October 21, 200718 yr Well done to South Africa. *Says nothing about dodgy try decision by Aussie Video Ref* want to say something about the real ref instead? :laugh3:
October 21, 200718 yr Englands discipline in the first half lost them the game. Try decision I think was right. The left foot just touched the line before it lifted. SA worthy champs in the End. Next world cup will be interesting unless England have a load of 40 yr olds! S
October 22, 200718 yr Englands discipline in the first half lost them the game. Try decision I think was right. The left foot just touched the line before it lifted. SA worthy champs in the End. Next world cup will be interesting unless England have a load of 40 yr olds! S I agree. I have no complaints. Congratulations South Africa. England can still hold their heads high, though. They did far better than anyone expected.
October 22, 200718 yr Yep, wouldn't like to be antipodean at the moment. Bit of soul searching atm especially as Argentina were a worthy 3rd. And, it's the all BLACKS not all different-shades-of-grey. Play to your strengths. Who came up with that disaster of a strip wants shooting. Bit like ManU's old grey strip when it melded into the crowd. :) S
October 22, 200718 yr Yep, wouldn't like to be antipodean at the moment. Bit of soul searching atm especially as Argentina were a worthy 3rd. And, it's the all BLACKS not all different-shades-of-grey. Play to your strengths. Who came up with that disaster of a strip wants shooting. Bit like ManU's old grey strip when it melded into the crowd. :) S Yes - the real losers of this world cup were the Aussies and Kiwis, as they under-achieved yet again. Argentina played excellently in the play-off.
October 22, 200718 yr The pride of England: Sore heads, sore throats but no sour grapes in the face of defeat By ROBERT HARDMAN - More by this author » Last updated at 01:06am on 22nd October 2007 There was nothing sweet about the chariot coming for to carry home Colin Johnson and his chums yesterday. In fact, it was really pretty whiffy. Colin, 22, and his mates had been living in the car since Friday, when they set off from Birmingham University dressed as crusaders. They were still in exactly the same medieval kit yesterday morning as they piled in with a few cases of beer for the long journey home. Scroll down for more... Read more... Plastered in Paris: Princes help Jonny and his teammates drown sorrows after World Cup A bleary eyed English miasma hung over Paris "It was worth coming here to see England do so well – we're still proud of them," said Colin, 22, who bought his Richard the Lionheart costume at Matalan for £20 last week. He had even splashed out an extra £3.50 on an England shield. But he would not be throwing it away. He would be keeping it to wear during next year's Six Nations tournament. After all, since England's football team are unlikely to be doing much in 2008, rugby still remains the best bet for the sporting patriot. A great, bleary-eyed, sore-throated English miasma hung over Paris yesterday as 60,000 rugby fans embarked on the empty homebound trek. But, despite the monumental sense of disappointment, there was no sense of anger. No one was calling for heads to roll. Scroll down for more... Best behaviour: The fans cheered for both sides There had been no fisticuffs – just a handful of arrests for drunken oafishness near the Eiffel Tower – and a significant number of the supporters were women. The minority of South African fans wandering around draped in their rainbow flags were still being greeted with spontaneous applause yesterday afternoon. The overwhelming English sentiment was that Phil Vickery's team had done extremely well but had been beaten by a better team and a dismal refereeing decision. Paris cannot have heard so many English-speaking voices since the Americans liberated the place in 1944. From the moment I arrived on Friday, it was extremely hard to practise my French on anyone, since the whole population – except a few waiters – seemed to be English or South African. Most had neither a ticket nor the inclination to spend around £1,500 on one. "As soon as we knew we were in the final, we knew we couldn't not be here," explained Rose Seale, an interior designer from Bagshot, Surrey, whom I found wandering the streets dressed as Queen Elizabeth I. She was part of a 28-strong fancy-dress contingent from Chobham Rugby Club who had driven out in an an old red Routemaster bus which was now parked at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Her daughter, Jo, had come dressed as Britannia, her husband was a crusader and her brother was Sherlock Holmes. None of them had a ticket, let alone a hotel room. The floor of the bus was their bed all weekend. "It doesn't matter if we're not in the stadium," said Rose. "At least we're in Paris." Many might be unable to comprehend the urge to travel long distances in some discomfort to watch a great national moment on a foreign television, particularly when Paris has been such an unwelcoming place in the last few days. The French might have lost the rugby semi-final but they were still determined to show that they lead the world in public sector selfishness. Many train and bus drivers had staged a one-day strike on Thursday because of the government's outrageous suggestion that they might no longer be able to retire on a full salary at 50. The strike