RWC 2015 - build-up thread

The Lost Sheep · 05-07-2015 9:41pm

DrFloppy wrote: »

:eek:

Do TV3 even broadcast in HD yet? I'm not sure they do?

It's launching in August in time for the world cup

Teferi · 05-07-2015 9:42pm

DrFloppy wrote: »

:eek:

Do TV3 even broadcast in HD yet? I'm not sure they do?

Part of the broadcasting rights is that it is in HD so TV3 are in the process of upgrading. They'll have it for the WC.

Wang King · 05-07-2015 9:54pm

Itv is available on sky in the "other channels" options if you don't wish to watch tv3

Synode · 06-07-2015 9:56am

Yeh anyone with Sky can watch the old ITV. Us UPC customers are screwed though

The Pheasant2 · 06-07-2015 11:01am

Wang King wrote: »

Itv is available on sky in the "other channels" options if you don't wish to watch tv3

I KNEW IT! Now I know I'm not crazy - a month or so ago my Dad wanted to watch something on ITV and was pissed that sky didn't have it; and I insisted that I'd definitely got ITV on sky somewhere before.

But since it's not listed in the regular guide I had to sit there questioning my sanity while he smugly demonstrated there was no ITV on sky...I'll remember to throw that in his face as soon as I get back from Thailand in a month

Wang King · 06-07-2015 11:04am

The Pheasant2 wrote: »

I KNEW IT! Now I know I'm not crazy - a month or so ago my Dad wanted to watch something on ITV and was pissed that sky didn't have it; and I insisted that I'd definitely got ITV on sky somewhere before.

But since it's not listed in the regular guide I had to sit there questioning my sanity while he smugly demonstrated there was no ITV on sky...I'll remember to throw that in his face as soon as I get back from Thailand in a month

If you really want to upset him bring back a ladyboy and introduce her as your new bride..... Itv will be the least of his worries then!

aimee1 · 06-07-2015 12:35pm

Duane vermeulen to have neck surgery this week according to sky. Might miss RWC

sydthebeat · 06-07-2015 1:39pm

http://www.balls.ie/rugby/nick-cummins-world-cup/299744?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

Honey badger with a chance to break into rwc squad.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 06-07-2015 3:58pm

Kane Douglas has been called up to the Wllabies squad from Leinster. That's an interesting one, considering he hasn't played since April, was it? He doesn't meet the new criteria for overseas players either. Interesting to see what's going on there.

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/news/13689.php#.VZqXB_lVikq

Kiwi_knock · 06-07-2015 4:05pm

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Kane Douglas has been called up to the Wllabies squad from Leinster. That's an interesting one, considering he hasn't played since April, was it?

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/news/13689.php#.VZqXB_lVikq

The 60 caps and 7 years requirement has quickly been thrown out the window. Surprised the exception is being made for him as he is very average but Cheika has said before that Douglas is world class so he obviously has forced the Australian Union to made the exception. Can only see this decision frustrating a lot of Aussie players who have committed to staying in the country, Luke Jones, in particular, must be wondering what he did to annoy Cheika.

b.gud · 06-07-2015 4:07pm

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Kane Douglas has been called up to the Wllabies squad from Leinster. That's an interesting one, considering he hasn't played since April, was it? He doesn't meet the new criteria for overseas players either. Interesting to see what's going on there.

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/news/13689.php#.VZqXB_lVikq

Even when he's gone I can still get a laugh outta MOC

“But the policy the ARU are running with is that guys who aren’t playing Super Rugby and aren’t on Super Rugby contracts aren’t permitted to play for Australia.

“Unless they change their policy, Kane will be with us. He’ll be with us for the next couple of seasons and certainly the World Cup, which will be really important for us.

“If they did change the regulations, which is incredibly unlikely, he would play, he would be selected and we’d crack on as usual. It’s a situation we had with Zane Kirchner last year. If he’s selected to play for his nation, there’s nothing we can do.

“The exemption and changing of ARU policy has massive ramifications for Super Rugby and the game in Australia. I can’t see it happening.”

Source http://the42.ie/1934435

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 06-07-2015 4:08pm

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

The 60 caps and 7 years requirement has quickly been thrown out the window. Surprised the exception is being made for him as he is very average but Cheika has said before that Douglas is world class so he obviously has forced the Australian Union to made the exception. Can only see this decision frustrating a lot of Aussie players who have committed to staying in the country, Luke Jones, in particular, must be wondering what he did to annoy Cheika.

