Who will win the Rugby Championship?

Are the people crazy?

Spoiler:

The prestigious webpage Planetrugby.com did a poll asking Who will win The Rugby Championship?
All is ok with the winer, NZ, but the crazy is that Argentina has more votes than Australia!
Me, as Argentine, don't think so.
What is your opinion?

Probably the All Blacks.

I would absolutely love it if Argentina manage to finish above someone in the RC.

That would be a great opening season for them.

Obviously you wouldn't want SA to finish below them though.

No!

Quade Cooper's back, look out for oz. Oz backline play in the recent series lacked big time. His running in tonight's s15 game higights how much they missed him. Don't mean to have a dig at wales, but it could have been a different story if he was playing.

Us Aussies can't get no respect! We drop the odd game we were expected to win here and there and all of a sudden we're easybeats. With no disrespect to Argentina, the 328 people who voted that 'Argentina will win the rugby championship' need their heads checked. I wonder how many of them will put their money where their mouths are.

Lads it's a fan poll, not the opinions of pundits.You're reading too much into it. Just a bit of a laugh for some, people are supporting Argentina because they are happy to see them in a major tournament and nobody expects them to achieve much in the championship.

A few things to consider when thinking about who is the most likely team to win the RC:

1) Wales/England are currently better teams than Ireland.
2) Wales/England are on roughly the same level currently.
3) NZ are going to be playing much stronger opposition and will have to adjust.
4) Argentina are the least likely to win any games. They are undercooked.

If the order isn't...

NZ
SA
Aus
Arg

I'd be very surprised!

Full Credit wrote:Us Aussies can't get no respect! We drop the odd game we were expected to win here and there and all of a sudden we're easybeats. With no disrespect to Argentina, the 328 people who voted that 'Argentina will win the rugby championship' need their heads checked. I wonder how many of them will put their money where their mouths are.

The 328 are probably the same crowd of eejits who said Scotland would beat Australia on tour! Do these people even understand rugby you have to ask?

The refs have been appointed for the 4N games:

Australia v New Zealand - Rolland (Irl)
South Africa v Argentina - Walsh (NZ)
New Zealand v Australia - Owens (Wal)
Argentina v South Africa -Walsh (NZ)
Australia v South Africa - Owens (Wal)
New Zealand v Argentina - Poite (Fra)
Australia v Argentina - Barnes (E)
New Zealand v South Africa - Clancy (Irl)
South Africa v Australia - Rolland (Irl)
Argentina v New Zealand - Peyper (SA)
Argentina v Australia - Joubert (SA)
South Africa v New Zealand - Rolland (Irl)

Rolland x 3
Owens x 2
Walsh x 2
Poite x 1
Peyper x 1
Joubert x1
Barnes x 1
Clancy x 1

They love that Rolland fella in the IRB and Irish refs too it would appear....

No matches for Bruce?

Never heard of Peyper, his first season maybe?

biltongbek wrote:No matches for Bruce?

TMO for all the Boks games. Apparently he can't wait...

yappysnap wrote:

biltongbek wrote:No matches for Bruce?

TMO for all the Boks games. Apparently he can't wait...

Ah, so they put him in a glass box away from harm.

Pot Hale wrote:The 328 are probably the same crowd of eejits who said Scotland would beat Australia on tour! Do these people even understand rugby you have to ask?

Ah yes, I know the type... they win big on a long shot then lose it all 5 minutes later.

Full Credit wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:The 328 are probably the same crowd of eejits who said Scotland would beat Australia on tour! Do these people even understand rugby you have to ask?

Ah yes, I know the type... they win big on a long shot then lose it all 5 minutes later.

Long shot? Rain? Cold? Windy? Muddy pitch?

These are not unfamiliar terms in the Australian lexicon of losing matches.

Wonder what will be the long shot odds on Argentina winning a match? Might be worth a punt if there's rain forecast for any of them.

From memory the bookies initially had Scotland at over $6 so I guess that classifies as a long shot in a 2-horse race. Granted, they shortened considerably when the extent of the weather became known.

