I agree that a second NZ team is a real option, there are plenty of NZ born and raised kids that are in other NRL sides, and of course their under 20's team is so good, i think it is time to strike over there and run off the warriors success and add a second side perhaps based in Wellington.

Looking forward to this final. I will be there live! I think if Manly win it will be by a decent amount and if NZ win it will be a close one. I'm backing NZ mostly because I'm going with Manly fans.

thats good that you are going, any GF has an awesome atmosphere, im looking forward to the game, but i now have mixed feeling about who to cheer for. All this manly hatred is so cliched now, i like some of their players eg foran, cherry evans, hopoate, brett stewart , even Rose and galuvao, they are characters. I picked warriors as a smokey a few weeks back, and also like some of their players like Luck, mannering, johnson, maloney, vatuvei, rapira, locke, so im kind of in too minds. My pick is Manly, but i will probably cheer for warriors, even though the new zealanders will gloat and give it to us for months.

i guess i'll check out the rugby world cup more now until the kangaroos kick into action, its good that they picked a few new faces in the squad.

The rugby world cup has been great so far. Plenty of great games, most of the minnows have performed well and a couple of big upsets. Great crowds and atmosphere in NZ as well.

Wales and Ireland funnily enough have looked most impressive. Well NZ have probably looked the best but without Dan Carter they're no longer the sure thing they were before. South Africa, Australia, France and England have all looked vulnerable. You'd expect NZ to beat Argentina but the other quarter finals are all toss ups. Hopefully the Wallabies can beat South Africa. If it's dry I'm confident, if wet I doubt we'll win.

Mint, the Wallabies big test is against the springboks, they'll know more about where they are at.

Mint,

What have you made of the rugby on the weekend? i dont know how the wallabies won with about 25% possession but they did, even though i thought the game as a whole was ordinary with some dumb plays lack of ingenuity. France and Wales played well and did what they had to do to win, wales are a surprise packet and will probably make the final. The all blacks were unconvincing yet won comfortably.
The wallabies may beat the all blacks but all the all blacks have to do is improve slightly on form and they will win, even with the injuries thay have. The wallabies defend and scramble well but they dont have much enterprise, cooper is playing like a park bum, Barnes showed more than cooper when he was on, even Beale is stuffing around and doing dumb plays. Basically whoever wins out of the wallabies and allblacks win probably win it.

France will win. Don't worry

blacks, wales.

wales make those penalties they beat a south africa team they outplayed in the group. not to mention they beat a pretty decent irish team and looked good doing it.

wales win it all.

I think Wales have looked the best recently as well, but whether they could beat France and New Zealand or Australia in consecutive weeks is a big if. On ability they can do it, but mentally is another factor. Great to see them playing so well though. No one was tipping them as a contender before the tournament, their young players have really stepped up.

The Wales vs Ireland quarter final was the most entertaining but I thought the Wallabies vs Boks game was brilliant. It was so intense, and I still don't know how the wallabies won. We made almost 200 more tackles than they did. Just incredible. Tactically we played stupidly though. Cooper had a bad game and kept kicking away decent ball, and kicking poorly too. Plus we couldn't win our own lineout ball and our handling wasn't great. Somehow we managed to hold off wave after wave of Bok attack. Pocock was unbelievable, without him we would have been thrashed. It's impossible to overrate how important he was.

I'm tipping a Wales vs NZ final but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was the opposite. Wallabies vs AB's will be awesome. I think we'll play well but just fall short. Cooper will play better with Barnes beside him to take some pressure off. Should be a good sunday of trans tasman matches with the league game on before it as an appetizer.

Pocock was unbelievable, he holds that side together when needed, i think the wallabies can win, that performance against the boks would have given them a boost even though they played ordinary at times but they hung in there with littlle possession. I cant understand why at times players put through a lame kick to nonone or kick out in poor field position giving the opposition a lineout when they could work the ball upfield and kick deep in a corner and make the opposition kick out or force an error. One time beale caught the ball 22 out mid field, had a cup of tea and a nap, then kicked it out in his own half and gave the boks a lineout 40 out, am i missing something? anyway australia V Wales for the final.

Naaaaaah NZ vs France 4 the final

That is the most likey game, but the "peoples game " would be a Wallabies V Wales, with the wallabies winning in the dying moments with a 50 meter field goal, can rugby produce such an epic finish?

You're pretty close to describing the 2003 world cup final...not quite 50 out but a field goal off the wrong foot. Though obviously with the wrong side winning.

I think the best final from a rugby perspective would be NZ vs Wales...probably the two most passionate rugby countries in the world and they're playing the best style of game. But the best from a making me happy perspective would be Australia vs Wales. Thus France are now certainties.

NZ V France is the most likely match up and France are playing on team spirit as they apparently hate their coach and aren't doing it for him, will that bring them undone next game? can the wallabies out muscle and out defend the all blacks? all will be revealed soon...