All Blacks crowned kings of the world
23 Oct 2011
JON CARDINELLI, reporting from Eden Park, watched the All Blacks beat France 8-7 to secure their second World Cup title.
Four million New Zealanders have had to endure 24 long years in between World Cup titles. On Sunday 23 October, they had to endure a further 80 agonising minutes as their beloved All Blacks edged slowly and, at times tentatively, towards the elusive gold.
The energy of a nation was channeled in the New Zealand national anthem, and the All Blacks played their part with a spirited rendition of Kapa o Pango. France responded through Thierry Dusautoir’s passionate gesture during the Tricolores’ call-to-arms, and through the team’s decision to advance towards the hosts while they laid down the traditional challenge.
The message was clear: France would not be intimidated by the All Blacks, their media or the New Zealand people’s pre-match assertion that they had no place in this final. Their march on the All Blacks would signify a collective up-yours to all the non-believers, and their efforts in this match would underscore their passion and belief that they could indeed upset the world’s top-ranked team.
It was this fiery attitude and physicality that had the All Blacks rattled at stages. Tony Woodcock scored a simple try for the hosts when a smart lineout move opened up the French defence, but Piri Weepu failed to make the conversion. In fact, Weepu would miss all three of his attempts at goal and the All Blacks would miss out on eight points as a result. It was this lack of composure that so nearly cost the hosts the game.
The All Blacks were resolute on defence, but then so were the French. They matched the hosts at the collisions which limited the All Blacks’ attacking platform. Morgan Parra stopped Ma’a Nonu from breaching the gain line early in the first half, and paid the price for his bravery. He was able to return to the field for a brief spell but was later pulled when he failed to recover from what was a big knock.
The All Blacks would lose their own flyhalf before the first period was through. Aaron Cruden was caught between two French defenders in the 34th minute, and proceeded to hyper-extend his knee. Suddenly the All Blacks were without Cruden, their third-choice pivot, and looking to Stephen Donald, a player who wasn’t even in the country until a couple of weeks previously. If the All Blacks were going to pull this one off, the forgotten man of New Zealand rugby would have to steer them home.
Donald relieved Weepu of the goal-kicking duties and took his first opportunity early in the second half. But the 8-0 deficit did little to dampen the spirits of the French, who continued to clatter into the collisions and breakdowns with masochistic intensity.
They also persisted with their ball-in-hand tactics, and their searing counter-attacks stretched the All Blacks on numerous occasions. It was one such counter-punch that would provide the spark for a massive moment, which Dusautoir took expertly to help close the gap to 8-7.
It was during this time that the All Blacks must have been thinking about the failures of the World Cup teams of yesteryear. Weepu had shown a lack of composure in the first half through his inability to convert three very kickable opportunities, and as the French swelled with confidence, the All Blacks grew frantic.
It was a situation tailor-made for the French, and undoubtedly a worse-case scenario for the hosts.
But as plucky as the French were, they were just as erratic as in previous matches at this tournament. Credit should go to the All Blacks defence, but had France shown more composure and patience with ball-in-hand, they may have taken the lead and inspired some real panic in the New Zealand ranks. Had they converted their own goal-kicking chances, they would have assumed control as the clock wound down.
Dimitri Yachvili missed a penalty attempt early in the second stanza, and Trinh-Duc pushed a long attempt wide in the 65th minute. The replacement flyhalf also made a telling mistake when he overcooked a garryowen late in the game. It marked the end of long spell where France had pinned the hosts deep in their own territory.
It was during the remaining minutes that the All Blacks, spurred on by the thousands of desperate but patriotic Kiwis in the crowd, showed their composure. Through the determined efforts of their forwards and the collective discipline on defence, they were able to douse the French flame.
France swept from side to side for several minutes in hope of milking the penalty that would win them the game, but the All Blacks stood firm. They won the turnover, and attempted to play for time, and when referee Craig Joubert handed them a penalty, it signified the beginning of the end.