There were stories floating around for a few days that they were trying to get him to commit to playing for an Australian side next season in exchange for an international call up. That Leinster release makes it sound as if they're not having any of that. They're happy to let him go but fully expect him back.

matthew8 · 06-07-2015 4:15pm

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

The 60 caps and 7 years requirement has quickly been thrown out the window. Surprised the exception is being made for him as he is very average but Cheika has said before that Douglas is world class so he obviously has forced the Australian Union to made the exception. Can only see this decision frustrating a lot of Aussie players who have committed to staying in the country, Luke Jones, in particular, must be wondering what he did to annoy Cheika.

It's very selfish short term thinking from Cheika. If you're good enough the rules don't apply to you. Can only increase the exodus of Australian players to Europe. Stabbing his own players in the back too.

sydneybound · 06-07-2015 4:21pm

From what I heard his missus is pregnant and they both want to come home, don't blame them. He's looking for a Super Rugby contract now to get him in the Australia squad.

thomond2006 · 06-07-2015 4:43pm

So the 60 cap rule is now meaningless?

Swiwi. · 06-07-2015 6:13pm

thomond2006 wrote: »

So the 60 cap rule is now meaningless?

Not if he has somehow managed to get out of his Leinster contract and signs on with an Aussie franchise, which was also in the small print of that new agreement - from memory if you commit to the next 2 seasons in Australia, despite not playing there currently, you are eligible for Aussie again.

I'm not the person to know if he has got out of his Leinster deal, though.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 06-07-2015 6:16pm

Swiwi. wrote: »

Not if he has somehow managed to get out of his Leinster contract and signs on with an Aussie franchise, which was also in the small print of that new agreement - from memory if you commit to the next 2 seasons in Australia, despite not playing there currently, you are eligible for Aussie again.

I'm not the person to know if he has got out of his Leinster deal, though.

The statement from Leinster heavily implies that they've been negotiating that very issue for a few weeks with the Aussies. They make it pretty clear though that they expect him back though.

Swiwi. · 06-07-2015 6:21pm

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The statement from Leinster heavily implies that they've been negotiating that very issue for a few weeks with the Aussies. They make it pretty clear though that they expect him back though.

We shall see. There is zero chance Aussie will include him if he's going back to Leinster, otherwise their new contract thingee is not worth the paper it's printed on...so if he plays for Aussie he's not coming back to Leinster imo.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 06-07-2015 6:28pm

Swiwi. wrote: »

We shall see. There is zero chance Aussie will include him if he's going back to Leinster, otherwise their new contract thingee is not worth the paper it's printed on...so if he plays for Aussie he's not coming back to Leinster imo.

I agree completely. I wonder could it be Leinster just hedging their bets. If he doesn't come back they look like they've been hard done by rather than just letting one of their main players leave.

Podge_irl · 06-07-2015 6:28pm

Douglas playing makes absolutely zero sense in the context of the new rules. He's not exactly a superstar either - if he plays either he's leaving Leinster or they're tearing up the new rules.

thomond2006 · 06-07-2015 6:30pm

I can't see Leinster agreeing to release him from his contract. It's too late to bring anyone in at his level.

Swiwi. · 06-07-2015 6:35pm

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I agree completely. I wonder could it be Leinster just hedging their bets. If he doesn't come back they look like they've been hard done by rather than just letting one of their main players leave.

IMO they can and would take him to court if he breaks his contract. So it would have to be a mutual agreement.

Podge_irl · 06-07-2015 6:38pm

I'd be incredibly unhappy and surprised if Leinster let him go. He hasn't been as impressive as I'd hoped - and I think he was in desperate need of an extended break so this call up won't help - but we're not talking Sykes here. He is a productive and useful member of the squad and Leinster have no obligation to let him go.

08-07-2015 1:44pm

I hadn't expected to have too much free time during the RWC so had only a cursory glance at tickets but looking again now as I expect to have more availability the pricing seems extremely steep.

Have games been selling out? Are the prices likely to drop closer to the time. I'm not short on cash but I still hate to pay for something which I feel is heavily over priced.

