The World In Union

[JulesB]

Bugger!

I wish I'd had some ££££££££££££££ on us to win!

Just a question. How long has this there 'World in Union' song been around? I know the tune is 'I vow to thee my country' but when did this new version start up? And was it devised solely for the rugger?

[Sisyphus]

Jules

I think I heard it first time at the last World Cup - but it may have been the one before that??

I don't think the tune is from 'I vow to thee....' Although they were playing that, too.

[Sticky Blue]

Its been the theme since the UK hosted the world cup. We were the first to play it on the march (slow march) in the beat retreat before the final. Then a singer came out and we did the full version with her singing.

[harry hackedoff]

Is that all you sorry bastards can talk about? Kin theme tunes
The greatest game in the tournament, nail-biting climax( easy Jules ) and Johnny pulls it off( steady, H,) with two seconds to go and all you can say is " er, that`s a nice tune"

Rang Parry as the final whistle blew, Nursey answered, " Sorry, H, I`m under strict instructions not to interupt" in the background I could hear the Prez shouting" If that`s Hackedoff, tell him to fark off, at least till they`ve finished the interviews" Johnny was being interviewed and Rob insisted I held the phone next to the telly Sad bastard or what? Mrs H was stuffing her face with lobster( er, no, not that kind of Lobster ) and just grunted her " hellos"
Fillet steak, still breathing,Chardonay and Pinot Noir( sparkling, for the use of) and a hot spring evening, plus the knowlege that I can go to work on Monday made this a perfect day


Well there you go, the end of the best six weeks of Rugby any of us have ever seen( Kiwis excepted) There were times when I seriously doubted England`s ability to get through to the semis, never mind winning. The S.A. game looked a lot better on telly than it did sitting in Subiaco. It was a hard game of course, but England didn`t dominate and after the first half I thought they would struggle to win. I allso thought they would struggle against the A.B.`s.
Everyone down here had the Wallabies written off as the underdogs. Everyone except the team that is. They steam-rollered their way into the final( much to my relief ) Aussies have been rubbing the Kiwi faces in it all week, and both of them have been predicting a Wallaby win.
I`ve been telling them that it ain`t over till the fat lady sings, but sadly, to no avail. As Parry said" Promise you won`t take the piss too much, it`s all about Sport, you know"
Mate of mine in work, has a full sized flag-pole outside his house.He`s been flying the Union Flag at half-mast all week. "Should come in handy for wiping yer tears on" said I.
As a mark of respect, I will be wearing a Wallaby hat, for at least the next week.
Did you notice what a sad looking individual Johnnie Howard was as he gave out the Winners Medals? Poor losers, but losers all the same , Swing Low, Sweet Chariot


ENGLAND

RUGBY UNION WORLD CHAMPIONS 2003

Oh yes

[Aldo]

There were times when I seriously doubted England`s ability to get through to the semis, never mind winning.

If you weren't already living with the enemy you'd 'av been deported for that remark

[Sticky Blue]

What a game, I'm still in shock. I'll be off up the pub for some Aftershock if all goes to plan. Tense... my ar$e was watertight. Buttocks clenched as the play moved into the final minute and I could see them getting more into the centre and Johnny was hanging back. As soon as the ball was played I was already in mid air. Number 1 daughter and my dad (in his 80s) were on their feet and we were jumping around. I thought we played well and Australia had an outstanding game as well. Hats off to their defence, they played a blinder. There were a lot of silly mistakes but that is live sport for you, tensions high here let alone on the pitch.

BZ England and I look forward to seeing you bring the cup home on Monday. How pi$$ed will they be tonight? SUM!!

[Sisyphus]

Ah, there you are Harry!

I was bemoaning your apparent absence on another thread.

God I'm sooooo jealous. Surprised you're not comatose! It must be fantastic out there at the moment (for the Brits).

Can U give us an insight into how the Aussies are taking it - and what the media has been saying over the last few days? Apparently it's been all about Dad's Army; boring rugby etc....... Any objective comments from the media (sorry, probably a stupid question)

But, fair dinkum. They scared the c*8p out of me!! I thought they were going to knick it at one stage - despite our domination of the game.

Mouth's off running again. Adrenaline levels still far too high!!

[druadan]

Christ, what a match!! Just watching yet another set of highlights, can't get enough of it. Had serious doubts when they came back to within three; by the time they levelled I was screaming at the referee (well, more accurately, the telly), he did seem to be making some dodgy decisions, especially around the scrum. But trust Johnny to get it right in the end (even if it did take four attempts!!).

One thing that did annoy me throughout the tournament: ITVs commentary is very patronising, I know most people don't know the game as most people do know soccer, but spelling out the rules somewhat spoiled viewing on occasion.

[harry hackedoff]

Heyup Rocky, flying low at the mo, due to outlaw visiting. Thankfully, sans DL
Media coverage has been very fair, which makes a change from the more partisan British papers. Aussie commentary was excellent, considering the Wallabys were going for a double.
Local rag has a phot of Johnny with the by-line "A Kick In The Guts!"

More on here, follow the link mate
www.news.com.au
and here,
www.7sport.com.au
If you can`t be bothered searching, just read this

Poms deserve to be on top
By Bruce Wilson
November 24, 2003

AND so Bill crosses the equator at last on his voyage to his new home at Twickers, there to be held in reverence at least until 2007 when the rugby world will have a crack at removing him from English captivity.

