Introductions All Around

Good evening fellow rugby fans.

I go by the handle of donglewood and I hail from sunny West Australia, now happily dossing down in your great capital city, London. Don't ask me the why's and wherefores of the name. I sort of picked it up as a somewhere along the line and it stuck. I might go into details if you like, but I suspect there may be ladies present. Only Kidding! There's nothing untoward going on there.

Before I started in on your fine looking forum I thought I do the polite thing and make a grand entrance.

DUH DAH!

Anyway, good luck to all in the Rugby World Cup. It's set to be a doozy.

Already we can see Warren Gatland, the master of psychological warfare possibly overplaying his hand early on. Is this a sign of nerves? or is he bolstered by the fine Welsh win over Ireland away in the intimidating fortress of the Aviva? Is this merely his last chance to get gobby? I would've thought that even the Great One himself might come under some serious pressure should Wales dip out early from the competition again - although who could blame them? Look the Pool Of Death is certainly just that this year isn't it? England, Australia, Wales, Fiji and ... well who cares who else? And it isn't just Gatland having a rattle of the pole is it? We see even that old menace George Smith sticking his oar in the waters and claiming that Fiji will knock Wales AND England out of the tournament. That would be some headlines, wouldn't it?

South of the equator who knows what is happening. First off we have those 6 time choker-jokers the All Blacks who appear to have ruffled some fan feathers by picking a bloke with a broken leg and leaving out in-form first-five Lima Sopoaga in favour of that limping dinosaur Dan Carter. Adam was wearing short pants when that lad last had a decent game. The Wallabies have a scrum which is either improving (first Bledisloe Test where they menaced the men in black ), or just as hopeless as ever (second Bledisloe test) - the Argies who upset the Springboks AT HOME for the first time ever. Who look a decent shout for a 10 man game if i comes to that. Then there's the politically hampered South Africa who've made some odd selections and claim it's all based on form. SURE GUYS! NOT FOOLING ANYONE.

Up here we've got the imperious England, lurking with what I suspect to be one of the most complete teams to be totally under-rated prior to a world cup. All muscle and menace upfront, with pace and vision in the centres and out wide and a fearsome locking duo capable of going 80 minutes flat tack against all comers. We've got those damnably enigmatic French who may or may not turn up at any given venue. Then the Irish - the New Golden Generation led by old heads and possibly the worlds greatest coach, 6N champs to boot! Finally the Scotts, well they've shown they know their way to the try line don't they? Crumbs what a display against the Italians.

My pick to lift the William Webb? well, it goes to hosts England who will jitter their way through their pool and then smash their way to the final and then go all-out 1991 style against the finalists and bamboozle everyone with the new up tempo game, masterfully controlled from behind the scrum by the world's calmest No.10 and new English legend.

Other finalist? I pick the All Blacks - just - but possibly having "Played their final" against the mighty Boks. What a final that would be!

Wow. Are you for real?

Um. Hello Sir! I sure am real.

Have I committed some faux-pax?

Thanks for a good, up best read.

It's certainly an open tournament, with pretty much everybody having a hiccup a few games before the tournament. Except France, who've spent 4 years underperforming and have finally seemed to get some form.

Like most Englishmen, I think this WC has come a year early for us. However, like all WCs, it's timing when to come good that matters and who knows.

I still think the rankings show the general tend. So, the SH 3 and Ireland should be favourites.

With France, Wales and England all in with a shout, if they grow into the tournament. The pumas could get into that mix but I think they just lack the quality to string enough games together.

Thanks again for your comment.

Bit of a weird post.

Best introduction I've ever seen on this forum.

Welcome Donglewood.  You should know that people will quickly get tired of typing out a ten-letter name, and you will be quickly shortened to something else - perhaps even less savoury.  

Hope you get involved in the other various discussions and look forward to hearing your learned views, fascinating insights/complete b8llsh8t, just like the rest of us.  There's fans from UK, Ireland, France, South Africa, Australia, NZ, US, and a few other places on here, so you'll have a bit of a melting pot.

Enjoy.

Evening donglewood and welcome to 606v2 - very interesting to read your thoughts and I hope they're proven correct. There's a few on here who fancy Oz for the cup with their recent strong showings.

Hi there Happy! Great name you have there! Where do you hail from?

The state of the rankings back in 2012 certainly has thrown us a curve ball! That's dice for dollars.

Letting that well trodden floorboard rest a while - what about the Samoa/Scotland match up and the Italy/France? surely these, whilst not being of the same calibre of head line knuckle-dusters will shape the tournament in an equally important way?

stub wrote:Evening donglewood and welcome to 606v2 - very interesting to read your thoughts and I hope they're proven correct. There's a few on here who fancy Oz for the cup with their recent strong showings.  

