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Forums - Sports Discussion - Rugby World Cup 2015 Official thread New Zealand vs Australia in the Final!!!!

 

Who do you think will win?

New Zealand 73 41.24%
 
Australia 21 11.86%
 
England 9 5.08%
 
South Africa 14 7.91%
 
Ireland 16 9.04%
 
Wales 10 5.65%
 
France 10 5.65%
 
Argentina 18 10.17%
 
USA 3 1.69%
 
Other 3 1.69%
 
Total:177
StokedUp said:
Would like to England win it, a fresh young team showing a lot of potential but I just think New Zealand are far too good, they're such a joy to watch!

If Ireland could beat the All Blacks then I think they'll have a chance.



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PLAYER POWER RANKING


1. Richie McCaw (NZ) (flanker)

You could argue that he is no longer the world's best out-and-out openside flanker but no player commands as much respect and has the ability to influence a match like McCaw.

2. Israel Folau (Aus) (fullback)

One of the most dangerous broken-field runners in the game, an aerial threat and a player who must be planned for defensively and watched at all times.

3. Kieran Read (NZ) (No8)

We still haven't seen the best of Read yet in 2015 and the sense is he is ready for seven weeks of rampage in the UK. The most damaging ball-playing backrower in the game.

4. Ben Smith (NZ) (fullback)

Size is really the only thing Folau has on the Dunedinite. An electric runner who rarely puts a foot wrong at either end of the park.

5. Michael Hooper (Aus) (flanker)

Has supplanted McCaw and teammate David Pocock as the most destructive breakdown player in world rugby. His link game is vastly improved, too.

6. Aaron Smith (NZ) (halfback)

His rapid service and clever running added a new dimension to the All Blacks attack. At his best he gives his backline a half step more room than any other.

7. Dan Carter (NZ) (first-five)

After looking down on confidence, first-five maestro Carter returned to something like his best against the Wallabies at Eden Park. His best is nigh unstoppable.

8. Thierry Dusautoir (Fr) (flanker)

Like McCaw, his influence goes way beyond his tackle counts and ball carries. Still an awesome, often indomitable, force of nature.

9. Chris Robshaw (Eng) (flanker)

Another hugely influential figure whose tenacity and leadership will ensure the battle for supremacy at flanker will be the most keenly contested.

10. Willie le Roux (SA) (fullback)

Le Roux played a lot of his early rugby at first-five and he brings that palette of skills to his game at either fullback or wing. Cannot be given room.

11. Brodie Retallick (NZ) (lock)

The incumbent world player of the year is marked a lot closer than he once was, but still has the physique and handling skills to cope in heavier traffic.

12. Julian Savea (NZ) (wing)

The bus has been a bit late to the party in 2015, but you know someone is going to suffer for that. His tries-to-tests record is incredible.

13. Nemani Nadolo (Fiji) (wing)

How good is Nadolo? So good, when he's missing the Crusaders seem like half the team they normally are on attack.

14. Dane Coles (NZ) (hooker)

A fourth loose forward? A third centre? Whichever way you slice it, Coles' breadth of skills and deceptive pace marks him out as a potential star of the tournament.

15. Sam Warburton (Wales) (flanker)

His last World Cup ended on a sickening note when he was sent off early against an average French team. He has some making up to do and has the ability to do it.

16. Paul O'Connell (Ire) (lock)

O'Connell is viewed in Ireland with the same deference McCaw is here. Much more than a ball-winning lock: the heart-and-soul of Irish rugby.

17. David Pocock (Aus) (flanker)

With Hooper a lock to start all the big games at No 7, Pocock will hope Michael Cheika wants to employ the 'pincer' flanker tactic that was employed so effectively against the All Blacks in Sydney.

18. Ma'a Nonu (NZ) (second-five)

As soon as you wonder whether Nonu is still a force, he'll come up with a performance like that against Australia at Eden Park this year. Power and precision passing.

19. Handre Pollard (SA) (first-five)

Can be sucked into playing too conservatively, but when he's allowed to steer the ship there are few players with as much innate ability as the 21-year-old Pollard.

