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[RWC2019][3rd & 4th Place Playoff] New Zealand vs. Wales (01/11/2019)

The irony with these "if you're not 1st you're last" attitudes and approaching a game "not caring" is in fact that it's a losing mentality. Usually it's mainly the arm chair fan or people who haven't experienced competing at a serious level that undervalue these games and criticize the participants.

For the players and coaching staff, it's another opportunity to put on the All Black jersey and go out and play for their country in order to gain a better ranking in the tournament. People can say it doesn't matter if you're 3rd or 4th and "nobody cares", but that's not true, only to the people with the wrong mentality in my opinion. I care and I can name from the top off my head, most 3rd place finishes at a RWC, sometimes it's fascinating to see a team like Argentina finish 3rd.

What matters is it's where we are now and doing the best you can for your country and yourselves. If that's not motivation enough, then you can improve your relationship with competition.

I repeat, I do NOT want to lose to Wales and I'm absolutely positive the team feel the exact same way.

Of course no team wants to lose a game even if it's tiddlywinks , I think you are misunderstanding and you are also trying to Inflate a game into someting it simply isn't . You only need to look at the media Interest and the general interest of fans on this forum to see that this game is viewed as just an exhibition, there's really nothing at stake apart from financial and ranking points. Sure I'd love Wales to take the victory and so would the players and coaching team but it's not a life/death situation like making a world cup final.
 
The irony with these "if you're not 1st you're last" attitudes and approaching a game "not caring" is in fact that it's a losing mentality. Usually it's mainly the arm chair fan or people who haven't experienced competing at a serious level that undervalue these games and criticize the participants.

For the players and coaching staff, it's another opportunity to put on the All Black jersey and go out and play for their country in order to gain a better ranking in the tournament. People can say it doesn't matter if you're 3rd or 4th and "nobody cares", but that's not true, only to the people with the wrong mentality in my opinion. I care and I can name from the top off my head, most 3rd place finishes at a RWC, sometimes it's fascinating to see a team like Argentina finish 3rd.

What matters is it's where we are now and doing the best you can for your country and yourselves. If that's not motivation enough, then you can improve your relationship with competition.

I repeat, I do NOT want to lose to Wales and I'm absolutely positive the team feel the exact same way.

Of course no team wants to lose a game even if it's tiddlywinks , I think you are misunderstanding and you are also trying to Inflate a game into someting it simply isn't . You only need to look at the media Interest and the general interest of fans on this forum to see that this game is viewed as just an exhibition, there's really nothing at stake apart from financial and ranking points. Sure I'd love Wales to take the victory and so would the players and coaching team but it's not a life/death situation like making a world cup final.
neither's making a world cup final ;)
Maybe that is just reserved for winning a world cup final!
 
To be honest the only thing that MATTER



I don't care much for the 3rd place


Sorry I don't agree , the only thing that matters is WINNING nobody remembers who finished 3rd in a tournament, sure if this was track and field then a bronze is good but in a tournament set up whether that's rugby, football or even cricket nobody cares who finished third and nobody remembers , it's a nothing game in a tournament set up..

I mentioned before that there is absolutely no difference between 2nd and 8th place in this tournament and the only thing that matters is winning, it didn't go down well.
Which is why the 8th/9th place game would actually have some significance and be worth playing.
 
Gatland's coaching record with Wales is really impressive

Played:150
Won: 87
Draw: 2
Lost: 61
Winning percentage: 58.00%

Source: Wikipedia
 
Not against Aus/SA/NZ, 14.5% last time I looked. Ouch
It's one of the strange things about his reign of terror. He has excellent records against top NH Tier 1 sides but when they play the SH they go to ****. Like when the teams he has good record against play the SH they have a better chance of winning.

Best example is Aus England have had their number for years with Aus victories occasionally occuring. Wales on the other hand had 1 win until Aus really started to implode 2 years ago.
 
It's one of the strange things about his reign of terror. He has excellent records against top NH Tier 1 sides but when they play the SH they go to ****. Like when the teams he has good record against play the SH they have a better chance of winning.

