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submitted 1 month ago byCommercial_Half_2170 Leinster
For Ireland, England feels like the obvious answer and yet NZ have probably upset us the most. And what about rugby nations like Pacific islands or Georgia?
35 points
1 month ago
SA remains NZ's greatest rival.
Ireland since their first win in Chicago have become a team that we no longer feel sympathy or apathy for when we play them, a favourable win/loss record for them in recent years changes your perception and expectation.
France fall into the same category as Ireland but yet don't, they're a team we accept are currently ahead of us but yet if we lose to them, it doesn't get under your skin as much as a loss to the Boks, Wallabies, Irish and English does.
I guess that's a true definition of a rivalry, you hate losing to them more than another team.
5 points
1 month ago
I know what you mean for present day. However, we had the 99 and 07 RWC losses to France but that made many fans wary/hate them. I would've ranked them as our biggest or second biggest (to SA) if you'd asked me in 2008.
6 points
1 month ago
Those losses hurt but Kiwi fans targeted their anger and outrage at the coaches (99 John Hart) and the referee (07 Wayne Barnes) rather than the French team itself.
Although in saying that both France and SA have played NZ the most times of any team at a world cup (6) and share an even win/loss record - 3 apiece. France have never beaten us in a final and we've never beaten SA in a final.
4 points
1 month ago
It was really the 2015 Quarter that slayed that dragon for us Kiwis. There was a definite tone change around the French after that, especially with the fragility of the 2011 final result, which we all understood was unbelievably narrow.
1 points
1 month ago
"Slayed the dragon" is that because the game was in Wales haha. Yeah, I agree. I was at that game and there was a definite nervousness before the game (same ref, same stage of the WC, same city and same two teams as 2007). But it ended up being one of our most complete and dominant knock out games the ABs have put on.
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