A point that made a point
24 Oct 2011
MARK KEOHANE, in his weekly Business Day newspaper column, applauds New Zealand’s defensive effort in the World Cup final.
France earned the respect of all New Zealanders and the All Blacks surely earned the respect of the rugby world.
You cannot begrudge the All Blacks their moment, and you also cannot deny captain Richie McCaw his finest 80 minutes as an international player. He is finally a world champion.
France captain Thierry Dusautoir was the player of the match but it was the player of the past decade (McCaw) who got gold on the night.
Some may say the rugby gods have a heart, especially if you remember McCaw’s night — and face — at the 2007 World Cup in Cardiff four years ago when France beat the All Blacks 20-18.
McCaw and the All Blacks deserved the win. Not just because of their defensive effort on the night, but because of what they have dealt with at this tournament — expectation, pressure and injury setbacks.
Home-ground advantage is big in any tournament but in World Cups it has been a curse. New Zealand are the first host nation to win the World Cup in the professional era and they did it with their fourth choice at flyhalf, Stephen Donald, for the final 45 minutes.
They did it without Dan Carter and they did it with McCaw playing the entire tournament with a foot injury that will require surgery.
It is easy to forget the obstacles New Zealand had to overcome because of France’s effort but it would be doing the defensive quality of this final a disservice.
France had offered nothing at this tournament. They had been awful and had been beaten twice in the league stages. They were told they were a disgrace to the romance of French rugby and the World Cup heroics of their predecessors. But they are France and with the French you never know who gets out of bed, let alone who pitches up to play a game of rugby.
They are also players who believe the only rugby experience better than playing the All Blacks is beating them. I can’t applaud their effort enough. Then again neither can I that of the All Blacks.
France’s intensity spooked the All Blacks four years ago, but this time New Zealand were prepared for the physicality of France, and to a man they backed their defensive system and backed the bloke on the inside and the outside to make his tackle. This is a team that trusted in each other as much as each guy did himself.
France were monstrous in the collisions. Dusautoir played the game of his life. France played more intelligently than they have all tournament, and like a team with a plan.
France played from set piece to set piece, limited idiotic decision-making in their own half and played like a team with the belief that they could strangle New Zealand up front and outkick them.
This was raw passion from France. They played for their honour, their dignity and the right to be World Cup champions, but they never had the attacking threat to match either the power of their pack or the intent of their minds. It has been their Achilles heel all tournament.
The All Blacks in the professional era have always been accused of not respecting winning ugly. They did that at Eden Park and their defensive effort was monumental.
France will get many accolades because they defied the belief that the All Blacks would win easily, but if the adage is true that World Cups are won on defence, then New Zealand are deserved winners.
There were heroes on both sides and thankfully no villains, even though All Black Piri Weepu would probably have had to emigrate if France had been the champions.
Weepu missed two penalties, a conversion and kick-started France’s solitary try with a chip kick that landed in a French hand and ended in seven points for France.
He also suffered at the base of the scrum because of the French effort, more than the New Zealand lack of effort, but when the battered All Black forwards had to produce their biggest effort of the last four years they did so in the last four minutes of the World Cup final. They kept the ball for three minutes, forced the penalty and won the game that for the people of New Zealand was so much more than a rugby result.
And it was as if the rugby gods were reminding all of New Zealand about humility. New Zealand would win it by a point to make a point.
Crushing the French would have resulted in New Zealand arrogance and perhaps another 24-year wait for the gold cup.
But to be in Auckland last night was to know there was nothing blasé about this New Zealand celebration.
There was just relief and recognition that attack wins you the Tri-Nations but defence wins you the World Cup.
464 Comments
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25 Oct 2011, 10:21 am
@pie eater(pie eater)-347:
I agree to a point.
The ref does influence the game, but 15 men on the park are the masters of their own destiny.
Back in 2007, NZ failed to take points opportunities in the misguided arrogance that could do better with tries.
NZ Owned the first half of the match on Sunday, but missed kick after kick. We were all over the French but failed to put on points.
The second half was all France, no question. But just like the 1st half, kicks missed, opportunities were spilled and NZ were in front at the end.
