Rugby World Cup

[brettig]

norwich no, newcastle yes...swing low, sweet shearerot

 

[cass]

I've just been listening to a live radio broadcast from darling harbour in sydney
some of the English supporters have only just arrived..to watch the one game and then go home on Monday..what a journey!!
they were good sports , only about a dozen of them sang"sweet chariot" on the radio in front of an Aussie audience. Just because of that, I'd like to see them take the Cup home. ( I have had the misfortune of seeing a group of rugby guys sing that song...with hand actions..)
Our local Union team is called "The Redmen", their uniform is red and white. I don't think I'll wear my club tie tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to the game.
** cass waits for the billy to boil** matilda

and h'hmmmmmmm...the commentator on the radio said Oz should win 'cause they are the only nation that don't wear those poofy shirts...I like those poofy shirts...on frederic

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

morning (or indeed, it's more or less noon in oz now isn't it?)cassie! I can't wait for the final tomorrow. The English and the Aussies have two of the greatest sets of fans in the world so the atmosphere's going to be absolutely brilliant. I think England will pinch it....with a last minute Jonny Wilkinson, MBE, drop goal. Am I tempting fate? I hope not.

oh, and I thought I'd post this. from the beeb.

Fans set for final song-fare

By Bryan Palmer
BBC Sport in Sydney

English fans clear their throats
Five minutes into the first of the World Cup semi-finals, a familiar anthem echoed around Sydney's Telstra Stadium.

Lo and behold, the first strains of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' were already burning our ears.

But hang on a minute, this was Australia versus New Zealand. Was this a secret Kiwi tactic aimed at winding up their trans-Tasman rivals?

Or more likely, was it the pockets of England supporters warming up for the following day's tete-a-tete with France?

The gesture brought a suitably peeved response, and was promptly drowned out by a hail of boos and a retaliatory chorus of 'Waltzing Matilda'.

The same sequence is likely to be repeated many times over on Saturday, when the battle for supremacy in the stands will be just as fiercely contested as that on the pitch in the World Cup final.

Although Australia are hoping to reap the benefits of playing in front of a 'home' crowd, almost half of a capacity 83,500 audience are expected to be England fans.

And judging by their performance in the semi-final win over France, it will be a surprise if the 'Barmy Army' do not drown out the Wallabies' own support.

The tone will be set at the anthems, where the red rose supporters will be keen to put down a marker with first crack at 'God Save Our Queen'.

The green and gold will not have it all their own way at home
The green-and-gold masses will then try to raise the decibel levels with 'Advance Australia Fair', before no doubt lapsing into the first of many 'Waltzing Matildas'.

But the most interesting aspect of the fans' song-fare could be as each set try to out-do each other's own favourites.

The red-and-white ranks have promised to sing their own version of 'Waltzing Matilda', which they claim is better than their hosts.

Australian supporters have also been encouraged to come up with their own alternatives to the Poms' favourite dirge.

'Swing low, swing at Jonny, the Poms will have to carry him home', was one offering.

'So low, sweet charlatans, comin' fore to kick a field goal,' was another.

England fans, meanwhile, have been warming up by running through a specially-prepared 'Songs of Praise' songbook.

It features individual tributes to Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Jonny Wilkinson and (Here's to you) Jason Robinson.

Expect to hear a jaunty number too about about Australians living in a convict colony, to the tune of 'Yellow Submarine'.

Whichever team triumphs, a host of quintessentially Aussie or English tunes will be belted out over the Telstra Stadium public address system.

Last weekend the locals partied down to Men At Work's 'Down Under', while English fans danced and sang to 'Help', 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Money Can't Buy Me Love'.

Should Jonny Wilkinson kick all the points in another English victory, the Barmy Army will surely be tempted to launch into their version of 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary'.

The ditty's chorus lines concludes with: 'It's a long way to the try-line, but England knows the way'.

Guaranteed to wind the Aussies up, that one.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Yes, good work...convicts...Brit convicts...! The atmosphere will be something else.

 

[cass]

G'day yertle

sun's over the yardarm mate...by a long shot. 2pm..shhh( I'm not still here, it's my evil twin..)

ahh footy anthems...I saw a funny thing on Jacaranda Thursday, a bunch of women dressed up as rugby players, unfortunately miming to the song "I Put My Finger in The Woodpecker's Hole"..oh dear...sports mad is the right term for it

but it's all in good fun...if the Wallabies win salome has picked a good time to be in Coffs Harbour....it's the Wallabies hometown, where they train. Although they will probably have been and gone by then. My father-in-law worked for an AFL team and they always took a nice overseas jaunt if they won the grandfinal. He still has his sombrero from Mexico and puts in on when he's in "that" mood.,,reliving the glory.

