RWC 2023 Fixtures and results

[Tykger]

I think a lot of credit has to go to Aled Walters who got England peaking at the right end of the tournament. England players had an energy and strength they hadn’t previously. SA were the opposite. A complete reversal of 2019 when Alex Walters was with SA.

Can we get him back at MWWR please!

Good point

[wigworth]

Mate treacle boots was spot on!! England lost a massive opportunity to get into a final and get launched into the stratosphere by NZ!!

As for Farrell I have ran out of time and words for him, he will just be a stain on English rugby!

A 'stain on English rugby' what a utterly ridiculous thing to say.

For me he has, England coaches have been dependant on his boot and nothing else, he has no world class flair, he has little inspiration, can’t tackle properly but he lands on the team sheet every time when you have inform fly half’s, in this case Ford. A fine example is SA bringing on Pollard after 30 odd mins, need inspiration and quality and they got it!! Good management!!

Do you watch much of Sarries? Because I can't say I agree with much of that, Farrell has been the best English fly half in the Prem for about a year and a half now and it is not particularly close especially given Ford was out for so long with his injury. He clearly has something about him or else I have a hard time believing so many coaches would have have consistently picked him and praised him for the sake of his own ego.

While I do think Ford has gotten the raw end of the stick with regards to England, I am not sure one strong performance against Argentina really constitutes him being 'inform' given his lack of overall rugby played in the last year and there wasn't much world class flair demonstrated in that game even by Ford so it was not a shock Farrell was back onto the team straight away, as they clearly wanted him back up to speed for the knockout games. I can appreciate that you may not like him as a player/person but to call him a stain on English rugby is way over the mark in my view given the language of the statement implies he has committed some heinous act which as far as I am aware he hasn't.

[Tigerbeat]

Must have been a good game…..cannot remember there being any input from the TMO

[KiwiTig]

Credit to Borthwick and England …
His resilient single minded plan very nearly came off ..:well done to all our Tigers

[PIEANDAPINT]

Well done England and well done SB - we deserved to win and had a good strategy which was very well executed. The Saffas played as well they were allowed to and posts which demean the England performance on the basis that the Boks did not turn up are imo playing to their own preconceptions and prejudices. Farrell had a v good game for the second match in a row and the team selection for the starting fifteen was spot on. Does this mean we are world beaters absolutely not but credit should be given where credit is due. Prior to the match anyone who suggested that England would lose by a single point would have been, and indeed were, dismissed out of hand. Marler and Cole did exactly what was asked of them , George Martin proved that he will become an outstanding international player and indeed the entire team ‘ stepped up.’ If you want to for negatives you will always find them ( whether England or Tigers ) and I for one who was at the game felt proud. Congratulations to all those who contributed

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Must have been a good game…..cannot remember there being any input from the TMO

No TMO at all.

Asleep at the wheel for head on head by Kitshoff against Lawes.

And I thought the big hit by Martin that dislodged the ball was a bit chicken wing

[Scott1]

Take everyone’s comments on board but for me that was still the best England v an overcooked,flat SA who had emptied the tank last week. We will never get a better chance than that and we blew it!

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

I think a lot of credit has to go to Aled Walters who got England peaking at the right end of the tournament. England players had an energy and strength they hadn’t previously. SA were the opposite. A complete reversal of 2019 when Alex Walters was with SA.

Can we get him back at MWWR please!

Bit easier to in some ways for England as it was the first time they had played a genuine contender, SA had already played 2 arguably 3 big games.

[Tigerbeat]

Someone posted on social media a chart showing the number of minutes played by each member of SA and England…the SA players were pretty even with Rassie using good squad rotation. More England players had played substantially more minutes. England disrupted a South African side with their game plan and did not allow them to get into their stride. Well played England……the substitutions turned the game with the SA props winning penalties. Good game to watch.

[fentiger]

Someone posted on social media a chart showing the number of minutes played by each member of SA and England…the SA players were pretty even with Rassie using good squad rotation. More England players had played substantially more minutes. England disrupted a South African side with their game plan and did not allow them to get into their stride. Well played England……the substitutions turned the game with the England props conceding penalties. Good game to watch.

Fixed

[Big Dai]

Farrell cost us that game by not keeping his cool. Contrast Pollard who won SA the game by keeping his.

Indeed, we could have been further ahead at half time!
Although I also agree with others about Vunipola and Sinkler (prop who can’t!), Coley was doing superbly!

I'm not sure the last penalty. The game winning shot was against Sinkler. I think it was give against Genge on the openside.

If it was I'm not sure Genge was a fault. Their 3 was turning in on George such that his behind was showing to the stand.

Maybe they should use the overhead view available to get these crucial penalties right. Otherwise the dark arts persist and refs continue to guess.

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Farrell cost us that game by not keeping his cool. Contrast Pollard who won SA the game by keeping his.

Indeed, we could have been further ahead at half time!
Although I also agree with others about Vunipola and Sinkler (prop who can’t!), Coley was doing superbly!

I'm not sure the last penalty. The game winning shot was against Sinkler. I think it was give against Genge on the openside.

If it was I'm not sure Genge was a fault. Their 3 was turning in on George such that his behind was showing to the stand.

Maybe they should use the overhead view available to get these crucial penalties right. Otherwise the dark arts persist and refs continue to guess.

Last one was definitely an England penalty, unfortunately because SA had pushed England off 1, and then did get 2 legit penalties the referee had preconceptions that England were at fault.

Genge won the hit so dominantly he pushed Koch back 6-8 inches who then turned in rather than go up or down

[nicmattyg]

I just don’t think you can win a World Cup just by kicking penalties.

The game plan was good and made it a competitive game, but the lack of try scoring in what was a dominant 60-70 mins ultimately cost us the game. And the question mark remains over the lacklustre attack of this England team.

We didn’t even look close to scoring a try at any stage, and if we’d come up again the all blacks in the final there’s no way you beat them without scoring 2/3 tries.

Overall England did well in the tournament off the back of a disastrous lead in, and the fans should be happy enough. Time for an overhaul and rebuild of the squad, starting with the 6n and blooding more of the youngsters.

[Ian Cant]

England’s starting 15 were superb but the difference was obviously the two benches.
Handre Pollard is such a calm yet class act.
The game plan was similar to when we beat Sarries with Burns’ drop goal and England didn’t have a Weise ( South Africa have 2 similar players for number 8) and certainly poor Sinkler got an absolute beating up!

[wigworth]

SA best have a plan a plan for their back up hookers as there may be trouble coming for Mbonambi

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... s-mic.html