RWC Final : New Zealand vs South Africa - Sat 28th @ 20.00 BST

[Harveys]

I have much more confidence for the final for various reasons. Bokke need to be underdogs. We have been there in 2019. We put up a record score at Twickenham. All Blacks can't scrum, exct

This post makes no sense.

[Gumboot]

I have much more confidence for the final for various reasons. Bokke need to be underdogs. We have been there in 2019. We put up a record score at Twickenham. All Blacks can't scrum, exct

This post makes no sense.

Lost in translation? His mother tongue is Afrikaans, I think.

[OomStruisbaai]

I have much more confidence for the final for various reasons. Bokke need to be underdogs. We have been there in 2019. We put up a record score at Twickenham. All Blacks can't scrum, exct

This post makes no sense.

Lost in translation? His mother tongue is Afrikaans, I think.

Got the whole week to go in the detail. Ox will explain with Filofaxes.

[Harveys]

I have much more confidence for the final for various reasons. Bokke need to be underdogs. We have been there in 2019. We put up a record score at Twickenham. All Blacks can't scrum, exct

You are basing this on a single pre RWC game. We just crunched the Argies in to dust in the scrums. So I’m feeling like we are in a better place now.

Now weasel off back to your SH rugby down the drain thread, with other wonderful insights.

Amazing how quickly the complete demolition job the ABs did to the Bok in the game that actually had a trophy on the line is forgotten in favour for the meaningless, dead rubber, friendly, walm up match that everyone knows the ABs struggle to get up for. The Bok targeted that game to make a statement and shot themselves in the foot doing so as they looked exhausted today after a tough pool and quarter.

[Ymx]

I have much more confidence for the final for various reasons. Bokke need to be underdogs. We have been there in 2019. We put up a record score at Twickenham. All Blacks can't scrum, exct

This post makes no sense.

Lost in translation? His mother tongue is Afrikaans, I think.

I think it was lost in his charge office coffee.

[Ymx]

Pretty sure i have some ironing to do on Saturday

And shutting the site down for maintenance, I’m sure.

[OomStruisbaai]

This post makes no sense.

Lost in translation? His mother tongue is Afrikaans, I think.

I think it was lost in his charge office coffee.

Nee Boet, its sunday, no charge office coffees today. I'll spare them for the table dance after we won the WC on saturday.

[Ymx]

Lost in translation? His mother tongue is Afrikaans, I think.

I think it was lost in his charge office coffee.

Nee Boet, its sunday, no charge office coffees today. I'll spare them for the table dance after we won the WC on saturday.

Good on you Oom

[OomStruisbaai]

I think it was lost in his charge office coffee.

Nee Boet, its sunday, no charge office coffees today. I'll spare them for the table dance after we won the WC on saturday.

Good on you Oom

This late games make it impossible to dance on tables.
My son demand me to have these with escimo toffees. On the rocks. the past two games to get some colour and nerves settle.

[Gumboot]

I still can't get over Etzebeth's early exit. Isn't he the Matfield of his generation?

[Sards]

I still can't get over Etzebeth's early exit. Isn't he the Matfield of his generation?

He was struggling. I hope he feels better for the final

[Harveys]

I still can't get over Etzebeth's early exit. Isn't he the Matfield of his generation?

He was struggling. I hope he feels better for the final

He certainly didn’t look himself. When the two teams had their moment pushing and shirt grabbing Etzebeth just stood in middle of it looking on, he’s normally right amongst it.

[Ymx]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/67185493

Hmm and Willie giving it socks and Rieko last week. Lot of knackers down south lads. We are well to remember that next time we are playing them

You are a bit of a mouthy one aren’t you !

[OomStruisbaai]

Schmidt or any if the other backroom team getting any kudos or is it all Foster?

Nothing for Fossie. BUT if they lose the final , they will burn him.

[Sandstorm]

Anyone know where the ABs are having dinner on Friday night? Asking for an old girlfriend……

[Chilli]

Anyone know where the ABs are having dinner on Friday night? Asking for an old girlfriend……

[Ymx]

It’s going to be fvcking Barnes isn’t it!

Please be Pearce, or Gardner. Just not Barnes or that French weasel Raynal.

Let the rugby do the talking, not the NH whistle.

[Guy Smiley]

I've got no problem at all with Barnes, he has the right temperament for a final. I don't trust Pearce to run a dishwasher let alone a massive test against this Bokke kant.

[Ymx]

I fucking knew it

[Sandstorm]

At least no-one will whinge about refs not speaking the same language as the playe…….oh right.

[Blake]

Weather forecast is ghastly for next Saturday

That is unfortunate. Hope the Boks adapt better than they did against England.

