Henry sticks with winning combo
20 Oct 2011
All Blacks coach Graham Henry has named an unchanged starting line-up for Sunday’s World Cup final against France.
Unlike the 2007 tournament where the side was changed from game to game, Henry has coveted consistency and built some momentum with the existing combinations. Adam Thomson is the only change to the 22, and will replace Victor Vito on the bench.
The All Blacks boast an impressive win record under Henry, but they are yet to win a World Cup. Henry admitted that this would be a motivating factor.
‘I’ve been with a lot of these guys for a long time and although they may be ranked the leading team in the world, they’ve never been world champions,’ Henry said. ‘It would be just marvellous to have that title because they’ve had every other title that’s going in rugby apart from this one.
‘So for Richie [McCaw] and the boys I think that would be fabulous and you don’t deserve that title till you do the job. I think they’re good enough and that would be the icing on the cake.’
The All Blacks coach said the team would not underestimate France.
‘This French team, we’re not sure who’s going to turn up, quite frankly. So we’ve got to prepare that they’re going to be the best in the world. They’ve certainly got the individuals to do that, it’s just whether they can produce that as a side. All the word is that they’ve prepared well and they’re very focused and they’re enjoying the underdog tag.
‘They feel that they’re not being considered in this final by a lot of people. We don’t think that. We think they’re a very good rugby team.’
If the All Blacks win the final, they will retain their No 1 world ranking.
New Zealand – 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Richard Kahui, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Subs: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Sonny Bill Williams.
165 Comments
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21 Oct 2011, 00:16 am
@hashi(hashi)-49: Barnes made a fckup. Bryce is bent…crooked…dishonest.
There is a difference.
21 Oct 2011, 00:18 am
@JL1(JL1)-50: ” O’Brien said he was particularly concerned at a recent relaxing of standards, particularly around the tackle ball and offside line.” – FARK. That has to be nearly as funny as Katman or Grunter on a roll.
21 Oct 2011, 00:26 am
Where all the little Hobbits…. At yet another ticker tape parade tonight?
21 Oct 2011, 00:28 am
Dunno about freaking out. I have asked genuine questions that you don’t seem to want to or be able to answer.
Nervous about the final. Of course. I am not arrogant enough to claim to know the future.
I certainly can’t or don’t speak for any team. I’m not an elite athlete with the kind of mindset they tend to have, so i don’t think equating the nervousness of a fan to that of a team is perhaps intelligent.
perhaps it really bothers some people that France made it to the final. I guess they just won games that mattered. still, losing key games they “should” have won happens to most teams, ABs’, Boks, Wallabies included.
But yes, I am genuinely interested in reading about any refereee in the world who would be truely “neutral”, and can have no doubts cast against them. Please, do name ONE, who you think could legitimately fairly control a RWC final. Seriously. Name one. If you can, and no one else has a fair objection, I’ll happily conceed that you do in fact have a modicum of intelligence. untill that time, well, I will just consider you to be ignorant, arrogant, bitter, sore losers.
21 Oct 2011, 00:29 am
Bryce spared Burger 2 years ago and spared him last time, too.
Dishonest indeed, had he be honest, Burger would have watched the QF from the bin at least.
Bryce the Merciful.
21 Oct 2011, 00:30 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-51: Nah, if bryce chose opponents for his Blacks, so did Wayne – Poms did not want to meet them.
21 Oct 2011, 00:34 am
@hashi(hashi)-54: “Dunno about freaking out. I have asked genuine questions that you don’t seem to want to or be able to answer.”
Do not wonder, HG reads what he wants to see to be written not what you actually said.
21 Oct 2011, 00:34 am
Now why has Paddy not apologised to SA
Aussie whistle blower Stu Dickinson got it badly wrong when he repeatedly penalised the All Blacks in their disputed match against Italy on Saturday (Sunday NZT), referees’ boss Paddy O’Brien has admitted.
Coach Graham Henry asked for clarity and has been given that, along with a public apology, from IRB referees’ boss Paddy O’Brien, who has admitted referee Dickinson made a series of mistakes during the Milan match, which ended in a 20-6 win for the All Blacks.
In what is a major off-field victory for the All Blacks, Kiwi O’Brien travelled to the New Zealand team’s London hotel today to essentially tell Henry and his coaches “you were right”.
O’Brien told Stuff.co.nz, in an exclusive interview prior to his meeting with Henry and scrum expert Mike Cron, that Dickinson should not have taken such drastic action against the All Blacks at scrum time in the test at the San Siro.
In a rare display of transparency, O’Brien has conceded that Dickinson’s performance was sub-standard, and that he has been told so in no uncertain terms.
O’Brien said a review of match footage clearly indicated the Italian tighthead prop (Martin Castrogiavanni and later Salvatore Perugini) was “boring in” on the All Black loosehead and that Dickinson’s repeated penalising of the New Zealanders was “completely wrong”.
