Perhaps tragedy is too strong a word – after all, it’s only a game. I do, however, feel a lot of sympathy for Dan Carter. He is, without doubt, the finest outside half currently playing the game and the World Cup Final would have been a crowning glory of his career. No schadenfreude here, btw. If New Zealand do not win this World Cup, Carter’s absence from the team will, no doubt, lead to a lot of, ‘ Ah, if Dan had been playing…’ and a feeling of some kind of devaluation of the, (imagined,) winners’ achievement. I still don’t expect New Zealand to lose – they are playing by far the best rugby of any of the sides in the tournament.
I predict an England – New Zealand final with the All blacks to win, though not by a cricket score.
I might even have a little punt on England to sneak it 🙂 (I did a double on Samoa to beat SA and Tonga to turn the French over – nearly £900 quid for a £10 stake – Samoa were so close…)
Boadicea's Chariot 
Thanks for making me smile so early on a Sunday 🙂
Francois Steyn, our ‘utility fullback’ who can knock a ball over from anywhere within 60 meters of the posts was injured in the Samoa match and will be returning home. He has a world cup medal, it was he who banged the long range penalty over against England in 2007.
I understand that the Aussies have a list of injuries as long as your arm.
I wouldn’t put too much money on the ABs, without Dan Carter they are going to struggle
We have so many injuries that you may see our girls playing …
What will happen to England when they have to play a real team? Scotland “were so close” to winning. 😀
Don’t discount the Dragon!
Yes, Bearsy, Scotland were so close it was heartbreaking. But the Sunday papers seem to be saying complimentary things about the Scottish team.
Did the Sunday papers point out that, in all their games, Scotland scored 4 tries and conceded the same number, and that, playing against the same teams, England scored 18 and conceded just 1?
Course not. They told us that the English players had shown a lack of respect for their hosts by wearing a black away strip, even though their hosts’ away strip is white, the same as England’s home strip; that they had taken part in the dangerous sport of bungee jumping, that they had been out for a beer or two, that they had met with some dwarves, that one of them had kissed a female friend, that they had cheated by kicking a match ball over the posts, that one of the players had been cited for a high tackle, though no penalty was awarded and no injury caused and nobody else had taken seriously, that they had played unattractive rugby and have been lucky to win against spirited, brave and more talented teams and that they did not deserve to win any games let alone the tournament.
btw, ‘close to winning,’ is, actually, when you get right down to it, taking into account the bigger picture, when all’s said and done…losing, as my vanished tenner will attest.
The England/Scotland game was a total bore. A fair result would have been 0-0! 😦
England won because they woke up in the last 5 minutes and started playing properly. I can not see them progressing much further, any more than I could see Scotland doing so if they had won.
Funny enough, I have to disagree, 2 wins and they’re in the final (again!)
The French appear to be in complete disarray, and as for a semi against the Welsh or Irish who knows? What I do know is that (in hindsight) I’d have loved to have lost to the Welsh and be in that section 😉
Soutie: Unlikely. They may well beat the French, depending on which French team turns up, but I suspect they would not beat the Irish, who are the more likely to win the Celtic clash, at the moment 😦