Calibandar Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Quick question from someone interested in the game but not knowledgable about it at all. Looking at the groups, it seems like England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Fiji and South Africa are the best teams in the world right? Is there a particular favorite for this year's tournament? I do see a lot of coverage about the All Blacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Mongoose Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 World rankings Unlike the football rankings these are reasonable, although I might move a couple of teams around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevonicus Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Quick question from someone interested in the game but not knowledgable about it at all. Looking at the groups, it seems like England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Fiji and South Africa are the best teams in the world right? Is there a particular favorite for this year's tournament? I do see a lot of coverage about the All Blacks.At pretty much every stage of the modern pro era the top ten have been the Tri Nations teams, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, the Six Nations teams, England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and italy, and Argentina, in various configurations of rank. All the other countries are pretty much second string although that doesn't mena they are uncompetitive as many of the 'minnows' performances in the World Cup have shown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lessthanluke Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 World rankings Unlike the football rankings these are reasonable, although I might move a couple of teams around.You've just linked to this thread :P http://www.irb.com/rankings/full.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Mongoose Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I would edit it, but i'll leave it there so people can laugh at me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renasko Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Why are Scotland and Wales ahead of Ireland? :shocked: Figured we'd be considered better than both those nations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lessthanluke Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Why are Scotland and Wales ahead of Ireland? :shocked: Figured we'd be considered better than both those nations.You figured wrong :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljkeane Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Why are Scotland and Wales ahead of Ireland? :shocked: Figured we'd be considered better than both those nations. Because Ireland lost to both Scotland and Wales the last time they played them I suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Wizard Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I'm surprised by Fiji's rank: below Canada and Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renasko Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Because Ireland lost to both Scotland and Wales the last time they played them I suspect.We've finished higher than both in recent tournaments, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevonicus Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 We've finished higher than both in recent tournaments, though.I think we were ahead before the warm up games. We dropped 3 or 4 places over the course of the last six weeks. That bad a series of performances does not help the old ranking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Wizard Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Why are Scotland and Wales ahead of Ireland? The IRB World Rankings are calculated using a 'Points Exchange' system, in which sides take points off each other based on the match result. Whatever one side gains, the other loses.The exchanges are based on the match result, the relative strength of each team, and the margin of victory, and there is an allowance for home advantage. This is why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faraday Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Well don't worry, I'm sure if we keep up the outstanding displays we'll be back up ahead of the mighty Scots and Welsh in no time. That USA game should inspire fear around the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Why are Scotland and Wales ahead of Ireland? :shocked: Figured we'd be considered better than both those nations. According to this Ireland only dropped below in August, so it must be due to Ireland losing their four warm-up matches. I'm not sure that including warm-up matches is an entirely fair way of measuring rankings, since teams often won't select full-strength teams so the results might not represent their full potential. Well don't worry, I'm sure if we keep up the outstanding displays we'll be back up ahead of the mighty Scots and Welsh in no time.That USA game should inspire fear around the world. I'm sure the Aussies are quaking in their boots at the prospect of having to try to play against you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padraig Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 *shudders* Somebody will write a Greek tragedy about Ireland someday. Its a pity we are so bad because even if we lose to Australia, we would still have a great chance to reach the semis given the draw. But nope, we just play rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Just got to see the replay of the USA-IRL match. That last try made me smile, even though the US still lost. One of the great things about supporting a team that really has no chance of winning is that every not-bad thing is uplifting. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Quick question from someone interested in the game but not knowledgable about it at all. Looking at the groups, it seems like England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Fiji and South Africa are the best teams in the world right? Is there a particular favorite for this year's tournament? I do see a lot of coverage about the All Blacks. Horribly generalising: Historically, the great international rugby rivalry of the twentieth century was New Zealand vs. South Africa (and, yes, the politics came into play).. After South Africa was readmitted, it has again been powerful, but quite patchy. Australia only became a rugby power from the early 1980s onwards. As for New Zealand, well, rugby isn't quite the national religion it once was, but the All Blacks have easily the best record of any international side (albeit that we haven't won a World Cup since 1987). Of the Northern Hemisphere sides, up until the late 1970s, Wales was the power, but they declined markedly after that. Every so often they threaten a revival. France and England have been the big guns since the decline of Wales, but Ireland became fairly prominent in the last decade. After that you're into the likes of Scotland, Italy, Argentina, Fiji, and Samoa (roughly in that order). Recognisable test nations, but not in any danger of coming close to winning a World Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljkeane Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Just got to see the replay of the USA-IRL match. That last try made me smile, even though the US still lost. One of the great things about supporting a team that really has no chance of winning is that every not-bad thing is uplifting. :thumbsup: Ngwenya burning Habana on the outside was my favourite moment of the last World Cup, so there's always hope for something good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vestrit Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Tuilagi shouldn't even be allowed to play for England. He's as English as I am. I'm assuming that, based on your logic here, you'd be happy for the Scotland squad to lose the players who weren't born in Scotland and maybe also those players who happened to be born there but were raised and educated elsewhere? Oh, and only be coached by a 'true' Scotsman? Just, that would leave you with 19 players and no coach. Ouch In other news:Gutted for Wales yesterday. Warburton was immense, as were the other two loosies. If North hadn't knocked on after the break by Faletau and Roberts, Wales probably would have scored there and I think that might have been game over Also gutted to miss the Fiji v Namibia game cos it sounds like it was an awesome match Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Anti-Targ Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Andrew Sheridan out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. Bit of a bugger for the England team, coming on the heels of a 2 match suspension for one of England's Locks. Interesting Match-ups for this weekend: Aus vs Ireland - This is the battle for 1st and second spot in pool C. Chance for both teams to establish themselves for the rest of the tournament. Ireland should have the crowd support. While Aussie must be favoured to win Ireland must be in with a chance. In theory Italy could spoil the party for Ireland when they meet later on, but that's unlikely. USA vs Russia - Simply because it's the old cold war foes facing each other in a tournament where both countries are minnows and a sport where they have no international status or influence. So they are only playing for bragging rights. I expect US to win this just like the cold war: ugly but effective. Samoa vs Wales - Wales came so close against the Boks, Samoa beat Aussie earlier this year. I'm supporting Samoa in this match up but Wales really should win. So this is the battle for 2nd spot. Pools A and B pretty much have walkover matches this weekend. The closest likely to be Tonga vs. Canada, but I expect Tonga will win comfortably with its core of European based professionals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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