Oz? Well wouldn't that be a sight for sore eyes especially after that debacle with the Ashes. My money is on the Aussies tipping out in the pool to be frank and fair.

ENG - FIJI Buoyed up England? Upstoppable
WAL - URU Wales reserve 2nd fifteen ball carriers cruise it
OZ - FIJI OZ stuff the Islanders but lose big Izzy Folau to a flying thunder buster
ENG - WAL The old dogs scrap it out and the Poms will it out with a late long range three pointer in the driving drizzle
OZ - URU The Wallabaroos flatter them selves with a flat track dusting after getting shunted around in the scrum. Quade plays a blinder and we all get hammered afterwards.
WAL - FIJI The ghosts of pools past are swept aside by Gatland's superb 15 man line out shennanigans and up the centre grunt pioneered against the Shamrocks.
ENG - OZ Quade goes into tournament mode, throws some hallelujah sister craziness that costs us the game. We claim he was a Kiwi all along.
URU - FIJI Who. Cares. Frankly.
OZ - WAL Wales dust us up in the light weight mid field and roll over our creaking retreating shambles of a set piece. Some late match magic from the backline boys can't save the anguish.
ENG - URU Yeah, yeah, England tote up record score even after only fielding half the bloody team, cue national celebration. Walk on.

Donglewood, you're the first Aussie I've come across who thinks Wales will beat Aus! I'd love for that to happen of course, but given our recent record against you coupled with Joubert overseeing our group game, I can't see it happening.

Way back when I worked in the Pilbara, the sun would be beating down with all its might, the mercury heading for 50degs c in the shade, someone would always say at knock of time "Im dry as a dead dingos donger"... then we'd rip into the pizz.

Welcome aboard Donglewood.

I can see England/Wales/Oz taking a win off each other and making it a super tight finish to the group to be honest and the Fijians worry me too!

I do like your thinking though from and English point of view!!

aucklandlaurie wrote: Way back when I worked in the Pilbara, the sun would be beating down with all its might, the mercury heading for 50degs c in the shade, someone would always say at knock of time "Im dry as a dead dingos donger"... then we'd rip into the pizz.

Welcome aboard Donglewood.

Wey-ho! There we go! Bit of poetry and everything. Loving your style matey. Loving the ANZAC spirit ya Jaffa! Woh! enough of the fighting talk. You're not Laurie Mains are you?

Dongle, you've just made a friend of all welsh commentators!

About the only big news certainty of this cup is one of the group A coaches will probably resign after the pool games. A little unfortunate considering the draw. We may find Fiji and Uruguay become the 'king makers' of that group. It's entirely possible Eng-Aus-Wal finish a win and a loss each.

I'm from England but have lived on your beautiful part of the world, amongst others.

mikey_dragon wrote:Donglewood, you're the first Aussie I've come across who thinks Wales will beat Aus! I'd love for that to happen of course, but given our recent record against you coupled with Joubert overseeing our group game, I can't see it happening.

Well our record up here in your mud-puddles doesn't add to much does it? I hear you've laid some new turf around the place. Is it holding?

Happytravelling wrote:Dongle, you've just made a friend of all welsh commentators!

About the only big news certainty of this cup is one of the group A coaches will probably resign after the pool games. A little unfortunate considering the draw. We may find Fiji and Uruguay become the 'king makers' of that group. It's entirely possible Eng-Aus-Wal finish a win and a loss each.

I'm from England but have lived on your beautiful part of the world, amongst others.

Cheika is going NOWHERE if we lose. Don't worry your faded jaded noggin on that one me old compatriot of the north. Cupboards are bare. We even tried a Kiwi and wouldn't you know it? he was the worst of the bunch!

Haha you'll be disgusted. Just seen the McDonald's ad promoting an Aussie burger... Without even a slice of beetroot to be seen!

Beetroot? Sounds like something they'd add in a the Vegan Food Burger Emporium down in Pemberton.

A burger isn't a burger unless it has three different kinds of dead animal on it.  That's the truth.

donglewood wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote: Way back when I worked in the Pilbara, the sun would be beating down with all its might, the mercury heading for 50degs c in the shade, someone would always say at knock of time "Im dry as a dead dingos donger"... then we'd rip into the pizz.

Welcome aboard Donglewood.

Wey-ho! There we go! Bit of poetry and everything. Loving your style matey. Loving the ANZAC spirit ya Jaffa! Woh! enough of the fighting talk.  You're not Laurie Mains are you?

