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Would be some feat to lose to Samoa and still win a World Cup so for that novelty alone I'm hoping for a French win.

It's the attention to detail in this post that I like most

MrCreosote

The All Blacks are like the smooth bad-guy that everybody pretends to hate but secretly wants to win. Like Alan Rickman/Hans Gruber in Die Hard.

And France are no John McClane...

handsomecake

irishh_bob wrote: »

self esteem is important and kiwis need this win more than ireland needs full employment , let the baby have its bottle , the kiwis can celebrate being the biggest fish in the small pond which is the international rugby community for the next four years , they live in a world of thier own down there anyway so its not like england winning the soccer world cup where everyone has to listen to thier constant bragging , the win will be forgotten in a week by the rest of the world

Wonder would the content of this post be similar if Ireland was in the final.
Rest of world forget in a week.
Biggest fish in small pond etc.

I love how people move the goal posts. NZ will choke . NZ will choke. NZ get to final- " ah sure it's just a two bob tournament , a small pond, let them brag , twill be forgotten about in a week"

twinytwo

handsomecake wrote: »

Wonder would the content of this post be similar if Ireland was in the final.
Rest of world forget in a week.
Biggest fish in small pond etc.

I love how people move the goal posts. NZ will choke . NZ will choke. NZ get to final- " ah sure it's just a two bob tournament , a small pond, let them brag , twill be forgotten about in a week"

Nz will win,, why? .. richie will die before he lets them lose.

bamboozle

having spent good money to travel to the 2005 Lions tour, i quickly realised the average NZ rugby fan i met was a bad loser, a bad winner and had very little empathy for BOD (post spear tackle) and were fully behind Umaga.

Since then i've always been up for NZ's opponents and that wont change this weekend, i'd love to see the French win, they can if they decide to turn up.

Plus ticket prices have been astronomical, over $1000 for the final, exploitation of ordinary fans.

fryup

i always feel the Haka makes the all blacks the villians in the peice, anytime i see it i'm always up for the opposition

but this sunday i'll be shouting for them

JustinDee

handsomecake wrote: »

the earthquake,the pike river disaster, another 5.5 earthquake last week,losing dan carter. mccaws broken foot,weepu's grandad dying midweek, jonah back in hospital again for a second time in the tournament and looking grim. their second outhalf going out with a groin injury.
their third string outhalf beating cancer and being thrown in to a world cup pressure cooker as a kid.
small country similar population to ours.
perennial entertainers.
play rugby the way it should be played.

france have trolled the world cup.vincent clerc ruined opening day in croker and we all know about thierry henry and nuclear testing on mura roa atol.

lets root for the little guy

Oh dear . . .

handsomecake wrote: »

ka mate

Congratulations.

[Jackass]

I'm just glad it's not going to be England, Australia or South Africa.

I think either of the teams in the final winning the world cup will be good for rugby.

philstar

handsomecake wrote: »

the earthquake,the pike river disaster, another 5.5 earthquake last week,losing dan carter. mccaws broken foot,weepu's grandad dying midweek, jonah back in hospital again for a second time in the tournament and looking grim. their second outhalf going out with a groin injury.

and lets not forget ...the sinking of the rainbow warrior by those dastardly french:mad:

Auvers

have to go for the ABs for purely selfish reasons, that a defeat to the French in the final may affect their 6 nations performances

handsomecake

JustinDee wrote: »

handsomecake wrote: »

the earthquake,the pike river disaster, another 5.5 earthquake last week,losing dan carter. mccaws broken foot,weepu's grandad dying midweek, jonah back in hospital again for a second time in the tournament and looking grim. their second outhalf going out with a groin injury.
their third string outhalf beating cancer and being thrown in to a world cup pressure cooker as a kid.
small country similar population to ours.
perennial entertainers.
play rugby the way it should be played.

france have trolled the world cup.vincent clerc ruined opening day in croker and we all know about thierry henry and nuclear testing on mura roa atol.

lets root for the little guy

Oh dear . . .

handsomecake wrote: »

ka mate

Congratulations.

Supercilious prick

Digifriendly

irishh_bob wrote: »

self esteem is important and kiwis need this win more than ireland needs full employment , let the baby have its bottle , the kiwis can celebrate being the biggest fish in the small pond which is the international rugby community for the next four years , they live in a world of thier own down there anyway so its not like england winning the soccer world cup where everyone has to listen to thier constant bragging , the win will be forgotten in a week by the rest of the world

Generally agree but when NZ come up north next season for AI's they will come as 'World Champions' if they win. Remember Ireland has never beaten the AB's and their present win/loss ratio for all test matches is c75% which is quite incredible so they've a right to the bottle as you say.

_blank_

handsomecake wrote: »

Supercilious prick

Er, banned

OldRio

handsomecake wrote: »

Supercilious prick

Did JD touch your raw English nerve.

profitius

NZ have all the advantages. A home world cup, they are allowed do the haka just before kick off, hand picked refs etc.

Theres 2 main reasons why I'm backing France.
1, because I've money on them.
2, Because at the start of the tournament we were hearing loads of BS about how superior the southern hemisphere teams were and that northern hemisphere teams should not even turn up. In reality only NZ are at a higher level.

swordofislam

World Rugby will be better if the Kiwis lose. When they win (2011) they are going to win the bloody thing forever.

twinytwo

profitius wrote: »

NZ have all the advantages. A home world cup, they are allowed do the haka just before kick off, hand picked refs etc.

Theres 2 main reasons why I'm backing France.
1, because I've money on them.
2, Because at the start of the tournament we were hearing loads of BS about how superior the southern hemisphere teams were and that northern hemisphere teams should not even turn up. In reality only NZ are at a higher level.

lets be honest we always knew this.... its the way it has always been

dtpc191991

I agree but only because France don't deserve to be there at all. Ireland, Wales and SA all deserve to be running out on to that pitch more than France on Sunday. The French have played negative rugby and acted like they don't want to be there all tournament. On another note why give a half French Referee the helm in a semi-final where France are playing.

profitius

twinytwo wrote: »

lets be honest we always knew this.... its the way it has always been

They were saying the European teams had no chance against Australia or South Africa either.

PhatPiggins

bamboozle wrote: »

having spent good money to travel to the 2005 Lions tour, i quickly realised the average NZ rugby fan i met was a bad loser, a bad winner and had very little empathy for BOD (post spear tackle) and were fully behind Umaga.

Since then i've always been up for NZ's opponents and that wont change this weekend, i'd love to see the French win, they can if they decide to turn up.

Plus ticket prices have been astronomical, over $1000 for the final, exploitation of ordinary fans.

I came back from the Lions tour with very similar views of the Kiwi's when it came to rugby, the urge to drive our faithfull camper van (RIP) through the throngs outside the Cake Tin after the second test was strong.

Having said that I think the Kiwi's are one off my top 3 most decent nations on earth and by all accounts they've been excellent hosts this time around. I also think the game is has plataued and is in decline in NZ and could use the pick me up of a WC win.

I hope France lose mainly because they are the proverbial race horse pulling a plough