France profit from moment of madness
15 Oct 2011
JON CARDINELLI writes that a reckless Welsh tackle proved to be the catalyst for an unlikely 9-8 World Cup semi-final win for France.
Up until the 18th minute of Saturday’s play-off at Eden Park, Sam Warburton had been one of the standouts for Wales and indeed one of the stars of the 2011 tournament. Sadly, the young Wales captain will not be remembered for his impressive displays against South Africa in the pool stages and Ireland in the quarter-final, but rather for one brainless tackle that would jettison the Dragons from the global tournament.
Wales were in firm control for much of the first quarter. While their scrum struggled against a lighter but technically superior French eight, they enjoyed the majority of possession and territory, and went to a 3-0 lead in the eighth minute thanks to the boot of James Hook.
France took a pounding at the collisions. Dimitri Yachvili floated a pass to Vincent Clerc well behind the gain line, and this proved to be the game-changing moment, as Warburton, in his enthusiasm to make the hit and possibly force the turnover, lifted Clerc beyond the horizontal and then let the winger fall to ground. Referee Alain Rolland brandished the mandatory red card, and as good as Wales had looked, they were always going to struggle to hang on for 62 minutes with only 14 men.
France used the numerical advantage to good effect at scrum time, but were woefully bad in general play. Morgan Parra had kicked them to a 6-3 lead by half-time, but it was the short-handed Wales that continued to control possession and territory. The French backs battled to field the high balls launched by the Wales halfbacks, and when they did, they often made some shocking decisions which allowed Wales to regain the pill.
It was here where Wales needed to make the best of a bad situation. Hook had done brilliantly to slot his first penalty attempt from the touchline, but proceeded to fluff two subsequent shots from midfield, as well as a drop-goal attempt. France were far too loose towards the end of the first stanza and may have scored more points had they kept it close, but Wales may also have gone to the break in the lead if they had kicked their goals.
Parra bisected the uprights in the 49th minute, but the plucky Welsh refused to lie down. They continued to pressure the French back three, and the tactical substitution of Stephen Jones had the desired effect as they played smarter and tighter. While they had wasted opportunities in the first 40, they took the first chance available to them when Mike Phillips breezed through the French defence for an important try. Tellingly, Jones missed the ensuing conversion to allow France to maintain a slender 9-8 lead.
At times the Tricolores looked like the team with the one-man disadvantage. They were guilty of being too casual in some instances, and too frantic in others. It’s the type of performance many would have expected after their strong showing against England, as they have a reputation for inconsistency. They battled to put a 14-man Wales side away, and in the end, they were the side that held on for the win.
It was always going to be too much to ask of a Wales side one man short. It would have been remembered as one of the great victories had they finished a multiphase attack at the death, but unfortunately it will go down in history as a game they lost in the 18th minute when their captain received his marching orders. Three missed penalty-attempts (Leigh Halfpenny didn’t have the distance with a 50m shot in the 76th minute) and a missed conversion, also cost them dearly.
624 Comments
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15 Oct 2011, 15:30 pm
Great white shark: there are lots of us.
15 Oct 2011, 15:32 pm
Wooden spoon: racist? That’s all you have? Really……
15 Oct 2011, 15:34 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-551:
You’re telling me….but at the rate you’re all going there’ll be none of us left by 2020.
Double meaning there..
15 Oct 2011, 15:35 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-549: Ja, I can see… uyajikijela ibheyithi…badla futhi… Stirrer.
15 Oct 2011, 15:38 pm
Great white shark: I could not understand that entry please clarify.
15 Oct 2011, 15:38 pm
HG: iyawa yintoni ngoku mhleka. Wink
15 Oct 2011, 15:44 pm
The funny thing is this pundulu saying a few months ago “the racism in Italy and Spain bla bla bla…..”
!!What the hell do you know about this countries, bobo de los cojones!!!!
