NPR

Given that most England supporters have completely written off this team and its management (rightly so by the way), who is next cab off the rank for you?

France for me, home team and they play the type of Rugby England can only dream of, my French shirt arrived today

Good choice, even outside the pitch they are top guys.

ASMO wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 5:32 pm Given that most England supporters have completely written off this team and its management (rightly so by the way), who is next cab off the rank for you?

France for me, home team and they play the type of Rugby England can only dream of, my French shirt arrived today

England should still qualify past the group stage FFS.
Have some perspective.

Hmm tough one. Can you narrow it down a bit?

Under World Rugby regs I qualify for France (French grandmother), so I'm plumping for them.

No one.

I'm away on a cruise while the QFs and SFs are taking place - so probably won't see them. Last time I did this was in 07 when I was touring in the South West of the USA . Missed the KO stages and was amazed when I learned we'd made the final - then had to drive about 600 miles to Vegas to find somewhere (an Irish Pub) that was showing the match.

Not expecting a similar outcome this time - well, except for SA winning the title again.

C69 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 6:00 pm

ASMO wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 5:32 pm Given that most England supporters have completely written off this team and its management (rightly so by the way), who is next cab off the rank for you?

France for me, home team and they play the type of Rugby England can only dream of, my French shirt arrived today

England should still qualify past the group stage FFS.
Have some perspective.

Judging by how Samoa ran Ireland close - I'm not that confident.

Ireland to make it out of the quarter finals.
France to win their first RWC.

Would be very happy for France or Ireland to win their first RWC, but I’m generally one to root for the underdog and have a small degree of Scots heritage, so who better to have as my second team than a team who are likely to get even less far than England, but will at least make an entertaining fist if it and (who knows) may give the Irish and the Saffas a good scare or cause an upset.

Ovals wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 7:03 pm

C69 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 6:00 pm

ASMO wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 5:32 pm Given that most England supporters have completely written off this team and its management (rightly so by the way), who is next cab off the rank for you?

France for me, home team and they play the type of Rugby England can only dream of, my French shirt arrived today

England should still qualify past the group stage FFS.
Have some perspective.

Judging by how Samoa ran Ireland close - I'm not that confident.

Already were my second team before we played them, sounds like WR are putting more resources into all the Pacific sides to get them up to speed. Better conditioned and they've had refs overseeing their training matches to lay down the law(s).

Hoping they do well, been 20 years since they really gave England a scare and won some respect in a world cup and long overdue getting back into contention again.

As the late, great Treebeard said, ‘I am on nobody’s side. Because no one is on my side, little orc’

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 6:01 pm Hmm tough one. Can you narrow it down a bit?

France and Fiji!

I've always sided with England due to family history and especially how great the ladies are to watch. I lost faith that the powers that be knew what they were doing after Lancaster was canned - great fella, made some mistakes perhaps, but what he's done with Leinster has shown what could have been if kept on or put in a position with more oversight of national programs - and then Dean Ryan canning the U18 leaders who'd done such great work. Screwing around with the second tier, hiring the cancer that was Eddie Jones, and then the bland bosh/boot-happy Borthwick.

Time to pull my other passport out.

sefton wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:43 pm Time to pull my other passport out.

We all know you would jump to attention for Ireland's Call.

C69 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 6:33 am

sefton wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:43 pm Time to pull my other passport out.

We all know you would jump to attention for Ireland's Call.

nah the real deal is Amhrán na bhFiann.

Ireland. Be so sweet for them to win something, anything, in a global sport.

It always struck me as the pinnacle of hubris..that people call them England supporters, instead of English supporters?

Who the fuck not English, and outside of England, support England in anything?

I will be supporting our great friends the kiwis, as I always relish watching them at world cups.

It's just interesting that nations with the word " land" in them can get away with it, so we get
"England Supporters" "Scotland Supporters", Ireland Supporters"..

But nations with no land in them, it just sounds wrong...etc..
Wales Supporters, Australia Supporters, America Supporters.

I think about this shit quite a bit.

I'm dual national British/Irish so I'm supporting Fiji

If the Springboks get knocked out, big possibility, I'll stop watching the WC. Go on the flounce until the URC starts. In desperate mood for reconditioning.

In terms of ranking the teams I think it would be funniest to see do badly, I’d say it goes:
Ireland
Wales
South Africa
NZ
Australia
Scotland

So I guess there’s my answer, England have reduced me to purely watching games out of spite in an attempt to feel something, anything

I'd like France to win the thing. Always have a soft spot for Aussie rugby but finding it tough this time.

