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Focus50 -> RE: RWC anyone? (10/15/2011 1:23:54 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: MadAxeman
I didn't see much wrong with that tackle, neither did the SA and Oz commentators in the studio.
The guy's legs whipped up and he had the resistance of a child's balloon.
Yellow would have been harsh.
No, no, no! Lifting tackles immediately draw the attention of referees and rightly so. And that particular tackle had every element of why it was outlawed. The player was lifted, rotated beyond the horizontal and dumped on his head - immediate penalty for starters....
The only real conjecture was whether it deserved a straight red card - but certainly a yellow. But it starts with the tackle.... When your own actions force the referee to react, don't be surprised of the the potential for over-reaction (*IF* that's what he did).
While the send-off may have ruined the game as a contest, Wales had numerous chances they simply didn't take. I think it was one goal from 6 attempts and they didn't have the nerve to win on the big stage. They were all over France when Wales scored their try but that farcical attempt at field goal a few minutes later when the frogs were on their knees defensively was the stuff of a team not used to winning big games. Wales just didn't back themselves and France recovered and closed it out with considerable composure.
quote:
France don't look good enough to beat either team in the other semi.
Yeah, the script says the winner will come from the tournament's heavyweight clash, tonight. France are probably the game's most dangerous attacking side because of their unpredictability and willingness to run the ball, esp the counter-attack. But they struggle against teams who have a well-drilled defense that enables them to absorb such pressure. And when such teams (NZ, Oz and Sth Africa esp) have attacking flair of their own AND the willingness to use it (listening, Wales?), the tackle-shy "surrender-monkeys" (lol) tend to drop their bundle somewhat.
But France are already in the final; they have previous WC final experience and anything can happen on the night. And it's not like they've never beaten Oz or NZ before. You gotta be in it to win it and only the frogs are currently half way home.... Even though they've previously beaten NZ in WC elimination matches (1999 semi final), I suspect they'd rather play the younger and less experienced Oz. I think they'll mostly just want the Wallabies and All Blacks to smash each other and add to their injury lists....
Focus.
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