Edit: I was possibly on a reselling site with heavily inflated prices.
Edit 2: Have confirmed, actual prices are reasonable - be careful as googling RWC tickets brings many dodgy or overpricing sites it seems.

zambrotta11 · 08-07-2015 2:04pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I hadn't expected to have too much free time during the RWC so had only a cursory glance at tickets but looking again now as I expect to have more availability the pricing seems extremely steep.

Have games been selling out? Are the prices likely to drop closer to the time. I'm not short on cash but I still hate to pay for something which I feel is heavily over priced.

Edit: I was possibly on a reselling site with heavily inflated prices.
Edit 2: Have confirmed, actual prices are reasonable - be careful as googling RWC tickets brings many dodgy or overpricing sites it seems.

If you look on the official RWC ticket website now, a pile of tickets just became available.

https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/gpctp/Browse/0

thomond2006 · 08-07-2015 2:16pm

So not only do they charge extortionate postage, they charge 2% if you don't pay with MasterCard.

I'm a broken record at this stage but it's ridiculous.

08-07-2015 2:19pm

zambrotta11 wrote: »

If you look on the official RWC ticket website now, a pile of tickets just became available.

https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/gpctp/Browse/0

Thanks. I'm fairly internet savvy but the site I ended up on had minimum prices of £229 for lowest category tickets.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 08-07-2015 5:30pm

Back to the Kane Douglas thing.... EatSleepRugby are saying on twitter that the ARU are going to have to pay $370k to Leinster to release him so he can sign for Queensland Reds. They don't give any sources or anything though and I can't see mention of it from anywhere else.

thomond2006 · 08-07-2015 5:31pm

I thought the Aussies were struggling financially.

total former · 08-07-2015 7:21pm

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Back to the Kane Douglas thing.... EatSleepRugby are saying on twitter that the ARU are going to have to pay $370k to Leinster to release him so he can sign for Queensland Reds. They don't give any sources or anything though and I can't see mention of it from anywhere else.

They lifted that from the Australian newspapers.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 09-07-2015 12:20pm

I see Jean de Villiers has been named on the bench for South Africa's match at the weekend. Amazing recovery for him to even get that far. Interesting to see if he gets to play. If you haven't seen the two short documentaries about his recovery I highly recommend them.

Kiwi_knock · 10-07-2015 9:23am

Australia have named a reduced squad of 31 for the games against Argentina and South Africa. No Kane Douglas. The backline will probably be the 14 that travel to the WC, with Speight replacing Tomane most likely. Forwards are missing another prop and a third hooker, will replace one of the second rows and one of the backrowers. Plenty of potential in the squad, just the problem of picking the right combination.

Props: Greg Holmes, Sekope Kepu, Scott Sio, James Slipper

Hookers: Stephen Moore, Tatufu Polota-Nau

Second Row: Rory Arnold, James Horwill, Dean Mumm, Will Skelton, Rob Simmons

Back Row: Scott Fardy, Scott Higginbotham, Michael Hooper, Ben McCalman, Sean McMahon, David Pocock

Scrum Half: Will Genia, Nick Phipps

Out Half: Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley

Centres: Kurtley Beale, Matt Giteau, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Toomua

Back 3: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Israel Folau, Rob Horne, Drew Mitchell, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Joe Tomane

Cut: Toby Smith, Tetera Faulkner, James Hanson, Dave Dennis, Wycliff Palu, Nic White, Christian Lealiifano, Samu Kerevi, Nick Cummins,

total former · 10-07-2015 9:34am

Taqele Naiyaravoro.

What's the story with this character then? He's contracted to Glasgow next season, how is he eligible for the Wallabies?

Kiwi_knock · 10-07-2015 10:18am

total former wrote: »

What's the story with this character then? He's contracted to Glasgow next season, how is he eligible for the Wallabies?

Players going overseas can still play for the Wallabies. Plus he wants out of his contract with Glasgow so Cheika probably thinks that he will be part of his long term plans.

Podge_irl · 10-07-2015 10:22am

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

Players going overseas can still play for the Wallabies.

Only if they have 60+ caps and 7 years of service.

What's with Aussies and trying to get out of contracts all of a sudden...

thomond2006 · 10-07-2015 10:25am

Quade Cooper and James O'Connor's contracts with Toulon have been a yo-yo story as well.

Kiwi_knock · 10-07-2015 10:27am

Podge_irl wrote: »

Only if they have 60+ caps and 7 years of service.

What's with Aussies and trying to get out of contracts all of a sudden...

