C'mon the eagles

Good start by the ABs strong tackling by the Eagles

Pretty competitive so far...12-6....

Not bad. Great atmosphere.

The American commentators are annoying me!
USA look pretty decent going forward, defence less secure.

USA should try to keep onto the ball...,minute they kick it and any open play they are toast.

End of the competition...lasted 21 minutes though

2 tries to the ABs in about as many minutes...

Bathman_in_London wrote:The American commentators are annoying me!
USA look pretty decent going forward, defence less secure.

I think it is quite interesting to hear an American take on what's happening...

commentators are mildly annoying but still interesting...


Sonny Bill is going to cause havoc this autumn...

Good crowd too

What's the chances sonny bill makes a career change to American Football in twelve months time...?

1st scrum 31 minutes in.

With Joubert as ref, this may well turn America against rugby.

ME-109 wrote:commentators are mildly annoying but still interesting...


Sonny Bill is going to cause havoc this autumn...

Good crowd too

Pity we aren't getting the US commentary. Our guys are a bit predictable- something new would have been good.

Looks like the end of Cory Jane if that's a Hammy- age catching up...

Could be a blow out now...

NZ looking pretty good. SBW in particular.

If the aim of the game was to start making inroads into the lucrative US market, i'm not sure Americans are going to get particularly excited about seeing their team stuffed by 80 points.

Like the commentators a lot, really interesting to hear their take on it rather then Barnes and co!

Shame the game is going to go downhill from here, AB's are now far enough ahead that they'll do what they do every time they take the lead, kill anything dangerous illegally and bank on out scoring any pens they concede.

Yep, the Americans won't like being completely smashed.

I think they'll just put rugby back in the drawer marked 'not really our thang' after this game. This game could kill interest in the States!

The crowd seems to be enjoying it.

quinsforever wrote:NZ looking pretty good. SBW in particular.

If the aim of the game was to start making inroads into the lucrative US market, i'm not sure Americans are going to get particularly excited about seeing their team stuffed by 80 points.

Agree with this, I'm sure it's a good earner for all involved but actually growing rugby? Meh

I'd like England to do a tour there saying that though

It is the little moments the Americans will enjoy, like that try saving tackle on Savea

Commentators were saying its the fastest growing sport in the States and that regardless of the result they want more of this....


Anyhow...US are pretty decent going forward...pity about the defence though

Biltong wrote:The crowd seems to be enjoying it.

most of the crowd are AB fans according to the commentators. understandable. cant imagine kiwi, Aus or Saffers get to see much quality in the US Midwest! so it probably drew in fans from far and wide.

In fairness Team USA gave the Tall Blacks a dicking last month in the basketball.

ME-109 wrote:Commentators were saying its the fastest growing sport in the States and that regardless of the result they want more of this....


Anyhow...US are pretty decent going forward...pity about the defence though

have heard that about plenty of sports. impossible to verify and easy to claim. i used to live next to the head of USA Rugby in the 90s when i lived in New York. He said the same thing then

and the commentators arent being paid to be objective.

aucklandlaurie wrote: In fairness Team USA gave the Tall Blacks a dicking last month in the basketball.

and did that send kiwis running to sign up to watch and play basketball?

Taylorman wrote:
Pity we aren't getting the US commentary. Our guys are a bit predictable- something new would have been good.
....

http://allblacks.com/tv/usavallblacks

ME-109 wrote:Commentators were saying its the fastest growing sport in the States and that regardless of the result they want more of this....


Anyhow...US are pretty decent going forward...pity about the defence though

If that is true then the NZ supporters are cheering very loud when the USA breaks the line

http://therugbybowl.com/site/why-rugby/

The actual answer is Lacrosse apparently...but it seems to be growing in popularity....not sure why you are all so exercised about it...weird.

quinsforever wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote: In fairness Team USA gave the Tall Blacks a dicking last month in the basketball.

and did that send kiwis running to sign up to watch and play basketball?

No, but it did show us whats its like to get a flogging.

Biltong wrote:The crowd seems to be enjoying it.

I think the crowd show this game is a larger success than the sceptics are saying. To be fair the ABs have got away with plenty of forward passes. It could be closer.

quinsforever wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote: In fairness Team USA gave the Tall Blacks a dicking last month in the basketball.

and did that send kiwis running to sign up to watch and play basketball?

It hasn't stopped kids playing basketball. If anything it makes you want to improve to get to that level.

This won't hinder development in the US. The AB's are putting on some silky try's which is attractive to watch for people who don't know rugby. A negative kick fest wouldn't have had a very good effect.

True Maes, but I think the occasion is more exhibition than test match, the Eagles aren't going to match the AB's

Biltong wrote:True Maes, but I think the occasion is more exhibition than test match, the Eagles aren't going to match the AB's

+1 This was supposed to be a rugby exhibition.

