Biggest international comebacks- whats your fave?

First topic message reminder :

Just to add something different, thought I'd throw this one out there after seeing some big comebacks during this years s15 and the efforts of Oz last year against the Boks.

My most memorable is still the AB's versus the Quagga Barbarians in 1976. With 20 minutes to go the AB's were 31-9 down! 31-9 down I hear you say!

Heading for their biggest annhialation on record the AB's dug deep and with a scrambling try in the corner Terry Mitchell scored to win it 32-31.

Listened to the game on 1ZB with I think John Howson commentating (Panama, where are you when I need some validation?). One of my earliest live games and will never forget it.

The detail might be scratchy- just like the win...

Re the Aus v NZ match in 200. I remember reading a match report at the time that addressed some pre game comments and predictions by pundits etc and the prevailing opinion was a chess like stand off between the teams with space at a premium and tries rarer still. So after the bedlum of the first quarter one of the main commentators turned to his pundit and in as polite a way as possible basically said, 'well you got that fairly wrong...'

Saw huighlights on ESPN classic a few weeks back, mad mad game of rugby in front a a world record crowd too. Mental.

TheGreyGhost wrote:Unless I'm mistaken the referee on the day was Jonathan Kaplan. I recall him being quizzed about the length of the game afterwards to which he replied "I thought that there was a lot of time wasting, I was prepared to play another 3 or 4 minutes if the kick missed". Which I thought was outrageous, considering he blew the match up after the successful kick. Surely if he thought 3 or 4 minutes more was warranted, he should have played it and given the ABs the chance to score again. I do believe the current rugby league style hooter and synchronised broadcast match clock/stadium clock was a derivative from the fall out after that game. Correct me if I'm wrong.

GG in blaming the ref for NZ losing another game shocker !

Did NZ hold an independant enquiry on that game to make sure Kaplan hadn't missed any penalty offences by Australia ?

He's fluent in French because his father is French.
He has been involved in a few dodgy incidents with France, especially the 1999 World Cup game between New Zealand and France where he ended up recieving death threats for appearing to Favour France.

______

When New Zealand lose it is always either down to bad refereeing or a conspiracy everyone knows that.

Englands whole 2007 world cup campaign!
Lets face it, they were awful in the 6N prior, not great in the Warm-ups and dreadful in the pool games of the WC.
Then a player revolution (or whatever it was that happened) to make it to the final and have a good go at it too.

They probably would have made a movie about it if they had won!

AlynDavies wrote:He has been involved in a few dodgy incidents with France, especially the 1999 World Cup game between New Zealand and France where he ended up recieving death threats for appearing to Favour France.

The ref that day was Jim Flemming, not Rolland.

My favourite was Eng v Aus 2002. Eng were down 19-31 after about 60 mins when Burke put a penalty over. Johnson took the team under the posts and gave them a very calm talking too. Two JW penalties and a converted Cohen try later and they won 32-31.

Probably not the most dramatic but I think the impact on the team and the confidence they got from it set them nicely on their way to the world cup.

For me it was France vs NZ in 1999. Absolute brilliant game, even more memorable for me as i was in hospital after breaking my leg playing rugby for my school

Wales vs England 1999 - Scott Gibbs bursts through the English defence, sidesteps his way to the line to score the decisive try! Awesome! Put a big smile on my face after a flippin dreadful decade for welsh rugby!

Totallybiasedscarlet wrote:Wales vs England 1999 - Scott Gibbs bursts through the English defence, sidesteps his way to the line to score the decisive try! Awesome! Put a big smile on my face after a flippin dreadful decade for welsh rugby!

I had a great day that day! I was in a Pub in Wansdsworth with some mates, when a Welsh lass turned up just before the game with her English bf. We got talking as I was the only guy wearing a Welsh shirt in the pub and they joined us for the match.

Her BF was full of himself (he was that RAF bloke who holds the World Land Speed record - so fair enough I guess) and was totally dismissive of Welsh chances against "mighty" England. He didnt half take some abuse from a drunken me after Gibbs and Jinks had won the game for Wales - even better, his gf joined in the mickey taking too!