21 Oct 2011, 00:38 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-51: Nope. Barnes did not make A fckup. He made a full 40 minutes of fckups. Bryce likewise made many fckups, but at least he made fckups for both teams all the way through.
I don’t think either of these two should ever be allowed to ref in important matches.
I’m still waiting to see if anyone can suggest a referee from anywhere who would actualy be agreeable to everyone.
21 Oct 2011, 00:38 am
@Nils(Nils)-56: Ag… don’t be a “Cyclop”… Both eyes, okay?
21 Oct 2011, 00:43 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-60: likewise I am sure. Do YOU think Australia should have beaten the Boks? was bryce’s performance OK? According to many, he “won” the game for AUS.
Again I will ask (not just you HG), who else would be suitable?
If noone else can suggest somone else reasonable, then I guess its a matter of “su ck it up”
21 Oct 2011, 00:43 am
@hashi(hashi)-54: Stewart Dickenson should ref this one .. or even Owens or Rolland might be more or less ambivalent to the outcome and possibly wouldn’t give AB’s nearly as much pro bias as Joubert may do..
ref’s are clever buggers I seen them ‘cheat’ this way and that pretending to be impartial in areas of the game or of the field where a 50/50 call against their favored team don’t matter nearly as critically as it will when it DOES matter in a more profoundly critical situation.. so they swing the swings and roundabouts and manipulate proceedings in such a way that it don’t look like they are favoring either or participant, but deep down back at the ranch they most definitely are…
Lawrence is exceptionally poor and blatantly shows his preferences without even realizing he’s doing it… Walsh is far more even handed perhaps less of a stickler to technicalities but a fairer ref, but then he’s Kiwi so he don’t count for this one … and even Barnes is a far better ref than Lawrence could ever dream to be…
Barnes would be a good choice if it were not for the history.. he would perhaps be the least bias of most…
21 Oct 2011, 00:44 am
@hashi(hashi)-59: You don’t have to mention names
Paddy tested referees, the dual system I Stellenbosh and Paddy decided o way to that, seems it would be too difficult to cash the cheques with 3 refs watching you
Why has he not used technology better?
Why has he not set up a neutral top 20 refs for all to see?
Why has he stepped in to defend only certain refs and yet slate others in the media?
Why are refs so slow?
Why has Glen Jackson been fast tracked, last year player and now refs in first class games, impossible if you take better refs had to go through the ranks
OK HOTSHOT, answer those
21 Oct 2011, 00:44 am
@hashi(hashi)-59: Nope Barnes made one or two fckups that I can recall.
Bryce didn’t make a fckup. He was clearly crooked.
And anyone who says otherwise is fcked in their head… Totally naive.
Santa
Easter Bunny
Tooth fairy
Soozie
All exist to the naysayers… Nope, Bambi is dead. Corruption has reared its ugly head in Rugby… It was only a matter of time.
21 Oct 2011, 00:44 am
@JL1(JL1)-58: Actually POB has apologized to Dickinson and Australian RFU the very same year. 2009. Really old stuff and conveniently omitted by you.
““I have unreservedly apologised to Stuart Dickinson for the action of publicly discussing elements of his performance review and would like to extend that apology to the Australian Rugby Union,” said O’Brien. “A clear and confidential best practice protocol exists for match official appraisal and feedback involving all stakeholders and I regret breaching this protocol.”
Bryce did OK. If he was bad, he was bad for both. Had he be good he would have sent off Burger for at least 10 mins for his usual face grabbing antics vs Pocock.
Plus, last crucial penalty, if you have not noticed, he ignored. It was adviced by his assistant. A Frenchman, otherwise Bryce would have turned blind eye there, too.
21 Oct 2011, 00:45 am
All this talk about Wayne Barnes making one bad decision, yeah that was a bad call with the forward pass but forward passes go unnoticed a lot of the time so shouldn’t have been a big deal.
The big problem I had with Wayne Barnes was in that quarter-final the All Blacks had 75% possession and were awarded 2 penalties all match – a world record low as Barnes did not police the breakdown or the offside line. Sounds very similar to Bryce Lawrence, but worse…. In reality South Africa should have been good enough to beat Australia, as should the All Blacks been good enough to beat France in 2007.
21 Oct 2011, 00:46 am
@hashi(hashi)-61: Another thing
A French guy reffing a France v Wales game
A Kiwi guy reffing a Aus v SA game
How neutral could those be
21 Oct 2011, 00:47 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-64: Well, in that case I am happy to report Bryce was OK. Just a few omissions.
Anyway, enjoy the sofa while watching the final.
21 Oct 2011, 00:47 am
@Nils(Nils)-65: 3 high tackles missed, 29 wrong calls
Go play
21 Oct 2011, 00:49 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-64: Sure, blame corrupt Frenchman who dared to point to the last penalty. Bryce completely missed it.
