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RWC Semi Final Preview
This is it! Two of the biggest games of rugby you will ever see will take place this weekend, with four teams vying for a spot in the 2011 RWC final. David is here to preview both these matches, giving his tip for each. Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments. Read more…
RWC 2011 – Quarter Final Preview
It is down to the business end of the competition. The pool play has finished and all we are left with is the top eight teams in the world. To be honest, most of these teams were easy to predict that they would get through to the quarters. Perhaps only Argentina can claim that they are the only shock, but even then, it was not a huge stretch of the imagination to see them qualifying. Read more…
David does RWC days 18, 19 and 20
David does RWC – Days 18, 19 and 20
Sorry this has been a bit late, but I’ve been really busy of late. The atmosphere up in Auckland for the games was amazing. I have to give props to the organisers of the RWC as they have done a superb job on creating such a good tournament. Both at the game and in the fanzone, it was great to see that heaps of people were getting into the games and supporting their team. Read more…
David does RWC – Days 12, 13 and 14
The 2011 Rugby World Cup is well under way in New Zealand, and we’ve sent our Chief Rugby Analyst David Shipton along to cover the entire tournament for us (well… not really. He lives there.)
RWC Days 12, 13 and 14
As per the last article I want to start this one with a bit of a rant. I was watching Argentina and Scotland play in really bad conditions, and couldn’t happen to notice that there was quite a high injury toll during the match. Now, if the injury to the player is serious enough, the ref will stop play and award a scrum. This is generally also done to stop the injured player and the medics getting in the way of the game.
However, on Sunday night I watched as Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe got what seemed to be a serious enough injury, yet nothing was done about it. A couple of seconds later the play was round him, and he couldn’t get out of the way (he had done something to his knee and therefore could not walk off). There were several Argentinean rucks only meters away from where he lay with a medic guarding him, and on several of them he influenced the play. Now this is just unacceptable. You cannot have an injured player influencing the game like Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe did (no fault of his). He should have been allowed to go straight off instead of having the possibility of a ruck potentially forming near or even on him, and having an influence on play. The IRB have dropped the ball on this one for me. Read more…
David does RWC – Days 9, 10 and 11
The 2011 Rugby World Cup is well under way in New Zealand, and we’ve sent our Chief Rugby Analyst David Shipton along to cover the entire tournament for us (well… not really. He lives there.)
RWC Days 9, 10 and 11
The RWC has marched on through the week, only taking a break on Monday. The minnow nations that are taking part are beginning to tire a bit and I don’t really blame them. This is one area that I think the IRB needs to take a look at. The minnow’s (basically everyone bar those in the Six Nations and Tri Nations plus Argentina) have had such quick turnarounds that they are getting fatigued in the last 20 minutes of the game and letting the bigger sides romp all over them. How is it fair that they regularly have to play 2 games in a week (including at least one against the top dogs) yet none of the top teams have to play more than once a week? It would help even the playing field so much if they did this. Teams like Fiji and Samoa have enough talent to be competitive and win games against the top 10 but will stand no chance if they have had to back up a couple of days later and play a strong and well rested side? Anyway that’s my rant over, now onto the games. Read more…
David does RWC – Day 3
The 2011 Rugby World Cup is under way in New Zealand, and we’ve sent our Chief Rugby Analyst David Shipton along to cover the entire tournament for us (well… not really. He lives there.)
RWC Day 3
The Rugby World Cup (RWC) powered through its third day of matches, with many more fascinating games on offer. The thing that I am really enjoying about the RWC is the fact that the minnows are putting up a good performance at most of the games. They are generally playing really well for at least 60 minutes of the games, before eventually succumbing to more experienced and better sides. It has been good to see them put up a fight though, and not get thrashed. It would be nice though to see a side put together an 80 minute performance. Read more…
David does RWC – Days 1 + 2
The 2011 Rugby World Cup is under way in New Zealand, and we’ve sent our Chief Rugby Analyst David Shipton along to cover the entire tournament for us (well… not really. He lives there.)
Wow what a start to the Rugby World Cup. I can tell you that the whole of New Zealand (I know it’s not a lot really) are fully behind this tournament. The excitement levels have been hitting fever pitch, and expectations will be high for all the teams in the tournament. Let’s start right at the beginning. Read more…
The Drawing Board – Rugby World Cup 2011 Preview (7/9/11)
Welcome to the Drawing Board, Who’s Playing Who?’s one stop rugby shop. The World Cup starts this Friday, with excitement reaching fever pitch. I’ll be doing a bit of a different Drawing Board this week and during the world cup. No News this week, but I will still do a brief ITM/Currie Cup wrap here. During the World Cup however, I will be doing a blog post almost every day to provide up to date and awesome analysis. Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay won the ITM Premiership and Championship finals respectively. This is Canterbury’s fourth consecutive title, whilst for Hawke’s Bay they earn promotion to the Premiership. The Lions, Sharks, Cheetahs and Western Provence all enjoyed victories in the Currie Cup. Read more…
Wallabies World Cup squad announced
The following 30-man squad has been selected for the Wallabies ahead of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, with James Horwill handed the captaincy for the tournament. Read more…
EPL Gameweek 36/NRL Round 9/AFL Round 7/Super Rugby Round 12 Megatips
It’s Friday, and that can only mean one thing… MEGATIPS! Plenty happening this weekend- two rugby league rep games + the rest of the NRL, the multi-bye weeks in the AFL are over (for now), teams are looking to grab finals spots in Super Rugby, and the EPL is heading for a dramatic close. Our tipsters have been getting a lot right over the last few weeks… I wonder how they’ll fair this weekend? But first, let’s see how they went last week. Read more…
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