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:18 am In terms of ranking the teams I think it would be funniest to see do badly, I’d say it goes:
Ireland
Wales
South Africa
NZ
Australia
Scotland

So I guess there’s my answer, England have reduced me to purely watching games out of spite in an attempt to feel something, anything

Great to have you on board.

Interesting... There is something about English public school, poshboys that have an affinity to the French.

A lot of posho English think of themselves as Neo Normans.

John Inverdale even had the haircut.
Ironically it was the Welsh tudor dynasty that did wonderful things in England.
Practically re- invented the place.


You even have the Tudor emblem on your shirts.

Line6 HXFX wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 7:33 am It always struck me as the pinnacle of hubris..that people call them England supporters, instead of English supporters?

Who the fuck not English, and outside of England, support England in anything?

Yet this is a normal thing to do for any national team, although you'd be more likely to use "fans" than "supporters".

Scotland fans, France fans, Fiji fans, Georgia fans etc.

Any hubris relating to English rugby definitely doesn't come from this!

Line6 HXFX wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:27 am Interesting... There is something about English public school, poshboys that have an affinity to the French.

A lot of posho English think of themselves as Neo Normans.

John Inverdale even had the haircut.

Nobody seems to be talking about Uruguay after they had a pretty decent last WC.
So them and my general habit of supporting the underdog.

charltom wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:28 am

Line6 HXFX wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 7:33 am It always struck me as the pinnacle of hubris..that people call them England supporters, instead of English supporters?

Who the fuck not English, and outside of England, support England in anything?

Yet this is a normal thing to do for any national team, although you'd be more likely to use "fans" than "supporters".

Scotland fans, France fans, Fiji fans, Georgia fans etc.

Any hubris relating to English rugby definitely doesn't come from this!

I've got a real aversion to using the word "fans", always use supporters. Don't know what it is. Maybe supporters just sounds more solid.

Very interesting to discover Slick is a posho English public schoolboy

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:22 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:18 am In terms of ranking the teams I think it would be funniest to see do badly, I’d say it goes:
Ireland
Wales
South Africa
NZ
Australia
Scotland

So I guess there’s my answer, England have reduced me to purely watching games out of spite in an attempt to feel something, anything

Great to have you on board.

The internal logic of my spite based world cup dictates that it would be funnier for Scotland to do well as it would mean at least one of Ireland and SA have done badly, and they are more spiteable. So I suppose it’s time to point out my great, great grandad was from Selkirk and get on the bandwagon

C69 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 6:33 am

sefton wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:43 pm Time to pull my other passport out.

We all know you would jump to attention for Ireland's Call.

He was so dreamy, to be fair.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:42 am Very interesting to discover Slick is a posho English public schoolboy

I've got the accent and sported the haircut for a while, to be fair.

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:43 am

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:22 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:18 am In terms of ranking the teams I think it would be funniest to see do badly, I’d say it goes:
Ireland
Wales
South Africa
NZ
Australia
Scotland

So I guess there’s my answer, England have reduced me to purely watching games out of spite in an attempt to feel something, anything

Great to have you on board.

The internal logic of my spite based world cup dictates that it would be funnier for Scotland to do well as it would mean at least one of Ireland and SA have done badly, and they are more spiteable. So I suppose it’s time to point out my great, great grandad was from Selkirk and get on the bandwagon

Is this a safe space to admit that I don't really care as long as Ireland don't win it and preferably they go out before or at the QF?

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:51 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:43 am

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:22 am

Great to have you on board.

The internal logic of my spite based world cup dictates that it would be funnier for Scotland to do well as it would mean at least one of Ireland and SA have done badly, and they are more spiteable. So I suppose it’s time to point out my great, great grandad was from Selkirk and get on the bandwagon

Is this a safe space to admit that I don't really care as long as Ireland don't win it and preferably they go out before or at the QF?

There is no safe space from The Swarm.

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:51 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:43 am

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:22 am

Great to have you on board.

The internal logic of my spite based world cup dictates that it would be funnier for Scotland to do well as it would mean at least one of Ireland and SA have done badly, and they are more spiteable. So I suppose it’s time to point out my great, great grandad was from Selkirk and get on the bandwagon

Is this a safe space to admit that I don't really care as long as Ireland don't win it and preferably they go out before or at the QF?

Yes my list should really read ‘Ireland Daylight Wales’

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:51 am
Is this a safe space to admit that I don't really care as long as Ireland don't win it and preferably they go out before or at the QF?

SA and Scotland vs France and NZ in the 1/4 finals.

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 9:22 am

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:51 am
Is this a safe space to admit that I don't really care as long as Ireland don't win it and preferably they go out before or at the QF?

SA and Scotland vs France and NZ in the 1/4 finals.

And a Scotland - SA final.