Argentina will definitely be worth a punt if there's anything more than a gentle breeze or light dew expected for our game.

New Zealand might not be as brilliant as we expect remember Graham Henry isn't their coach anymore and if Hanson's Wales tenure is anything to judge by then he will probably make a lot of tactical mistakes.

South Africa might just sneak it.

Shifty wrote:New Zealand might not be as brilliant as we expect remember Graham Henry isn't their coach anymore and if Hanson's Wales tenure is anything to judge by then he will probably make a lot of tactical mistakes.

South Africa might just sneak it.

You might want to take a break from Kenfig hill, think the air might be a bit thin up there!

I think if anyone is going to challenge NZ it will be Aus. I am afraid the Boks will get blown away unless they keep NZ in an arm wrestle

My mind is SA will finish last in the RC to be honest. It will be some battle and I think they will be outclass in their own game in Argentina and struggle heavy against NZ and AUS expansivity and pace game.

really I think it mental crazy the obnoxious one shall in so many try it again feature you are such embarrassing parody yes of yourself but no way it clearly is mental umbrella status for food poisoning conspiracy theory

A few points have just seen the Argentina squad looks the strongest since before the 2007 RWC.They were the surprise ticket then a lot will depend on the strength of the relative teams post S15KurtleyBeale,Pocock,and maybe O `Connor are currently injured.SBW if rumours are right has played his last AB test for at least 3 years.Juan Smith is unlikely to be fit til 2013 Schalk Burger maybe doubtful for some matches too.IF teams go to form the Big 3 will win there Home matches the away matches are the key .Heart says the AllBlacks,head say maybe the Boks due to there Goal kicking Depth.

Goal kick depth? Morney and Franz can't hit the barn door at the moment! did you watch bulls versus sharkies today?

SA still have some really good kickers if they are willing to play them though. Pienaar is exceptional with the boot, and as far as I know Lambie has been much better than Steyn at kicking this season. Then there is Frans of course and Morne.

Is working unless they getting behind some points early like one or two tries then this game about pressure and control fall apart, and do they have the other game plan? I didn't see it.

AWOP. Why are you pretending to be foreign...no one writes 'should of' unless they are English speaking and just suffering from bad grammar. It is 'should have' and certainly no translation service would write it! You weren't taught it and you would never have learned it by reading it!

http://www.should-have.com/

Mowgli, come on fella

I have a feeling the ABs are going to do well. They appear to have set new goals after the WC and aren't doing the traditional post WC champ blues thing. The team has been freshened up. The juggernaut rolls onwards and upwards. Naturally away games will be a struggle, but am picking clean sweeps over oz/argie.

Crusaders and the Chiefs are hitting form and chock full of ABs. They look hungry and are playing some high intensity rugby, the kind that suggests the WC wasnt the end point.

Really hope Argie do well though, they'll no doubt have NH support, wanting to see the others get their comeuppance.

The interesting thing is how argie go against the NH sides in two or three years.

EBOP wrote:Mowgli, come on fella

I have a feeling the ABs are going to do well. They appear to have set new goals after the WC and aren't doing the traditional post WC champ blues thing. The team has been freshened up. The juggernaut rolls onwards and upwards. Naturally away games will be a struggle, but am picking clean sweeps over oz/argie.

Crusaders and the Chiefs are hitting form and chock full of ABs. They look hungry and are playing some high intensity rugby, the kind that suggests the WC wasnt the end point.

Really hope Argie do well though, they'll no doubt have NH support, wanting to see the others get their comeuppance.