We are no more racist than you, thats for sure
15 Oct 2011, 15:44 pm
Sad loss for Wales, i thought they were deserving of the win the way they played, am glad i pick froggies for my bru and ratrace though. was looking very sad.
As for the red card, i thought it a bit harsh, yellow yes as there was no malicious intent, a different ref might have given a yellow, who knows.
15 Oct 2011, 15:44 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-556: ngiyahleka futhi, uyafunda kahle…musalinganisa. Hhayi!
15 Oct 2011, 15:47 pm
Im out for now. Beer O Clock with Banshee on nice Autumn afternoon…
15 Oct 2011, 15:48 pm
Markel 77: if you believe yourself to be racist at least you are open and honest about it. I respect that in a weird sort of way.
15 Oct 2011, 15:51 pm
You are just another “little insecure boy” and racist besides. Jooor, you are the complete packcage. Deal with it
15 Oct 2011, 15:52 pm
HG: uyandi hlekisa! Lol
15 Oct 2011, 15:55 pm
Markel: I’ve just given you a compliment why are you insulting me? Don’t do that, ne.
15 Oct 2011, 15:57 pm
Im not insulting you. in my humble opinion you are biased against whites so you are racist.
15 Oct 2011, 15:59 pm
Markel: I love white people, I have white friends, and they come to my house for dinner.
15 Oct 2011, 16:00 pm
And i didnt like your comments about racism is Italy and Spain. ¿what do you know about it?
¿have you been in those countries?
15 Oct 2011, 16:09 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-551: I highly doubt it. A mere drop in the ocean if anything.
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-552: It’s simple, and more than appropriate.
Lol, this Pundy character likes to stir. But he’s made his radical views pretty clear in doing so.
Racist swine.
15 Oct 2011, 16:09 pm
Markel: I’ve been all over Europe since I was kid mate, my family would summer at lake Iseo in Italy and I’ve been to Spain, I’ve there during general franco’s birthday as well!
15 Oct 2011, 16:11 pm
Mina hleka ngakulu.
15 Oct 2011, 16:12 pm
But the biggest “hleka” is for those who feels this world owes them something.
Hawu!
15 Oct 2011, 16:14 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-569: so you must be pretty young then. Explains quite a bit too.
15 Oct 2011, 16:14 pm
Wooden spoon: I like it when you are being light hearted, but there’s no need to insult me I respect you as a human. Let’s accept the fact that you support the boks and I the AB’s, there’s no need for any animosity between us, we are not football hooligans, we can support opposing teams and still have a beer.
15 Oct 2011, 16:15 pm
*old*
Entrenched views.
Exile.
15 Oct 2011, 16:15 pm
Well maybe i am wrong so my apologies Mpundulu.
But i will tell you one thing, i think Wooden (like me) want the best players for the Springboks, regardless of colour or religion.
15 Oct 2011, 16:24 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-573: OK. There is no point to arguing anonymously on an internet blog.
15 Oct 2011, 16:25 pm
Markel 77: you are permitted to have your views, I’ve no issue with that at all. Although with SA’s history, the factor of colour will be a considerable input for the distant future, it’s a legacy of apartheid and it’ll persist.
15 Oct 2011, 16:26 pm
Wooden spoon: how old is young to you?
15 Oct 2011, 16:32 pm
Markel: being black in early December in Spain is not very nice, hotel concierge tells you not to go out of the hotel until the festivities are over!
15 Oct 2011, 16:34 pm
Wooden spoon: are you suggesting a meet over a few beers?
15 Oct 2011, 16:37 pm
Ok man but from my view, the South Africa of today is a democrazy and you south africans dont need cuotas in sports.
We had a civil war and almost 40 years of dictatorship and we dont want cuotas
15 Oct 2011, 16:41 pm
¿where dit it happen Mpundulu? I have been in many festivities and never seen problems with black guys or girls. Never ever
15 Oct 2011, 16:42 pm
watching the Mortals run about this this deranged enthusiasm for spastic folk dancing is thoroughly amusing
15 Oct 2011, 16:44 pm
Markel: quotas in sports in south Africa are necessary to level the playing field mate, the field won’t be leveled on it’s own.