[Ymx]

Schmidt or any if the other backroom team getting any kudos or is it all Foster?

Nothing for Fossie. BUT if they lose the final , they will burn him.

That feels like a win-win to me.

Nicely timed with Guy Fawkes night.

[convoluted]

I fucking knew it

Damn.
I so much wanted Pearce.
He was the ref at Ellis Park last year who gave the Boks the hurry up when they tried to pull their game-stalling tactics. Consequently Boks were out on their feet the last ten minutes when the ABs conjured that epic comeback win.

[convoluted]

... I don't trust Pearce to run a dishwasher let alone a massive test against this Bokke kant.

^^^ clueless.

[Ymx]

There was a point in time where Aussie barely beat us. I looking at the last 3 times Aus had beaten us over a fair few years. And each time it was with Wayne Barnes on the whistle.

[Sandstorm]

So what Irish and NZ fans are saying that you both get penalised way more by the best refs?

[assfly]

I think the Boks are going to have to consider some changes. We looked so flat against England, which I thought may happen after the match against France. I wonder if asking some players to go 3 HUGE matches back to back is just too much. I think we've done well to manage some players, like Kolisi and Eben. But I think bringing in AE, Jasper, Moody may give us a boost.

I also wonder about starting Ox and Koch, rather than getting them to come on in the 2nd half to clean up.

[_Os_]

Barnes is the best ref.

The Boks do well under him, precisely because he's consistent and calls penalties. He tends not to pull "let the game flow" (ie ignore penalties) style moves. Under Barnes the Boks are played 16, won 12, lost 4. The losses are front loaded because the Boks were still working Barnes out, they are 6-21 Wallabies (2009 Brisbane, an extremely strong Bok side), 13-20 France (2009 Toulouse, the same strong Bok side but this time on the EOYT and cooked), Wallabies 39-41 (2010 Bloem), 26-30 France (2022 Marseilles, strange match with a lot of cards, Rassie changed the entire Bok game plan after this one, stating the refs couldn't be blamed for making 50/50 calls that go against the Boks and the Boks instead needed to move away from areas open to interpretation in the scrum and maul, people mistook those comments for sarcasm but Saffas don't really do sarcasm, he literally just meant he was going to change everything the Boks did to make it easier for refs to interpret).

For whatever reason he never took many Bok v AB matches, only 1 at Ellis Park in 2014 (Boks won), Nige "let the game flow" Owens always got those matches ahead of him.

As far as playing to the ref, Rassie explained it all in 1998. He was doing ref analysis with Oom Pete when he was still a playing: media centre, sitting at the screen all day, database of all the clips. No side can eliminate everything going against them, but they can try. If a ref has been around as long as Barnes has, they can try much harder because the ref has much more match time and video on them. If a ref is genuinely kak and/or erratic, you cannot do much about it, but that isn't Barnes. Rassie knows that's not Barnes which is why he changed a lot after the France 2022 loss, without that loss (or if it was still a loss but reffed by anyone other than Barnes) there's zero chance the Boks would be in the final now. Barnes reffing that loss made Rassie change his approach, if it didn't work out even under Barnes then it was time to change.

The big thing for us is the scrum being reffed correctly, no chance of generating penalties from it if it isn't reffed properly. Boks get a lot of momentum from the scrum, which feeds the Bok lineout ball. That's not to say the Boks will get penalties from it, but if a ref doesn't call it then it doesn't happen no matter how good a side is. Same with the maul, they can be defended in such a way that leaves things open to interpretation. Which is exactly why Rassie rebuilt the entire Bok attack around Libbok and focused more on counterattack which isn't open to ref interpretation.

My filofax doesn't extend to the ABs, but a team like the ABs with the win ratio they have should be on hardly any losses under Barnes?

[Gumboot]

I don't give a flying fuck who the ref is. And whoever it is, I hope they have a blinder and we're treated to a spectacle.

[assfly]

I don't give a flying fuck who the ref is. And whoever it is, I hope they have a blinder and we're treated to a spectacle.

Here here

[Blake]

Barnes is the best ref.

The Boks do well under him, precisely because he's consistent and calls penalties. He tends not to pull "let the game flow" (ie ignore penalties) style moves. Under Barnes the Boks are played 16, won 12, lost 4. The losses are front loaded because the Boks were still working Barnes out, they are 6-21 Wallabies (2009 Brisbane, an extremely strong Bok side), 13-20 France (2009 Toulouse, the same strong Bok side but this time on the EOYT and cooked), Wallabies 39-41 (2010 Bloem), 26-30 France (2022 Marseilles, strange match with a lot of cards, Rassie changed the entire Bok game plan after this one, stating the refs couldn't be blamed for making 50/50 calls that go against the Boks and the Boks instead needed to move away from areas open to interpretation in the scrum and maul, people mistook those comments for sarcasm but Saffas don't really do sarcasm, he literally just meant he was going to change everything the Boks did to make it easier for refs to interpret).

