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, 10:56 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-96: Shhh and you not really a proper Kiwi now aren’t you?
15 Oct 2011, 10:56 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-63:
What are you on about?
Another crappy crack at NZ. Grow up man and move on
15 Oct 2011, 10:57 am
@JL1(JL1)-90: Nothing wrong with Paddy. Top bloke.
15 Oct 2011, 10:57 am
fark these refs man…
Ars e holes of note.
Millions and millions deprived….yellow man…never red…
bloody fool plonker w anker!
15 Oct 2011, 10:58 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-80:
Cane in dont know if you missed it but the other night was match fixing and corruption. Thats the only way some of these guys could see the Boks losing, lol fukn funny. HG leading the charge
15 Oct 2011, 10:58 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-103: By your standards, yes, a magic guy, by mine, an absolute rubbish
The same bloke who insisted that he stays in the absolute best hotel as the people are there to see him as well
15 Oct 2011, 10:59 am
@grant10(grant10)-104:
Red card was the the right call.
He would have been lucky to get yellow.
15 Oct 2011, 10:59 am
if the french lose this they’re the REAL chokers…
15 Oct 2011, 11:00 am
@grant10(grant10)-104: Call was correct, a red is the call, read your notes on that specific law again
15 Oct 2011, 11:00 am
@grant10(grant10)-104: These are the best rugby refs on the planet!
15 Oct 2011, 11:00 am
@grant10(grant10)-104:
Laws are laws or would you want to see a wing with a severe spinal injury?
15 Oct 2011, 11:00 am
@JL1(JL1)-101:
15 Oct 2011, 11:02 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-107: b s hit man…..yellow…fark these wally refs….
15 Oct 2011, 11:02 am
“Third-world standards”, Tackler ? How subtle of you ! Too bad we are so far apart : I sure would have liked to invite you to my next “Dîner de cons”. Guess you understand enough French to get this one
15 Oct 2011, 11:03 am
Refs have taken centre stage in Rugby. The Numero Uno on the pitch. They determine who wins or loses, not the teams.
How an Irishman can take this semi after Wales knocked out his team in the WC is beyond me.
Why couldnt Joubert have taken this match and Rolland the other one.
A fckup of note.
15 Oct 2011, 11:03 am
@JL1(JL1)-106: Well, just read this thread — everyone is far more interested in the ref than in any of the drones playing the game! The ref is the centre of their entire rugby-watching universe! Paddy was right!
15 Oct 2011, 11:03 am
A top bloke, yeah right
He also accused the coach of the United States team, Peter Thorburn, of lying when Thorburn stated that there had been a pre-tournament directive that touch judges shouldn’t interfere in issues like forward passes. O’Brien later apologized to Thorburn.
In November 2009, O’Brien took the rare step of publicly apologizing to a team with regards to the performance of a referee, Stuart Dickinson, during an international match between New Zealand and Italy, but subsequently issued a public apology to both Dickinson and the Australian Rugby Union for his breach of IRB protocol in making his comments public rather than going through official channels for commenting on referee performance.
15 Oct 2011, 11:04 am
@JL1(JL1)-117: O Brien is just being a typical Kiwi. Thats all. Its not his fault, really.
15 Oct 2011, 11:04 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-102:
Admit it Paddy O is a failure … he whinged about RWC being boring and how he was going to change things and make it more of a spectacle … well the doos failed, he delivered by far the worst RWC ever.
15 Oct 2011, 11:04 am
How’s the mud piggies?!
15 Oct 2011, 11:05 am
@grant10(grant10)-113:
yawn, go watch something else man, you embarrasing yourself.
Rules are rules , learn them.
15 Oct 2011, 11:06 am
Tackler losing whatever credibility he had left
15 Oct 2011, 11:06 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-110: Except for Mark Lawrence, of course. He’s too honest… and fair for Paddy’s liking.
15 Oct 2011, 11:06 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-116: People are getting sick and tired of the refs ******** up a game
The palace revolution is not far off, trust me on this one
Paddy is first for the guillotine
15 Oct 2011, 11:06 am
@RL(RL)-119:
hhaha
Yeah the worst one for SA, ask france,wales,oz and NZ if its the worst so far.