That fact alone made Saturday night more than just a rugby game – one of the best ever played, to be sure. Moving the Webb Ellis trophy to Europe will have any manner of ramifications for rugby.
This will not be a popular theory in the Wallaby camp, or in Auckland or Johannesburg for that matter, but England's win on Saturday night was almost certainly the best result the sport could have hoped for, all things considered.
The northern hemisphere – the four home nations and France – needed this World Cup in order to restore the balance of the international game after seeing the previous four cups shared along the old Roaring Forties.
All the big five of European rugby except Wales have had encouraging home wins against touring southern sides in the past few years. England has been virtually unbeatable by anyone at Twickenham for almost four years. What was needed was a demonstration that this form could be moved south.
England showed it could, to an extent, by beating Australia and New Zealand in the winter, but even those results left room for doubt. Now England has answered in the most emphatic of ways.
Good. And good for France, whose last two pretty ordinary matches should not obscure the fact that for the fourth time out of five cups Les Bleus made the semi-finals or better.
England's success should rub off right across the European Six Nations competition – still the most successful rugby set-up in the world, apart from the RWC itself. Italy still flounders in the shallows, but the rest play in front of sell-out crowds year in, year out.
At least 10 of England's so-called Dad's Army – and didn't they put paid to that one? – will be gone by 2007, and rebuilding will encourage the other nations to believe they can find vulnerabilities.
If not, though, there is the danger of renewed cries in England, echoed a little in France, that Europe's two heavyweights should somehow become part of the Tri-Nations set-up. It is a cry that has been heard intermittently in the past. This, I believe, would be useful for no one.
The huge publicity this England side has attracted in a society dedicated to soccer can only help rugby. It has come at a time when English fans in particular are increasingly disappointed and angered by the tiresome delinquency on and off the field of their soccer players.
Rugby players have generally been refreshingly free of scandal (Lawrence Dallaglio aside ) and the exposure of this most successful of all tournaments will demonstrate that there is an alternative code worth following. There is nothing like a glittering trophy for encouragement.
That, with luck and good administration, should be the global impact of RWC 2003, an example that should inspire rugby administrators from Tbilisi to Montevideo and beyond. For, despite doubts, it seemed to me that the minnows had every reason to go away happy, and to encourage the smaller nations to try harder to make France in 2007.
Chicken-hearted administrators should now be bullied into correcting the few mistakes, most especially the global one in which players were denied the opportunity to play for their countries by selfish, greedy, unspeakable club administrators.
That must never be allowed to happen again, and the penalties should be extreme. Rugby, as a result of this tournament, now has a vault load of money that would be the envy of almost every other sport. Its bosses can now afford not to be pushed around by anyone.

The Daily Telegraph (Oz version)

Factual, impartial and entertaining. A bit like me, really

[Sisyphus]

Cheers Harry,

What a refreshing change from the c**p we have to put up with in the English Tabloids. Some good articles and only one having a pop at England - well Clive Woodward, actually. And, possibly, justified. He wasn't that gracious in victory but, I guess, it's just his personality rather than a purposeful affront.

In contrast to George Gregan who I thought was incredibly gracious in defeat. A real credit to his team and to Australia.

[harry hackedoff]

Gregan is one of the stars of Oz Rugby.
Sadly, he will never again wear the green and gold.
He`s played his last game for Australia

Still, never mind, hey?

I still can`t get over it. England are World Champions
Driving round Perth today, everywhere you looked there were St Georges` crosses or grinning Poms
A moment to savour, indeed.

Followed by several months of rubbing it in at every opportunity
Oh yes
Aye,

P.S. Well, did I answer your question, Rocky? Scout around on those links for a bit of a flavour of this Great Southern Land
"We are one, but we are many,
And from all the lands on Earth we come,
We have a dream, and sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we all are Australian."

Well we are now or at least we have permanent residency visas

[Dogwatch]

Harry, Thanks for posting the aussie newspaper links, has restored my faith a little bit. The game was fantastic and to win it under the most demanding of conditions and against an Australian team who never gave up was brilliant.

The Australian Prime Minister was a disgrace and I 'm glad that he has received plenty of stick for it ,

I cannot imagine that if the roles were reversed that HMQ would have let the side down by acting in the same manner

Cant wait for the Six Nations tournament after Chrimbo.

regards

Terry

[harry hackedoff]

The Australian Prime Minister was a disgrace and I 'm glad that he has received plenty of stick for it

Still going on mate. Word of the moment is"Petulant" Comments on t.v. and radio have been about how ashamed people are and how he has tarnished Australia`s reputation for "giving a bloke a fair go" and for sport. Local rag letters page has been unbelievable. 100% against the PM and majority saying what a well-deserved victory the Poms had. This is not press hype, this has been my experience this week as well. The number of complete strangers who have shook my hand and said "congratulations on winning" has been nothing short of staggering. I am beginning to think I had summat to do with it
Maori mate told me that baggage handlers at Aukland airport trashed the AB`s kit as they off-loaded the aircraft, writing "losers" on their suitcases.
Kiwis not best pleased.
All I can say, is France 2007 is going to be bloody interesting. Wallabies have to build a new team, probably around Toquiri and Flatley, All Blacks have a serious score to settle and England will have to replace most of the current team. Eddie Jones said in recent tv interview( for once in his life he wasn`t talking shite) they have to emulate England, particularly the forwards, and they have to get a kicker like Wilco. Games from now on will be won or lost, by the accuracy and ability of their kickers. Good to see the whining little shit with the smile wiped of his face
On Monday, a big, rangy Queenslander said in that slow drawl they have, as he walked past me site office," You blokes need to work on your cricket next"
How true

[JR]

Many thanks Harry,For the excellent sports reports,Methinks you're waisting your time sitting in that site office,you should be out and about doing the roving reporter bit?.good on ya mate.Aye jr

[harry hackedoff]

Cheers Jim it`s been fun posting and even more fun watching.
This week has been a genuine eye-opener, even after a year the Aussies still surprise me
You`ve been low profile of late, so clock this one, posted after the England SA game
www.militaryforums.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?&t=4794

Take it easy JR
Aye,