Popgun

Graham Henry and his band of loser brothers deserve to be shot. We have the best team in the world, but that coaching team managed to make us losers. Shoot the whole lot of them wankers.

Mills Muliana should have been at fullback. Aaron Mauger should have been at second five. Their game plan failed but they made no effort to adjust. What a pack of losers. They have basically shit on the entire country with their incompetance.

I'm so disgusted I'll never watch another rugby game again.

Losers! Losers! Losers!

Fuck the entire team. They suck!

cry babis

Sat in front of some obnoxious NZ fans at the game last night and I'm so glad France won. Do NZ really think they have a pre-determined right to win every game? Talk about thinking you are superior - well yesterday and the last world cup showed that Southern Hemisphere rugby isn't all that it's cracked up to be. A poor England team beat a crap aussie team and a rubbish french team did away with the kiwis, who play 'pretty' rugby but have no guts up front.

I can't stand England but I'm glad that they beat Australia who are the biggest bunch of whingers ever.

To summarise - NZ and Australia are cry babies and the fans only sing when they're winning. The RWC is a better tournament without you. Good bye.

donnyboy

stop being a muppet

Luke McAlistar

Keep hold of your toys, i thought Graham Henry has done a great job since taking over although i would say his tactics in this world cup havent been correct. To many variations to the side from game to game meant the continuity that the All Blacks are known for was rarely evident on saturday. Back to the drawing board, another 4 years...

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McAlistars the man

Dupont

Best rugby team in the world eh? Even better than the world champs who are in the semi finals? Wake up, the best 4 teams are in the semi finals next week. You can be 5th best in the world though in front of those monster egoed Australians who after was all said and done were just a bunch of pussies...Much like their supporters who were gonna do this to the english and gonna do that...Dream on.

william

Allow me to explain why the selection choices you have suggested are stupid:

1. Muliaina is the best fullback in the country and since Rua Tipoki left for Japan and Richard Kahui got injured, he is also the best centre. Conrad Smith has yet to be tested against quality opposition and has nothing over Mils while Isaia Toeava is still a bit unreliable.

2. There are many reasons Aaron Mauger wasn't selected. Here are a few:
- He drops more tackles than McAlister
- He can't break the line
- His form this year has been crap (Melbourne anyone?)
- Luke McAlister can turn a game, Mauger can't

It's fans like yourself and our sporting media that have turned me from someone who loved both the union and league into a real league fan. I still like rugby, I just hate the stupid overobsessed fans.

Luke McAlistar

France were better on the day, well thats up for debate but you cant overlook what the All Blacks have done since 2005. Won the slam beating all the home nations in their home patches, by miles i might add, they destroyed the Lions in 3 consecutive tests and have won 3 consecutive tri nations plus have only lost 3 times since the last world cup. The teams in the last 4 deserve to be their, but only perhaps south africa did what france did of the semi finalists.

The All Blacks are the best team, comfortably i would say but they dont have the best temperament or even perhaps a particularily good leader in Richie McCaw, i dont think for a minute England or Argentina are anywhere near as good as the AB's because they arent remotely entertaining but they have done a solid job and i applaud them for that.

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McAlistars the man

Russ

NZ won 100% of their own set pieces and 22% of Frances's. Sounds like guts up front to me. Nobody seems to give the French credit for coming up with a strategy to win against a team that they new would dominate them. They showed enormous fortitude and some nous to hold the All Blacks out.

Ironically, the games I have enjoyed most have involved the less favoured team showing gutsy defence and treating every possible scoring opportunity like it might be their only one in the game. Argentina v France and England v Australia. To a neutral the France v NZ game must have seemed brilliant. I have watched the last 10 minutes a few times now, and think that both teams were pretty awesome. There were a couple of opportunities for drop goals, but the ABs would have expected to win a penalty or score a try. France made 178 tackles but didn't concede a penalty in the last 50 minutes.