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Troll · Oct 7, 2003, 07:36 AM

Wollongong, Australia is the battle ground. 31 October 2003 - 15 Froggies, 15 Yankees, one oval ball. The World Cup! Nothing like a game of rugby to separate the men from the boys.

Finally all of that pent up frustration between these two nations can find an outlet.

Tidbit of information - the USA are the Olympic champions of rugby. They were the last nation to win the event before rugby was banned from the Olympics for being too violent!

[I know this could go in the Lounge, but since there's been so much France/USA tension in the Politics Forum, I'm posting it here]

Spliffdaddy · Oct 7, 2003, 09:55 AM

Go France !!!

(j/k)

Spliffdaddy · Oct 7, 2003, 11:04 AM

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!

FRANCE !!!

viva la yay.

(please excuse my behavior. I'm trying to immerse myself in other cultures)

Spliffdaddy · Oct 7, 2003, 11:06 AM

hey.

anybody got some cheese?

i got this sudden craving, ya know...

(i give up)

CRASH HARDDRIVE · Oct 7, 2003, 11:36 AM

GO GET 'EM FRANCE! WHOOO HOOOO!!

I'm rootin' for 'em.

I think this thing is actually IMPORTANT to them!

Troll · Oct 7, 2003, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!

FRANCE !!!

viva la yay.

Okay, I'll give you a hand.

First off, you're speaking Spanish not French. It's "Vive la France" not "viva la yay"

Second, for sports you say, "Allez les bleus," which means "Go the Blues."

nonhuman · Oct 7, 2003, 02:33 PM

Originally posted by Troll:
Wollongong, Australia is the battle ground. 31 October 2003 - 15 Froggies, 15 Yankees, one oval ball. The World Cup! Nothing like a game of rugby to separate the men from the boys.

Finally all of that pent up frustration between these two nations can find an outlet.

Tidbit of information - the USA are the Olympic champions of rugby. They were the last nation to win the event before rugby was banned from the Olympics for being too violent!

[I know this could go in the Lounge, but since there's been so much France/USA tension in the Politics Forum, I'm posting it here]

I knew there was a reason that Halloween was my favorite holiday. I wonder if I'll actually be able to get that game here. This damned country and sports I like being unpopular.

theolein · Oct 7, 2003, 05:13 PM

Hey Troll, thanks for that piece. I haven't watched much rugby recently and the world cup is damn good entertainment!!! Yeah!! Start on the 10th of October. The Kiwis are going to take this though, I think.

[Tidbit: Rugby is South Africa's national game]

Face Ache · Oct 7, 2003, 07:52 PM

Troll · Oct 8, 2003, 03:01 AM

Originally posted by theolein:
Hey Troll, thanks for that piece. I haven't watched much rugby recently and the world cup is damn good entertainment!!!

It's scary how big rugby has got especially considering it was professionalised only in 1995. 2 million tickets have been sold for the 48 matches, 4 BILLION people will watch the event in 205 countries. 100,000 will pack the Telstra Stadium in Sydney for the final. By contrast, the final of the first RWC in 1987 was watched by 17,000 spectators.

The US Eagles are a very cool team actually. They are all amateurs who have taken leave from their day jobs to play the cup. It's a bit of a role reversal. In most sports the Americans are the best equipped, highest paid. Apparently their goal is to win won of the pool matches. I hope they do.

As for South Africa, too much politics involved for them to stand a chance I fear. Seems it has always been that way with SA rugby. One of the white players apparently said he preferred not to share a room with a black player and was dismissed from the team. The press of course had a field day. At the same time, SA rugby implements a quota system which means that the team on the field is not necessarily the best team they can play. Something like 3 of the players in the starting lineup must be black. Whilst I agree with affirmative action in principle, I'm not sure it pays dividends at this level. What we see happening over and over again in SA sport is the following: a young talented black kid is spotted at Craven week (premiere schoolboy rugby festival) and then is bounced through the ranks till he finds himself wearing a Springbok jersey a few short months later. Ultimately he performs dismally on the field given his lack of experience in comparison to the white players who have come up slowly. The press brands him useless, he's dropped from the side and replaced with another inexperienced black kid who suffers the same fate. And woe betide the Springbok management if they don't select enough black players. Then the politicians climb in and threaten to not let them play under the SA flag or wear the Springbok. There has to be some kind of middle ground here. You've got to recognise the massive role sport played in bringing about change in South Africa and in uniting the country after the change, but politics and sport aren't bedfellows. Anyway, all that to say that I think the South Africans' minds will be elsewhere and I think the cup will go to either the Kiwis or the Pommies. Still, the game of the World Cup, in my opinion will be England vs. South Africa.

theolein · Oct 9, 2003, 03:26 PM

Perhaps France will surprise everyone

moki · Oct 9, 2003, 08:20 PM

Originally posted by Troll:
Tidbit of information - the USA are the Olympic champions of rugby. They were the last nation to win the event before rugby was banned from the Olympics for being too violent!

The amusing part of this is that most Americans probably aren't even aware the USA are olympic champions of Rugby, or even that there is a national team. It just isn't that popular here.

Similar situation with soccer (football... whatever).

