Racing a cheetah, Bryan Habana, the man England must stop to win the Rugby World Cup

 

Last updated at 13:39pm on 16th October 2007 Comments (5)

It was only a charity stunt, but it can't have done English spirits much good to see South Africa's flying winger Bryan Habana, who can run 100m in 11 seconds, keeping pace with a cheetah.

 

Habana has taken the World Cup by storm, equalling Jonah Lomu's tournament record of eight tries. . .

 

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On your marks: Bryan Habana keeps pace with a cheetah

 

 

Read more...

• Rugby World Cup: Paris overflows with English fans
  
• Rugby World Cup: Inside the tortured mind of our hero Jonny Wilkinson
  
• Gordon Brown to join England fans at Rugby final

He agreed to race the big cat in a convervationists' promotion. The cheetah was chasing a leg of lamb propelled in front of it, while Habana was chasing mere glory.

 

Unfortunately for England, a marksman with a tranquiliser gun was on hand in case the animal got a taste for human

 

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Habana overtakes: He is widely regarded as the fastest rugby player on the planet

 

 

Habana is regarded as the fastest rugby player on the planet, but organisers decided even he needed help against an animal which can accelerate from 0-60mph in three seconds and has a top speed of 70mph.

 

They gave him a 30m head start and the race was a draw... England beware!

 

Watch the video here

 

 

The race between the two sprinters was a draw, although Habana was given a 30m head start

It's a shame he didn't get injured at that would have been irony.

It's a shame he didn't get injured at that would have been irony.

 

That's OK, England's big "Catt" will take him out.:rolleyes:

Mc_Squared, I had some room left in my tube for your fellows, and also one in my cellar. :laugh3:

Mc_Squared, I had some room left in my tube for your fellows, and also one in my cellar. :laugh3:

 

Tube??:confused:

French strike forces Eurostar cancellations and puts rugby fans' travel plans in chaos

 

Last updated at 10:41am on 18th October 2007 Comments

Eurostar has cancelled six of its scheduled trains today as a massive public transport strike crippled Paris - leaving England fans battling to get to the other side of the Channel in time for Saturday's Rugby World Cup final desperately seeking other routes to the French capital.

Some 60,000 England fans were expected to make the trip to Paris today or tomorrow for a long weekend of - hopefully - victorious rugby celebrations.

However with Eurostar services cancelled and other transport in and out of Paris thrown into disarray by the strike, England fans were having to rely on their wits - and prayers - to get to the stadium in time.

The 16.12 Waterloo-Paris, 16.39 Waterloo-Brussels, 17.40 Waterloo-Paris, and 17.43 Paris-Waterloo services today have all been cancelled. This morning's 6.22 Paris-Waterloo service and 9.09 Waterloo-Paris services were also cancelled.

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Stubborn: If the England team can make it to the final so can the fans, faithful supporters are insisting despite the chaos caused by the transport strike

 

Read more...

• How Kenny Roger's hit The Gambler has inspired the England rugby team to the World Cup final
  
• The French are out of the Rugby World Cup... so now they go on strike for the final

Tomorrow, the 06.22 Paris-Waterloo, 16.39 Waterloo-Brussels, 07.05 Brussels-Waterloo, and 17.05 Brussels-Waterloo services have been cancelled.

Other trains could be cancelled at short notice, Eurostar warned. Other Eurostar trains originally scheduled to pass through Lille will be bypassing the city over the next few days, the company's website said.

Travelling to Paris was already a problem for England fans, with Eurostar services direct to the city and commercial flights almost entirely sold out and ferry bookings spiralling.

Stubborn England fans were not deterred, however.

Robin Wright, from Fulham, said: "If our boys could make it all the way against huge odds, the least we can do is give it our all to get to that game to cheer them on."

John Alexander, 31, from Stoke said: "The French couldn't do it on the rugby field so now they are trying to spoil the final for us with one of their strikes. Even if it means boarding ships and sailing into Calais, I'll be at that final."

The fans will need that determination: with all 75,000 hotel rooms in Paris booked for the weekend, England supporters have been told their best hope for accommodation is to take a tent.

Though the transport strike is billed to last just one day, unions could vote to extend it into tomorrow, further disrupting Eurostar services on the eve of the final.

The strike, billed as France's biggest in years, was in full swing today, with commuters forced to walk, pedal or drive to work in large numbers - and many staying home.

The full impact of the walkout would not be known for hours, but unions were hoping to send a message to conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy by bringing buses, subways and trains to a grinding halt across France.

"Am I for it? Non! They infuriate us," Charlotte Ardant, a perfume industry worker, said of the unions. She said she slept at a friend's house last night to be closer to her office.