Everyone rabbits on about the match lasts 80 minutes, and the other one, that defence wins RWC’s.
Well that is exactly what happended. The points needed to win were scored inside the 80 minutes, and defence won the match.
25 Oct 2011, 10:21 am
@corporal punishment(corporal punishment)-348:
Ritchie stomped and gouged in the last 5 minutes.
He told Joubert as much himself.
25 Oct 2011, 10:26 am
@corporal punishment(corporal punishment)-348: Corporal, I too have watched the game numerous times and honestly don’t believe that Craig Joubert was biased – though imo he did allow more things to go in the second half and missed quite a few high tackles and at one stage wasn’t even reffing the offside line. The breakdown as we all know and as Francois Pienaar even commented could be argued any way by any decent barrister / lawyer, though to an independent it did seem to me like the French were slightly unlucky in the second half with many of his calls. Let us not forget he is also meant to be assisted by the touch judges so they too can assist. That folk on this site suggest Craig gave the Blacks the cup is silly though he did not have his best day on the field imo.
I am not sure we would even be having this discussion if Weepu made all his penalty kicks in the first half since th game would have most probably been out of reach for the Frogs; however like in any close game people are disecting the finer points which are mute any way as the Blacks are deserved WC champions regardless of all the rhetoric.
For me though on the day the French looked the better team and the Blacks went into their shells and seemed impotent for most of the last 40 minutes. The result says a different story though and we all need to respect that.
25 Oct 2011, 10:26 am
@ skeppie, yep, the ruck is a mess. Also, having a greater contest would commit more forwards to the breakdown rather than encouraging sides to fan put all their loosies in defense a la the final.
25 Oct 2011, 10:27 am
@The Chokerman – formerly cane(cane)-352:
He has since pulled back and said he doesn’t know whether it was intential or accidental.
TV footage is not clear, so when the “victim” recants, I suggest we should just leave it there.
What is certain, McCaw is not taking it further and has not laid a complaint.
25 Oct 2011, 10:29 am
Ps McCaw didn’t play much of a fetcher roll this year. The ab’s seemed a lot keener to either drive over the ball, or fan out in a wall and try to put on offensive tackles to create turnovers. It seemed to work, but i find it pretty negative when it is your on tactic (as it was for us in the second half)
25 Oct 2011, 10:29 am
*only
25 Oct 2011, 10:34 am
@ pie eater, fair comments. I think it was so close, I don’t think we could have complained had France won it. Bit like 95 really – two very strong teams cancelled each other out.
Agree with your comment that Joubert was quite liberal in second half
25 Oct 2011, 10:39 am
@corporal punishment(corporal punishment)-348:
nothing like ritchies knee to the head that put parra to sleep like a drunken sailor though?
25 Oct 2011, 10:39 am
@Brads(Brads)-355:
The probability of the Gouging by Rogourie about 90%.
The reality of the stomping by Dusautior 100%.
( And just to show it was no accident, immediately after the stamp, he simply stood on Ritchie. With all his weight.)
25 Oct 2011, 10:42 am
@ 359 Gunther: didn’t look intentional to me, and richie has no history of dirty play (unlike the French players mentioned above).
25 Oct 2011, 10:47 am
My roll call of kiwis who won’t be in the team at the 2015 WC: thorn, mealamu, woodcock, richie, both Williams, nonu, Conrad, weepu, Jane, hore. I doubt either Thompson or Kaino will make it easier.
Will be a huge challenge for the ab’s to manage the exit of those players over the next 4 years, and keep up the winning record. I can feel the boks and Aussies circling already!
25 Oct 2011, 10:52 am
@corporal punishment(corporal punishment)-361:
oh ok.
if you say it didn’t look intentional thats good enough for me
25 Oct 2011, 10:56 am
One thing that I find quite amazing is the way a lot of people have spoken to me about the game..in particular Ozzies. Alot of its been ” man you were so lucky” and France were the better team on the night. …Really?
Glass half full or half empty?