15 Oct 2011, 11:06 am
So, he apologises if he errs. That’s good, isn’t it? Top blokes do that.
15 Oct 2011, 11:06 am
France too cautious. Need to spread it wide with the extra man advantage.
15 Oct 2011, 11:06 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-118:
Thats sad really.
Whats a typical Kiwi to you HG
15 Oct 2011, 11:07 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-121: They are laws, man, laws, but I agree
15 Oct 2011, 11:08 am
S Jones good call for Wales.
15 Oct 2011, 11:08 am
@RL(RL)-119: Oh, this is the BEST EVER RWC — the head of the IRB said so himself!
15 Oct 2011, 11:08 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-128: Paddy O’Brien. Lovable really. As honest as Bob Mugabe.
15 Oct 2011, 11:08 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-123: As I said before, check the gifts and bank balances
Louis Luyt showed how it works, Clive Norling got a farm
15 Oct 2011, 11:10 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-131: He has to say that. Its like Qaddafi saying, come to Libya – the BEST Surf on the Planet… EVER.
15 Oct 2011, 11:10 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-126: Rubbish, he does this to put pressure on a ref on which way he should officiate a game
15 Oct 2011, 11:10 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-125: No really, the TV numbers are way down on 2007, IRB forecasts are down and NZRU is taking a massive financial knock … you Paddy was the major factor in this fiasco of a really kak RWC.
15 Oct 2011, 11:11 am
@JL1(JL1)-124: The pilgrims just adore the refs — talk about them ALL the time. Maybe we can just scrap the players entirely and have the refs just blow imaginary games to amuse the packed grounds. A bit like watching karate guys doing a kata — booting and whacking imaginary opponents.
15 Oct 2011, 11:11 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-128: Stuck on the back of a sheep?
15 Oct 2011, 11:11 am
@JL1(JL1)-133: No, Clive Norling benefitted from Kiwi largesse, no doubt – a whole herd of Sheep for the 1980′s test series in NZ.
That other Welshman was cheap. Louis only gave him a watch.
15 Oct 2011, 11:11 am
anyone got any solutions?how do you make refs better or do you change the laws again or a honour system with no refs .
15 Oct 2011, 11:13 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-137: So the pilgrims are the rest of World Rugby… except for the Kiwis, of course. They happy with Paddy’s refs… for a change.
No Soozie in sight either.
15 Oct 2011, 11:13 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-137: You would like to think that they like the refs.They hate the incompetence and the on the take of most of the refs
Some fool in the middle spoiling it for all
15 Oct 2011, 11:13 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-131: the head of the IRB is a kiwi and I’m pretty sure they trot that line out in the middle of every World Cup
15 Oct 2011, 11:13 am
@JL1(JL1)-133: Clive Norling reffed the 1981 flour bomb test in Auckland. He wasn’t even near to Louis in 1995, some 14 years later. You’re confusing him with Derek Bevan.
15 Oct 2011, 11:14 am
@dermie(dermie)-140: Shoot Paddy.
15 Oct 2011, 11:14 am
@RL(RL)-136:
HMmm IRB said they were on target of making there normal 200 odd million profit.
NZRU new from day one that they would lose money but hey we have the RWC in NZ.
TV numbers were always going to be down, goes with the time difference, again IRB took that in consideration. If they only made 150 million this RWC then its there fault, they didnt forecast correctly did they.
15 Oct 2011, 11:14 am
POB oversees the refs. Who, the hell oversees POB?
15 Oct 2011, 11:14 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-139: That is what I meant, Norling got a farm, Welsh guy a watch
They all have a price it seems
15 Oct 2011, 11:15 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-144: Keep up. You’re lagging slowcoach. Suppose its due to continually looking up Wiki though.
15 Oct 2011, 11:15 am
One has to wonder how much of the game the bloggers on here during game time actually watch
It can’t be much
Which renders their opinion cactus
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