No probos, thats not fighting talk.
Im proud to be a Jaffa, but dont associate me with that plonker Mains, What would he know about Rugby?

Mains? Didn't he pick the Highlanders for the Super Rugby title?

<Hastily checking your posting history for a similar claim>

donglewood wrote:Beetroot? Sounds like something they'd add in a the Vegan Food Burger Emporium down in Pemberton.

A burger isn't a burger unless it has three different kinds of dead animal on it.  That's the truth.

Roo, Wombat and sheep or what ever else you find out on the road on your way home from work. It often helps to follow a road train.

Well you wouldn't waste a bullet now wouldya?!

donglewood wrote:Mains? Didn't he pick the Highlanders for the Super Rugby title?

<Hastily checking your posting history for a similar claim>

If it was then its about time, Hes been making that prediction every year since 1984.

Hey welcome aboard DW. It's refreshing to see new posters from far away with a decent sense of humour. Looking forward to more of this.

aucklandlaurie wrote:

donglewood wrote:Mains? Didn't he pick the Highlanders for the Super Rugby title?

<Hastily checking your posting history for a similar claim>

If it was then its about time, Hes been making that prediction every year since 1984.

You know, NZ winning the cup in 2011 has spoiled a lot of really great gags. There's one, right there.

whocares wrote:Hey welcome aboard DW. It's refreshing to see new posters from far away with a decent sense of humour. Looking forward to more of this.

Onya whocares!

Shame you didn't get to meet Fanster, Dongle. Think you'd have got along

Fanster? Where'd he go?

Anyway. Hooroo All! got to go catch some kip.

Lovely to meet all who dropped by.

Risca Rev wrote:Shame you didn't get to meet Fanster, Dongle. Think you'd have got along

Pot Hale wrote:

Welcome Donglewood.  You should know that people will quickly get tired of typing out a ten-letter name, and you will be quickly shortened to something else - perhaps even less savoury.  .

Welcome Dong,
Don't worry about being shortened, it probably won't happen.

Pot Hale wrote:Best introduction I've ever seen on this forum.

Welcome Donglewood.  You should know that people will quickly get tired of typing out a ten-letter name, and you will be quickly shortened to something else - perhaps even less savoury.  

Indeed, welcome Dong

More personas than Sacha Baron Cohen! Welcome Donglewood.

Thanks shocka!

aucklandlaurie wrote: Way back when I worked in the Pilbara, the sun would be beating down with all its might, the mercury heading for 50degs c in the shade, someone would always say at knock of time "Im dry as a dead dingos donger"... then we'd rip into the pizz.

Welcome aboard Donglewood.

Gee Laurie, never knew you were so poetic.  Conjured up images as diverse as scorched earth, a nice cold beer, and a gent wearing an All Black jersey staring at the willy of a dead dog.  

Cheers, mate.

Should be fun having the mods saying we aren't allowed to play the ghost card and then they eventually disappear again. Spooky coincidence I guess. Where is Glorious Empire anyway?

Australian now? I guess he's worked his way through most other nationalities.

I wonder how long until the real hard-core nastiness sets in? It's tended to vary with his previous accounts but he always gets there in the end.

I guess he bumps up the user statistics for 606v2 so that's all good, isn't it?

He's back

Cyril wrote:Australian now? I guess he's worked his way through most other nationalities.

I wonder how long until the real hard-core nastiness sets in? It's tended to vary with his previous accounts but he always gets there in the end.

I guess he bumps up the user statistics for 606v2 so that's all good, isn't it?

He has never been Irish. Donglewood reminds me of the honey badger.

GunsGerms wrote:

Cyril wrote:Australian now? I guess he's worked his way through most other nationalities.

I wonder how long until the real hard-core nastiness sets in? It's tended to vary with his previous accounts but he always gets there in the end.

I guess he bumps up the user statistics for 606v2 so that's all good, isn't it?

He has never been Irish. Donglewood reminds me of the honey badger.

Qu'est-ce que c'est?
A spectre from the past?

doctor_grey wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:

Cyril wrote:Australian now? I guess he's worked his way through most other nationalities.

I wonder how long until the real hard-core nastiness sets in? It's tended to vary with his previous accounts but he always gets there in the end.

I guess he bumps up the user statistics for 606v2 so that's all good, isn't it?

He has never been Irish. Donglewood reminds me of the honey badger.

Qu'est-ce que c'est?
A spectre from the past?

The grey and distant past. Suspicions have been raised

Wow, what's happened? Is this some kind of initiation right of passage sort of lord of the flies Poopie youre laying on me?

Don't be spooked mate.