England arrive home empty-handed whilst the Boks take care of their new trophy ...

The South Africans have arrived home in Jo'burg with the cup, whilst the English landed back in Blighty after a night on the tiles drowning their sorrows.

Ol' JW looks positively chipper!

And the 2007 World Champions are ... South Africa!

The Springboks have emerged victorious after a try-less match against England.

The match came down to a penalty-kicking battle between Percy Montgomery and Jonny Wilkinson, with the former coming off the better. JW also made two unsuccessful attempts at drop goals -(the scourge of rugby union :-)).

A try to England's Mark Cueto was disallowed by the Australian video referee when Cueto was judged to have been in touch when the ball went down. I wonder how the English fans will respond to this, especially after the grief they gave unhappy All Blacks' fans over the truly forward pass in their match against the French :-D ? There was much defending of the referee etc etc ... I bet the same defence is not given to the Australian ref (who is undoubtedly right anyway :-D).

How did South Africa do it? They had fewer injuries throughout the competition, kept key players rested during the Tri Nations (to which they sent an arguably 2nd-string team), played consistently well, and tightened up their discipline when it counted. They had a dream run through the knockout rounds once the All Blacks bit the dust against the French. They deserved to win, being a better team both on paper and on the field.

So, congratulations South Africa and thank you for bringing the cup back down south (where it belongs ;-D).

Commiserations England - we Australians know what it feels like - but look forward to 2011 in New Zealand.

RSA 15 - Eng 6

The big event is almost upon us ... the Final of the Rugby World Cup 2007

The pinnacle of all this rugger playing is finally here - the Final between South Africa and England.

The Springboks will need to be tightly drilled and very disciplined - their captain Smit admitted it himself today in the international media. The English try to stop their opponents playing rugby. They like to see them make errors so JW can score penalties. The Boks will need to play the most disciplined game of their lives to win. Once JW gets the ball his kicking boot takes over.

May the best team win.

The Bokke carry the hopes of the Southern Hemisphere ...

The Springboks did what was expected - crushed the spirits of a spirited Argentinian side in the 2nd Semi Final. Well done Argentina - it'd be great to see you in a Four Nations competition very soon!

I was at my Pilates class last night and one of my pals laughingly suggested inciting the fans at the Final into some biffo. He also wants to see an all-in brawl on the pitch! With the bitey Boks and the fat English forwards it could be on :-D

I want the Boks to win (go Southern Hemisphere), however I suspect the English will do it off the back of JW kicking penalties - the Boks are not the most disciplined of teams and their forwards are notorious for their biffo. The South Africans need to be tight and well drilled, and not get carried away into putting the boot in. I predict a couple of send-offs!

On another note, the young English fans on sites such as Facebook have become ugly in their online behaviour. It makes me laugh that public schoolboys from Harrow and Rugby Schools etc are so proficient in profanity. I'm sure their parents are paying for a different type of education ;-D I taught in a boys' school many years ago and I know what teenage boys can be like; however, some of these boys on Facebook are just plain toffy-nosed gits.

By all means be proud of your team's accomplishments, and engage in cheerful, teasing banter to irritate your South African pals at work etc, but be a supporter not a foul-mouthed, dim-witted hooligan.

That's what soccer (sorry, football) is for.

Fiji take it to the Springboks, and Argentina defeat Scotland to secure their semi place.

Fiji played with dash and flair in their match against South Africa. Despite the 37 - 20 scoreline the Fijians really took it to the South Africans and had them rattled. The Fijians scored two tries whilst one of their players was in the sin-bin - how's that for determination?

Some ill-discipline worked against them, especially in the 2nd half; however, this 2nd tier rugby nation showed they could match it with a rugby giant. Well done little islander brothers!

Argentina defeated an inexperienced Scottish team 19 - 13 in a closely faught match. The Scottish team is young but shows potential - watch them with interest in the next Six Nations tournament. Argentina will play South Africa in the second semi-final.

I'm barracking for France and for Argentina :-)

Match preview: Fiji v RSA

I'm sitting here watching the previews on Channel 10 ... gosh I want the Fijians to take it to the Springboks! It's a huge job, and they'll probably go down by a big score, but if they can injure a few of them - beaut :-D

The vitriol on the Net over the first two quarter-finals has been plentiful today - the 'Boks fans especially are arrogantly asserting their certainty to win the RWC. Be careful fellas - pride comes before a fall. Viz, the ANZACs :-D

Go Fiji!

Out go the ANZACs, defeated by Poms and Frogs ... aaaggh!

This morning (or should I call it afternoon? Given I got up for the second time at 1.30pm today after watching both quarter-finals, it feels like morning to me) I am both frustrated and speechless: frustrated by the Wallabies and rendered speechless by the All Blacks. What an event is this Rugby World Cup!