then rumbled on all weekend. Mysteriously, it was especially bad on all routes involving the rugby. Much of the city was gridlocked for most of the day. Having waited for an hour and a quarter for a taxi, I hired a bike to travel around. Thousands of England fans with tickets arrived at the Gare du Nord to discover that the only way to reach the ground was a five-mile walk. Those without tickets walked five miles in the opposite direction to the Eiffel Tower, where a huge outdoor screen had been put up. Thousands – mainly students – had set up camp ten hours before the game. Among them, I met 49 old boys of Warwick School, an entire rugby squad from Trinity College, Carmarthen, and five Southampton University sports science students with six cases of beer. As kick- off approached, I headed to The Frog and Rosbif pub in the centre of Paris. British-owned and serving its own home-brewed bitter, the pub was full to its 300 capacity with many more pressing their faces to the window. "The train alone has cost me £400 to get here, but you've got to do it, haven't you?" said my neighbour in the throng, Mark Curtis, 35, a recruitment consultant from Surrey. Mark was more of a football than a rugby fan, he explained, but duty called, England expected and he was more than happy to swap an itchy replica football shirt for a sensible cotton rugby one. Everyone stood and roared the national anthem and, from then on, it was sporting applause all the way. I heard no nasty chants, no swearing. When this pub was full of Arsenal fans for last year's Champions League final, several yobs smashed a TV screen. The worst behaviour on Saturday was a stolen beer (mine). The fans cheerfully clapped displays of brilliance by both sides. The only boos were reserved for adverse refereeing decisions and the occasional camera shots of Gordon Brown. He might be the first Prime Minister in living memory to have played in his school's 1st XV but no one was buying his newly-professed love of the English team. Princes William and Harry plus David Cameron were deemed to be the genuine article. The atmosphere never really recovered from the moment when the euphoria over the trythatwasn't crashed painfully into the reality of the video referee's decision. From then on, it was a slow decline to the final whistle. It did not stop the boozefuelled post-mortems droning on into the night. Well into the early hours, the streets of Paris were still filled with thousands of white shirts and increasingly slurred and tired choruses of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Can we now lock that dirge away for another four years, please? Everyone is quite low enough as it is.
October 22, 200718 yr Plastered in Paris: Princes' 25-hour bender with England heroes after World Cup defeat Last updated at 12:06pm on 22nd October 2007 Prince Harry was still commiserating with England's defeated rugby stars in Paris at 1am today - more than 24 hours after the players began an epic drinking session with him and his brother William. The prince finally returned to his room early today after joining the players to watch Lewis Hamilton lose in the Brazilian Grand Prix. A hard core of England players, including captain Phil Vickery and George Chuter, remained at the bar, with Martin Corry persuading bar staff to order more alcohol at 2am after the hotel ran dry. Scroll down for more ... Pouring out their feelings: Prince William and Jonny Wilkinson quaff champagne in a Paris nightclub after England's World Cup defeat Emotional: Prince William meets King Jonny, and gives him a friendly pat Read more... Was it or wasn't it a try? The moment that broke England heartsAt least one Englishman DID get his hands on the CupROBERT HARDMAN: The pride of England - sore heads, sore throats but no sour grapes in the face of defeatGloom all round as Hamilton misses out on the championshipThe pride of England: Sore heads, sore throats but no sour grapes in the face of defeat One barman said the group had got through four large kegs and 240 bottles of beer before extra supplies arrived to a loud cheer. The group were facing massive hangovers - worse than that experienced by Jonny Wilkinson who said he felt "rank" after breaking his lifelong teetotal habit with champagne. The England team began drinking after the heartbreak of defeat at the Stade de France on Saturday night. Scroll down for more ... Captain of the drinking team: Harry glugs vodka from the bottle Their cups runneth over: High jinks between Harry, Jonny and a sodden reveller They started again at the Marriott Courtyard hotel, their French base, yesterday. First spotted in the hotel bar was the oldest member of the side, Mike Catt, 36, who arrived at around midday. He was soon joined by others and princes William and Harry arrived a few hours later to watch the Grand Prix, along with the players' wives and girlfriends. Scroll down for more ... Raucous: William sings with the team as emotions run high Princes in arms: William and Harry at the L'Etoile club in Paris on Saturday Harry was greeted with a round of applause and his older brother urging others to "be gentleî with him. William, who was overheard admitting to being confused and confessing to fearing the "world's worst hangoverî today, disappeared before the end of the race. But Harry, under constant watch by his minders, continued drinking and chatting with