OT: USA Eagles v. All Blacks // Nov 1, 2014 // Soldier Field

Andi Obst · Post #21 » by **Andi Obst** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:32 am

I will never forget how I played rugby for the first time in my life in New Zealand. Painful experience.

Their love for the sport is amazing, the games of our school team were definitely some of the highlights of my time there. And yeah, the haka is f****** awesome.

Post #22 » by **suckfish** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 2:31 pm

Rugby. Is. Fantastic.

flat_eric · Post #23 » by **flat_eric** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:42 pm

SOLD OUT

85Bears · Post #24 » by **85Bears** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:02 pm

Just picked up 8 cases of beer to throw in the back of truck. A Free beer to any Real GM poster who finds a black Ford F150 with a topper in the South Lot and says 85 Bears rule.

navdeep_singh · Post #25 » by **navdeep_singh** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 11:45 pm

Really really looking forward to this. We used to be able to catch tri nations games on Fox sports, but then they went away. Luckily I found an Aussie website that torrented all the games. I must have about 425 GB of matches on my computer.every World Cup final, every World Cup match from 2007 and 2011, every tri nations match from 2005, every six Nations mats from 2008.

I remember when the US play New Zealand in basketball and the expression on Larry Brown's and Allen Iverson's face when confronted with the Haka. By the way, the New Zealand basketball team is known as the tall blacks.

Anyone who criticizes the sport has no clue where American football came from. There was actually no forward pass for the first 30 years. The first American football game was between Harvard and McGill: one half of the match was played under association football rules, the other half under rugby football rules.

I mean, the scoring system is pretty much analogous: seven points for a touchdown and three points for a field goal. Those scores should be friendlier to Americans. And the good thing is: no huddling up, no Astroturf, no TV timeouts No endless commercials. I think if people realize that if the Stanford band play is considered a once in 1 million happening, it's pretty conventional in rugby. Let me clarify rugby union. Rugby league is far less it's interesting.

By the way Rugby union was an Olympic sport in 1920 and 1924: the team that won the gold medal those years? The USA. I think rugby sevens will be back in the Olympics next time.

if the US took its best linebackers wide receivers running backs tight ends and defense of backs and made the rugby players from early stage they would dominate. You actually need cardiovascular endurance to excel in the sport and have to be big and strong and fast. Thus, there would be no room at all for fat obese linemen.

Oh and my prediction for the game: New Zealand 55 USA 6.

Chalk1 · Post #26 » by **Chalk1** » Sat Oct 25, 2014 3:31 am

Yes, Sevens will be played in Rio.

Post #27 » by **Ice Man** » Sat Oct 25, 2014 6:53 pm

Will be there with a Kiwi who just transferred to our U.S. office. He has friends flying from London for the game. I asked why? He said, "Chicago is closer than the All Blacks usually play to London."

Fanatics. Will be fun.

Post #28 » by **TASTIC** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:35 pm

Ice Man wrote:Will be there with a Kiwi who just transferred to our U.S. office. He has friends flying from London for the game. I asked why? He said, "Chicago is closer than the All Blacks usually play to London."

Fanatics. Will be fun.

I'm a Kiwi living in London.

I've been to a lot of games including the '09 world cup final in Auckland, was the least enjoyable game I've ever been to in ANY sport - despite us winning the cup for the first time since '87!

The All Blacks are likely resting a few of their stars, we've got a big tour coming up over to the UK so they'll rest a lot of the big guns. Keep an eye on Charles Piutau - dude is lightning quick and VERY strong for how big he is. There's also the bus, Julian Savea - but they may rest him.

He's basically the second coming of Jonah Lomu - but not quite there yet!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xboro9x29G0[/youtube]

And then the master, AKA the most destructive rugby player of all time. He'd have been a great running back...
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LtHhPlX77A[/youtube]

I could (and have) watch the Lomu vids over and over again, he was a freak and played through a kidney problem for most of his career. My uncle wrote his book. Yes NZ is a small country!!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonah-Lomu-Auto ... 0755312635
Anyway, I was hoping there'd be a thread about this game - glad you guys are getting into it right when the NBA's about to kick-off - hoping for a high energy game on Saturday!!

cheers

Post #29 » by **TASTIC** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:38 pm

Also Sonny Bill Williams will be playing. Dude is a BEAST.

He won a rugby league title playing for the Bulldogs when he was like 19, and has basically switched back and forth between rugby union and rugby league - winning everywhere he goes.

Oh yeah, he was also NZ heavyweight boxing champ while playing all this rugby!!

He's an absolute physical specimen and helped revolutionise NZ's back-line with his off-load passes:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWzzNPM7uj8[/youtube]

Post #30 » by **TASTIC** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:42 pm

One last clip!

I love this fend - one of the best of all time, in any sport. Robbie Fruean basically lifts Piri Weepu (an All Black at the time) off the ground while in full flight. Weepu was no midget either, he's about 6'0" and 210lb- very solid/stocky.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ygJq3g5IDg[/youtube]

pylb · Post #31 » by **pylb** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 10:59 am

TASTIC wrote:
Ice Man wrote:Will be there with a Kiwi who just transferred to our U.S. office. He has friends flying from London for the game. I asked why? He said, "Chicago is closer than the All Blacks usually play to London."

Fanatics. Will be fun.

I'm a Kiwi living in London.

And then the master, AKA the most destructive rugby player of all time. He'd have been a great running back...