The English deserved to win their match against Australia (there, I've said it): the Wallabies were ill-disciplined and flabby against an urgent and attacking English side. The scrums were a travesty on both sides (how many scrum re-sets did we have to endure, huh? Set the bloody thing and don't collapse it, bozos!) and the Australians' ball-handling skills were flawed and careless. So many dropped balls out wide. Lote's try was a thrill; however, too many penalties allowed JW to put the points on the board and Sterling's missed kicks at goal sealed the deal. The Australians lost the match because of poor play and that's really really annoying!

Full credit to the English - they obviously wanted it more and played like a team out to show their critics they were up to defending their crown. They lifted over the last week and played like a well-drilled machine. I still can't stand Jonny Wilkinson though - lay the egg and get on with it!

The All Blacks' match against the French is another story: why do the New Zealanders choke in the World Cup?? They don't choke in the Bledisloe or the Tri Nations ... why in this competition? Why? Why?

This was their event for the winning. The best team in the world and a flawless run through the pool rounds. Their first half was immaculate. They played tight, disciplined, fearsome rugby and made several attacks on the French line. Their ball-handling was perfect and they moved the ball around quickly and precisely. At half-time they seemed unbeatable at 13 - 3.

In the second half it was if the two teams had swapped jerseys. The French regrouped and ground down the All Blacks' resolve. McAlister was sent off for ten minutes for blocking, and the beginnings of what could be called rot set in. A try set up by late ring-in Michalak (passing it on to Jauzion to score) came of what appeared to be a forward pass but it did its job - the French could see the door was open. Dan and Byron came off injured in the second half and the panic set in. Despite a determined effort by the men in black to drive the ball over (the forwards would be knackered - they made several attempts at scrummaging the ball over the line, and did in fact score another try) our little ANZAC brothers couldn't keep the Frogs out. A last minute penalty from the French and Les Bleus secured a spot against England in the Semis.

So my tipping for the Semis is now 50% wrong and we're left with the Frogs and the Poms to fight it out next week - I'm practising my 2nd language even harder now - Vivent Les Bleus! I cannot bear the thought of the English winning the RWC for a 2nd time as they'll bloody beatify them and then eract statues and rename the English counties after each of the players. Yuck. The spectacle of the French side playing in Paris to contest the Final is much more attractive.

Who will they play? God knows! If the next two quarters play out like the first two the Fijians will win by 30 and the Scots by 50! Every Australian should be made to barrack for Fiji this evening - not hard, they're a super team and deserving of their large fan base. Plus, the team I absolutely hate the most are the South Africans. The Argentinians will make it a cinderella story if they make it through to the Finals ... imagine the Falkland Wars II should the English be their foe .....

Bah! Go Fiji! Go Argentina! Go France!

The pool rounds are over ... and now the real fun begins!

Eight teams are through to the Quarter Finals and the real fun of the RWC begins ... the knockout rounds.

Australia have their chance to avenge their loss to England in 2003, the French face the All Black juggernaut, the Fijians have caused the upset of the tournament (to face the Springboks), and Argentina lines up against the Scots.

I'm excited for Fiji; they'll be thrilled with their Quarter Final spot even though they face a seemingly ascendant South Africa. Let's hope they give the 'Boks the same drubbing they gave Wales ;-) [Good luck Greg :-)]

Argentina have presented a very strong case for inclusion in an expanded Tri Nations by finishing top of their pool. I predict a Semi Final spot for them.

After a few weeks of reading the rugby results rather than staying up all night to watch the matches, now I start the alarm-clock setting and sleeping in. Thank goodness I'm on 2 weeks holidays. I have a hen's day to attend on the 6th - perfect reason to stay up even later to watch the Wallabies play the English :-) I'll be at the chic Loft Bar in Sydney, in a posh frock - Chic Rugby to the max :-)

South Africa dominate the English ... and Australia really needs to beat Wales!

The Springboks have kept the English from scoring in a match that saw the World Cup champions lose several key players through injury. I've not seen the 'Boks play as well in quite a while; their defences were rock solid and their attack formidable.

The English were without Mr 'I can kick field goals' Wilkinson as he is still injured. It's unlikely we'll see him now until the quarters, as they're unlikely to play him in the matches against the Tongans or the Samoans. Those islander bros are very physical players and the last thing he needs is to get belted and taken off!

The pressure is now on the Australians and the Welsh as neither will want to play South Africa in the quarters. The Welsh will have the hometown advantage in Cardiff; all those locals singing their hearts out in one of the most atmospheric stadiums rugby can provide.

With uncertainty now surrounding Stephen Larkham and his knee, our boys have a job ahead of them.

Oh, go Australia!

RSA 36 - Eng 0

Just as we thought ... the All Blacks bring down the 'Boks.

