All Blacks legend Colin "Pinetree" Meads talks sheep wrestling and rugby, England deserve to be out, is professional rugby sustainable, lack of world class #10's, and more from this edition of What the Papers Say.

Tuesday, October 11

Meeting the mighty Meads - BBC - All Blacks legend Colin "Pinetree" Meads talks on-field violence, sheep wrestling and World Cups with Tom Fordyce

Lack of world class no.10s won't hurt World Cup - New Zealand Herald - It's true - the arrival of Stephen Donald in the All Black camp hardly inspires confidence. It's a worry, not so much because of his wobbly history as a test five eighth, but because he's the fourth choice.

Swinging Low - Scrum.com - "It wasn't supposed to be like this. England left New Zealand not as world beaters but as a laughing stock." Graham Jenkins picks through the wreckage

Rugby World Cup: north and south need to be in this together - The Guardian - Those running the sport must look at the global game's finances and ask if professional rugby, in its current model, is sustainable

If I had some hair left, I'd be tearing it out after this - The Daily Mail - I couldn't believe it when I heard about Manu Tuilagi jumping off that ferry - you couldn’t make it up. It’s incredible behaviour. Ultimately the legacy of the England team at this World Cup will be a team who have under-performed on the field and over-performed off it.

Dragons fired up - Sky Sports - Stuart Barnes lambasts England, but says Wales can bring the Webb Ellis Cup back to Britain.

England deserve to be out. We weren't professional enough - The Telegraph - I walked the streets of Auckland on Sunday night after England's Rugby World Cup defeat against France. It was surreal. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up, pulled on a top and wandered around the city for a couple of hours.

Brilliant Wales march on - BBC - A fairytale ending is not out of the question for Wales

Flop Martin Johnson Must Go - Daily Star - Martin Johnson must resign as England’s rugby coach after an horrendous World Cup.

Piri Weepu - the All Blacks Mr Fixit - New Zealand Herald - Next thing we know Piri Weepu will be driving the All Black bus to the semifinal. The halfback probably has his HT licence and even if that detail has passed him by, he'd be able to navigate the Auckland streets with a motorcycle police escort.

Our own worst enemy - Scrum.com - "Defeat is a little easier to take when the opposition has played really well against you but on this occasion we beat ourselves." Steve Thompson writes

Reaction to England's World Cup exit - BBC - Former England players and officials give their verdict on the team's disappointing World Cup campaign.

Where England went so wrong - BBC - And why Wales are one win away from a World Cup final

Emotionally drained - Sky Sports - Dean Ryan looks at why it's difficult to be an England fan at the moment and gives his semi-final picks.

We let the England fans down at the Rugby World Cup - The Telegraph - There wasn’t a word spoken in the dressing room afterwards. Not a word. It was over.