21 Oct 2011, 00:49 am
@hashi(hashi)-61: He didn’t win the game for Aus… He just didn’t penalise them in the main. Penalties for which they suffered in their match against the AB’s…
Who else would have been suitable… For the Aus vs Boks game? Any non-Kiwi ref… No “Dangerous scrum” Bryce, no Paul “Give the Irish a gimme” Honiss and definitely no Paddy O’C.unt.
Fark, even an Aussie ref would be a better bet…. Guaranfukkenteed.
21 Oct 2011, 00:50 am
@Nils(Nils)-68: Yeah Nils, you were watching that game with your one useful eye open… Your farken browneye, thats what.
21 Oct 2011, 00:51 am
@JL1(JL1)-69: Right. JPP on Ioane, Steyn checking Ioane without the ball, Burger ripping off Pococks head and grabbing his face (from the side), Habana from the side, Burger from the side, Spies like rocket flies over, Brussow doing his stuff on the floor end on and on and on. And on.
All missed.
So you are completely right. He missed A LOT.
21 Oct 2011, 00:52 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-72: says who – a cyclop with capital “C”?
21 Oct 2011, 00:54 am
@Nils(Nils)-70: Yeah, and the tooth fairy still visits you, hey? You dilly farken Latvian… kazu draazejs
21 Oct 2011, 00:54 am
@Nils(Nils)-65: Yes sure Nils, whatever
So he goes and does it again:
Paddy O’Brien, the International Rugby Board’s referee manager, has apologised to Ireland for the officiating mix-up in Cardiff on Saturday that saw what turned out to be a decisive try for Wales wrongly awarded.
The referee Jonathan Kaplan and the touch judge Peter Allan failed to spot a ballboy handing a ball to the Wales hooker Matthew Rees, who took a quick lineout by throwing the ball to Mike Phillips and the scrum-half ran 45 metres to score.
21 Oct 2011, 00:54 am
I betcha Dickenson and Mark Lawrence of SA are out because they don’t suck up to Paddy and his little whistle blowing club.. more n likely thats the case…
Bryce is so far up the Paddy wagon its kinda ludicrous that such inaccuracies are allowed to be left unchecked… Wayne Barnes is a far cry better ref than Lawrence could ever hope to be…
Boks got nailed by Lawrences refusal to police the breakdown and allow Pocock and Elsom free for all rights.. which Smit didn’t take note of and proceeded to capitulate without a fight…
But Boks beat themselves ultimately with stale one dimensional outmoded attack strategy and the wrong ball carrier attacking the gain line each and every time.. plus the wrong mix of starting players was simply one attempt at playing the super bench strategy one time to far … wrong calls and a beaten leader was the nail in the Boks coffin, as much as it were Bryce Lawrence which in spite of his pathetic showing.. with the correct mix of players and run on team Boks would still have clinched the quarter final had we gone for broke rather than the pathetic safety first sentimentally pretensious compromises
21 Oct 2011, 00:54 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-75: see, you have nothing to say about the point.
Sick ************.
21 Oct 2011, 00:56 am
@Nils(Nils)-74: I speak truth… Nothing else… If you don’t like it then lump it.
21 Oct 2011, 00:56 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-75: Bleat on, HG, it’s sweeter than music for my ears.
21 Oct 2011, 00:57 am
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-62: Thanks. An answer!
Rolland has been lambasted by the Welsh. According to many, he made decisions that cost the Welsh the game. many accuse him of cheating. Many also accuse him of beeing too biased towards the french. he does have a french father you know.
Dickenson. really? After post 58? tarnished reputation (deserved or not).
Same goes for Barnes. He may be a good ref, but in at least one critical game he was terrible.
Owens. I am pretty sure that most Samoans would not be happy with this, so he gets ruled out.
Walsh. Well, a percieved bias because he is a kiwi, and has made plenty of mistakes in his time.
The point I am trying to make here, is that while YOU may feel that your objection to any specfific referee is justified, everyone elses objection must be just as valid .Unless of course you believe that you are the only one in the world who is right. Perhaps you do.
21 Oct 2011, 00:57 am
@Nils(Nils)-78: Ej dirst, Pe?a!
21 Oct 2011, 00:59 am
@JL1(JL1)-76: You know, Kaplan was a great ref once upon a time. Waratahs, of course, think differently.
I have never seen ref answering to the bemused penalized player (why?) as “I forgot” and giving penalty anyway. Kaplan did just that.
