Rugby World Cup ** Scotland v Georgia **

[Simster]

Scotland 0-3 Georgia after 19 mins, but the minnows have a penalty to haul themselves back into the game now...

 

[Simster]

...missed.

 

[Badger]

Scotland have taken the lead, could we have an upset on our hands?

 

[Simster]

9-3 at half time.

 

[Digweeds Trousers]

Simster you really don't like Scotland at all do you?

 

[Stumpy Tim]

That's the thing about the Rugby World Cup. Too many small teams playing for pride - largely meaningless for the tournament as a whole

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

There are no easy games at this level of competition

 

[keaton]

That's the thing about the Rugby World Cup. Too many small teams playing for pride - largely meaningless for the tournament as a whole

Didn't Scotland only just win?

Japan, US and Romania almost caused big upsets at the weekend?

 

[Simster]

Simster you really don't like Scotland at all do you?

That's not true, to be honest. I do hate Scottish football though, but that's because it is shit having been ruined by Celtic and Rangers.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

That's not true, to be honest. I do hate Scottish football though, but that's because it is shit having been ruined by Celtic and Rangers.

On the other hand, without the gate/TV money from games v Celtic and Rangers many Scottish teams would go under.

 

[Simster]

That's the thing about the Rugby World Cup. Too many small teams playing for pride - largely meaningless for the tournament as a whole

I can understand this line of thinking, but on the other hand some of the minnows have performed fairly well. I bet there are fewer absolute spankings than ever before this time out.

Also worth remembering that rugby union is a major sport in some of these smaller countries. It is the second sport in Georgia, the main sport in most of the Pacific Islands (who punch well above their weight), the second sport in Argentina, the third sport in Romania, and Japan has the 4th largest number of players in the world. (By the time the WC goes to Japan in 8 years time, I bet they're more like the Argentina of 2003)

So whilst you're right, you can easily predict most quarter finalists, I think these smaller rugby nations do need the exposure a World Cup gives in order to progress the game. You only have to see what has happened in football since the tournament expanded to 32 teams to see the impact it can have.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Didn't Scotland only just win?

Japan, US and Romania almost caused big upsets at the weekend?

I count Scotland as a small team though

 

[Digweeds Trousers]

That's not true, to be honest. I do hate Scottish football though, but that's because it is shit having been ruined by Celtic and Rangers.

I'm a Scot, I follow Scotland regularly - went to the Czech Republic game and will Hopefully (missus permitting) go to the Spain away game.

however I too detest the Scottish domestic game - my beloved Clydebank went down the pan a few years ago - for the paltry sake of £91,000.

Thank god i moved to Sussex at a young age and found The Albion.

 

[Simster]

On the other hand, without the gate/TV money from games v Celtic and Rangers many Scottish teams would go under.

On the other hand, Scottish football suffers from:
* smaller gates to start with, as people from small SPL towns like Motherwell and Dundee end up supporting OF teams
* incessent whines from OF teams who would have everyone believe the league is weighted in favour of the other lot
* hideous sectarianism
* the OF buying up incredibly ordinary foreigners in order to win everything, who usually prove shite on the European stage

 

[Digweeds Trousers]

On the other hand, Scottish football suffers from:
* smaller gates to start with, as people from small SPL towns like Motherwell and Dundee end up supporting OF teams
* incessent whines from OF teams who would have everyone believe the league is weighted in favour of the other lot
* hideous sectarianism
* the OF buying up incredibly ordinary foreigners in order to win everything, who usually prove shite on the European stage

And therein lies the tragedy of Scottish football - I'd like to take issue with you Simster on all those points. But I cant.

However you are on a permanent anti-Scottish mission on this board over the years. You may just want to put on your wellies, walk into your own hideous mess of a back garden and look at the state of English football.

If it was a business everyone in it would have been fired. All that money, all that investment and all that f***ing noise from Sky, the papers about every f***ing England game and by God you could only just about limp past the Welsh in your own back yard.

You will not in the near future (next two major tournaments) get past the quarter-finals - again if this was a business that had similar investment it would be like taking a VC investment of £200million and then delivering annual revenues of £200,000 - just f***ing dreadful.

The England rugby team is the second-best in the northern hemisphere and wont get further than the quarter-finals in this world cup - in fact there is a small chance that you may not even qualify!

So while I agree with you about the malaise and probable terminal decline of Scottish football I wouldnt be too quick to get in the f***ing pulpit and start sermonising becuase, better than Scottish sport you may be, you are still an utter non-entity when it comes to real achievements on the world stage.

 

[Simster]

To be honest Diggers [[MENTION=2159]Digweeds Trousers[/MENTION]] old boy, I can't take issue with that either.
Although your assessment on English rugby is harsh, given that we have been finalists for two tournaments running and indeed won it in 2003.

I'm not on any anti Scottish mission though - I just detest the Old Firm.

 

[Digweeds Trousers]

To be honest Diggers [[MENTION=2159]Digweeds Trousers[/MENTION]] old boy, I can't take issue with that either.
Although your assessment on English rugby is harsh, given that we have been finalists for two tournaments running and indeed won it in 2003.

I'm not on any anti Scottish mission though - I just detest the Old Firm.

Isn't it funny - after all these years of squawking at each other on here we are actually in agreement. Perhaps I should have explained I was a Clydebank fan and hate the Old Firm 8 years ago to save all the arguing.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I wouldn't write the England rugby team off just yet. They got the crucial win against Argentina so should win the group. You'd think England's route to the final would be France then Australia. Hopefully the Kiwis will inflict physical and psychological damage on the French, making our task less difficult. Beating the Aussies will be a tall order but then Martin Johnson knows all about that from 8 years ago.

 

[glasfryn]

To be honest Diggers [[MENTION=2159]Digweeds Trousers[/MENTION]] old boy, I can't take issue with that either.
Although your assessment on English rugby is harsh, given that we have been finalists for two tournaments running and indeed won it in 2003.

I'm not on any anti Scottish mission though - I just detest the Old Firm.

you are not alone
and I just love your signature laughed for ages

 

[Nottseagull]

I can understand this line of thinking, but on the other hand some of the minnows have performed fairly well. I bet there are fewer absolute spankings than ever before this time out.

Also worth remembering that rugby union is a major sport in some of these smaller countries. It is the second sport in Georgia, the main sport in most of the Pacific Islands (who punch well above their weight), the second sport in Argentina, the third sport in Romania, and Japan has the 4th largest number of players in the world. (By the time the WC goes to Japan in 8 years time, I bet they're more like the Argentina of 2003)

So whilst you're right, you can easily predict most quarter finalists, I think these smaller rugby nations do need the exposure a World Cup gives in order to progress the game. You only have to see what has happened in football since the tournament expanded to 32 teams to see the impact it can have.

I didn't realise the game was so popular in Georgia and Japan. I agree with absolutely everything you say but my issue is the gross misuse of the noun progress. It is not a verb! You will see how much that bugs me when I tell you how annoying the transitive use of to appeal is (e.g. "we will appeal the decision")........and that is a verb!