That policy is for players already playing overseas. For players that are still contracted to a Super Rugby team but who are going overseas at the end of the contract, they can be called up without restriction. That's why Ashley-Cooper, Quade Cooper, Genia, Horwill, Kepu and the others can be called up.

Edit: You have rumours as well this week about Genia trying to get out of his contract with Stade. The lure of big money makes them forget to think about leaving behind their home, friends and family till it is too late.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 10-07-2015 10:35am

thomond2006 wrote: »

Quade Cooper and James O'Connor's contracts with Toulon have been a yo-yo story as well.

What is the story with James O'Connor? He was at Toulon, now he's at the Reds but he's going back to Toulon?

total former · 10-07-2015 10:44am

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

What is the story with James O'Connor? He was at Toulon, now he's at the Reds but he's going back to Toulon?

Yes, he's contracted to Toulon next season.

Podge_irl · 10-07-2015 10:45am

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

That policy is for players already playing overseas. For players that are still contracted to a Super Rugby team but who are going overseas at the end of the contract, they can be called up without restriction. That's why Ashley-Cooper, Quade Cooper, Genia, Horwill, Kepu and the others can be called up.

Ah misunderstood you.

Fluorosilisic Frank · 10-07-2015 9:51pm

Sorry if it's been asked already, but does anyone know if the RWC warm up games are being televised?

And if so on what channels ?

total former · 10-07-2015 10:00pm

Fluorosilisic Frank wrote: »

Sorry if it's been asked already, but does anyone know if the RWC warm up games are being televised?

And if so on what channels ?

Yes, sky sports

Edit: the away game in Wales might be on BBC and RTE, I'm not sure.

thebaz · 10-07-2015 11:07pm

Ireland v France biggest game , since the nightmare against Wales four years ago - some may disagree , i really fear France , cause we are favourites , and in essence its s a must win , if this is the first Irish team to really compete at a WC , and get a semi final place at least - we've had the once off wins , the big stuff begins now.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 11-07-2015 12:00am

Anyone see the article where Mike Tindall thinks New Zealand are the only team that can stop England from winning the World Cup?

I wouldn't even be 100% confident that they'll make it out of their pool.

bilston · 11-07-2015 12:34am

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Anyone see the article where Mike Tindall thinks New Zealand are the only team that can stop England from winning the World Cup?

I wouldn't even be 100% confident that they'll make it out of their pool.

To be honest I wouldn't disagree with him. I make them second favourites behind NZ, maybe on a par with SA with us just behind as 4th favourites.

England have a tough pool, probably the toughest in WC history, but they have home advantage, that is absolutely huge for them. If they win their pool they will have every chance of getting to the final and in a one off against NZ at Twickenham I wouldn't bet against them.

The Lost Sheep · 11-07-2015 1:27am

thebaz wrote: »

Ireland v France biggest game, since the nightmare against Wales four years ago - some may disagree , i really fear France, cause we are favourites, and in essence its a must win, if this is the first Irish team to really compete at a WC, and get a semi final place at least - we've had the once off wins, the big stuff begins now.

French game is biggest game as it will determine our 1/4 and whether we play NZ in 1/4 or final....
It has to be seen as nothing other than a must win if we have genuine aspirations of making the semis

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Anyone see the article where Mike Tindall thinks New Zealand are the only team that can stop England from winning the World Cup?

I wouldn't even be 100% confident that they'll make it out of their pool.

What else would you expect him to say????
There's going to be loads/has been loads articles similar to that over past few/in next few months in English media..

Swiwi. · 11-07-2015 4:09am

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Anyone see the article where Mike Tindall thinks New Zealand are the only team that can stop England from winning the World Cup?

I wouldn't even be 100% confident that they'll make it out of their pool.

I'm confident enough NZ make it out if their pool

sydneybound · 11-07-2015 7:16am

Fiji lost to New Zealand Maori 27-26 today.

They were 26-10 up at halftime when Nadolo went off injuried then seemed to lose their way. Massive shame as they were dominant in the first half and should have won.

pickarooney · 11-07-2015 7:47am

Any idea how Mafu'u played?

PaulM1977 · 11-07-2015 8:00am

Australia would be the team to watch, they are coming in under the radar with a good coach in place, players playing outside Australia are eligible so they have an experienced squad and have done it all before. They have a tough group to get out of though, I'd back them to that at the very least.

RWC 2015 - build-up thread

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