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Six Eurostar services have already been cancelled for today and four for tomorrow as the strike cripples France

 

Unions are protesting Sarkozy's plan to trim special retirement packages for some workers, part of his pledge to rein in state costs. The strikes began yesterday evening and were to last through today.

Large numbers of people cycled in Paris during the early rush. But in the suburbs, many people appeared to have taken the day off or were working from home instead of attempting to venture into Paris.

Three of Paris' 14 subway lines were shut, and only one subway train in 10 was running on most lines, the RATP transport authority said. Several commuter rail lines in Paris were closed, while platforms for those still running were unusually empty. Some commuters heading to work said they feared not being able to get back home later today.

The national rail network said it would be "nearly paralysed". Fewer than one in 12 high-speed TGV trains were operating, regional trains were virtually at a standstill, and many suburban commuters were cut off from neighboring cities by public transport, it said.

Three in five Thalys trains to Belgium and the Netherlands, said national rail operator SNCF.

Flights in and out of Paris were unaffected, said the Paris airports authority and Air France, adding that some travelers may have had trouble getting to the airport via commuter trains.

While cars clogged Paris streets earlier and in greater numbers than on most days, highways around the capital were oddly empty. The national road information service said that at 8 a.m. there were only 76 kilometres (47 miles) of traffic jams, down from 157 kilometres (97 miles) on an average Thursday.

Sarkozy appeared unfazed, saying Tuesday night he would push through the reforms regardless of protests because "that's what I was elected for". He was to be in Portugal at a EU summit today.

Labour leaders hoped the walkout would recall 1995 strikes that paralyzed the country and sapped then-President Jacques Chirac's drive for reform. Those strikes - also involving retirement rights - dragged on for three weeks.

The strikes could overflow into Friday. Three train federations were calling for a daily vote on whether to extend the strikes. And even if the protests end today, train traffic was expected to remain disrupted Friday, train officials said.

The pension plans under threat, which cover workers across the labor market, were originally devised to give advantages to those in physically demanding jobs, such as miners and train drivers.

Workers covered by the special pensions are able to retire earlier and on more generous terms than the vast majority of the French working population.

"They're going too far. They are incredibly self-centered. I'm really disappointed," commuter Muriel Lepetit, who works for a French pen and razor company, said while waiting at Gare St. Lazare station in Paris in hopes of catching one of the few trains running. "We're all worried about the financing of retirement."

Sarkozy, who pledged changes to France's labor protections during his election campaign earlier this year, deems the benefits too costly, outdated and unfair.

I meant in my tub, sorry, i have mispelled the name.

I meant in my tub, sorry, i have mispelled the name.

 

Bathtub??:rolleyes:

Jason Robinson, Andrew Sheridan and Johnny Wilkinson are standing before God at the throne of Heaven. God looks at them and says; "before granting you a place at my side, I must first ask you what you believe in." Addressing Robinson first he asks, "what do you believe?" Robinson looks God in the eye and states passionately, "I believe Rugby to be the food of life. Nothing else brings such unbridled joy to so many people from the grim North to the bright lights of Twickenham. I have devoted my life to bring such joy to people who stood on the terraces supporting their club." God looks up and offers Robinson the seat to his left.

He then turns to Sheridan, "and you, Andy, what do you believe?" Sheridan stands tall and proud, "I believe courage, honour and passion are the fundamentals to life and I've spent my whole playing career providing a living embodiment of these traits." God, moved by the passion of the speech offers Sheridan the seat to his right.

Finally, he turns to Wilkinson, "and you, Johnny, what do you believe?"

"I believe..." says Wilkinson "...you're sitting in my seat."

when you've got to go, you've got to go...

 

A man had great tickets for the Rugby World Cup 2007 final. As he sits down, another comes over and asks if anyone is sitting in the seat next to him. "No," he says, "the seat is empty."

"This is incredible!" said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Final and not use it?"

He says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. My wife was Supposed to come with me, but she passed away. This is the first World Cup Final we haven't been to together since we got married."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. Couldn't you find someone else - a friend or relative, or even a neighbour to take the seat?"

"They're all at the funeral".

:shocked3:

Now, FRANCE v. ARGENTINA (for the 3rd place). Who is going to win ?

Hands up if you don't care about the 3rd place playoff.

 

*Raises hand*

I do. It's better than nothing. For the time being, we're even not sure to be 3rd if you're following the match. "Everything is not lost" :dozey:

The main match is tomorrow.

 

The 1995 champions against the 2003 champions. France is the best rugby team never to have won the Webb Ellis Cup.