Best example is Aus England have had their number for years with Aus victories occasionally occuring. Wales on the other hand had 1 win until Aus really started to implode 2 years ago.
I have always been convinced it's something to do with the style of rugby Gatland plays. I don't know if what I am about to say is unpopular opinion but I have never been that impressed with his lions campaigns either. The tour to Australia was against a very out of sorts Australia team where we could have easily lost 2-1. The tour to NZ, granted it's NZ in NZ but NZ were there to be got at and the calibre of lions players I feel a different coach could have won that series. And the draw was by the skin of our teeth let's be honest. There is a clear weakness in his career when it comes to the SH in my opinion. I am not particularly excited about the idea of 3 tests like the Wales Vs SA semi-final either. Get someone like Jamie Joseph in there coaching the best of Britain and Ireland :D
 
I don't see this being the case, I think Gats will be hugely up for winning this. Last game, never beaten New Zealand, same goes for Alun Wyn. I think Wales will play

I agree, I think Gats will be seriously pumped to win this. Last game, never beaten NZ. Don't think they will but he's not going to be throwing caution to the wind

If he's that pumped up he should pick himself at hooker. He wasn't bad in his day.
 
Best Wales memory under Gats? Non Welsh fans welcome to contribute

Well as an England fan it would be the final game of the Lions tour of Australia. I imagine for many Welsh fans it would probably be the 2013 victory over England in the 6N (admittedly with Howler as coach) or the 2015 victory over England in the world cup.
 
Of course no team wants to lose a game even if it's tiddlywinks , I think you are misunderstanding and you are also trying to Inflate a game into someting it simply isn't . You only need to look at the media Interest and the general interest of fans on this forum to see that this game is viewed as just an exhibition, there's really nothing at stake apart from financial and ranking points. Sure I'd love Wales to take the victory and so would the players and coaching team but it's not a life/death situation like making a world cup final.

I think everyone would be up for it, if it were "just an autumn international". Why is this any different? An exhibition? Anybody who thinks that does not deserve to wear the jersey, red or black. Two of the best teams in the world are playing for a bronze medal. Got further than Australia, France, Ireland, Argentina etc. none of whom are complete mugs.
 
I think everyone would be up for it, if it were "just an autumn international". Why is this any different? An exhibition? Anybody who thinks that does not deserve to wear the jersey, red or black. Two of the best teams in the world are playing for a bronze medal. Got further than Australia, France, Ireland, Argentina etc. none of whom are complete mugs.
Well that is a good attempt at trying to make the game relevant but the fact is Australia, France, Ireland, Argentina are all getting the same reward as 2-8th and chances are they can't even be bothered watching the game.
I will be interested to see what the respective TV audiences are like I can't imagine they will be all that impressive in any country outside Japan.
This cup has been a bit of a failure in NZ ( Even if they had made the final) ratings wise due to the limitation of our internet and the lack of coverage on free to air.
 
I think everyone would be up for it, if it were "just an autumn international". Why is this any different? An exhibition? Anybody who thinks that does not deserve to wear the jersey, red or black. Two of the best teams in the world are playing for a bronze medal. Got further than Australia, France, Ireland, Argentina etc. none of whom are complete mugs.
Well tbh mate an autumn international feels more exciting because youve just finished a 6nations campaign and you go into a 3 match series with the hope of winning them . After being knocked out the world cup the same feeling isn't there , like tell me why I'm not getting pre match nerves I've felt for every other game even Uruguay? Build it up in your head if you want but to me this is an exhibition at best.

And just to add there's a lot more media coverage behind an autumn international , correct me if I'm wrong but I've not see a single drop of media coverage for this game , hell and they even watching it in NZ? That should tell you all you need to know .
 
Well tbh mate an autumn international feels more exciting because youve just finished a 6nations campaign and you go into a 3 match series with the hope of winning them . After being knocked out the world cup the same feeling isn't there , like tell me why I'm not getting pre match nerves I've felt for every other game even Uruguay? Build it up in your head if you want but to me this is an exhibition at best.

And just to add there's a lot more media coverage behind an autumn international , correct me if I'm wrong but I've not see a single drop of media coverage for this game , hell and they even watching it in NZ? That should tell you all you need to know .

No media coverage at all....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/50244299

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/50232481

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/50245173

Didn't have to go looking....
 
I suppose if the game was on at 3 pm on a Saturday or Sunday to give me a chance to get tanked up I'd give it a lot more Interest. it doesn't really help being on at 9.30 am on a Friday morning, hard to build excitement levels on the way to work!
 

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