The All Blacks won the ensuing lineout and another penalty after mauling the French back, and at this point, Eden Park erupted in celebration. It will not be remembered as the most convincing performance, but it will be remembered as the day the All Blacks ended a 24-year drought and assumed the mantle of undisputed champions of the world.
1,158 Comments
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23 Oct 2011, 12:13 pm
Come on SA supporters if you are fair you will realise that the ABS have been the best team for quite a while – The BOKS and AUS are really the only team to compete. They beat Aus and Aus beat us yes with some KIWI ref assistance but thats the nature of the game. Let’s be graceful they are the only team who deserve this win.
23 Oct 2011, 12:14 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-445:
Mate you were outplayed tonight, did you see the game?
I will congratulate only BRYCE LAWRENCE.
23 Oct 2011, 12:14 pm
The elusive balance in World Rugby Union has once again been restored.
Is Hayley a New Zealander?
She sings often with Andrea Bocelli
23 Oct 2011, 12:14 pm
to the guys who head up SA rugby…..if we want to climb the summit again then we need to get THE BEST coaches and management team in place. One cannot compete at this level without the best in place.
23 Oct 2011, 12:15 pm
@Sheriff(Sheriff)-452:
We were outplayed in the second half only.
There is 2 halves, so i think your the one that missed a game.
23 Oct 2011, 12:16 pm
@ET.(ET.)-453:
If ET, yep shes a Kiwi.
I think her parents or one of them are Irish
23 Oct 2011, 12:16 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-448:
Luckily the world of rugby will be free of these to buffoons (I hope!!) PDivvy may yet end up at Province or the Stormers (Shivers down my spine)
23 Oct 2011, 12:17 pm
@Nils(Nils)-447:
Are you waiting for me to say congratulations?
Congratulations to Craig Joubert for being composed and ensuring the fair contest. What a future he has!!!
Tough luck to the French boys – I salute you guys; they thought they would run away with it, but in the end were shown to be vulnerable and desperate.
23 Oct 2011, 12:18 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-448:
But he got them to the final, didn’t he?
how far did Divvy progressed?
A small difference
23 Oct 2011, 12:19 pm
Bryce Lawrence must surely get a medal! He was by far NZ’s most influential player.
23 Oct 2011, 12:20 pm
@Golden Boy(Golden Boy)-457:
Mascot or luggage manager at the most
23 Oct 2011, 12:20 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-459:
I think you will find the players got the team there…like Divvy, he was only along for the ride…where were you when the players openly revolted against him!?!?!?!?
23 Oct 2011, 12:20 pm
@Sheriff(Sheriff)-458: Nah, I am waiting you wailing , complaining, moaning and whingeing till cows come home. That’s what I expect from you, nothing else.
23 Oct 2011, 12:20 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-461:
Even that will be a disaster!!!
23 Oct 2011, 12:21 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-459:
Lets not analise it so deeply, lol.
23 Oct 2011, 12:21 pm
All Blacks are really the yrue world champs because SA was part of it, lol.
23 Oct 2011, 12:22 pm
Jonny Wilkinson just drop kicked a ball all the way from NZ to UK. That boy’s still got it
23 Oct 2011, 12:22 pm
Well done Cane and NZINCHINA, enjoy it.
out for good.
23 Oct 2011, 12:22 pm
This World Cup unfortunately will be remembered for wrong reasons. Cheating referees>
The Boks and all the SA S15 teams should refuse to play under him.
23 Oct 2011, 12:22 pm
@Connag(1112Connag)-460:
Normally refs get golden watches.
23 Oct 2011, 12:23 pm
Well done AB’s – enjoy the 4 years. Hard luck Le Bleus – hope this proves beyond any doubt that defence and passion are the main ingredients in WC rugby, and that only fools are ”certain” of the outcomes of these big games.
23 Oct 2011, 12:23 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-408:
Mthakathi, congrats xhego lam.