France has lost vs Argentina (10-34). :(

That was a proper rugby match :D thoroughly enjoyed watching

France 10-34 Argentina

 

Argentina and France contested a fiery, passionate encounter

 

France (3) 10

Try: Poitrenaud

Pens: Elissalde

Cons: Beauxis

 

Argentina (17) 34

Tries: F Contepomi (2), Hasan, Aramburu, Corleto

Cons: F Contepomi (3)

Pens: F Contepomi

 

Argentina powered to a convincing victory over France to claim third place in the Rugby World Cup on Friday.

 

The Pumas, the revelation of the tournament, ran in five tries to snuff out French hopes of revenge for their opening-match defeat last month.

 

Argentina scored through Felipe Contepomi and Omar Hasan in a fractious first half for 17-3 at the break.

 

Further scores from Federico Aramburu, Ignacio Corleto and Contepomi heaped further embarrassment on France.

 

Full-back Clement Poitrenaud scored a late consolation for Bernard Laporte's side but Argentina made it six wins out of seven against the French following their 17-12 victory in the pool stages.

 

"If we'd scored earlier we could have done things differently. But hats off to Argentina, they've had a superb World Cup," said France manager Jo Maso.

 

The third-place play-off is often dubbed "the match that no-one wants" but both sides came out brimming with passion.

 

France were bright and vibrant and willing to play far more rugby than the territory-dominated kick-fests of their last two matches.

 

Les Bleus, with nine changes from the semi-final against England, enjoyed several promising early attacks before centre David Marty touched down, only to be called back after Aurelien Rougerie's quick line-out was deemed illegal.

 

Argentina, who had made five changes from their defeat by South Africa, were intent on spoiling France's farewell party and took on the hosts, toe-to-toe at times, as sporadic fighting marked the first quarter.

 

Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and Felipe Contepomi traded kicks before the fired-up French crossed again, though this time flanker Yannick Nyanga was called back for a forward pass.

 

But Argentina turned up the gas on an already heated encounter when they demonstrated the effectiveness of their free-flowing rugby with two tries in four minutes.

 

Felipe Contepomi sliced over first after good timing down the Pumas backs, before Hasan burrowed over following a piece of good fortune when the ball bounced back off the posts from Juan Martin Hernandez's drop-goal attempt.

 

Contepomi's conversion made it 17-3 to Argentina and the Pumas did well to resist a heavy late barrage at their line.

 

France went close to narrowing the gap but Yannick Nyanga dropped the ball diving for the line.

 

But both sides went in with 14 men after France skipper Raphael Ibanez and Argentine lock Rimas Alvarez were sin-binned in a bad-tempered end to the half.

 

Ten minutes after the break, France found themselves further behind when Corleto broke the line and linked with Manuel Contepomi, who quickly fed the ball through the hands of Patricio Albacete, Hernandez and Alvarez before Aramburu scampered over in the right corner.

 

France glimpsed a moment of salvation when Argentine replacement Juan Manuel Leguizamon was sin-binned for a shoulder charge on French substitute Sebastien Chabal.

 

But all hope was extinguished when Horacio Agulla attacked from his own 22 and fed Corleto, who hared home from 60 yards out into the left corner.

 

France scored a consolation through Poitrenaud on 68 minutes and looked to be finishing strongly but Argentina refused to wilt and worked in Felipe Contepomi for a fifth try with four minutes left.

 

Argentina's second victory in five weeks over the Six Nations champions made their case even stronger for inclusion into one of the world's major rugby tournaments.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

France: Poitrenaud, Rougerie, Marty, Skrela, Dominici, Michalak, Elissalde; Poux, Ibanez, De Villiers, Nallet, Thion, Nyanga, Dusautoir, Harinordoquy.

Replacements: Bruno, Mas, Chabal, Martin, Mignoni, Beauxis, Clerc.

 

Argentina: Corleto; Aramburu, M Contepomi, F Contepomi, Agulla; JM Hernandez, Pichot; Roncero, Vernet Basualdo, Hasan, Alvarez Kairelis, Albacete, Durand, JM Fernandez Lobbe, Longo Elia.

Replacements: Ayerza, Guinazu, Lozada, Leguizamon, Fernandez Miranda, Todeschini, Senillosa.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7051512.stm

We'll see tonight who will win, England or South Africa. I want England to win.

i daren't even think about it

:worried2: :sweatdrop: :sick2: :curtain:

How that ??:dozey:

It's Rugby not Cricket :rolleyes:

They have their chance otherwise they wouldn't be there anymore.:) Has it occured to you that France would have beaten All Blacks ? Everyone was amazed.

 

Where is everyone ?

Well done to South Africa.

 

*Says nothing about dodgy try decision by Aussie Video Ref*

Yes they've played very well. England has done its best.