Its ridiculous that England is the only European team left.

@AdaXI We are 6/1 with the bookies to beat SA. Those are long odds but it feels about right.

I think NZ would run rings around us. The one thing that might give us a chance is that arguably we have the right game to beat SA because of a similar playing style. But yeah, we would need everything to go right and they would need a really bad day.

It is ridiculous that Ireland have never been to a semi ever. Italy is the only other one of the ten test nations to share that record. And with all due respect to Italy. they are shit 😂.Since the mid-00s Irleand has had a pretty good rugby team. In the last twenty years, they have won multiple Six Nations Grand Slams, had numerous victories over southern hemisphere sides and even won a tests series in New Zealand. All of that but still no semi-final. Its crazy.

@Burnley123 I know it's crazy like England can't win a six nations for sh!t in recent times. I think we finished 4th in the last one so we weren't even close but we always seem to get to the business end of the world cups. I think we've been in 3 of the last 5 finals which is pretty good the last two we really were not expected to be there.

Yeah would be a tall order for us to beat South Africa, particularly since they are one of our bogey teams, I think the only time we've ever beaten them at the world cup was when we won it and we really did have the best team in the world around 2003. Other than that one they've always beaten us at the World Cup when ever we've played them.

That said the last two finals we've been in we did play Australia and New Zealand in the semis and both games we really weren't expected to win. So we seem to have a strange knack of magicking our way to the final, but yeah on paper and the way RSA play they probably going to kill us 40-12 or something along that scoreline. Like lets be honest South Africa are the first decent world class team we've played this tournament and they've already played Ireland and France like the two best ranking teams in the world, so yeah I'm really expecting England to get hammered quite convincingly next weekend, lolz.😅
乂^◡^乂

@SW-User If you are going to gloat, get it done before next weekend.

@Burnley123 Im not gloating, I never do. I'm fully expecting a heavy defeat next week

@SW-User What have the English done? Haven’t seen a decent match from them
Penalties and penalties

@firefall My Dad watched the game and said that we were lucky with the ref at the breakdown. He's a one-time back-row forward.

Fiji did beat Australia and run Wales close. They are a serious team these days but all this just shows that the Big Four are a level above everyone else. They are also - frankly - on the same level as each other.

Ironically, the AB team of 2007 was miles better than this one and they somehow failed to win the trophy. It would be ironic if this much weaker generation of Kiwi players took home the prize in the same place where Carter and McCraw didn't.

@Burnley123 I'd have to agree, on 2007, and on today. The winner this year is just a toss-up, I certainly agree. I'd expect NZ - SA final, and ... eh. Depends how many AB yellow cards, I fear, that seems to be their biggest weakness

[quote]we were lucky with the ref at the breakdown[/quote] I agree, Fiji got repeated penalised for behaviour in the ruck, that England got away with.

@firefall The 2007 ABs was probably the best team never to win the WC. You could make the case for 1995 as well but the 2007 one was maybe even more complete.

That side toured Europe and regularly beat the best of the Six Nations by thirty points or more. At times, players took the pitch knowing they had no chance of victory.

I know it's a strange time to say this because this WC has three southern semi-finalists but I think generally the gap has closed and it makes for a fascinating international game.

@Jacko1971 Check again!