Yep. I’m very happy with Barnes.

He’s consistent and stamps out off the ball shenanigans quite early in the match. Also won’t get overwhelmed by the intensity at the breakdown and police it better.

If the Boks can’t adapt to him, we deserve to lose.

It might not be a free flowing spectacle, but given the weather forecast that was unlikely anyway. I expect a lot of handling errors and scrums. But I don’t expect us to have the same scrum dominance we enjoyed against France and England under O’Keeffe.

The All Blacks will be focussing on scrums all week, and I think we are going to be trading penalties all game at the scrum.

If we are going to win, we are going to have to bring more than just a strong scrum to the final.

[Sards]

I don't give a flying fuck who the ref is. And whoever it is, I hope they have a blinder and we're treated to a spectacle.

Here here

I called the ABs in the final and a possible win. Even when the ABs were in a slump. And their supporters were crying.

[Sards]

I don't give a flying fuck who the ref is. And whoever it is, I hope they have a blinder and we're treated to a spectacle.

Every final is a spectacle. From quarters up. Don't get fooled by the NH bitching and hand wringing. 2 countries locked in battle giving their all

[Gumboot]

It might not be a free flowing spectacle, but given the weather forecast that was unlikely anyway. I expect a lot of handling errors and scrums. But I don’t expect us to have the same scrum dominance we enjoyed against France and England under O’Keeffe.

The All Blacks will be focussing on scrums all week, and I think we are going to be trading penalties all game at the scrum.

If we are going to win, we are going to have to bring more than just a strong scrum to the final.

The key to the ABs reducing the number of scrums in recent games has been their sure handling in difficult weather conditions.

[Blake]

It might not be a free flowing spectacle, but given the weather forecast that was unlikely anyway. I expect a lot of handling errors and scrums. But I don’t expect us to have the same scrum dominance we enjoyed against France and England under O’Keeffe.

The All Blacks will be focussing on scrums all week, and I think we are going to be trading penalties all game at the scrum.

If we are going to win, we are going to have to bring more than just a strong scrum to the final.

The key to the ABs reducing the number of scrums in recent games has been their sure handling in difficult weather conditions.

Indeed. The All Black's handling skills in wet weather condictions are unmatched.
But if any team's defense can pressure them into some fumbles, it's probably the Boks.

[handyman]

As Guy said, you guys peaked way too early and are struggling now.

Foster ingenuously ensured that we troughed for a solid 4 years to get this peak.

Worthy of a new 4 year contract.

[Ymx]

I don't give a flying fuck who the ref is. And whoever it is, I hope they have a blinder and we're treated to a spectacle.

Every final is a spectacle. From quarters up. Don't get fooled by the NH bitching and hand wringing. 2 countries locked in battle giving their all

Their journalists really have sunk to some low depths in recent weeks.

[Gumboot]

It might not be a free flowing spectacle, but given the weather forecast that was unlikely anyway. I expect a lot of handling errors and scrums. But I don’t expect us to have the same scrum dominance we enjoyed against France and England under O’Keeffe.

The All Blacks will be focussing on scrums all week, and I think we are going to be trading penalties all game at the scrum.

If we are going to win, we are going to have to bring more than just a strong scrum to the final.

The key to the ABs reducing the number of scrums in recent games has been their sure handling in difficult weather conditions.

Indeed. The All Black's handling skills in wet weather condictions are unmatched.
But if any team's defense can pressure them into some fumbles, it's probably the Boks.

Agreed, the rush defence has been the ABs' Achilles heel since the 2017 Lions series, and there's no team better at it than the Boks.

[Sards]

I don't give a flying fuck who the ref is. And whoever it is, I hope they have a blinder and we're treated to a spectacle.

Every final is a spectacle. From quarters up. Don't get fooled by the NH bitching and hand wringing. 2 countries locked in battle giving their all

Their journalists really have sunk to some low depths in recent weeks.

All in an attempt to change our playing styles and tactics. I refuse to be bullied into giving them what they want. If they were right one of them would be in the final.


Play to win.

[Sandstorm]

ABs should win this one at a canter. Just start fast, move the ball around like they did at Mt Smart in July, score a couple of early tries - the tired Boks will go behind on the scoreboard and will be very unlikely to catch up.

Even dumbass Foster can plan and execute that on Saturday.