Surely the point is we have`nt yet seen a Full strength side of any of the 4Ns much.SA has at least 6 top grade Goalkickers if they choose to pick them and on the veldt in SA that could be crucial.Super rugby is usually a poor guide to Test Rugby.Alberts is currently injured and Ryan Kankowski who i`ve always rated looks good.Spies never has really convinced me as an 8,as to the Chiefs there picking up injuries at the wrong end o f the season.Were I a betting man Stormers will be the home finalist,and probable S15 winners tournament rarely goes to the Away side.Crusaders are always competetive but the bigs guns are getting injury prone.Carter is still King,ditto RM and Read jury is out on the best 6.Crudon is good but half the player without SBW,He is following the money as usual.its a proffesional World.Players are entitled to look after them selves BUT his disloyalty is Legend.IF they`ve got it right Nonu is steaming and that could be a sight to see.Toeva apparently given up the ghost and i s Japan band another "IF ONLY".Injury Prone never really discovered his best position chucked into early like Colin Slade had a so so Start.Crusaders could have ben the making or breaking of him.Problem s for example at 9 brilliant young player available,Back ups Weepu seems unable to go full 80.Ellis has never had to Cowan is gone,inexperienced after that promising but?versus a raging Bok back row.Argentina are always tough up front,OZ very under rated there.10 Carter of course day in or out the king,and getting into the DG habit great.Crudon on form very good but without SBW how good?A Fit Colin Slade with a decent run is another Merhts how bad is that? then the boys in the band.But NOT yet 12 is a problem Nonu certainly SBW could have been players like Ryan Crotty,Benson Stanlety,Adam Whitelock solid no more.13 Conrad Smith the Guvnor maybe THE most important AB back always there.Kahui is a walking sick note,Ranger plays for the wrong side,Fruen has potential but again an unknown.!15 Dagg yes,Muliana could still be in the mix in extremis as a temporary measure.Cory Jane is arguably the best 15 in NZ Andre Taylor promising Ben Smith a safe pair of hands.I have a problem i`m a conservative when it comes to test Play,I look at what works and apply it.I`m not like some of my NZ friends who think there is only one way to play the game.NZ is THE most successful side because they could play tight games and win them too Boring Rugby they could give llessons.
The recent Ireland match was an example,Ireland were fired up NZ maybe a little complacent.Key injuries threw things out of kilter if multiple changes were made for the match as some advocated. Ireland may have been cele brating there first victory as it was it should have been at least a draw.

Ireland was a huge lesson in the value of motivation. The first test was hansens first. We didn't know what to expect from Ireland and the reprisals of a 100 year record gave everyone a reminder of the match's importance.

The second test no matter how much they tried NZ were never going to be more motivated than Ireland for that match. Simply because NZ had no right to be motivted to the same levels. The first test win was a resounding success.

With the shock well and truly planted on NZ in second test the motivation glove was handed back to NZ for test 3.

Hi Taylor man exactly right IF the All Blacks think they have had a bad match or a point to prove.Usually they go out and prove it big time.SA 1996 4 wins out of 5 versus the Bok,3Ns 2010 versus Bok,England 2004 post RWC,France Nantes 2009.ireland 3rd test.When they get the hump the ABs reallymake teams suffer.

It's bad grammar mowgli but it's motivated by a linguistic mistake.

There is no difference in pronunciation between the 3rd OF July and I could've done it. People make mistakes with you're and your or have and of because in their weak form they are pronounced the same. That generally is a native speaker mistake but not always. It's a similar mistake with didn't used to and used to. People hear a t sound and don't realise that on the first one there is no d in the verb use. You hear a t because of the t in to. In the positive you have two repeating t sounds and one is cut. Again, not always native speakers are the only ones who make this mistake. Don't get me started on it's and its ad nauseum.

As for the rugby, I expect NZ to be too strong at home. On the road to Australia and SA will be the crunch games. Now we only have to play two games against SA and Australia. Argentina are an unknown, particularly at home and with the travel schedule thrown in and potential injuries.

The big question will be how effective will SA's pack be, what ball Australia can get and who can Argentina sneak a win against? NZ have shown that when they are focused, it's very hard to live with them. Australia and SA though have shown it's possible to get in the ABs' faces and get points on the board to apply pressure and that's how you win games against them. Going to be good watching.