Spliffdaddy · Oct 10, 2003, 12:31 AM

^ I wasn't aware of that

Troll · Oct 10, 2003, 03:01 AM

http://www.usa-eagles.org - for a good Southern boy like you Spliffy, rugby should be an interesting game!

Here's some history of USA Rugby - makes for an interesting read and shows that there's a tradition of titan clashes between them and the French. Oh the days when men were men and sheep were scared:

Buoyed by the University of California's success in Canada in 1920, the US Olympic Committee sanctioned an All-American side's participation in the Seventh Olympiad. The team sent to Antwerp comprised mainly students from Cal, Stanford, and Santa Clara. A half dozen club players from San Francisco and Los Angeles were also named, most of them recently graduated college players.

On Sunday, September 5th, the USA side claimed the Olympic gold medal, defeating France 8-0 on the strength of a second half try and field goal. The victory so surprised the French that they immediately invited the Americans to tour. In front of curious crowds, the US team won games against regional sides in Lyons, Toulouse and Bordeaux, with their only loss against France in Paris, October 10th.

By the time of the '24 Olympics, the French were anxious to reclaim the gold medal they had expected four years earlier. They knew that most of the 1920 US team had retired and that the sport was on the wane in the States, making the USA an ideal opponent in their eyes.

Again the Americans drew on the ranks of their collegiate players, pitting raw American athleticism against the experience and finesse of the French. After six thousand miles by boat, a mix-up with French immigration officials saw the team refused entry to the country, and the players forced their way on to land. Immediately, the French press branded them "saloon brawlers and street-fighters," and the Americans' Olympic preparation was conducted in an air of hostility; squad members were insulted and spat upon in the streets, pre-arranged warm-up matches were suddenly cancelled, and training fields were "unavailable." In the latter instance, the Americans again took matters into their own hands, climbing the fence at Colombes Stadium to go through their paces.

For the final on Sunday, May 18, 50,000 Frenchmen packed into Colombes. The bookies set the odds at 20-1 with a 20 point spread in France's favour.

But ferocious US defense repeatedly repelled the French, and with the Americans looking increasingly strong in the second half, the crowd began to turn ugly. American supporters were beaten in the stands, and their bodies passed down to the field. The US athletes, fearing their fans were dead, tried to focus on the game at hand. They were running rampant, and only some "unorthodox" officiating kept the score low. When the final whistle blew, the Americans were up 17-3 and were Olympic champions once more. However, the crowd threw rocks and bottles, and their jeers drowned out the Star Spangled Banner.

Perhaps chagrined by the crowd's behavior, the French press agreed that it was time to laud the Americans' success, and suddenly began to portray the US players as heroes. In a remarkable turnaround, the squad was feted in Paris for weeks to come, welcomed into bars and restaurants with applause and drinks on the house.

It was the last Olympic appearance for rugby, and back in the States, American football's dominance grew. However, the game of rugby has been steadily resurgent in recent times, marked by USA Rugby's founding in 1976.

The All-American program was reconstituted in 1980, and next played an outside opponent in 1987, defeating Dutch Students. Now the touring tradition is revived as well, and American rugby's finest young men are again ready to take to foreign fields.

Troll · Oct 31, 2003, 05:33 AM

Well, it's over.

France - 41
USA - 14

I watched a little in the local South African bar which was missing a regular visitor, a certain Mr. Brian Liebenberg, a fellow South African who was recently selected to play for France in the RWC. To the delight of the regular crowd, Brian ran in three tries in the game itself!! Good atmosphere. The Eagles did themselves proud though. Amateurs scoring two tries against a professional team is great going.

christ · Oct 31, 2003, 05:43 AM

Originally posted by CRASH HARDDRIVE:
...I think this thing is actually IMPORTANT to them!

Why enter for something if it is not important to you?

Is it perhaps because it is only counted as important if you have a chance of winning?

christ · Oct 31, 2003, 05:44 AM

And what on earth has this to do with the Political/ War forum? (apart from the possibly inflammatory thread title)

shmerek · Oct 31, 2003, 06:59 AM

Originally posted by Troll:
Well, it's over.

France - 41
USA - 14

I watched a little in the local South African bar which was missing a regular visitor, a certain Mr. Brian Liebenberg, a fellow South African who was recently selected to play for France in the RWC. To the delight of the regular crowd, Brian ran in three tries in the game itself!! Good atmosphere. The Eagles did themselves proud though. Amateurs scoring two tries against a professional team is great going.

Wow talk about a drubbing.

My pick

some of the scores for the all blacks 70-7,68-6, 91-7 ouch!

gadster · Oct 31, 2003, 08:48 AM

Ha! As much as I despise the current US admin, well not so much the admin, just the neocon puppeteers, I found myself cheering for the Eagles against 'les Bleu'. Underdogs etc. Well played USA. Two tries against one of the top teams in the world ain't too shabby. See you in 4 years time.

BTW, this is the only sporting comp that has a United Ireland team, we aussies get to play them tomorrow night. I have $50 on aussies by 22 points. Pays $92.50. Or should this go in the sports lounge?

Mooga2 · 01:37 PM

Go France!