Twickenham 2008, not the biggest lead to bounce back from and not the prettiest rugby you'll ever find but the circumstances showed us the pleasures and pains of drama that day.

Wales, the laughing stock of the last few months, vs England, the returning finalists, in the stadium the thought of which made me cringe the most at the time. Needless to say I was resigned to the worst, despite the previous euphoria of Gareth Jenkins, Wales' Most Wanted #1, being shown the door and replaced by somebody who actually had a competent record.

First half as expected, Wales being buffeted all over the park, lucky not to have had more stacked on them.

Second half, gradually a return thanks to Hook's flawless kicking on the day. This was possibly the first time we had had as many uninjured and playing together since 05.

After that it went by in flashes, Wilko's pass to the turf, Shanklin carrying Baby Cips back yard after yard, the incredible chain of fumbles from England, Byrne's try, me thinking surely this was the final uprising before the collapse...

Finally the movement that sealed the win and Balshaw's int'l retirement in one go. "Chargedown by Phillips, good pick up by Gethin Jenkins, Martyn Williams, BACK TO PHILLIPS..."

I was literally standing numb on the spot, in the best possible way of course. And one word raced through my head - Back

8)

That "RAF bloke" is Andy Green and he's hoping to drive a car to 1000mph in the near future. Take a look at www.bloodhoundssc.com for durther details.

nottins wrote:That "RAF bloke" is Andy Green and he's hoping to drive a car to 1000mph in the near future. Take a look at www.bloodhoundssc.com for durther details.

yes - I know who he is! I was't too sure anyone else would know if i put "Squadron-Leader (as he then was) Andy Green". I have been following the Bloodhoundssc closely, hope he pulls it off!

GG,

The hooter or siren has been around for a while but I think you're correct about the synchronised time-keeping broadcast/stadium clock being introduced around that time.

I'm always arguing with a mate about the Aussie Rules timing system with the '5 minute warning'...with time then 'added on' (but only sometimes it seems).

Case on the weekend: clock ticks down to 5:00, and then - all of a sudden it's 25:00 and counting up to 30:00 mins. The ref can then add on time he feels may have been lost to stoppages - sometimes this can easily be 1:30 to 3:30. It's unbearable in those see-sawing nail-biters.

Other times I've just seen the 5 minute warning when the clock ticks down to 5:00...and then it just keeps counting down to 0:00 - with no time added on. I just don't get it! (my mate says it's the same thing...but hang on...what about 'time added on' in the above scenario?)

I suppose the better system is in football when an independent time keeper informs the guy on the sideline to add 3 minutes say...and it's displayed on the digital board. The only dodgy situations could be either not enough time added on when there should have, or too much time added on...and Man U scores the winner in the 95th minute against Fulham! Or John Eales kicks that penalty goal.

The best system seems to be when the referee signals time on and time off and the time keeper updates as such. Hard to tell at the stadium. On TV its accurate to a second.

Yep, and I love the way that the 'final play' can, in theory, be indefinate. Makes for some nail biting finishes!

My favourite is the Wales - Scotland 6N game in 2010, but the best I've seen is when Llanelli were 25-0 down at half time against the touring Fiji side in 1985 ( I think), to come back and win 31-28.

I think one of the greatest comebacks was Australia against NZ at Sydney´s Olympic stadium with a world record attendance. NZ scored three tries (Umaga, Alatini and Cullen I think) and looked to have the game sewn up. Then Australia came back and were winning with five to go. Taine Randell pops the ball over and releases big Jonah who dices with the touchline and scores in the corner. Epic game and much nicer to reminisce over than that boring France NZ RWC match. Only kidding, the French team are a delight to watch when they´re like that. That little genius Dominici ruined that day for me. I was living in France at the time and it was difficult to find solace surrounded by astonished French fans who seem to come out of the woodwork when their team is on fire and can´t be seen for dust when it all goes pear-shaped.

The try from the end of the world - l´essai au bout du monde - is another great comeback. From a neutral point of view they´re my favourite team to watch (other than the ABs) when they´re on song. From a RWC perspective they really are quite egregious.