Thanks for the explain Kiakaha! I am still confuse about what Mowgli says on only English people could have bad grammar. Is not true! You can have bad grammar in any language and which ever other you will be speaking or trying. For example I have bad grammar in 6 languages! is some triumph.

But as helpful as all people are I prefer we not get distracted on grammar every day and can just discussing rugby! Thank you all and I will try harder not to be annoy you with it!

I think Argentina will do better than expected, but still finish last. I predict them getting just two wins in the tournament, at home against Aus and SA. The difference in the championship will be NZ not losing to Argentina.

NZ
Aus
SA
Arg

Also I agree with an earlier comment; R.E. Australia seem to be really disrespected on this forum, mostly by England fans it seems.

Morgannwg wrote:I think Argentina will do better than expected, but still finish last. I predict them getting just two wins in the tournament, at home against Aus and SA. The difference in the championship will be NZ not losing to Argentina.

NZ
Aus
SA
Arg

Also I agree with an earlier comment; R.E. Australia seem to be really disrespected on this forum, mostly by England fans it seems.

Well its obviously the welsh fans who disrespect them, they are the ones who kept banging on about how their team could beat them.

Honestly is there any need to turn this into a jab at England fans though? Have they said unkind or unreasonable things about Australia? Anymore so than anyone else? I think everyone sane sees them a s a side that can pull off wins against the very best sides, but that struggles when faced with the "mid table" sides. Scotland and England have both been able to turn them over, whilst struggling against the sides the Aussies are able to beat.
If Argentina are going ot turn anyone over youd think it would be them. The forward power can exploit the weaknesses in the Aus side, but I cant see them being able to bully the Safricans who take a bit more subtlety to break down than Argentina really possess. They couldnt even pull that off against a misfiring England at the world cup.
New Zealand I think we all accept are a cut above, especially if they get their first choice squad fit at at the same time.

Yes its daft to put Argentina ahead of Aus in the who will win list, but its not daft to suggest they could beat them or at least given them a tough ride.

I don't think that's disrespect from Welsh fans. Also I do not recall anyone 'banging on' about it. It is usually England fans who keep saying Australia are weak and that they are on the same level. The reality is that they are only second to the All Blacks in world rugby. Usually all this comes from the same England fans who keep feeling the need to go on to threads discussing Welsh rugby and talk about how they won a world cup in 2003.

Arg did well against NZ in the world cup. It is just my opinion they will do better than expected, as it seems the expectations are for them to lose every single game. They'll likely get thrashed away from home though.

That is a fair point about the Aussies putting their best performances in against the best teams, but playing rather average at times when they are against teams they should be expected to beat fairly comfortably. Maybe they are prone to underestimating certain teams?

it is different class to the 6 nations which has been stale and crap for years.

I will be glued to this. I think Argentina will run Aus and Sth AFrica very close at home. Australia need to get their first choice back division out if so they will be great to watch. They will miss James Horwill in the pack. Kiwis have a serious squad and some great young players coming through (who they actually play over established out of form players DECCIE TAKE NOTE).

I also reckon
1) Nz 2) Sth Africa 3) Aus 4) Argentina

Morgannwg wrote:I don't think that's disrespect from Welsh fans. Also I do not recall anyone 'banging on' about it. It is usually England fans who keep saying Australia are weak and that they are on the same level. The reality is that they are only second to the All Blacks in world rugby. Usually all this comes from the same England fans who keep feeling the need to go on to threads discussing Welsh rugby and talk about how they won a world cup in 2003.

Arg did well against NZ in the world cup. It is just my opinion they will do better than expected, as it seems the expectations are for them to lose every single game. They'll likely get thrashed away from home though.

I like a lot most English fans respect Australia but I made a point previously that they were seriously weakened by the loss through injury of their world class players. Now most of them are back they will be different class.
The only worry, as previously mentioned, is their pack.

Realistically Argentina should aim for at least one home win, the rest must be bons points at least.

So if they can gain 6 log points at home, and perhaps the odd couple oferseas they should be happy if their first season ends up with 8 or so log points.

