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Australia third in the IRB World Junior Championship this year with a 30-17 victory over France

noreply@blogger.com (ESPNLIVETV) — Thu, 7 Jul 2011 00:38:00 -0700

Australia claims that in this kind of business this year IRB Youthplanet third name on a 30-17 victory over France meets his or her bronze medal at the Stadio Plebiscito in Padova.
Captain Colby Faingaa inspired Australia to a win revenge for their defeat, 31-25 to their French rivals in the pool stages. France had an early 3-0 lead with a penalty by Jean Pascal Barraqué - what a star of eight days earlier with 16 points in the profit pool - but Australia immediately began to assert their authority claims, scoring two tries in the opening half an hour .
France defender Geoffrey Palis is back in the game with a 24th Minutes to try, but the cushion of 10 points was confirmed when the fly half Ben Volavola Australia added a penalty to his two conversions. The score would be different, but with Australia, particularly to try to lose some good scoring chances.
Australia dominated the field in the second half, starving their opponents every possession, but could only add two more penalties to fly half Volavola. This meant that the Australians have a nervous end to bear the party had when France finally won one area, saw a line out the coming Julien border, raising hopes of the French players a series .
French hopes were dashed shortly after, however, when Simon Morahan score under the posts confirmed third place in Australia, a year after suffering a resounding 62-17 defeat against New Zealand in the finals in Argentina .
England and New Zealand play a central role in the Stadio Plebiscito for the final with New Zealand are expected for a fourth title bid, but England, became the first black that, the baby in the history of the JWC beat .

North Korea blame loss to U.S. on players getting struck by lightning

noreply@blogger.com (ESPNLIVETV) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:41:00 -0700

A couple of second-half goals gave the U.S. a 2-0 win over North Korea and a strong start to their Women's World Cup run. The eighth-ranked North Koreans have the youngest team in the tournament with an average age of 20. Still, their discipline and skill gave the U.S. a lot of trouble in the first half before controversial starter Lauren Cheney justified her selection by heading in the first goal in the 54th minute and defender Rachel Buehler scored a second in the 76th minute.

After the match, North Korea manager , shocked the by revealing that his side isn't just the youngest team, but it is also the only team in the tournament that's been struck by lightning.
Given the secretive nature of the North Koreans, we may never know if this is true or not. The players aren't allowed to speak to the press, their training sessions are protected by security guards and closed to outsiders, and their public appearances regularly get canceled. Plus, it is curious that Kim only mentioned this freak occurrence after his team lost.

If it is true, a lightning strike that injured four defenders and disrupted their training could explain why their back line seemed to fall apart in the second half after holding the U.S. scoreless in the first. But even if it's not true, it's still a tremendous excuse that others might now try in everyday life.

Newzeland vs England

noreply@blogger.com (ESPNLIVETV) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:44:00 -0700

In the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship final New Zealand will play England after both sides came through their semi-final clashes in Treviso. With a 33-18 victory over France while the three-time defending champions New Zealand saw off Australia 37-7 - their 19th straight victory in the competition dating back to their first game in the inaugural tournament three years ago while England booked their third final appearance in the last four years.
It will be the third meeting of the two sides in the tournament showpiece with the Baby Blacks having won both of the previous clashes with a 38-3 victory in 2008 and a 44-28 win in 2009 in Sunday's final in Padova.
Alex Gray proved just enough for England to see off a determined French side in the day's opening semi-final.
After just two minutes after a clever chip through from centre Owen Farrell but France soon hit back with loose-head Sebastien Taofifenua burrowing over for a try a few minutes later.
The classy Ford reduced the arrears with a penalty before ghosting over for a try that gave England a narrow 13-10 lead at the end of a bruising opening period.
They were rewarded further for their superior efforts with a try from winger Marvin O'Connor.
They weathered the storm before hitting back through Ransom with Ford adding the extras.
England pack continued to cause the French problems and Ford happily stretched his side's lead with two further penalties.
with the game all but won, Gray pounced for an intercept score that was converted by Ford with the last act of the game.
Fiji upset Wales 34-20 and will play South Africa who crushed Ireland 57-15. And in the 9th place semi-finals, Scotland beat Tonga 30-11 and Argentina edged hosts Italy 12-8 In the 5th place semi-finals.

History of Rugby World Cup.

noreply@blogger.com (ESPNLIVETV) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 14:08:00 -0700

In the early 80s two companies approached the IRFB. A British company named West Nally and IMG a trans-continental company with its base in the USA. Both of their proposals were rejected. Gideon Lloyd International and Neil Durden-Smith who were both involved in sports promotion and public relations in London also made a proposal but once again the idea was turned down in 1983.
The Rugby Unions were fighting a losing battle against professionalism at that time. At the same time a RWC was seen as a step in the wrong direction. The Australian Rugby Union and New Zealand Rugby Football Union submitted written proposals to the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) in late 1983.

1987 RWC

They were aware of the other's proposal with Australia wanting to stage a tournament to coincide with their Bicentenary in 1988 and New Zealand proposing the previous year. In March 1985 at the IRFB's annual meeting Sir Nicholas Shehadie talked to Seb Blaze in New Zealand and suggested they pool resources so that’s what they did, they worked together on a feasibility study for the first world cup. Their proposals were turned down.
In 1987 the two Unions settled,thereby avoiding any clash with the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup, and a vote was held on the proposal at the IRFB meeting in the French capital Paris. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales voted as the IRFB members. It came down in favour of a Rugby World Cup by six votes to two. Selected for the world cup were Australia, England, France, New Zealand, Wales (after being persuaded by their treasurer) and South Africa even though they knew they would not be allowed to play in the tournament due to their political situation (apartheid regime). Ireland and Scotland were against the proposal.
Finally provided the vehicle to establish a 'world champion' and would be held in New Zealand with Australia as co-hosts. 16 teams were split into four pools of four, three of which were based in New Zealand with the other, featuring Australia, hosted in Sydney and Brisbane. Two nations in each pool would progress to the quarter finals. The hosts won the game easily 70-6 and one which went a long way to uniting a country divided by the Cavaliers' tour of South Africa in April 1986.

In semi finals New Zealand won against Wales after brushing Scotland aside, Wales went the same way and New Zealand were in the first World cup final. In other semi final Australia won. 600,000 people pass through the turnstiles with 300 million in 17 countries watching the action on television, figures that would increase to 1.75 million and three billion in 140 countries respectively for the 1999 event.
The Rugby World Cup is now established as the third biggest sporting event behind the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup, having achieved its goal of merging the traditional powers with new and emerging nations to make Rugby a truly global sport.