RWC 2023 Predictions

[Welsh Exile]

Don't you just hate it when Germans have a better command of the English language than you do. Pfft.

 

[Yulia]

Don't you just hate it when Germans have a better command of the English language than you do. Pfft.

Yeah,I also hate when non-english native speakers have a better English than me

 

[IT157]

New Zealand vs. South Africa. Can't believe these two teams haven't met in a final since 95! I think the All Blacks will win quite comfortably and revenge that loss just before the World Cup.

England vs. Argentina. England to win fairly comfortably with 15 players. Ben Earl to score a brilliant try.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Which was kind of the point of my post. I'm not glorifying France (I am very neutral about France), I just find it funny that people from nations with their own share of military defeats and, by definition, less military successes than France try to poke fun at them on that topic.

Maybe the point is that the number of victories is not the only variable that should be looked at. Quality vs quantity kind of thing. Size, odds, %, was it just you or did were you part of a coalition fighting, etc. All these things matter.

Look at it this way:
If you lose the first game of the World Cup and win all the remaining six the media will call your team Champions.
If you win all first six games and lose the last one they might very well call you losers or cokers.
In both cases, the number of victories was exactly the same.

 

[Wichita]

Well as my username suggests, I'm German and we suffered quite a lot of defeats on our own, especially more recently and especially against the French. We didn't establish a colonial empire and on to mid 18th century we were basically a country of infighting

Still imo there's no such thing as a golden age in french history (like with Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese) and that a long time centralist, well organised, dominating nation in continental Europe was always stopped in their expansionism by bitter defeats. That's my association with French military history (and I'm not neglecting their brilliant diplomacy of Talleyrand and Richelieu). Just my two cents.

(Written in a German train riding through the Eastern French landscape where so much bloody and pointless fighting between our nations took place)

A bit late in this very rugby discussion, but a generally-well accepted opinion amongst historians is that France reached its "natural frontiers" as Savoie and Nice opted to join France when Italy was founded in 1860 and that all subsequent wars were fought reluctantly by France because the French nation was well integrated and no territorial advantage was expected, contrary to central Europe where frontiers were uncertain up until now (see Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian splits, Moldavia, Greece and Macedonia, ...)
Colonial wars are obvious exceptions...

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Maybe the point is that the number of victories is not the only variable that should be looked at. Quality vs quantity kind of thing. Size, odds, %, was it just you or did were you part of a coalition fighting, etc. All these things matter.

Look at it this way:
If you lose the first game of the World Cup and win all the remaining six the media will call your team Champions.
If you win all first six games and lose the last one they might very well call you losers or cokers.
In both cases, the number of victories was exactly the same.

I get the principle. To point to your example, my response would be that the media would be wrong (unless said team had inherent built in advantages). Which again ties in with my position on modern perceptions of France.

In WWI they held off a powerful aggressor whilst other nations completely messed up.

In WWII they shared a land border with the largest and most cutting edge motorised military force assembled at that point and got swiftly crushed, after the same force had just swiftly crushed Poland and before the same force crushed Yugoslavia. Sure they had Vietnam and Algeria, but any Imperial power has had their failed overseas adventures in the last 110 years.

So for the media, or anyone else, to pick out France as big military losers (or cowards) compared to the last 110 years of military performance (compared to a US, Russia/USSR, Italy etc) is not a position I can agree with. Then factor in no nation has won so many battles (and caused their opponents to surrender) in human history and I think its pretty clear that if a media wants to peddle things like 'freedom fries' (and cowardice) and people want to repeat that, then it reflects more poorly on those people than on France.

 

[mdaclarke]

South Africa by 8

 

[IT157]

Sorry New Zealand, Matt Dawson is predicting a victory for you guys.

 

[Brigantine]

South Africa are now the underdogs - a reversal. I have to say I agree.
Ireland will remain the 2nd best team at the tournament, 1st of 20 in pool stages (despite the hardest pool) and losing only to the eventual champion - I predicted them to prevail, but 2nd best is only out by 1.

For Bronze, TAB are picking England by on average 27 - 18... I really want Argentina to win, but I think England will cut them to pieces and even score tries (!)
Argentina, please prove me wrong don't let those northeners sneak onto the podium
No NH team has won Bronze since 1995

 

[Superalexmarket]

In an interview for Daily Mail Sport, Agustin Pichot spoke specifically about where rugby is currently located: "It is not a global game"

"I tried to come and help but the 6 Nations blocked me, calling all the unions, especially Alan Gilpin and John Jeffrey, because they are threatened. Come on guys, don't be afraid. I love the game. Bill came to Argentina last year and I told him: 'I ran against you because you wanted to go down a path that did not expand and was global. Now you can see it. Nothing has changed. Call me in June 2026 and ask me about Portugal: It will be deja vu,' he said. And he added: "What's the point of Uruguay arriving in four years if they don't play a relevant game in that time? In the first week of 2027 they are going to be crushed. Then they will have a decent game and everyone will say that it is great to see the colors and "the passion of Uruguay. It's the same every 4 years."

"I'm romantic, but I'm not stupid. I'm a businessman and I know that profits and losses are important to maintain the company. Rugby is in the red. Look at Wales, in the Premiership. Everywhere I look. The problem is that "Costs go up, but there is no better income or a better product to show."

"I heard the other day that England has a £20 million deficit... England! South Africa, red. Wales, red. Australia, red. Premiership, red. Everyone is in survival mode. South Africa is not "has money. It's alarming. Rugby has to reduce costs to be sustainable. We are spending more and more and that is not logical. It is a sport that is aging, it is not attractive, it is not innovative," he added.

"Argentina's finances are immaculate, so we can afford to invest. How many of the Northern Unions can say they can afford to invest in Georgia, Romania or Spain? People say we are stupid, but we believe that Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, "Brazil and maybe Colombia later, will grow the continent. It's a vision. And by the way, we qualified two teams for the World Cup when the United States and Canada didn't."
#Rugby #DailyMailSport #WorldRugby
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[die_mole]

The US's biggest mistake was splitting our vote and essentially being neutral. Essentially ******* off the South Americans and tying ourselves to Canada.

 

[SG59_]

I'm not sure it ever will be at this point. It's fine, but they need to get it working with what they've got.

 

[IT157]

New Zealand vs. South Africa. Can't believe these two teams haven't met in a final since 95! I think the All Blacks will win quite comfortably and revenge that loss just before the World Cup.

England vs. Argentina. England to win fairly comfortably with 15 players. Ben Earl to score a brilliant try.

Well it wasn't comfortable. But we kept 15 players and Ben Earl did score a good try!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

My prediction: South Africa vs Ireland final, with South Africa lifting the trophy

Near enough

 

[Welsh Exile]

Near enough

I think you confuse the words "prediction" and "hope"

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Argentina and Australia to be the losers of the worst world cup semi finals ever.

Well... you got half of that right. And funnily enough, we ended up with the better end of the deal.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Well I predicted South Africa win. And that New Zealand wouldn't.

 

[Yulia]

And my prediction was finally wrong but congratulations to the SA team anyway

 

[Half Pint]

I was way off the mark. Both in thinking that a NH side would win, and that SA wouldn't deserve to win.
Back to back is impressive, and Kolisi is a class act. Chapeau.