I must admit with our population ratio, we do OK on the sports field....I get caught up in it all...I love yelling at the TV


see ya...I'm off to buy beer

 

[cass]

well I got the beer...but I can't drink it...long story..journal material

I was listening to the radio...again
Pete Murray was being interviewed and he played his song "feeler", live and acoustic...just beautiful, delicate
The interviewer asked him if he was interested in the Rugby World Cup. Turns out he played for Brisbane Brothers team with John Ells, and he is playing a gig outside the field tomorrow- Overflow Park 5-6 am - and then going to watch the game. Cool beans.
He's playing at the Gaelic Club in Sydney tonight. That should be full house.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

all in all it's been a really crap sporting year for England vs. Australia

first they get whacked in the Ashes
and then it's the tennis Davis Cup
and you think well, oh, here's the footy, of course England's going to win, but Harry Kewell messed all that up

but I don't think this will carry over.

 

[brettig]

why do you support the poms yertle? they don't need ya, honest.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

lol

I don't know why. I suppose if Japan were still in it and they had to play England I'd support Japan of course, but for some odd reason I veer towards the Poms in stuff like the Six Nations and the knockout stages of the RWC. I think the fact they were the first team I actually watched has something to do with it.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

man that sounded really feeble

 

[brettig]

Indeed

 

[bono_man2002]

GO THE WALLABIES!
BRING WILL HOME AGAIN!

*edit because pic was MASSIVE

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

5-14

I'm off for the 2nd half

 

[bono_man2002]

14-17 at the end of the 1st Extra half....

c'mon the aussies!!

 

[bono_man2002]

they played as well as they could.....

well done england , and we got the final we wanted a bloody great close game

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

my word what a final. i'm utterly speechless.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

btw, was i dreaming, or did ben kay drop his medal?

 

[brettig]

[cliche]Rugby was the winner[/cliche]

Full credit to England, they got there by sheer wilkinsonpower in the end...they sure had to fight for it.

 

[brettig]

and doesn't Johnson know the webb ellis trophy has handles.

 

[CrashedCarDriver]

the good thing about england winning the cup is we get to hear better celebration music

if australia won (even though i wanted because i like seeing the english be miserable) we would have had to listen to stuff like cold chisel, acdc and what not

if only ireland won

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

don't knock ac/dc

 

[bono_man2002]

ah now for the best of Roy & HG....now thats television!

 

[cass]

who wrote that script?
I thought the best team on the night won...I didn't want to see it go to golden goal( or whatever they call it in rugby.. that is a cruel way to decide a GF imho.)
It was a good series,there will be a few sore heads in Manly I'd guess...
fe fi fo fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman,
it smells like team spirit , it smells like beers,
bring back your chariot, see ya in four years

PS: keep an eye out for AJ Whalley, a friend of my son's being groomed for the Wallabies front row. He's only a little tacker yet, 21yo, 110kgs...he needs to bulk up...says AJ "....I had a big reservation if I moved to prop I wasn't going to enjoy my rugby as much, but after speaking to Dick( Richard Harry) he said his enjoyment actually went through the roof. He loved it. I'm keen now and 100% committed to the challenge.."

Congratulations England @-------->------
Bravo to all the teams.

 

[meegannie]

and doesn't Johnson know the webb ellis trophy has handles.

That's what Sam was saying this morning. "He looks like such a retard! He obviously hasn't had enough trophy-holding experience!

"

I couldn't see because I'd just woken up and didn't have my contacts in.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

 

[TylerDurden]

....so.....f*cking.....hungover.....

Incredible game. Heartbreaking but exciting result. Fantastic night out in downtown Sydney.

 

[cass]

I listened to the radio feedback yesterday. A lot of people mentioned they were offended by the way the medals were presented to the Australian players. I didn't see it, I drove home as soon as the game ended.

I heard 3 very funny Englishmen being interviewed...they had hired a winnebago and driven up and down the East Coast following the games....they'd bought lots of wine in the Hunter Valley... butthey don't remember buying it.They'd bought champagne to take home to their families...but they drank it on Saturday night...woops.
Their biggest challenge yesterday was to clean the Winnebago..they had to return it to the hire company. Gosh they were funny.
Bye Bye all the visitors

PS: I loved the RWC choir that sang at the closing ceremony, that little 9 year old boy who sang like an angel...and to Kate's performance of "true colours"


Hey tyler..would you like some bacon and eggs..or sardines..or both?**cass sings "swing low sweet chariot"..LOUDLY!!...

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

I'm going to miss Shane Howarth's broad New Zealand accent (Shane's did media work for our Asian broadcaster throughout the tournament and did his job admirarly).