friends and the players, who are due to fly home today. He sank beers, smoked cigarettes and happily posed for photographs with the wives, girlfriends and other guests. Scroll down for more ... Whisperer: The wit and wisdom of Harry convulses Jonny The prince ate pizza and ice cream with friends and his security men as the beers kept f lowing. He also indulged in some playfighting with friends and Vickery, who was also spotted lighting up. Catt later lobbed a slice of pizza at the prince - ignoring his pleas of "Don't do it. Don't do it" - narrowly missing his head. Many members of the team who played in the final put in an appearance including Lawrence Dallaglio, Paul Sackey, Andy Gormarsall and Mark Cueto. Wilkinson dropped in briefly with girlfriend Shelley Jenkins, shook Harry's hand and chatted before leaving. Scroll down for more ... Defeat? What defeat? A bleary-eyed Jonny hugs Mathew Tait, who has somehow managed to mislay his shirt, as Prince Harry looks on with a customary guffaw Party, party: More drinks go down, and still Tait can't find his shirt Some players left to go to the International Rugby Board's official dinner but others stayed in the bar. Harry made for his room at just after 1am when the bar closed, still clutching a bottle of beer. He is due in London for a charity event - the 30th anniversary of the WellChild's Children's Health Awards - at Lord's cricket ground at 5.20pm today. Wilkinson described his Saturday night exploits as "a bit of a blowout". He was present as the players and princes spent two hours drinking champagne, white wine, beer and vodka. At about 3.45am the players, their wives and girlfriends and the princes hopped on a coach to the L'Etoile nightclub, close to the Arc de Triomphe. They enjoyed beer, cocktails and £500 bottles of champagne. Harry was seen downing vodka from a bottle held by England substitute Toby Flood. Prince William persuaded Wilkinson to drink some champagne. "I suspect it is widely known that I am teetotal," Wilkinson said. "Well, I broke the habit of pretty much a lifetime after the game on Saturday night and had a bit of a blow-out. It was the first time in years and simply seemed the right time and the right thing to do." Scroll down for more ... Text: Bad news travels fast with the help of William's mobile phone He said he wanted to be with the squad after the intense emotion of the final. "Anything, I felt, rather than stop and ruminate on what had gone before," he wrote in The Times today. "There will be plenty of time, I know, when I'll be feeling the pain of having lost the World Cup final, but our Saturday night was more a case of putting that off. "We actually managed to have a lot of fun, but I tell you, I certainly felt rank as a result of it."
October 22, 200718 yr Weary England rugby team return to muted UK reception after 24-hour party Last updated at 13:06pm on 22nd October 2007 The England World Cup squad today returned to the UK after a marathon drinking session where they commiserated their loss to South Africa in the final. When the doors to their aircraft opened at Heathrow the team stepped from the plane looking weary before posing for pictures. Despite joking with one another as they stood on the steps of the aircraft, renamed Hope and Glory for the trip, the muted return was a far cry from the heroes' welcome they had dreamt of just two days earlier. The players were whisked away to Twickenham after being loaded on to a coach on the runway. They are later scheduled to give a press conference at the stadium. After a mammoth party the England squad look weary as they return to the UK In an effort to blot out their loss to South Africa, who triumphed 15-6 on Saturday, several members of the team had partied with Princes Harry and William for up to 25 hours, drinking one bar dry and forcing the owner to order more alcohol. Even teetotaller Jonny Wilkinson let his hair down after the final game of the tournament, downing several glasses of champagne. Despite their defeat and a quiet homecoming, the team had reason to hold their heads high. They had ranked seventh in the world at the beginning of the competition and starting sluggishly with games including a disastrous 36-0 defeat to South Africa. After staging a tremendous comeback they only crashed out at the last hurdle when Australian video referee Stuart Dickinson ruled that Mark Cueto's foot had brushed the touchline and therefore gone out of play, disallowing a potential England try. That turned him into public enemy number one in the eyes of England supporters, even though most rugby analysts believe he made the correct call. Several high-profile pundits have backed Mr Dickinson's decision, including Daily Mail columnist and former England world cup winner Matt Dawson. He said: "I was convinced it was a try, but then when they slowed it down and showed it again, you could see that his toe did just touch the line. "My heart sank because there was no way the video referee could give a try on that evidence." In a marked contrast to many football players, the England team refused to criticise the television referee, instead admitting the better team won. England's fly-half and talisman Jonny Wilkinson said: "The South Africa team deserved to win - they've been fantastic all tournament. Big respect to them - it's well-deserved."
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