RugbyRebels

Big D wrote:Band 1: New Zealand (1), England (2), Australia (3), Ireland (4)
Band 2: Scotland (5), France (6), South Africa (7), Wales (8)
Band 3: Argentina (9), Japan (11), Georgia (12), Italy (15)
Band 4: Americas 1, Europe 1, Oceania 1, Oceania 2
Band 5: Africa 1, Americas 2, Europe/Oceania play-off, Repechage

So best case probably:
Oz/Ireland
Scotland
Italy
USA
Namibia

Worst:
NZ
Scotland
Argentina
Fiji
Samoa/Tonga

A group of; England, SA, Georgia, Fiji, Tonga/Samoa would be pretty physical.

Is Italy really worse than Georgia?

Adder wrote:

Big D wrote:Band 1: New Zealand (1), England (2), Australia (3), Ireland (4)
Band 2: Scotland (5), France (6), South Africa (7), Wales (8)
Band 3: Argentina (9), Japan (11), Georgia (12), Italy (15)
Band 4: Americas 1, Europe 1, Oceania 1, Oceania 2
Band 5: Africa 1, Americas 2, Europe/Oceania play-off, Repechage

So best case probably:
Oz/Ireland
Scotland
Italy
USA
Namibia

Worst:
NZ
Scotland
Argentina
Fiji
Samoa/Tonga

A group of; England, SA, Georgia, Fiji, Tonga/Samoa would be pretty physical.

Is Italy really worse than Georgia?

Are they definitively better?

We know Italy well both their game and players, their best player will 36 by then and in a world cup setting I see Georgia as margnally more dangerous opponent.

Big D wrote:

Adder wrote:

Big D wrote:Band 1: New Zealand (1), England (2), Australia (3), Ireland (4)
Band 2: Scotland (5), France (6), South Africa (7), Wales (8)
Band 3: Argentina (9), Japan (11), Georgia (12), Italy (15)
Band 4: Americas 1, Europe 1, Oceania 1, Oceania 2
Band 5: Africa 1, Americas 2, Europe/Oceania play-off, Repechage

So best case probably:
Oz/Ireland
Scotland
Italy
USA
Namibia

Worst:
NZ
Scotland
Argentina
Fiji
Samoa/Tonga

A group of; England, SA, Georgia, Fiji, Tonga/Samoa would be pretty physical.

Is Italy really worse than Georgia?

Are they definitively better?

We know Italy well both their game and players, their best player will 36 by then and in a world cup setting I see Georgia as margnally more dangerous opponent.

I would be les surprised by us losing to the Italians than to the Georgians.

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I'd be surprised if either beat us.

At a world cup with their physicality, the possibility of playing them on a short turn around, and the fact it's their only time really to take multiple scalps I see Georgia as a more dangerous opponent especially the player recovery after it.

Big D wrote:I'd be surprised if either beat us.

At a world cup with their physicality, the possibility of playing them on a short turn around, and the fact it's there only time really to take multiple scalps I see Georgia as a more dangerous opponent especially the player recovery after it.

Why aren't Scots able produce the same physical players as you can see in other (European) nations? I mean Scots are not that specially small in general.

Adder wrote:

Big D wrote:I'd be surprised if either beat us.

At a world cup with their physicality, the possibility of playing them on a short turn around, and the fact it's there only time really to take multiple scalps I see Georgia as a more dangerous opponent especially the player recovery after it.

Why aren't Scots able produce the same physical players as you can see in other (European) nations? I mean Scots are not that specially small in general.

No idea. We probably do produce humans that size but getting them into rugby is another matter all together.

Adder wrote:

Big D wrote:I'd be surprised if either beat us.

At a world cup with their physicality, the possibility of playing them on a short turn around, and the fact it's there only time really to take multiple scalps I see Georgia as a more dangerous opponent especially the player recovery after it.

Why aren't Scots able produce the same physical players as you can see in other (European) nations? I mean Scots are not that specially small in general.

Kloz always used to say Scottish men were short compared to other nationalities...

The cold stunts their growth. The cold and the heroin and alcoholism.

I read some probable complete bollocks somewhere years ago that we had one of the tallest races in Europe right up until 1918.

Trench warfare, not for rangy cunts.

Edit: WWOTH tell us what it was like during the great war.