21 Oct 2011, 01:00 am
This Paddy is incompetent, why can he not get it right:
With the November Tests underway and a return to attacking Rugby over the past year, IRB Referee Manager Paddy O’Brien reiterated the importance of continued consistent and universal application of Law in five key areas, in accordance with directives issued to all Unions in November 2009:
a) offsides at the ruck
b) offside from kicks
c) illegal maul formation causing obstruction
d) scrum engagement sequence
e) accuracy of application of the tackle Law
“The annual High Performance Referees meeting is a key element of the referee feedback and training process and enables us to review performances as a team, assess fitness objectives, consider the latest trends in the Game and reiterate the key focus areas to ensure consistency,” said O’Brien.
21 Oct 2011, 01:00 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-82: Nice to see you learning other languages, crazy old fool.
21 Oct 2011, 01:00 am
@Ooh Aah Umaga(Ooh Aah Umaga)-66: You apologetic, spineless individual… You condone sports corruption by absolving Bryce as nothing more than Wayne Barnes incompetence.
Nothing could be further than the truth.
Bryce is farken crooked and this truth will emerge.
21 Oct 2011, 01:01 am
@Nils(Nils)-85: Hehehe… Only the best of that language for me
21 Oct 2011, 01:02 am
@Nils(Nils)-83: Stay with me, I would draw pictures if that will help
Paddy, not Kaplan….I w I l l type s l o w so that you can read
21 Oct 2011, 01:02 am
I’m gone for now… The sheepshaggers are clearly a bit excitable after their latest Ticker Tape parade…
21 Oct 2011, 01:03 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-87: I’m afraid you’ll never get a beer in the bar here with your knowledge. But you can try.
21 Oct 2011, 01:04 am
@Nils(Nils)-73: Just watched the bit you talking about again, shall I call you a liar
ok then I will:”LIAR”
21 Oct 2011, 01:04 am
@JL1(JL1)-88: In post 76 you mentioned the name of Kaplan.
My eyes are OK, I can read. Burger has not reached them.
21 Oct 2011, 01:06 am
@JL1(JL1)-91: Which bit made you agitated too much, old chap?
Burger? Steyn? Others?
21 Oct 2011, 01:10 am
The question must be asked, why will Lawrence get that treatment when Barnes was backed to the hilt? Simple, Barnes is one of O’Brien’s favourites and this is the culture that O’Brien has created. Referees appear to not be held to account for all but the worst of performances and even then they can get backing based on who they are rather than how they performed.
21 Oct 2011, 01:11 am
@JL1(JL1)-63:
You don’t have to mention names
Paddy tested referees, the dual system I Stellenbosh and Paddy decided o way to that, seems it would be too difficult to cash the cheques with 3 refs watching you
What in earth are you talking about? An accusation of something doesn’t mean that something actualy happened. or does it. here goes. JL1 did innapropriate things to young females, and at the time said he would just deny it in future. Same logic.
Why has he not used technology better?
I don’t know. You are talking about O’Brien? Probably for lots of reasons. Maybe one of those reasons is because he is not good at his job. I have no arguement either way. I don’t care if he is replaced. the question was, and is, WHO ELSE would be better. And I mean in seriousness. i might say even a glass eye in a dogs a$$ might see beteer than him, it doesn’t make it fcken so.
Why has he not set up a neutral top 20 refs for all to see?
I don’t know. Maybe he isn’t good at his job. Many seem to think so. But thats still not the point. WHO ELSE?
Why has he stepped in to defend only certain refs and yet slate others in the media?
Again, I can’t read his mind. Maybe the devil told him to do it.
Why are refs so slow?
Too many pies? Arthritis? not enough meth?
Why has Glen Jackson been fast tracked, last year player and now refs in first class games, impossible if you take better refs had to go through the ranks
Don’t know. Maybe he can s uck an orange though a vacuum cleaner hose. Maybe he gives a good reach-around.
OK HOTSHOT, answer those
I did, as well as I could. But b1tchin about people without offering realistic alternatives is stupid. Complain away, but at least give some thought to an alternative. And try to think about what others might think about any alternatives…their reservations may be just as valid. maybe not, but thats what debate is for.
21 Oct 2011, 01:12 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-3:
Eight years on, what else do you expect?
21 Oct 2011, 01:13 am
@Nils(Nils)-93: Your father and uncle, useless, cheating Bryce and Paddy on the take
21 Oct 2011, 01:15 am
@JL1(JL1)-97: See, like HG you dodge the questions and resort to insults. Says everything.
http://images4.hiboox.com/images/4111/diapoe8f8259bd3e71b0961f8be9d89034ade.gif
Now tell me what Burger is doing there, especially during the first contact with the face.
Nah, Bryce let off your okes lightly.
21 Oct 2011, 01:15 am
@hashi(hashi)-95: Andre Watson will do a better job than Paddy, without having to suck another mans genitals, seeing that, that floats your boat
21 Oct 2011, 01:19 am
@Nils(Nils)-98: Yes, I can see he takes his fingers and whilst FDP holds Poco,cks head, Schalk pokes him in the eye, he does it so many times my word
Now run along
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