3rd-4th Final

[Barge]

Great game imo, hope the Welsh fans felt the same despite the sting of not quite making it. Litres of blood and sweat left out there, can't ask much more.

Result could have been different if Wales kicked better but then as far as I can see they got a try off a very forward pass too so that's things going around and coming around.

Where has Berrick Barnes been all tournament?

Most people resisted booing Cooper when he went off injured but not all, I could never do that no matter how much I disliked a player.

If you skipped watching it I think you deprived yourself of an entertaining game.

[irishcure]

Agreed Barge. Despite the context t'was a good one. Your guys deserved it given the blatantly forward pass for Williams' first try. Thought O'Connor was electric today (but not so good under the high-ball it has to be said!)

Also agree on the Barnes thing: better kicking, defense looked less fragile, the other Ozzie players at last looked like the actually knew which way their out-half was gonna run. I'm all for talent and flare and giving guys a chance... but the stats for Cooper were just outrageous. He's been turned over over twice or three times the number of times the next most turned over player in the tournament! (Turned over a total somewhere in the mid 20s!!  )

Looking on from the outside, for me the booing has been the one sour part of the competition. There's been massive booing for kickers during penalties, etc from nearly every team. But worst of all was the continued pantomime hounding of Cooper. The booing will be a sour bit that I'll remember like the vuvu-zelas at the SA soccer WC.

 

[DH]

Yeah I didn't like the booing either, especially last night. Before last night, it was understandable given what a prat Cooper had been. But last night should have been about just watching 2 teams playing. Wallabies weren't a threat anymore.

And anyone who was still booing Quade after his injury is a tosspott in my opinion.

One thing to remember with Ozzie & Kiwi clashes is, we love to hate each other. No Aussie can claim harsh treatment given past disgraceful crowd behaviour in Australia. Forever etched in my memory is 80000 at the MCG chanting "Hadlee is a Wanker". Of course Hadlee at the time was better than all the Aussies combined. That in itself condemns Australia to 50 years of booing in all sports.

But I agree, time to lay off Quade. Up to him as well to stop being such a dick.

cheers
DH

[jules]

At the ground there was a bit of rubbing it in to wallaby fans from drunk kiwi fans after the semi that I went to as well.

Made me feel embarrassed to be a kiwi fan to be honest. It's always that 1 in 100 thing isn't it, most people know where to draw the line but it just takes one idiot to make the other 99 look bad too.

Most of the Aussie fans I talked to were good losers, and said they would be supporting the Blacks this weekend.

I thought Quade deserved some of the booing he was getting. As DH says, he was always going to get some negative attention from the kiwi press after his "alleged" niggling of Mccaw in the Tri-Nations, and it my eyes hasn't helped his case with his comments.

I see Robbie is sticking up for him (as he should) but personally I agree with Graham Henry's comments.

Not that I didn't feel terrible for him getting injured last night, that sucks. Glad the Wallabies won that one though, Wales just made too many mistakes.

Jules

[BallBoy]

The Kiwi guy that hosts the Reunion show (MJ or something alike) made a comment that in 1995 - him being a journalist then - a bunch of idiot SA fans turned to them just after the final whistle saying they should have rather stayed at home tending to sheep (using more descriptive lingo...) only for one Saffer to turn to them with his kid in his arms and saying "in times like these we show humility to friends and foe" - this drew an apology from the idiots - that stuck with this presenter until this day. Too often one forget the impact of a few words...

[Hamish]

Most people resisted booing Cooper when he went off injured but not all, I could never do that no matter how much I disliked a player.

That's interesting....I was at the ground and I thought Cooper got a pretty good round of applause......must have come across differently on the Telly.

[Barge]

You never know where the mic is, as I said it sounded largely like a proper sendoff although I was wondering what to expect.

[DH]

Most people resisted booing Cooper when he went off injured but not all, I could never do that no matter how much I disliked a player.

That's interesting....I was at the ground and I thought Cooper got a pretty good round of applause......must have come across differently on the Telly.

I heard the majority clapping, but definitely some boos. Hopeless!

cheers
DH