20. Agustin Creevy (Arg) (hooker)

For McCaw, NZ, and O'Connell, Ireland, read Creevy, Argentina. The bull-necked front-rower is a ball of muscle and sinew and refuses to take a backward step.

21. Tevita Kuridrani (Aus) (centre)

The Fijian has added a new dimension to Australia's attack with his speed and ability to play direct. Occasionally gets caught with his trainer wheels on in defence.

22. Wesley Fofana (France) (centre)

His game is much bigger than his 93kg frame would suggest. Nippy, evasive and with a great sense of timing, Fofana is pivotal to France's backline attack.

23. Sean O'Brien (Ire) (flanker)

While beating Australia in pool play on Eden Park at the last World Cup, O'Brien put in an unforgettable tour de force performance. Energy and will make up for limitations in his game.

24. Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) (fullback)

Like Warburton, Halfpenny's 2011 RWC ended with a sickener, his potentially game-winning penalty dipping under the crossbar.

25. Richie Gray (Scot) (lock)

It can be hard to look good in a Scotland team that has remained resolutely behind rugby's trends, but with his shock of blond hair and ball-winning ability, Gray has achieved it.



Players to look out for:

Julian Savea (New Zealand)

The All Black wing tormented England last summer with the power as well as cleverness of his running, just as he has done to every defence since making his debut. A superstar

George North (Wales)

A man who has the capacity to do as Savea has done: to be a player who gets the crowd on the edge of its seat and the opposition on full alert. North is Wales' strike weapon, a real threat to England's prospects

Israel Folau (Australia)

A triple-code genius, able to adapt whether it be Aussie Rules, rugby league or union. He and North were the drawcards of the Lions tour, vying with each other for the most stunning solo scores. Folau can attack from anywhere

Kieran Read (New Zealand)

A key men in the New Zealand brain trust, a cerebral as well as athletic No8 forward, always in the right place and always doing the right things. Alongside Richie McCaw, the pair direct operations between them

Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)

Sexton will be back in the Irish bosom by the time the World Cup begins, his two year sojourn at Racing Metro in Paris at an end. The return home will boost the fly-half's morale, put him more at ease with himself, and that is good news for all Ireland fans

Gael Fickou (France)

There was a time when a World Cup gallery of stars would have included half a dozen Frenchmen, blessed with flair or forward-based ferocity. How times have changed. Fickou, the young Toulouse centre, has the potential to remind us of Gallic glory days, all grace and speed

Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)

The Springboks still exude a sense of menace in all that they do. To beat them you have to stop them, be it upfront or behind. It's a macho challenge and Etzebeth, the young South African lock, has inherited the mantle of Bakkies Botha: the enforcer

Niki Goneva (Fiji)

Goneva has proved to be a dynamic force in the Premiership for Leicester, a player with magic in his feet as well as power in his legs. Fiji are in England's pool and if the Fijian forwards can get ball, then Goneva will be dangerous



Great game.. Love the emotion and passion.. Much better here then in Football.. Also love that the supporters are lovely sitting next to each other



 

Face the future.. Gamecenter ID: nikkom_nl (oh no he didn't!!) 

Japan make biggest upset off all time for their first ever world cup win. And it was against two time world cup champs SA!!!!



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Ka-pi96 said:
Japan!!!!!! What a result! Gotta be one of the biggest ever shocks at a world cup.


Thats Japans first ever world cup win!! What a shocker!



NiKKoM said:
Great game.. Love the emotion and passion.. Much better here then in Football.. Also love that the supporters are lovely sitting next to each other

I wish i could be there! World cup in NZ was amazing!



think-man said:
Ka-pi96 said:
Japan!!!!!! What a result! Gotta be one of the biggest ever shocks at a world cup.


Thats Japans first ever world cup win!! What a shocker!


It wasn't their first world cup victory. They beat Zimbabwe in RWC 1991.



GreyianStorm said:
think-man said:


Thats Japans first ever world cup win!! What a shocker!


It wasn't their first world cup victory. They beat Zimbabwe in RWC 1991.

Oh my bad, 2nd then?



Does anyone know of any sites i can stream off my phobe for free?