“Richard Williams in the Guardian”:http://sport.guardian.co.uk/columnists/story/0,,2186554,00.html
bq. Had things turned out differently, one of the seats in the press box in the Stade de France last Sunday night might have been occupied by a 79-year-old Argentinian newspaperman whose own rugby career was blighted by asthma. He would have been recording the success of his fellow countrymen in reaching the last four of the 2007 Rugby World Cup for the first time.
{ 7 comments }
Aj 10.09.07 at 3:37 pm
Now they have a tough South african team to beat. Muy macanudo.
ejh 10.09.07 at 6:09 pm
Had things turned out differently I might have been in Mexico City last month covering the world chess champioships, or indeed, seeing as I used to have a minor football-writing career, in Germany last year for the World Cup. Either of these alternative realities would be decidedly less tenuous than the one Williams proposes. And neither would be very likely.
Michael Keyes 10.09.07 at 7:50 pm
I think that Argentina has a fairly good chance to beat South Africa. They have a very good scrum and several of their backs are world class. If they use the same tactics as the English team, ball control and taking points when they can get them, they could win. After the losses of New Zealand and Australia, anything can happen.
The best part is that one of the two big leagues, the Tri-Nations or the Six will have to take them on as a part of the mix. Certainly they are better than all but one of the European teams and could possibly beat England in the finals if it came to that.
Chris Bertram 10.09.07 at 9:12 pm
Justin – I’m sure you’d manage to be just as charming, whether in Germany or in Mexico City.
ejh 10.10.07 at 6:53 am
I would, Mr Bertram. And just as polite, where it was called for.
Joshua Holmes 10.10.07 at 6:26 pm
I never hear about Argentina playing any important international rugby matches. European nations have the Six Nations. Southern nations have the Tri-Nations. But Argentina isn’t part of either. How did they get such a good national team without that sort of practice?
Chris Bertram 10.10.07 at 7:39 pm
They mainly play in the northern hemisphere leagues and that creates a problem integrating them in the tri-Nations and the 6N is “full”, as it were. I also hear the Australians aren’t keen.
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