New Zealand vs England

[Gay-Guy]

Yay I got my tickets today for this match woohoo! There are 19 of us going as a group!

Ok so how did I manage to get tickets a week before public sale? I'm a teacher in Auckland!!!

Incredibly despite going to rugby games at Eden Park every year I have not been to a single test match since the turn of the millenium...actually I have not been to one since 1994 lol! so this will be good and I think England is always a team to be wary of.

We are meeting at a friends house which is in the walking area to the game...so we will have a bit of a BBQ there...then we will start the great walk to the garden of eden...the crowds,,the banter between poms and kiwi supporters...the atmosphere outside the stadium....the look of the stadium when we get up the steps and scan the ground...the pre match entertainment...cheerleaders hehe....the black jerseys and the white jerseys all through the crowd...face paint...banners...flags...alcohol...drunk people....people yahooing....mexican waves...the players..I mean..the ALL BLACKS..the English team booooo....the game...the excitement...the tries...the tackles...the tension...the AB victory (we don't lose non RWC games)..the euphoria of victory...the aftermatch walk looking at Poms still calling out for their team...the aftermatch celebration at a pub...the great night taking your woman home to bed hehe.

 

[Nidhogg]

ALL BLACKS..the English team booooo....the game...the excitement...the tries...the tackles...the tension...the AB victory (we don't lose non RWC games)..the euphoria of victory...the aftermatch walk looking at Poms still calling out for their team...the aftermatch celebration at a pub...the great night taking your woman home to bed hehe.[/b]

Sports and sex, great combo

 

[Gay-Guy]

Sex is a sport lol!

 

[isaac]

England have no chance fullstop - they are kidding themselves if they do.

 

[Gay-Guy]

Well when I look at the new team I wonder if it looks like a NZ B team! I don't know if the NZ team will be that good.

 

[Maccaweeny]

New Zealand B team = average A team, seriously you guys need to stop playing so much rugby. I played an away game today so we were short of numbers, until the kiwis and polys brought along their cousins until we had about 15 reserves and I was one of the few white guys in the back line.

Incidentally we won.

 

[Gay-Guy]

New Zealand B team = average A team, seriously you guys need to stop playing so much rugby. I played an away game today so we were short of numbers, until the kiwis and polys brought along their cousins until we had about 15 reserves and I was one of the few white guys in the back line.

Incidentally we won. [/b]

I bet you got sidestepper of the day and you were untouchable!

 

[rugbyballs]

Is it just me but any news story I've seen about England seems to metion they are rebuilding and seems to be more so when it's their turn to tour NZ

 

[Gay-Guy]

Is it just me but any news story I've seen about England seems to metion they are rebuilding and seems to be more so when it's their turn to tour NZ

[/b]

I dunno...they weren't rebuilding in 2003. Fair to say they really are rebuilding now after their below par 6 nations. It is not like they won and are consolidating.

 

[Prestwick]

I think the view here is that this is tour of surprise. Surprise as in we're like "blimey, is it that time of year already!!"

Its one of those tours where we send anyone who is basically fit and in reasonable form, bring in the beers and relax before we have to get the house ready for the BBQ we'll be having later that day.

Thats the view from the fans and the press, for the team however, everything seems to be in flux. We've got a whole new batch of great players like Nick "MIIISSTTAAAAAAHHH KEEENEEEEEDDDYYYY" Kennedy, Danny Care and Dylan "J R" Hartley coming up. All are superb prospects and also have the benefit of being in imperious form at Club level. So, what better way to get them involved than put them against some of the best in the world? It makes sense.

This is the strongest side England can muster (injuries not withstanding) and yet the aim isn't really in their eyes to win it (although they wouldn't really mind). I guess its hard to explain I guess, it'll be fun to watch the games none the less.

EDIT: Also, it is fair to note that when the squad is complete and they go down under these days, it'll always be to attempt a real demolition job al la 2003. They definitely weren't "re-building" in 2003, Rugbyballs, even when down to 13 men

 

[devilrrr]

Well over here we're a bit the same, hard to get into the whole year of rugby really.