Edinburgh in Exile wrote:I read some probable complete bollocks somewhere years ago that we had one of the tallest races in Europe right up until 1918.

Trench warfare, not for rangy cunts.

Edit: WWOTH tell us what it was like during the great war.

Feck aff ya bellix.

My Grandfather fought in, and survived WW1, and he was only about 5'4", so your theory is proved correct.

Mind you, my Dad reached 6' and I am marginally under that, so I'm not sure about your other theory.

Edinburgh in Exile wrote:I read some probable complete bollocks somewhere years ago that we had one of the tallest races in Europe right up until 1918.

Trench warfare, not for rangy cunts.

Edit: WWOTH tell us what it was like during the great war.

I'm sure our average height as a nation is just fine... until you come along and bring it well below the standards set by other countries.

hugh_woatmeigh wrote:

Edinburgh in Exile wrote:I read some probable complete bollocks somewhere years ago that we had one of the tallest races in Europe right up until 1918.

Trench warfare, not for rangy cunts.

Edit: WWOTH tell us what it was like during the great war.

I'm sure our average height as a nation is just fine... until you come along and bring it well below the standards set by other countries.

I'm not sure that it is. In the same vein as EinE vaguely remembering stats, I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that the average height in Scotland has remained static, while in other countries (Netherland, Norway, England) it has increased. I would imagine that higher levels of deprivation and poor diet would at least be partly responsible.

My Great-Grandmother was 6 feet! Lived somewhere in the east end of Glasgow!

I remember reading about this a while ago. The northern and coastal areas tend to have tall scots (Viking heritage, decent diet), whereas the formerly industrial areas tend not to produce
a tall population.

Same sort of story in England. The southern English (the bit south of London to the coast) are the biggest in the UK and along with the Dutch and the Croatian Alpine population, are the tallest in Europe.

I think - was a while ago when I read all this!

Also, I would probably want to play a Parisse-less Italy over a Gorgodze-less Georgia, principally due to the physicality of the battle.

Also found this while just having a wee look now.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailyr ... 079568.amp

General Zod wrote:My Great-Grandmother was 6 feet! Lived somewhere in the east end of Glasgow!

I remember reading about this a while ago. The northern and coastal areas tend to have tall scots (Viking heritage, decent diet), whereas the formerly industrial areas tend not to produce
a tall population.

Same sort of story in England. The southern English (the bit south of London to the coast) are the biggest in the UK and along with the Dutch and the Croatian Alpine population, are the tallest in Europe.

I think - was a while ago when I read all this!

Also, I would probably want to play a Parisse-less Italy over a Gorgodze-less Georgia, principally due to the physicality of the battle.

My Great Granny was 6ft too and from the outer Hebrides. My Gran was 5ft 10, her father was a weegie midget. My Grandfatherwas 6ft 4 and from Dingwall. That would sort of go with your theory.

General Zod wrote:Also found this while just having a wee look now.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailyr ... 079568.amp

"the Scots came second only to the French"

Well all 3 teams in group A will be reasonably happy. Not ideal to get Japan but we should still deal with them.

Pool 3 is the pool of death

England France Argentina America 1 and oceania 2....

Pool A: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Europe 1, Play-off winner
Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Africa 1, Repechage winner
Pool C: England, France, Argentina, Americas 1, Oceania 2
Pool D: Australia , Wales, Georgia, Oceania 1, Americas 2

We could potentially top that pool. Good news!

And we shouldn't get too many injuries.

If the draw follows the same format as the last RWC, the pool winner faces the runner up in group B in the QFs.

What a draw.

I wouldn't underestimate Japan though. They peaked under Eddie Jones but this is a home RWC for them.

Do we know what the fixtures are for the next round? Who does the winner of our pool play?

General Zod wrote:If the draw follows the same format as the last RWC, the pool winner faces the runner up in group B in the QFs.

If true, bad news for us. SA is one of the teams that scare me. They just seem to be able to steamroller and stifle us in recent years. Despite the difference in rankings between the two I'd choose Oz every day.

That's always the case. What will be will be. Need to get out of the group 1st.

I imagine it will be Romania and Tonga that makee up the group?

It's a great pool draw I just don't think topping the pool helps much. We desperately need an AI against SA before this RWC. I think the last time we beat them was with Hines at blindside - so must be 7 or 8 year ago.