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The Greatest Game of All Time

Dismal Pillock

Simon Poidevin (60)
I also have a soft spot for the 2003 RWC semi when Mortlock broke the hearts of the many AB supporters surrounding me at the game.

big-lebowski-gif.gif
 

KOB1987

Rod McCall (65)
The thing that struck me about the 2000 Bledisloe was the pace of the game. Stoppages were really minimal, with scrums and lineouts setting within 30 seconds of the referee blowing his whistle.

Would be interesting to see what happened if you introduced a 'scrum clock' or something to give teams an incentive to set scrums quickly. I can't see much of a downside.
A scrum clock is something that absolutely should happen. It won’t though until it’s seen as advantageous to the home nations.
 

barbarian

Phil Kearns (64)
Staff member
Yes. Definitely the greatest game. Not the best atmosphere tho - that was Lions 2013.


I'd agree with that, certainly the Lions game was the best I have experienced in terms of atmosphere.

But I missed attending the games of the golden era, so I can't compare to those.
 

Lindommer

Steve Williams (59)
Staff member
I was at all of 'em, including the RWC1987 semi-final against France at Concord. The 2000 ABs test and the French semi would have to top my list of greatest games.
 

drewprint

Colin Windon (37)
Absolutely gutted to have been overseas when the Reds - Crusaders final took place. However, I did get to watch it in a Paris pub surrounded by Kiwis

Dunno about best game but as others have said, the best atmosphere I’ve experienced was the 2013 Lions match in Brisbane. Truly electric.
 

Dan54

Tim Horan (67)
Probably to me one of greatest tests I seen in professional era (only on tv), was All Blacks/Springboks a few years back, played in SA, can't remember the year off the top of my head, for speed of game, but more the physicality was most enjoyable I have seen.
Best atmosphere was probably Lions/All Blacks Eden Park 2017, and I mean for full day!.
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
The RWC Final in 1991 was pretty exciting for me. I was living and working in HKG at the time, and a group of my fellow executives had booked a venue to watch the game (they were all Poms).


I lived just a couple of minutes walk from the venue, and decided not to go there until just before the telecast started. As it happened, no idea why, the telecast was not direct, it was on delay. When I was sitting around at home waiting to leave, I stumbled on a radio broadcast of the game. It was direct, so I listened, and by the time came for me to waddle off to the function, I knew that we were ahead.


By golly I had a good time. Incidentally, Nobody's amazing covering tackle from behind on Jeremy Guscott was unbelievable.
 

Penguin

John Solomon (38)
Absolutely gutted to have been overseas when the Reds - Crusaders final took place. However, I did get to watch it in a Paris pub surrounded by Kiwis

Dunno about best game but as others have said, the best atmosphere I’ve experienced was the 2013 Lions match in Brisbane. Truly electric.



We missed out on tickets for that, so a posse of us went to soak up the atmosphere at the Caxton Hotel. Even that atmosphere was pretty darned special! The precinct was buzzing all night long!
 

Finsbury Girl

Trevor Allan (34)
Best live game for me the semi v the bokke @ Twickers. On the edge of my seat the entire match.

To say the South Africans at the Cabbage Patch and surrounds were supremely confident is an understatement. Some less generous than myself would perhaps say it was nudging into arrogance.

Geez Horan was immense that day, brings a tear to the eye.

But having said that I thought the game v Ireland in 91 World Cup was absolutely one of the best I've watched. The semi v the ABs was also a blinder.

The 2000 was good for the come back but the tackling was pretty poor throughout.
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
Geez, how did you survive the stress of the Ireland game? Fortunately, I missed it. Not sure I could have avoided a heart attack.
 

Jimmy_Crouch

Ken Catchpole (46)
ABs v Wallabies 2000 Wellington Game from the podcast.

As a kid in Coffs, I went to the Wallabies training multiple times a week. That week Kefu and Williams both trained to start. I told my Dad but then the team was named with Kefu on the bench. Commentators from the match day coverage had no idea and said nothing until well after kick off. They had always planned it.
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
I know this will be a minority opinion, but the greatest game I have ever seen was the mighty Woods winning their first First Grade Premiership in 1999. 50 years after our first season in the SS. And I started watching them just a couple of years after their admission. Played for them, of course, including in our first ever premiership team, the Thirds in 1961 (or was it '62?).
 

The torpedo

Peter Fenwicke (45)
I know this will be a minority opinion, but the greatest game I have ever seen was the mighty Woods winning their first First Grade Premiership in 1999. 50 years after our first season in the SS. And I started watching them just a couple of years after their admission. Played for them, of course, including in our first ever premiership team, the Thirds in 1961 (or was it '62?).

That would've been awesome. Reminds me of my grandpa - was alive for (AFL) Footscray's '54 flag (but didn't go his mum went), went to '61 (lost to Hawthorn) and then watched (from home) the Dogs break the drought in 2016 (sadly my great-grandma passed 3 years prior)
 

Lindommer

Steve Williams (59)
Staff member
I was a nervous wreck in the 2011 Super Rugby final. Christ it was awesome

Pfitzy, Hawko, Braveheart and I were nervous, nervous wrecks at the 2014 final. HTF did that final kick of Foley's fall over the crossbar? I was up the other end and thought it was short, or wide. Lindommer junior was elsewhere with a schoolmate, they found me straight after the game with a huge, "that was awesome!". Ahh, memories.
 
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