Although good to have the Irish game notched on our belts and on our way for the international season.

I think we're in that "it's the first year of a 4 year campaign" mentality...still hungover from last year.

 

[Prestwick]

It is the end of what is for many players a very long season. If New Zealand (hypothetically, not a statement of intent here) either win by the skin of their teeth or lose the next two games before the tri nations, I wouldn't call for Henry's head. The Rugby landscape post World Cup is completely different and all teams win or lose will need a season to re-establish themselves.

This should be a Summer tour to be savored I think. I won't be looking too hard into the New Zealand - Ireland game as well as the England games because of the context in which they're set in. Best wait for the Autumn where everyone will be settled before we make judgment.




Then again...if they play Joe Worsley...

 

[SHIZAM]

new zealand are just gonna run through england for a warm up for there real test later wen the tri nations start :bravo: :bana: :bana: :bana: :bana: :bana:

 

[Macsen]

You've got to wonder what the point of this match is from an English POV. Lambs to the slaughter.

 

[Incredible Schalk]

If NZ lose either test to England Henry has to go, England have a few players missing and you would expect the usual All Blacks to trounce them anyway. Henry did a good job with Wales but they were poor in the world cup, same with the AB's. There is obviously something wrong with his selection policy.

 

[sanzar]

You've got to wonder what the point of this match is from an English POV. Lambs to the slaughter. [/b]

Couldn't be any worse than their '97 tour to Aus .

 

[ozzy]

I hope the Poms aren't just turning up with a "we'll try out best but don't blame us if we don't win because of [insert excuse here]" mentality. It's not fair to test rugby to see guys representing their countries and coming into a game with this kind of attitude. They should be playing with their hearts on their sleeves and if they are second string, they should play even harder so they can secure a spot in the regular side.
NZ is in what could be termed a rebuilding phase, but they never issue statements with overtones suggesting defeat is an option so long as they do their best.

 

[Prestwick]

Quite an interesting fact here.

Rob Andrew played 71 tests for England. Guess how many of them he played against New Zealand in New Zealand?

None.

I hope the Poms aren't just turning up with a "we'll try out best but don't blame us if we don't win because of [insert excuse here]" mentality. It's not fair to test rugby to see guys representing their countries and coming into a game with this kind of attitude. They should be playing with their hearts on their sleeves and if they are second string, they should play even harder so they can secure a spot in the regular side.
NZ is in what could be termed a rebuilding phase, but they never issue statements with overtones suggesting defeat is an option so long as they do their best. [/b]

I'm sorry, but short of funding a program to transplant Danny Cipriani into a Cyborg body, what exactly do you want them to do? This is not a second string side, this is the strongest side that we could take to New Zealand, the only reason why some have been left at home is simply because they're injured. However, we understand and we've put in calls to the various medical clinics and tell them to get Cipriani, Hipkiss and co to New Zealand pronto! Career threatening injury, career threatening schmimjery!

Anyway, I think it is pretty obvious that they're wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Just because they're not coming off the plane sneering dismissively at the locals and acting like Dallaglio on drugs doesn't mean anything. In fact, I think its a complement to New Zealand that England haven't been holding press conferences arrogantly proclaiming that they're going to do X, Y and Z to New Zealand like some played out WWE superstar. Its what happens on the field that matters, not what you say off of it. Don't forget that seedings at the World Cup in 2011 are at stake here. "trying our best" isn't an option. They know that, I know that and its about time you should too..

 

[darwin_23]

The All Blacks are naming there team at 2pm (NZT) today - will be interesting whether there are many changes, or whether they look to field a similar team as the one that played Ireland. Hopefully they stick with the same team to give them a chance to build on there combinations... I don't know if that will happen though. There will be one forced change with Afoa injured, and I'd expect Sommerville will go straight into the starting lineup.

Any news on England's likely lineup?

 

[InsaneAsylum]

i hope donald gets a run for the all blacks... i thought he might come on towards the end of the ireland game, but henry didn't make the change. surely you want to give him a bit of experience on the field prior to the trinations... what happens if carter is injured.. donald goes straight into the deep end.