The Rugby Thread

[Buzzo]

I reckon the biggest factor at play here might be fatigue.

You could see it in the likes of Etzebeth and Kolisi on Saturday - they looked gassed. Hopefully the team has recovered to a point they can go full beans again. The game against France was one of the most intense and demanding I have ever watched. The one against England given the conditions was an absolute war also.

Factor in the training run the ABs had and the extra day then it genuinely could be enough to see them home.

Thats up againt the last time we see a lot of this SA team... ehcih could be enough to ensure they can go to the well one last time.

A fascinating final. I think the latter factor will just shade it for you Boks.

[Zapater]

Oh well, World Rugby says there isn't enough evidence to take this any further. We're done and he starts regardless of what people's opinion on what Bongi may have said.

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff.

Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jasper Wiese, 23 Willie le Roux.

Back to a 7-1 split on the bench whilst Faf and Pollard start. Bit of a gamble not having a specialist scrum half on the bench but Rassie has always trusted Willie, so there we go. Tough on Reinach and Manie but that's how it goes.

[badpiggy]

Fackin snowflake flankers. You can't say anything these days. The game is gone etc.

[Buzzo]

Imagine that as his defence.

'But he IS...'

[badpiggy]

Either way, was Mbonambi not right?

[Buzzo]

Nah, I thought England played well - genuinely. To the point I thought the game was done. Equally the commentary on that last scrum and that the decision was correct was from the decent English pundits that are out there Andy Goode etc.

But this kind of thing is poor.

You can literally hear the exchange in the top clip - and Curry speaking to the ref.

[Buzzo]

Whilst this flies in the face of your England bashing, it’s supposedly an off the ball incident being looked at.

All pretty pointless tbh, games over and the better side went through.

Nah, I thought England played well - genuinely. To the point I thought the game was done.

But this kind of thing is poor.

You can literally hear the exchange in the top clip - and Curry speaking to the ref.

[RichC]

Going to be embarrassing for Tom Curry if this is true.

https://twitter.com/rugby_ap/status/1716564478597169192

Whilst this flies in the face of your England bashing, it’s supposedly an off the ball incident being looked at.

All pretty pointless tbh, games over and the better side went through.

[Mark79]

[ame="https://youtu.be/TNHzDxi73v8"]Alan Partridge - You Can't! - YouTube[/ame]

[Buzzo]

Stupid kant might have been the most appropriate.

[ame]https://twitter.com/melissareddy_/status/1716725741692281007[/ame]

[Buzzo]

Going to be embarrassing for Tom Curry if this is true.

[ame]https://twitter.com/rugby_ap/status/1716564478597169192[/ame]

[Buzzo]

Fair play! An honest take on the final scrum.

[ame]https://twitter.com/itvrugby/status/1716481101818900801[/ame]

[RichC]

Wayne Barnes gets the gig for the final

I can’t stand him as a ref, let’s hope he doesn’t turn it into the Wayne Barnes show

[Buzzo]

Porter wins pens all the time unless we have Barnes reffing, he “paints the wrong picture” apparently! I think if a ref thinks a certain way it’s hard to pull it back

I said it to my Dad that once Sinckler and Genge came on England would struggle in the scrums and do it was. The scrum win when Kolbe knocked on was the winning of the game, Farrell primed for another drop goal

Was that when Pollard kicked that monster down the line for the lineout they in turn scored the try from. I couldnt recall of that was from then or from the mark.

To be honest at that point I thought the game had gone for them.

[Irishnev]

That said, the massive amount of cry arsing around scrums is pretty reactionary and seems to be solely based on England going out. I have slightly bought into that

Every other team takes defeat on the chin, but when England go out, you have the likes of Dalalgio claiming England lost due to Ben O'Keefe.

The moment SA took a mark and chose to scrum, then marmalised the England scrum about 4 times in a row was the reason England lost.

Porter wins pens all the time unless we have Barnes reffing, he “paints the wrong picture” apparently! I think if a ref thinks a certain way it’s hard to pull it back

I said it to my Dad that once Sinckler and Genge came on England would struggle in the scrums and do it was. The scrum win when Kolbe knocked on was the winning of the game, Farrell primed for another drop goal