NZ should win all their home matches and beat Argentina with 4 tries away. That would leave them on 16 win points plus a few bonus points.

SA and OZ are most likely playing for second place, even though Australia had the wood over SA over the last two years, now is the time for SA to strike back.

If either SA or OZ wants to win this, they would have to win both matches vs each other, as it is unlikely they will get more than a home win vs NZ.

If it goes like usual, SA and Oz will win their home matches, and then to stay in the hunt, they need to win their home matches agains NZ to stay in the race.

Bonus points will now be vital for the outcome of the championship. The probelm once agin for SA is they don't score a lot of tries vs OZ and NZ, and the question remains what type of game plan will Meyer employ.

In Argentina we do not expect the team win in the first year.
Our goal is simply a worthy performance. We believe we will have 2 matches with close scores, against Australia and South Africa playing at home.
Our expectation is that these games can be won or lost by a few points.
Realistically, the influence will has Argentina in the tournament, is that some team will leave Argentina with a bonus point and another not, that will probably be the difference.
However, our greatest expectation is given in the last match against Australia. This match is our best bet.
Thank you very much.

Hi Argie, tell me mate, what is the expectation like from the supporters, are they excited about this tournament?

Are the people in the pubs and streets talking about it?

How important is rugby to the general population?

I think that SA will win it.

I think that they will dictate the pace of every game they play except the away game against NZ. they have to cut out the aimless kicking though. I think the Aus will be a bit rusty for the first half of the tourney due to players coming back in. I think that the summer tests have weakened NZ as they will feel they are miles ahead of the rest due to results.

Aus and SA wont't give up ball inside the NZ 22 and give away tries like we did. They won't give up when more then 10pts behinde like we did either.

In the second test Ireland did well and it was the same game as we played v Aus in the WC. We did it by matching them phyiscally and getting in their faces when it mattered. I think that this will be the plan of SA and they will do better at it then we did. SA's problem is doing to people who aren't as good as them ie Ireland, Wales and England and tend to relax abit during games or feel like they can pull the game back when they feel like it.

Alhough I like to hear exactly what you said Brendan, I am not so confident.

Firstly I just read this morning that Schalk Burger is unlikely to play the rest of the Super rugby tournament and Duane Vermeulen himself is still under question.

Our back row which is usually our strength seems will be lacking the physicality it usually has.

A Schalk Burger, Juan Smith and Willem Alberts with Spies and Vermeulen on the bench fills me wiith confidence.

Heinrich Brussow had a great game on the weekend and might be back in the fold, however he is only effective when there are some physical brutes with him.

So the likely combination if Brussow is selected will be Brussow, Alberts and Spies.

The media in SA is becoming more and more anti Morne Steyn and pro Peter Grant. His kicking accuracy in the Super XV is more than 90% and is more capable of getting a backline on the go, however with Lambie not playing, Goosen out, only Steyn and Grant is in the running, Elton Jantjies sat on the bench in the last test against England, and even when it was clear Steyn was fumbling, Meyer still did not put Jantjies on.

So it remians to be seen what Meyer is thinking.

biltongbek wrote:Hi Argie, tell me mate, what is the expectation like from the supporters, are they excited about this tournament?

Are the people in the pubs and streets talking about it?

How important is rugby to the general population?

Hello friend:
Since February I'm out of Argentina for my job, right now I'm in Spain. But I am in constant contact with friends and people of Argentine's rugby.
I can say there is much anticipation for the tournament, the three matches played in Argentina, the stadiums will be full for sure.
In the world of Argentine Rugby there is a huge expectation for the tournament, all rugby fans are waiting the tournament as the most important event in the history of Argentine rugby, even more than the rugby world cup.
Of course, you know, in football we are one of the most power teams, this is a country where football is the most important sport and rugby fans do not think that they become even 10% of football fans, but within the world of rugby there is great expectation.
Thank you very much.

Thanks, Argie, that is great that the rugby fans in Argentina s excited about the tournament.