15 Oct 2011, 16:46 pm
Markel: I agree I’ve been to many festivals in Spain and it’s generally enjoyable, but on franco’s birthday an entirely different sort comes out.
15 Oct 2011, 16:47 pm
South Africa take a bow…
The world’s 20 best cities are:
1. Sydney, Australia, 85.1
2. Florence, Italy, 85.0
3. Charleston, United States, 84.7
4. Cape Town, South Africa, 83.9
5. San Francisco, United States, 83.7
6. Santa Fe, United States, 83.0
7. Quebec City, Canada, 83.0
8. Barcelona, Spain, 82.8
9. Vancouver, Canada, 82.5
10. Rome, Italy, 82.4
11. Kyoto, Japan, 82.3
12. Chicago, United States, 82.2
13. Paris, France, 81.9
14. Bruges, Belgium, 81.7
15. Venice, Italy, 81.7
16. Bangkok
17. Salzburg, Austria, 81.4
18. Victoria B.C., Canada, 81.4
19. Hong Kong, China, 81.1
20. Vienna, Austria, 81.0
15 Oct 2011, 16:48 pm
France vs NZ final in Auckland, will it be a foregone conclusion that NZ will finally win the tournament, or will France with their erratic form, play out of their skin. History favours the southern hemisphere, where France have played in the final, but France were also the last team to beat the NZ in Auckland, Australia still have a cemi to play against NZ, but Australia fluked it with a poor kiwi ref.
This world cup is tainted as a spectacle, poor refereeing has been the norm, as for Wales and all their talk, they don’t have the psyche to win a world cup, they never have and never will, as to the history of welsh rugby, with the southern hemisphere, there isn’t much one win in a 100 years against the boks, 1 or two against the All Blacks and Aus.
Can France win the world cup, well yes, it depends what France pitches up.
History can be changed, we will see.
15 Oct 2011, 16:48 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-584:
It’s getting levelled alright. So is the coaching.
15 Oct 2011, 16:49 pm
silly Mortals
15 Oct 2011, 16:52 pm
Poor sleepy New Zealand is so damp and insipid their beauty is somehow overlooked. Oh well they do the haka…that’s something I guess.
15 Oct 2011, 16:53 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-586: Lol, not sure how Bangkok makes it into that list.
15 Oct 2011, 16:54 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-590: Wellington is actually a very nice city.
15 Oct 2011, 17:02 pm
Nah, sorry. Cant agree with you. Democrazy and cuotas is not good combination.
15 Oct 2011, 17:05 pm
Great white shark: it needs to reflect the racial demographics of this country.
15 Oct 2011, 17:06 pm
Markel: quotas and democracy actually go hand in hand, with a country with our history.
15 Oct 2011, 17:08 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-594: personally I don’t see why this is supposedly so vital.
I think a national sports team should comprise the best players in the country. Race doesn’t come into the equation, white, black, purple or green.
15 Oct 2011, 17:09 pm
Markel: you can’t have such massive inequalities: wealth, incomes, opportunities etc etc., and say well we are a democracy so everyone is on equal footing, we aren’t, democracy is just a concept in SA it needs to be realized economically for it to be real.
15 Oct 2011, 17:10 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-591:
It is a big smelly place…but the nightlife makes up for it….I’ve heard.
Vienna is awesome in December.
15 Oct 2011, 17:13 pm
I wasn’t aware that the concept of democracy entitled certain persons to freebies.
Nothing is owed to anyone in this life. If you want something you have to work for it.
And our democracy means that everyone has the right to achieve what they want provided they are willing to put the hard work in.
There is no barrier and the sky is the limit.
15 Oct 2011, 17:14 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-594:
If that were the case there would be one whitey in every sporting code.
Remember the so called Springbok womens rugby team….the mamas in that team could barely get off the bus they were so unfit.
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