OV9

I fear that it could be quite the humiliation next Saturday. My only hope is that the pain of 2019 provides some extra level of motivation for England.

We’ve not played anywhere near that level for more than 15 minutes all competition, never mind a full 80 non stop. Hopefully they’ll watch that match and be scared into upping their game

jamcg wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:06 am We’ve not played anywhere near that level for more than 15 minutes all competition, never mind a full 80 non stop. Hopefully they’ll watch that match and be scared into upping their game

Either that or South Africa will watch the England games, realise they've got nothing to fear, and drop the intensity. Either way we need help!

duncs500 wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:40 am

jamcg wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:06 am We’ve not played anywhere near that level for more than 15 minutes all competition, never mind a full 80 non stop. Hopefully they’ll watch that match and be scared into upping their game

Either that or South Africa will watch the England games, realise they've got nothing to fear, and drop the intensity. Either way we need help!

Yes agreed - it really does take some imagination to envisage any way we are beating SA. The first 15 minutes of the game were unbelievable in their pace. The agility and skill of the French front row also blew me away!

I imagine that England will try desperately to slow the game down but in combination with likely being outmuscled by South Africa as well I can't see how that will work either.

Looking likely one of the three time winners will get a fourth...

After watching how the other teams have played, I can't quite get my head around the fact that England are in the semi's! Highly likely that it'll be a nasally accented World Cup victor this year!

IanF wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:46 am After watching how the other teams have played, I can't quite get my head around the fact that England are in the semi's!

It has the feel of the 2018 football world cup where England found themselves in a semi without really having to break a sweat.

We've been super lucky with draws for loads of stuff in international sport for quite some time.

McSwede wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 5:18 pm

Cruel.............


But

Lol

the amateurness of that is quite something

We’ll this is a bit of a disappointment really…

GG. wrote: Thu Oct 19, 2023 7:51 pm the amateurness of that is quite something

I’ll have you know I spent ages on my iPhone getting that pic!

dinny_g wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 9:29 pm We’ll this is a bit of a disappointment really…

Yep

All a bit predictable, they had their Cup Final performance against Wales and now there's no highs left!

Hopefully tomorrow is more of a spectacle.

Carlos wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 10:28 pm All a bit predictable, they had their Cup Final performance against Wales and now there's no highs left!

Hopefully tomorrow is more of a spectacle.

Hmmm. If SA play as they did against Fra I don't think England will see which way they went. We're too ploddingly slow. Curry to get binned as well I reckon.

Best half I've seen them put together for a long time.

Well fuck it, at least we competed.

I didn't like some of the decisions to be honest, but I don't know whether I'm being biased. No howlers, but seemed like a lot of tight calls went against us. That Freddie Steward knock on that ultimately won then the game he knocked back against a South African player.

Anyway, big picture South Africa vs New Zealand is the two best performing teams in the tournament and I think if we'd have won that was our final really and we would have lost in the final.

Tense!

Rain played a real factor there - ball was clearly like a bar of soap.