Maybe the French were lucky that Piri’s boot was off and we left 11 points at that point on the field. Had we been successful with the boot our lead would have been reasonable at 17 to open the game up a bit and play to our strengths. That didnt happen and the French were able to stay in touch, but as I said earlier, the planned forward game against Argentina and other forms of live training paid dividends and we were able to defend our fortress. We had drilled every facet of our play and proved beyond a doubt that it was the French that were unable to capitalize on their luck due to our ability…….and didn’t they hate that mes amis ?…exactly what they did to us four years ago we repaid it with interest.
25 Oct 2011, 10:58 am
@The Chokerman – formerly cane(cane)-350: HAHAHA, well that’s an interesting way of describing our WC campaign…..we would say daylight robbed and the kiwi’s simply “ya came 8th mate”. Oh well to the victor go the spoils I suppose.
25 Oct 2011, 11:05 am
@corporal punishment(corporal punishment)-361: Yeah, Ritchie Macaw may be a sly rugby player but definitely not the dirty type, to be honest he seems like a stand up guy on and off the field similar to Schalk Burger
25 Oct 2011, 11:11 am
@corporal punishment(corporal punishment)-362:
Plenty of young men staying on CP:
The Franks Boys,
The Whitelock Boys.
Cruden.
Dagg,
Jane (26 now).
Toeava.
Boric,
Kahui,
Guildford,
Slade,
Vito,
When one door closes, another one opens.
25 Oct 2011, 11:13 am
@captain fantail(captain fantail)-364:
True CF,
Froggies lucky Peri had the worst game of his life.
8)
25 Oct 2011, 11:14 am
Joubert didn’t stop play when french players were down injured, even awarding a free kick for wasting time. But when cruden got injured and saint richie was down he stopped play. Special treatment for gods gift to rugby.
25 Oct 2011, 12:28 pm
@Dwis(Dwis)-369:
Clear as day Dwis.
France should tell the IRB to go to hell with their petty fine – or else scribble the cheque, spit on it, wipe their arse with it and send it by sea mail two years later. This fine is outrageous and beneath contempt.
Eales runs that show (with full cooperation from O’Brien) – and will never be forgiven or forgotten for his stitch-up of Bakkies agains the Lions – when even the Lions coach (Gatland) publicly said the charges were ridiuclous … these people have disgraced the game, are corrupt to the core and should be fired.
If people can’t confront the Haka it should also be banned ….
25 Oct 2011, 13:09 pm
@corporal punishment(corporal punishment)-358: France in a one off game were superb though their run in the WC was a disgrace. It would have made a mockery of rugby if the World champs had lost 2 games, especailly if one of those was to a minow. The only unbeaten team in the worldcup won which was great.
PS …Should have been the boks though:)
25 Oct 2011, 13:21 pm
@pie eater(pie eater)-371:
France will always be like that – anywhere between terrible and genius. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be France and world rugby is richer for it. I agree with Larence Dalgallio that they are the best in the world on their day … and the non-predictability of it is absolutely fascinating to those of us who revel in the intellect of the game. They shouldn’t be penalized for who they are – let’s not forget they were written off as underdogs without hope and they so nearly won that game – I would have cheered and said all that came before was irrelevant.
The other thing you should bear in mind is that the Boks and possibly AB’s are the only teams to survive weekly physicality of test rugby – northern hemisphere countries don’t have that and in a knock-out competition have to keep petrol in the tank; it could be argued that France did this very well, doing just enough to get to the final so that they could come out fresh and firing which they did, big time. They were colossal on the day and symbolized their dominance by the set-piece push that broke the Kiwi scrum and got them the penalty (which Traille should have kicked).
25 Oct 2011, 13:34 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-50:
Keep sucking.
The French cockerel just loves it and you get to do something useful with your mouth for a change.
25 Oct 2011, 13:44 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-63:
How many games have the Boks won out of the last seven against the Wallabies?
You are crying because the Wallabies stuffed your Boks up with the gloves off.
Keep crying PussyBoy, it’s music to our ears.
25 Oct 2011, 13:50 pm
Looks like the same old few are still crying.
But what gets me is a South African said on here that he hoped NZ had more tremors/quakes, yet no one even batters an eye lid or says anything.