I could (and have) watch the Lomu vids over and over again, he was a freak and played through a kidney problem for most of his career. My uncle wrote his book. Yes NZ is a small country!!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonah-Lomu-Auto ... 0755312635
Anyway, I was hoping there'd be a thread about this game - glad you guys are getting into it right when the NBA's about to kick-off - hoping for a high energy game on Saturday!!

cheers

That vid is missing this fantastic try he scored against us:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6fkqr1e4ow[/youtube]

Post #32 » by **TASTIC** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 12:16 pm

pylb wrote:
TASTIC wrote:
Ice Man wrote:Will be there with a Kiwi who just transferred to our U.S. office. He has friends flying from London for the game. I asked why? He said, "Chicago is closer than the All Blacks usually play to London."

Fanatics. Will be fun.

I'm a Kiwi living in London.

And then the master, AKA the most destructive rugby player of all time. He'd have been a great running back...

I could (and have) watch the Lomu vids over and over again, he was a freak and played through a kidney problem for most of his career. My uncle wrote his book. Yes NZ is a small country!!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonah-Lomu-Auto ... 0755312635
Anyway, I was hoping there'd be a thread about this game - glad you guys are getting into it right when the NBA's about to kick-off - hoping for a high energy game on Saturday!!

cheers

That vid is missing this fantastic try he scored against us:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6fkqr1e4ow[/youtube]

That's cos you guys always beat us in the big games! (except 2011!!)

How bout your big forward (one of the loosies with tape round his head) trying to shoulder him over and Lomu knocks him flat on his arse! Gold.

Love how your fullback wants NOTHING to do with him in that second try.

StaSof Fro · Post #33 » by **StaSof Fro** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 10:18 pm

navdeep_singh wrote:Really really looking forward to this. We used to be able to catch tri nations games on Fox sports, but then they went away. Luckily I found an Aussie website that torrented all the games. I must have about 425 GB of matches on my computer.every World Cup final, every World Cup match from 2007 and 2011, every tri nations match from 2005, every six Nations mats from 2008.

I remember when the US play New Zealand in basketball and the expression on Larry Brown's and Allen Iverson's face when confronted with the Haka. By the way, the New Zealand basketball team is known as the tall blacks.

Anyone who criticizes the sport has no clue where American football came from. There was actually no forward pass for the first 30 years. The first American football game was between Harvard and McGill: one half of the match was played under association football rules, the other half under rugby football rules.

I mean, the scoring system is pretty much analogous: seven points for a touchdown and three points for a field goal. Those scores should be friendlier to Americans. And the good thing is: no huddling up, no Astroturf, no TV timeouts No endless commercials. I think if people realize that if the Stanford band play is considered a once in 1 million happening, it's pretty conventional in rugby. Let me clarify rugby union. Rugby league is far less it's interesting.

By the way Rugby union was an Olympic sport in 1920 and 1924: the team that won the gold medal those years? The USA. I think rugby sevens will be back in the Olympics next time.

if the US took its best linebackers wide receivers running backs tight ends and defense of backs and made the rugby players from early stage they would dominate. You actually need cardiovascular endurance to excel in the sport and have to be big and strong and fast. Thus, there would be no room at all for fat obese linemen.

Oh and my prediction for the game: New Zealand 55 USA 6.

No obese linemen? Not even as a prop? New Zealand has a near 400 pounder on their roster.

deano the p · Post #34 » by **deano the p** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 10:56 pm

This will be murder.

drosestruts · Post #35 » by **drosestruts** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:11 pm

I believe the spread is 59.5

SpinninHouse · Post #36 » by **SpinninHouse** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:42 am

drosestruts wrote:I believe the spread is 59.5

Wait.,.the Bears are playing?

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

TyrusRose2425 · Post #37 » by **TyrusRose2425** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 5:33 am

Anywhere to get All Blacks gear before the game? I already have a long sleeve t-shirt of theirs that I ordered over a year ago, but could use more

Inqui · Post #38 » by **Inqui** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 7:09 am

TyrusRose2425 wrote:Anywhere to get All Blacks gear before the game? I already have a long sleeve t-shirt of theirs that I ordered over a year ago, but could use more

I'm guessing there'll be pop-up stores in the stadium selling gear. In fact, I'd be content to bet money on that happening.

NZer here, heading over to Chicago for that game (and a few other things while I'm over) - plane leaves in like 12 hours. Heading to the Bulls home opener too, so I'm obviously pumped about this weekend. Believe it or not, it's actually going to be my first live All Blacks game.

ItalianBull · Post #39 » by **ItalianBull** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 2:39 pm

This will be awesome, I hope you can see the monster Savea play, he has to be the best player in the world right now.

navdeep_singh · Post #40 » by **navdeep_singh** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:23 pm

Martin87 wrote:This will be awesome, I hope you can see the monster Savea play, he has to be the best player in the world right now.

He'll be on the bench. All Blacks playing their B Team: no McCaw, no Carter, no Savera. McCaw is not even on the bench.

They have to get ready for some tough November Internationals against England, England's "Auld Enemy", and the team across the sea actually comprised of all 32 counties.

The NZ Enger-lund game at Twickenham will be a cracker. As well as the one in Landsdowne Road.

Glad I didn't buy a ticket. Even so, NZ B or C team should smash the USA.

I'm curious who NBC will have as announcers, and to what extent they will dumb-down the coverage. Gus Johnson just voluntarily stepped down as Fox's top football announcer, admitting he was not qualified. I think he's going back to NCAA hoops.

When I watch the Tri Nations, I like the South African announcers the most. Their longtime announcer must have retired, the guy who replaced him is very good, and former Bok Bob Skinstead does the color commentary.