23 Oct 2011, 12:26 pm
@NagouGrote(NagouGrote)-451: The game is over the trophy handed out.
As I was watching the game tick away with the possibility of the French winning I knew of the disappointment that would follow, not for me so much but for the Richie and the boys…, but would have been happy for the French for the game they gave us. I salute them.
For us, I salute them for staying strong with a list of injuries that bought the heros out in all and there is no more for me to say on this blog for a while. Justice has been done.
23 Oct 2011, 12:27 pm
Cheera everyone.
For all Kiwis and Blacks fans – finally m-onkey is off the back.
For all French and Les Bleus fans – your team showed what they really are, one of the very best, always have been, always will.
For all dissers – hope sour grapes taste delicious.
23 Oct 2011, 12:28 pm
This will no doubt be good for NZ, and they were the best team at the tournament. For that I congratulate them. However and its a BIG HOWEVER, the IRB had a lot to do with the win, with the selection of cheating refs. Steve Walsh the drunken Kiwi who has popped up in Australia, could well have been in line to ref the final. Unfortunately this World cup will always be tainted.
23 Oct 2011, 12:29 pm
Now for the next 24 years to wait for another one! Enjoy!
23 Oct 2011, 12:29 pm
@captain fantail(captain fantail)-473:
Justice will only be seen to have been done when the IRB overhaul the referee review and selection process.
23 Oct 2011, 12:29 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-456:
Good man and CONGRATULATIONS to your boys for a wonderful final and a superb tournamment.
They did what they had to do even if they played an uncharacteristic game forced on them by France.
Carter and even Cruden were missed for those kicks(for points) but Donald was the last point scoring hero with that kick.
France played just as I said they should and made this Final a damn good tense and tough rugby union spectacle. McCaw and Thorn were real champs.
23 Oct 2011, 12:30 pm
Winning % ratio of the All Blacks under Graham Henry management. phenomenal.
23 Oct 2011, 12:32 pm
Congratulations to all the very patient Kiwis who have taken intolerable abuse for years from the so many arrogants.
23 Oct 2011, 12:34 pm
Breath a sigh of relief and bask in the glory of champions. Never before has a RWC game gone down to the wire in that fashion….where the winners were hanging on by guts and a will to survive at any and all costs…this is the stuff of RWC matches.
France will leave New Zealand feeling that they let themselves down. Had they the belief that they could have done the nigh impossible, today could and would have belonged to them.
Well done and enjoy your spoils All Blacks….because today you showed the world why you deserve the tag of World Champions.
23 Oct 2011, 12:34 pm
Congratulations to Graham Henry and Wayne Smith!
I’m happy for them as people, because if they lost it again 2nd time round it would have worse than suicidal.
Ted is a great coach and Wayne humble despite arguably be the top backline coach in the world.
23 Oct 2011, 12:34 pm
@Nils(Nils)-474: they lost to tonga!.
23 Oct 2011, 12:35 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-479:
You must be ecstatic Peter Mk., even though it was immensely tense?
23 Oct 2011, 12:37 pm
@Nils(Nils)-474:
How much joy juice have you already downned? Congrats for your great final win.
23 Oct 2011, 12:38 pm
now all the cowan baggers might sit back and say,yeah piri isn’t gods gift.
23 Oct 2011, 12:38 pm
Well so the World Cup is over and the ABs are the world champs. Congrats to them…
Now its time to sort out this mess we can rugby. Refs are far to influencial in rugby. That is because the rules are open to interpretation and it needs to be addressed, now. All rucks are 50/50 calls, a penalty at any of them would not be technically incorrect. Scrums are a mess, this crouch-touch-pass-engage….
And all of the defenses are always offside, never allowing a proper attacking game.
This is what needs to be done:
1. Sort out the scrums……
2. Reconsider Stellenbosch rules. Mainly at the rucks: I think if you are on your feet and onside you should always be allowed to compete for the ball. That will force defenses into the ruck and not standing offside to defend and create more space for the backs.
