Pool C - General discussion

[getofmeland]

<div align="center">New Zealand
Scotland
<span style="color:#3366ff">Italy<span style="color:#ffff00">
Romania
Portugal
</span></span>
</span></span>[/b] </div>

 

[melon]

Those are pretty colours.

NZ to go through to the quarters, with Italy and Scotland battling it out for the other spot.

 

[PeeJay]

1) New Zealand
2) Italy
3) Scotland
4) Romania
5) Portugal

Discuss...

 

[Canadian_Rugby_Guy]

I'm gonna agree with peejay and say that the Azzurri pull off something special to make it to the next stage.

 

[THE CHIROPRACTOR101]

italy are tough bad asses!!!..they love running amok into the all blacks...if you remember back to 2003 they smacked a couple of our players around even injurying tana umaga...i dont think anything will change this year..they will get stuck in the ab's...its the job of rodney and collins to strike back...

i think scotland will prevail out of them and italy though...

 

[dullonien]

PeeJay's got it right again.

 

[wygy]

NZ at a canter

I expect Italy to beat Scotalnd, they had one of the strongest packs in the 6 nations, troncon was superd at scrummie, the centres are quality, flyhalves do the job, the only problem is the back 3. I'd see a Scotland win as a surprise.

 

[eoino]

Well NZ have this group fairly wrapped up!

 

[King_D'Arcy]

the centres are quality
[/b]

:lol2tn:

that's very funny


1) NZ
2) Italy


quraters: NZ vs France (NZ will win)

Italy vs Ireland (Ireland will win)

 

[wygy]

<div class='quotemain'>
the centres are quality
[/b]

:lol2tn:

that's very funny

[/b][/quote]

granted they're not o'Driscoll/Darcy quality

but bergamasco was probably the player of last years 6N's and masi and canale can play ball, its not like the english, scottish and welsh cerntres were exactly blowing them off the park

 

[Rugby_Cymru]

1) NZ
2) Italy


That's how it looks to me.

 

[shtove]

Bergamasco at centre is a disaster - came on for Stade Francais the other day and let Leicester breeze through for a try in a really tight game.

Italy weren't able to play their first selection backline in the 6N due to multiple injuries. But their game against Scotland ended up tight enough even though 21 points were gifted to them in 7 mins (still shocking to think of it - and at Murrayfield ). If Italy line out with their best 22 players I'd go for them - but Scotland will be canny.

As for the rest, Italy front row v AB frontrow should be interesting. And Italy should give the AB maul ominous problems - if they don't, then the ABs are favourites for the tournament by a mile.

Chris Jack has a knee injury - serious?

 

[riders of the storm]

New Zealand should coast through this pool. The match between Italy and Scotland will be watched with interest. I hate to be the bad guy, but I think Scotland will make the quarterfinals and beat Italy in a very tight match.

 

[mimic]

It doesn't really help the All Blacks cause that they get an easy road to the play offs. I'd rather have them have one tough match in their pool to prepare them for the must win round. No offence to Scotland of course.

 

[THE CHIROPRACTOR101]

yup i feel the same way...id rather we be in the pool with south african or argentina...coz last orld cup the big wake up call came from wales in the quaters...that didnt do the job however

 

[shtove]

It doesn't really help the All Blacks cause that they get an easy road to the play offs. I'd rather have them have one tough match in their pool to prepare them for the must win round. No offence to Scotland of course.
[/b]

Italy will NOT be an easy match up front and in tight. They've come off their best 6N campaign and will be jumping in with head-butt joy against the ABs. They could dominate the maul especially.

On top of that, they didn't have the opportunity in the last few months to show what their backs can do, because of injury.

Berbizier is trying to figure out the ABs (like everyone else) and maybe, maybe ... he'll deliver a strategy in attack and defence that bamboozles the yellow toothed Henry monster ...

... I'm dreaming, right?

Nah, the ABs are about to get the shock of their RWC lives.

 

[mimic]

All Blacks have had many shocks in their RWC lives

91, 95, and 03

99 wasn't really a shock, we had a pretty **** team that year.

 

[shtove]

99 was a good team - the **** one was 03: forgot to bring a pack.

 

[Ripper]

<div class='quotemain'>
It doesn't really help the All Blacks cause that they get an easy road to the play offs. I'd rather have them have one tough match in their pool to prepare them for the must win round. No offence to Scotland of course.
[/b]

Italy will NOT be an easy match up front and in tight. They've come off their best 6N campaign and will be jumping in with head-butt joy against the ABs. They could dominate the maul especially.

On top of that, they didn't have the opportunity in the last few months to show what their backs can do, because of injury.

Berbizier is trying to figure out the ABs (like everyone else) and maybe, maybe ... he'll deliver a strategy in attack and defence that bamboozles the yellow toothed Henry monster ...

... I'm dreaming, right?

Nah, the ABs are about to get the shock of their RWC lives.
[/b][/quote]

I think we've already had that, being pushed by Canada 31-21 back in the 1991 World Cup.

 

[stringer9]

<div class='quotemain'>
<div class='quotemain'>
It doesn't really help the All Blacks cause that they get an easy road to the play offs. I'd rather have them have one tough match in their pool to prepare them for the must win round. No offence to Scotland of course.
[/b]

Italy will NOT be an easy match up front and in tight. They've come off their best 6N campaign and will be jumping in with head-butt joy against the ABs. They could dominate the maul especially.

On top of that, they didn't have the opportunity in the last few months to show what their backs can do, because of injury.

Berbizier is trying to figure out the ABs (like everyone else) and maybe, maybe ... he'll deliver a strategy in attack and defence that bamboozles the yellow toothed Henry monster ...

... I'm dreaming, right?

Nah, the ABs are about to get the shock of their RWC lives.
[/b][/quote]

I think we've already had that, being pushed by Canada 31-21 back in the 1991 World Cup.
[/b][/quote]

Wouldn't ya **** yourself if they didn't get out of their group, hardly though. Second even like..funny. No seriously I honestly think that the winner of group D, or maybe even the runners up, if they beat the first place in this group which will probally be New Zealand, will more than likely win it. Whoever manages to get through group D and top it will probally deserve to be in the final and will have had some opposition to have beaten in "The Pool Of Death" to get there. They'll be up there mentally and physically.