Comments on: Rugby http://virtualstoa.net/2007/10/14/rugby/ Chris Brooke's Weblog Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:04:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Chris Brooke http://virtualstoa.net/2007/10/14/rugby/#comment-120519 Chris Brooke Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:15:25 +0000 http://virtualstoa.net/2007/10/14/rugby/#comment-120519 Stingy? Maybe, though in general I'm not feeling stingy about this England team. I was *seriously* impressed watching them against Australia, partly because it was so much fun watching the English forwards absolutely terrorise the Aussie scrum, to the extent that they obviously didn't even want to be awarded any scrums themselves. I didn't see England play that well last night; and I stick by my view: neither side really deserved to win (by, e.g., playing out of their skins), but France deserved to win less than England did. Point taken about the drop goal, although given the poverty of the French efforts earlier in the game at dropping goals, I doubt there was too much risk of that in the last few minutes. Stingy? Maybe, though in general I’m not feeling stingy about this England team. I was *seriously* impressed watching them against Australia, partly because it was so much fun watching the English forwards absolutely terrorise the Aussie scrum, to the extent that they obviously didn’t even want to be awarded any scrums themselves. I didn’t see England play that well last night; and I stick by my view: neither side really deserved to win (by, e.g., playing out of their skins), but France deserved to win less than England did.

Point taken about the drop goal, although given the poverty of the French efforts earlier in the game at dropping goals, I doubt there was too much risk of that in the last few minutes.

]]> By: Chris Bertram http://virtualstoa.net/2007/10/14/rugby/#comment-120517 Chris Bertram Sun, 14 Oct 2007 12:50:04 +0000 http://virtualstoa.net/2007/10/14/rugby/#comment-120517 You are being unduly stingy Chris: Wilkinson's DG made a big difference to the dynamics of the game because it meant that France couldn't snatch victory themselves with a drop or a pen. This England team had recently been humiliated 36-0 and were playing France in France. It was a fantastic achievement to do what they did. (I might add that the message boards at L'Equipe were in no doubt that les Rosbifs (ou les Roses) were deserving winners.) You are being unduly stingy Chris:

Wilkinson’s DG made a big difference to the dynamics of the game because it meant that France couldn’t snatch victory themselves with a drop or a pen.

This England team had recently been humiliated 36-0 and were playing France in France. It was a fantastic achievement to do what they did. (I might add that the message boards at L’Equipe were in no doubt that les Rosbifs (ou les Roses) were deserving winners.)

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