3. Get 2 refs on the field.
4. Make penalties kicks only count 2 points, the team with the most tries should be the winners.
23 Oct 2011, 12:38 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-481: maybe you forgot 2 went into extra time …….
23 Oct 2011, 12:39 pm
John Mitchell shedding a tear on TV maybe we need a coach with some real heart and not a blabbering idiot as we had.
23 Oct 2011, 12:39 pm
@ET.(ET.)-480:
Second ET on that statement. It was generally below the belt. Hope that thing will mature a bit now foward.
23 Oct 2011, 12:42 pm
@ET.(ET.)-484:
Really am ET. The All Blacks beat all best teams in this world cup unlike the Boks who really beat England last time round. Not that it was their fault must add.
23 Oct 2011, 12:43 pm
@473 cap fantail – justice has indeed been done. I was at the match, and the ab’s were the better team – just – despite being down to our 4th choice no.10 due to severe injuries. The ab’s showed amazing bmt to win the cup, and for that the south African rugby supporters should applaud us as we applauded your one point win over wales.
This isn’t the best attacking team the ab’s have fielded, and overall our 1995 and 2007 teMs were better. But this team played positive rugby, beat every team in front of them, and had the mental toughness and belief in each other to win the world cup/
We are deserved world champions. The springboks are no longer world champions, they were generally woeful since they won in 2007 and could only scrape their way to 8th place this WC.
I am over the moon for Graham Henry, smith, Hansen and McCaw. They were crucified in 2007, but had he fortitude and sheer courage to go amoher 4 years. Congratulations guys.
We are the world champions.
23 Oct 2011, 12:43 pm
@Petri(Petri)-487: bring back rucking,simple.
23 Oct 2011, 12:45 pm
After listening to many on this site for 4 years say defense oriented teams shouldn’t win world cups. Today we saw the worlds most expansive teams play a territorial game and witnessed the “dropped” Stephen Donald win the match.
RWC finals are won by kickers and tacklers!
Well done AB’s make the most of tomorrows public holiday
23 Oct 2011, 12:45 pm
@dermie(dermie)-493: 5. and rucking…
23 Oct 2011, 12:46 pm
France played a massive game today. But it was not to be.
Today belonged to the All Blacks and this was their crowning glory. They showed why they are the no.1 ranked team in the world. They had to dig really deep to pull this one off. But that’s what champions are made of. And they have a good core of players who will stick around with the AB’s for another year or two.
Savour the moment. It doesn’t come around often.
23 Oct 2011, 12:46 pm
@surreyshark4(surreyshark4)-488:
No I didn’t forget…but thanks for your concern. The French had all the ball. No RWC final has ever been this one-sided in terms of possession. Boks vs New Zealand and England vs Oz were nowhere near as tense….the French were clearly the better team.
The chaps on OSN Sports agreed.
All Blacks deserved this victory in terms of wins and their history no doubt.
23 Oct 2011, 12:47 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-490:
Did you enjoy that type of game as I did? It is the flip side to the running game but is still beautiful in its own right.
Now the ABs can once again return to their normal game as the 24 year load has been finally lifted.
Watch out for the young but more experienced Aussies in 2015.
23 Oct 2011, 12:48 pm
@NagouGrote(NagouGrote)-489: He had a good weekend.
23 Oct 2011, 12:50 pm
It is just interesting how kiwis crave fairness.
One disappointing thing from Ted is that he never gives the opposition credit unless I missed it.
If he did my apologies.
But we are not allowed to reflect on Bryce’s gross negligence which cost us in the end. It is not very sporting to talk about that now, but Bryce tainted this tournament and as sore losers we all are, we will always remember this one as the one where got bryced.
Its a ginormous pity because I would have been the 1st here to congratulate the winners.
Just like I congratulated Mitch and team last night beating my team…
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