Oct 09 2007

European Rugby May Not Suck After All

Published by Dave at 1:44 pm under Rugby Football

Right. So remember when I said that it was going to be an all-Southern Hemisphere semifinals in the Rugby World Cup? Yeah, well, I tipped Port Adelaide, too, so what do I know?

After getting blasted by South Africa, 36-0, in the pool stage, England entered the quarterfinals against Australia on Saturday and shocked the Wallabies, 12-10. Stirling Mortlock missed two penalty kicks in that one, and two drop goal attempts also went awry for the Aussies, who were flat throughout the game compared to England.

Later that day, France stunned the All Blacks, 20-18, in a game that all of New Zealand is blaming entirely on the officiating. Michael David Smith found a video of the French forward pass that led to the match-winning try, but of course, the copyright police already took it down. (Bastards.) It was a pretty obvious forward pass. Trust me on that one.

Still, it never should have come to that for New Zealand, who came in as huge favorites and ended up getting an early booy out of their third World Cup in a row. Perhaps the Wallabies and All Blacks struggled so much in these games because the Pool Stage wasn’t a struggle at all. Both teams clinched their Pools early and took their feet off the gas. When it came time for them to start playing again, they had to do it against teams that had to fight and claw their way into the quarterfinals and, as a result, were in top form.

Never underestimate momentum in any form of football. The Indianapolis Colts locked up home field advantage early in 2004 and 2005 and rested their starters for weeks before the playoffs. Both times, they were bounced out of the playoffs early. When they finally won the Super Bowl, they did it in a year when they had to scrape and claw for playoff position all the way to the end of the season. As a result, they just continued to play in top form when they reached the playoffs.

I think that’s what happened in France last Saturday. It’s not easy to get back into form after taking your foot off the gas for any number of games, and when the Wallabies and All Blacks did it, they found themselves facing quality European teams on a good run. One day, football teams in any code will learn that it’s worth it to risk a few player injuries to remain in top form. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest, right?

8 responses so far

8 Responses to “European Rugby May Not Suck After All”

  1. # Video Games » European Rugby May Not Suck After Allon 09 Oct 2007 at 2:17 pm

    [...] Heather Weisse wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptIt’s not easy to get back into form after taking your foot off the gas for any number of games, and when the Wallabies and All Blacks did it, they found themselves facing quality European teams on a good run. One day, football teams in … [...]

  2. # Ronald Dale.....on 09 Oct 2007 at 7:05 pm

    FYI in Melbourne there is hardly a ripple. Sure many people would watch and cheer on the Australian team if they made the final. A few people have commented on the fact they are out, but no pain is obvious. Rugby has a small stable prescence here, but is still largely ignored by the Victorian masses. It does somewhat upset Sth Africans and Kiwis when they want to talk Rugby smack to Aussies but get no response due to the general ignorance of the game outside NSW and QLD.

  3. # a different Daveon 11 Oct 2007 at 7:35 pm

    Also, rugby league is the big game in NSW and QLD, not rugby union.

    FYI for people in the States: Versus is showing a documentary series about Russell Crowe’s involvement with the South Sydney (Rabbitohs) rugby league club. They showed the first two episodes yesterday.

  4. # mlmintampa@gmail.comon 12 Oct 2007 at 4:16 pm

    Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what is the difference between Rugby League and Rugby Union? Is it like NFL and CFL?
    Until I saw the Russell Crowe show, I had no idea there were different rules.

  5. # Daveon 12 Oct 2007 at 4:19 pm

    mlm: Look here:

    http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2007/04/05/like-nfl-vs-cfl-except-more-british/

  6. # anyoneon 15 Oct 2007 at 2:20 pm

    Wilkinson is killing spectacle.
    Logically to change 10 points for a try
    5 point for a try transformed and 2 point for Wilkinson expertise.
    Logic never works with traditions and business.
    Still hope

  7. # Jackieon 18 Oct 2007 at 4:53 pm

    Any idea where the final will be available in the triangle? Not really a rugby fan, but I’m curious enough to visit a bar, if not drop down the $20 for the PPV.

  8. # Daveon 18 Oct 2007 at 5:02 pm

    Word of warning — you’re going to pay $20 wherever you go. Setanta charges pubs out the ass for PPV, so they have to charge a cover at the door.

    That said, the Hibernian in Cary is advertising that they’ll have it, and I suspect the one in Raleigh will, too, but call ahead first to be sure.