I didn't watch the game yesterday as I was otherwise engaged but my prediction that the All Blacks would win was right! They scored three converted tries in the last 12 minutes of the game (that's 21 points).

However, the collective wisdom of the rugby press is suggesting that the All Blacks wouldn't be so pleased with their performance against an understrength South Africa. Chris Foley in Rugby Heaven says they were uninspiring in attack even though they had possession of the ball for most of the game. This means the Springboks were able to defend their line against an 'all over the shop' game strategy by the men in black. It didn't translate into tries for the South Africans but kept the scoreline lower for the All Blacks. The New Zelanders will go back to the drawing board for the game against Australia this coming weekend. Let's hope the Wallabies are not wobbly.

Dan scored a try and made 3 conversions and 4 penalties! As gorgeous as he is let's pray he doesn't do quite so well this Saturday. The upcoming game decides both the Tri Nations and the Bledisloe Cup, hence a lot of national rugby-lovin' pride is at stake :-)

This weekend: New Zealand v South Africa

Saturday afternoon (our time) will see the All Blacks up against the Springboks, in Christchurch. Both teams are coming back from defeats against Australia and will have something to prove.

The smart money is on the All Blacks, as they are always fiercer competition when they have the home-ground advantage. The Springboks will be playing under their fourth captain in four games, Johann Muller. He plays in the second row of the Bok's scrum, and looks it (oh dear).

The All Blacks have announced some team changes due to injury and poor play. Byron Kelleher, another All Black hottie (and the lovely Dan's playing partner at half-back), will not be playing.

But Dan will - hooray!

This is the one time you can all barrack for the All Blacks.

By the way, Australia is currently leading the Tri Nations table with 9 points. The other two nations are on 5 apiece. Let's see how things stand after the weekend but it's certainly looking exciting for the match between Australia and the All Blacks on July 21 (the second game of the Bledisloe Cup).

Aaaagh, it's too much :-)

Yay - we won!

The Wallabies wrapped up the game against the Springboks, 25 v 17. A great pathway into the next round of the Tri Nations (against the All Blacks again).

I did get distracted reading my friend's blog though ... the last 20 minutes of the game were not as attention-grabbing as the first 60.

Hooray for the boys in gold :-)

Wrapping up:

Matt Giteau scored a superb try for Australia! Stirling Mortlock failed to convert it but he did successfully kick a penalty goal a few minutes earlier. RSA 17 v Aus 25

Whilst I was back watching Harry Potter the Wallabies scored another converted try to equalise with the Springboks. Not sure who scored it :-) RSA 17 v Aus 17

RSA 17 v Aus 25

Try!

Hooray! Mark Gerrard scored a try for Australia, almost under the goal posts! Nice conversion Stirling :-)

RSA 17 v Aus 7

Good Lord! 17 minutes in and the 'Boks are 17 zip ahead!

I'm sitting here flicking between Harry Potter on Nine and the match on Seven. The Springboks are pinning the Wallabies in their half and there's a bit of kicking going on ... not a usual tactic for Southern Hemisphere teams but useful for gaining ground and territory if you can win the subsequent line-out.

The Wallabies are trying to take it over the 22 but the South Africans are lethal tacklers. Adam Freier, the hooker (number 2) for Australian has just been taken out in a dangerous tackle.

Oh dear :-(

Tonight: Australia v South Africa

In the 4th game of Tri Nations series Australia will take on South Africa. To date each of the 3 teams in the competition has won a game against another Tri Nations foe, so tonight's game will be very important to the victor.

A psychological advantage cannot be underestimated in the game of rugby (yes, these men can think).

In the previous meeting between the Wallabies and the Springboks the 'Boks were victorious but it was close - 3 points (equal to one penalty goal or one field goal). The Wallabies are coming off the back of a vital win against the All Blacks and their confidence will be higher than apparent to date. They will also have a hometown advantage playing in Sydney at the Telstra Stadium. However, the Springboks are fearsome when they get going (they also have a reputation for dirty play ... grrr) so the Australians will not underestimate the challenge ahead of them tonight. The Wallabies will need to play in an attacking fashion whilst taking care to defend their line for all their might, as the Springboks like to open up the game and run with the ball at the line.

Our guys will have their work cut out for them.

A note to those who've not watched the Australians play against the Springboks before tonight - yes, they do wear the same colours, but in reverse. You'll see green, gold and white all over the field.

The yellow ones are the ones you're barracking for.

So, who to watch out for (that is, names to say loudly at various times during the game)?

For the Wallabies: Stirling Mortlock (wears 13 on his back and is bald - he's also the captain); Stephen Larkham (wears number 10 and straps his arms); Adam Ashley-Cooper (wears 11).

No-one is the Springboks is ever worth watching out for (they play dirty remember ... grrr).

Go the Wallabies!