Meanwhile Wales go home with a fourth place to their name, just one win over any of the top ten nation, won four and lost three. As a fellow Brit it’s a shame they won’t be in the final, but as an Englishman it’s a slight relief to be spared the crowing.
But you’ve got to feel a bit sorry for Wales; they lost those three games by a combined margin of just five points.
We’ve been there many times. And they had opportunities in all three games, too. The sad part for Wales is that fourth place represents their second-best effort ever – from their point of view it’s a shame the WC didn’t start in the 1970s instead of 1987. At least this year’s competition sees them still the second-best of the home nations, and marginally ahead of Argentina, over all World Cups to date.
Very close at half time. I am now hoping for a France win.
France try, only a point in it and to be fair, it is a pretty equal game.
If anything, France to have the upper hand in this second half.
What the hell’s up with the All Blacks?
Shit the satellite feed just died.
Still big french pressure, they are looking the more likely winners but the AB’s are being very disciplined.
…excellent game France! If they do manage to pull it off, full credit to them. But as an All Blacks supporter, I am in brown trousers territory!
Crap…there gonna try and suck up the ball for two minutes!
France played a better game.
…well done All Blacks, and well done France. France is a team that you can never, ever underestimate: and I was getting a bit sick of talkback radio all week saying the game was gonna be a cake-walk. Man…my nerves are frayed! Not going to be able to sleep tonight!
Know how you feel BB, we were just going “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!” for the last ten minutes.
Good game by the French, from their facing off of the haka right to the final whistle.
Better rugby fans than I, was that an offside penalty at the end? I was screaming “Offside!!!” as that French player came round the back of the ruck.
**Maggenkid **says: Sorry to the French, but WOOOOOOOOOOOO…
…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…
…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
I should not have had so much Coke.
And I say, go to bed.
Congrat to the Kiwi members here. Enjoy the win.
Well done to the All Blacks & New Zealand - you toughed out the win, much deserved!!
Savour the feeling, it may be 24 years until you taste it again 
Grim
Yup. The All Blacks were certainly the best team over the tournament, they were just enough the better team on the night that it would have been cruel if France had nicked it at the end, given how few chances they created.
And did anyone have the nerve to take the under on either the score or the point spread?
No, but I was very tempted to take the over and was very glad I didn’t! Quite an absorbing game (but then most finals are, given what is at stake), the French put on a good show but in the end I am glad they didn’t win - funny as yet another AB loss would have been (no offence to you Kiwis, I just like winding you up :)), the English hatred for the French runs deep.
I know what you mean Dead Cat. I wanted the ABs to win, after all the troubles NZ has had, but when the possibility of a choke, choke loss in the final minutes collapse appeared, I started cheering for France.
Well, a margin of 17 points was a bit OTT it would seem. I think I seriously under-estimated the pressure that NZ were going to wind up facing due to the enormity of the occasion. After all, they will have known that they had a monkey to get off their back. France, of course, played a damn sight better than they have done all tournament, but if Weepu had kicked his goals in the first half, this game would have been done and dusted with 10 minutes to go (as NZ were extremely disciplined when on defence).
If I am being uncharitable to the French, they should probably have done more with their pressure in the final part of the game. If I were from NZ, I would be fuming with Ellis, who - on coming onto the field - spent most of his time kicking the ball back to the French, who then kept it for several phases. This must have been excruciating for the fans. NZ should have kept hold of the ball themselves and worn a few phases up the field themselves - just to stop them having to defend all the bloody time (defending with the added implication that one error could mean a penalty and a loss).
One other thought - how awesome that the try for the winning team was a perfectly excuted forwards move, scored by a prop forward. There is more to rugby than throwing the thing around willy nilly. Also thought it brilliant that the reaction shot of the booth saw all the NZ coaches cheer before Henry looked over at Hansen and gave him a huge clap on the back - basically saying, “that was you mate. Good job.”
Yup, that was me exactly. It probably helped that I have some Kiwi friends I could have ribbed about another loss for years, whereas I don’t know any Frenchies.
Well, yes - albeit a move that most good club teams could have come up with, and one that most good club teams would have defended - it was embarrassing how far all the French players were from stopping the try. To their credit, rather than collapse (as perhaps we all feared), they immediately raised their game and defended superbly for the rest of the match. As you say, they just didn’t quite have that extra half-yard in attack that would really have stretched the AB defence (which was also excellent), though when they did get through it was French brilliance at its best. They also made too many errors when going forward to put enough pressure on. So near yet so far. Can’t be too sorry as I said - at least England have still won more World Cups than France!
The problem on the specific play for France is that the NZ line out is set up in two pods, with the front pod aggressively moving to the front of the line prior to the throw. If the French front pod don’t follow, the ball goes to the front and it is a quick catch and drive that becomes difficult to stop without collapsing the ensuing maul (it would probably wind up with a yellow card for the offender and depending on how quickly the maul moves, could wind up being a penalty try given the proximity to the try line). With the back pod moving back and the NZ prop peeling at the last moment, they open a big gap up in the middle of the line out.
So far - you’re probably correct that a good club side can come up with this move. The balls of it from the NZ side though is that the French line out is one of their strengths and, indeed, stole a lot of ball all night from the NZ line. This has two effects. One: the French must compete at the back of the line out - they’ve nicked ball already and doing it here allows them to clear their lines (whereas not competing probably launches a backline move in the shadow of their own posts). Two: NZ know that the French know this and thus that Yachvilli at SH must follow the pod to sweep up should France win the ball. Had the French a weaker line out, Yachvilli probably stays positioned opposite the middle of the line out and tackles the peeling runner. By attacking at an area of percieved French strength (and crucially performing at the critical moment), NZ knows that there is going to be a big hole for the prop to run through - typically, you don’t place a defender immediately behind the SH at a line out.
Ballsy to go for it when your line out isn’t as good as the oppos and smart thinking that they’ll have worked out by looking at tape of Yachvilli’s tendencies and French ability in that set piece. This is what elevates the move, in my opinion, above that of a good club side and into a very smart piece of thinking, executed exceptionally. Indeed, the very fact that the French were so far away from stopping it makes me think that it’s skill of execution not lack of defensive ability that did the trick.
Of course, YMMV.