Australia out of Junior World Cup

[pieter blackie]

England became the first side to reach the IRB Junior World Championship 2008 semi-finals after edging a tight but enthralling clash with Australia 18-13 at Rodney Parade in Newport on Saturday.

It was hardly a classic full of running rugby that the Newport crowds had witnessed on the opening two match days, but it was a game you could barely take your eyes off as Pool C’s top two teams went toe to toe and slugged it out in what was a feisty affair from the very first minute.

Australia went into half-time looking visibly shaken as the.......read the rest of the article here ----------------- and another article here

[lara93]

awwww
well done boys anyway!
wooo bam bam!

[slomo]

the game was shown on foxsports trhis morning, i caught the second half, terrible way to end the game for DHP......

[robyn <3]

oh well... they tried

[jono]

bugger!

[Burgs]

It happens and they will be far better for the experience as individuals and a group, that's what the tournament is about.
Shame they won't get to play it out but I'm tipping that several will be seen in green and gold again before the end of the year.

[James]

It happens and they will be far better for the experience as individuals and a group, that's what the tournament is about.
Shame they won't get to play it out but I'm tipping that several will be seen in green and gold again before the end of the year.

Too right Burgs. Until that 78th minute charge down they were beating a team that was playing practically at home and in their ideal conditions. The English team has also spent a lot of time together playing a fair few matches together when they won the U20 Six Nations. I know we both sound like losing coaches but there are a lot of positives to take out of it and they still will get a game against Samoa and one of Argentina and France.

[GIGS20]

From what I saw, we would have been out of reach had it not been for poor kicking out of hand and dropped ball.....Essentially the number 10!

Genia was a dynamo and a deserved MOM, replace Cordingley with him.

Dane looked good but was put under heaps of pressure at times, generally by massive line speed from the Poms and ordinary service from the fatties (we continue to have trouble with other teams pushing our fat men around what is that?)

Bam Bam was willing, but I think the ref wasn't buying his baby-faced "who me?" at all, he got pinged for some pretty hard calls, he's starting to get a reputation as a number 7 who bends the rules....shame all the best ones bend the rules and get away with it....Maybe when he's a Wallaby next week he'll get away with it too!

Ratu's a monster! he nearly scored a Johna Lomu Mike Catt try earlier in the second half but wasn't confident to leave studmarks all over the poor fullback's face.

Tight five were beaten soundly in my books...we HAVE to do something about that...maybe we should stop exporting pies until we get it right!

[gotheforce]

to be honest, england did look the better side.
Dane was a little off the ball and just didnt have his best game. Missed tackles +bad decision making just made it worse.
Quade Cooper actually looked semi-impressive at pivot. And his kicking game was pretty good as well. See his conversion from the sideline!
Didn't think much of Blair Connor, missed his fair share of tackles.
Pocock looked alright, not the best game, but still one of the better guys on the team.

Quite disappointing cos i expected this team to go all the way. But oh well, at least it brings Pocock back to try out for the wallabies.

[Burgs]

Good to hear re Genia Gigs, been a supporter of his for higher honours for a fair while now!