Rugby World Cup as told by a person who doesn't like the sport
I'm American. We don't like rugby. I would chance to say that a vast majority of the population of USA don't really have much of an idea how the game works. We are equally stunned to find out that our nation actually qualifies for this global competition well, for as long as i have been a adult. It likely has something to do with USA being in a weak division. I don't know. I don't care enough to check.
However, when you live overseas as I do, you come to accept the fact that most of the people that are also expats have slightly different ideas about sports than you do and they really really like rugby.... and that is fine with me. In the end, I enjoy it and today's game was no exception.
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England vs. New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup Semi-Finals
or as I like to call it, Saturday.
I went to the local bar that advertised that this match would be on and i watched it intently. I am no newcomer to the sport,... I just don't like it very much. However, I do like my friends, many of which are British so i watched it and cheered along but since i like to be antagonistic, i cheered for the All Blacks which as it would turn out were a favorite to win this game by 8 points or so according to the Las Vegas betting lines.
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I don't think you need to know much about this sport in order to understand that when one team spends almost no time in a scoring position that it shouldn't be any sort of surprise when that team doesn't do well. This is precisely what happened with New Zealand.
In the entire first half, the All Blacks spent only 4% of the game in a position where it was likely to result in a try (which is a term that I always and still do, find to be a bit silly of a word for scoring)...
In the bar I was in, the patrons were around 50% English so this very much appealed to them. However, i think the biggest fun was provided by the fact that none of them came into this game actually expecting to win.
New Zealand is always expected to win the World Cup simply because they are normally the best in the world at this sport...... but not today they weren't.
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When the final whistle sounded New Zealand had been handily defeated 19-7. This was not a fluke either. I know extremely little about the sport but I can tell when one team can't get anything done against another team in any sport, well... they are gonna lose! The All Blacks were completely incapable of moving the ball down the field against a completely superior English side for the entire game. It was a really one-sided affair with NZ's only try coming at the hands of an England side-out error (basically, it was a fluke score.)
It is always a surprise and a disappointment when the All Blacks are eliminated from a competition but in this particular situation they were just totally beaten on all fronts. Despite the fact that I know very little about the sport there was no denying that the English side was simply a lot better than the Kiwis were.
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I don't like to see the New Zealand side lose because i know a lot of people from that country and I know how important it is to them seeing as how it is really the only sport they stand a chance at excelling at on the global stage. However, it is undeniable that they were not the better team here.... England was vastly superior in every imaginable way.
England deserves their spot in the final and now it just remains to be seen who it is their opponent will be. South Africa and Wales play tomorrow.
Where does your money lie? I am planning on betting $100 on South Africa beating Wales by more than 7 points.
I am happy for England as they really deserved it. $100 on SA by more than 7 should be a comfortable one. Then again after today who knows. It just goes to show what can happen in a knockout game. Sporting terminology is weird and it is like American football when you score a touch down, but the ball doesn't actually touch the ground. I can see a post on this one.
Yeah, i'm worried after yesterday's game. The people that were in the bar took moneyline on NZ and were basically convinced it was a lock... you never can predict what will happen at this level of play.
Even though i am not a fan of the sport (well, i am now, but only just) I was frustrated for the Kiwis because anything they tried to do failed. Towards the end when frustration and desperation started to kick in, the team looked disorganized and chaotic as they scrambled to try to move the ball down the field in a frantic manor... but all in vain. The England defense was just too coordinated and strong.
You don't love rugby? That's my second love after soccer. I live for it and luckily, our country tries to give me minimal micro heart attacks. All blacks can be good players at times. They are actually. SA is a good team and your expectations can be met but then again in sports you can never be too sure!
it isn't my intention to say anyone is wrong for enjoying a sport, i just think we are all products of our individual environments. I would say that I likely didn't even know what rugby was (or that it was even a sport) until i was a teenager... it just isn't something that was / is talked about in USA at all but the reverse is also true. When i sit with people that are excited about the world cup i enjoy it because my pals are really excited about it... and that is enough for me.
They return the favor by watching NFL with me and are just as unimpressed by that sport as I am by rugby. It's just different... not better, not worse.
True because I in return know nothing about NFL! It's all about traditions as sports has much to do with traditions 🤷♀️
Man! So strange to see the kiwis knocked out.
Being your northern neighbour, we don’t seem to care about rugby much either. Not that we are distracted by American sports like lawn tractor racing and the like ;)
Now I want to tune in and see how the finals go. Thanks!
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I was privy to a tractor pull last time i was in the states and other than the extreme noise i don't understand the appeal. I suppose really big powerful machines pulling heavy stuff appeals to some people. I'm not gonna judge... go ahead and like whatever you want to!
I watched a little bit of the match while I was trying to warm up in the trailer. I was actually a bit surprised that the score was where it was when I turned the TV on. I really wish I understood the rules more. I think I have picked up some stuff here or there, but I am still confused by a lot of it. I don't understand why the one team doesn't run back to score when they intercept the ball. They basically just give it back to the other team. That seems crazy to me :)