Biltong wrote:

ME-109 wrote:Commentators were saying its the fastest growing sport in the States and that regardless of the result they want more of this....


Anyhow...US are pretty decent going forward...pity about the defence though

If that is true then the NZ supporters are cheering very loud when the USA breaks the line

anyone mildly neutral starts cheering for the underdog once it becomes a rout.

anyway, its great that NZ are playing against the US. but i have heard several people, including Brett Gosper, allude to it being part of the attempt to grow the money in the sport by tapping into the US market. and i question whether the ABs whupping the US Eagles is the way to do that.

have a set of balls and give them the RWC.

And its good to have a half of rugby with only one scrum, Your not going to impress anyone in the World with a demonstration of Rugby scrums.

AFewTooManyKnocks wrote:

quinsforever wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote: In fairness Team USA gave the Tall Blacks a dicking last month in the basketball.

and did that send kiwis running to sign up to watch and play basketball?

It hasn't stopped kids playing basketball. If anything it makes you want to improve to get to that level.

This won't hinder development in the US. The AB's are putting on some silky try's which is attractive to watch for people who don't know rugby. A negative kick fest wouldn't have had a very good effect.

So the ABs have had to divert from their usual gameplan then

quinsforever wrote:

AFewTooManyKnocks wrote:

quinsforever wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote: In fairness Team USA gave the Tall Blacks a dicking last month in the basketball.

and did that send kiwis running to sign up to watch and play basketball?

It hasn't stopped kids playing basketball. If anything it makes you want to improve to get to that level.

This won't hinder development in the US. The AB's are putting on some silky try's which is attractive to watch for people who don't know rugby. A negative kick fest wouldn't have had a very good effect.

So the ABs have had to divert from their usual gameplan then

Touché My point is that the best way to show Americans how good rugby can be this exhibition needed to have decent flow

Do you think it will do the game in the USA good if the All Blacks absolutely humiliate the American team? It's a conversation I've been having with my marra. I'm hoping it will act as a call to arms and let them know the level they must aspire to.

is cruden under instruction not to make the scoreline worse by converting the tries?

Tony Johnson on the NZ commentary team just questioned the very point of how beneficial a blow out would actually be.

Interesting to see if Americans do look at an attractive exhibition and decide to start playing, or they look at a blow out and give up

Americans wont mind...they like the exhibition stuff. Will only make them more determined to get better....as was mentioned earlier. Will still be a second class sport in the US though.

The USA asked for this, they would have known it will ve a blow out, yet they still wanted it.

The Eagles play test matches against other nations, this is simply an exhibition, don't overthink it.

Biltong wrote:True Maes, but I think the occasion is more exhibition than test match, the Eagles aren't going to match the AB's

No you are right and the commentators are doing a great job of paying respect where it is due to both teams and their fans

i lived in New York. And my wife is american.

if they get whipped they have no interest. period. they will view it as a mickey mouse sport.

this is a nation that call their baseball playoffs the World Series.

best thing that has ever happened for football in the US is their performance in football world cups. did you know they have qualified for football world cups continuously since 1990? and made the knockout stages 4/7 times?

Cumbrian wrote:Do you think it will do the game in the USA good if the All Blacks absolutely humiliate the American team?  It's a conversation I've been having with my marra.  I'm hoping it will act as a call to arms and let them know the level they must aspire to.

Well to aspire to be the best you need to know what the best is. If one looks at this game and says 'oooh that's too hard for me' they were never going to be anything in rugby anyway. Our bball players spend their time following the NBA almost as a religion. They would fall over themselves to have the USA team here.

Love the attitude of these commentators, they hope this inspires rugby.

Sonny bill looks injured...!

No matter what the score life will go on in the US...those interested in Rugby will remain so...those not interested might take a little more note of it...

Great defence USA.

I really hope they get their first try vs the ABs tonight.

quinsforever wrote:i lived in New York. And my wife is american.

if they get whipped they have no interest. period. they will view it as a mickey mouse sport.

this is a nation that call their baseball playoffs the World Series.

best thing that has ever happened for football in the US is their performance in football world cups. did you know they have qualified for football world cups continuously since 1990? and made the knockout stages 4/7 times?

too general a statement to be taken seriously quins. You don't speak for 316 (its gone up!) million Americans. There will be several thousand that have a big interest in this match and I'm pretty sure its not 60,000 kiwis packing that stadium. Long term impacts nobody knows...but it won't be 'Nil' as you suggest. How much more than that...nobody knows.

if you want american fans to take notice, there needs to be a big fight. then it would make in onto the news cycle and people who knew nothing about rugby might start to care.

otherwise. meh.