Really is this what living in South Africa does to you?
Someone does wrong or says wrong it gets swept under the carpet.
I would never hope for a country to go through what i went through in these earthquakes.
Alucard, i hope you family does not have to go through anything like that at all.
Can you magine, no communication, cant get home as roads and bridges are collaped. You can only walk out of the city and walk pass a couple of people with sheets over them, all the time you cant get a hold of your kids for over 4 hours.
I suggest you keep off this blog for a while, cause honestly your a piece of **** thats needs to be taught a good lesson.
25 Oct 2011, 14:07 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-375: just shows his class – i am sure this is an idiot lookin for attention
25 Oct 2011, 14:46 pm
@Inevitable(Inevitable)-373: Talking about mouths and cockerels, I wonder how Bryce and Craig Joubert are after their lone bukkake session with Paddy…
25 Oct 2011, 14:50 pm
@Inevitable(Inevitable)-374: Nope, I correct you…
“….because Bryce stuffed your Boks up with the gloves off.”…. There you go… The inept Wobblies had farkall to do with it, especially considering their embarrassing capitulation against the ABs in the Semi…
The Argies provided more of a match against the AB’s
And the French… they were better in the Final.
25 Oct 2011, 15:06 pm
Donald’s kick in the final……hmmmm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=DYGzHYxMPxE
25 Oct 2011, 16:41 pm
#Heavens Game and #JL1. And yet you prove me right. You eat your own. You are not gracious in defeat and you couldn’t credit anyone other than someone that comes from your expert rugby opinion. #JL1 your over-analysis is brilliant. I actually enjoy some of your points but geez dood it must be hard for you when everything is a conspiracy! The tablets helped me, now I can just enjoy a game. And why am I a turn coat? Your vast understanding of game theory and systems analysis should lead you to understand that the whole world is involved in a game and that countries are a mere ploy to keep us pinned against each other. As long as we nod and play along in this game we have a financial system that they want us to have and we are dissolved in the illusion that we maintain our own race
. Making us all racists 
. So to call me unpatriotic you call yourself a racist. I will live inside your faces!
25 Oct 2011, 17:33 pm
@rocopoco(rocopoco)-380: Dont try sound clever, my boy… It doesn’t suit you… Just be yourself, a dumfk Cape Crusader… You will have friends here…
25 Oct 2011, 20:45 pm
so Donald’s penalty kick was actually out.. I kinda wondered about it when it was kicked whether he might have missed but then the flags went up so I assumed the officials spotted it right… but did they? or this just another little cherry to add to the icing on the rigged outcome to save face for the IRB darlings to finally get their precious Webb Ellis cup?
25 Oct 2011, 20:52 pm
I believe the Scientologists did it…true.
25 Oct 2011, 21:14 pm
IMPORTANT!!!! JOUBERT EXPOSED
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBqetaCfgo&feature=youtu.be
25 Oct 2011, 21:15 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-375: Many told him to shut up. You’ll find many like him in other countries, including England.
25 Oct 2011, 21:19 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-384: Interesting analysis.
25 Oct 2011, 21:22 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-386: Shameful really.
25 Oct 2011, 22:06 pm
@Dwis(Dwis)-369: Don’t let the facts come between you and a good conspiracy story….
The ref didn’t stop play for the Cruden or McCaw injuries. Play was stopped because the current phase had come to an end, and the ref called time off while those players were attended to.
Joubert applied exactly the same approach to the Parra injury. Once the current phase came to an end, he called time off to allow him to attend to Parra.
As you would expect from the IRB’s No1 ref (and proclaimed as such by all of the Bok supporters before on this site before the game), Joubert handled all three of those situations EXACTLY in accordance with the rule book.
He also correctly called the French for feigning injury in order to slow the game down.
10 out of 10 to Joubert for correct application of the rules. 0/10 to Dwis for your “analysis”. Open the other eye when you are watching rugby in future.
25 Oct 2011, 22:19 pm
@The Chokerman – formerly cane(cane)-367: I agree we’ve got lots of talent to build with. It won’t be plain sailing, as loss of the old hands in key positions will cause us some problems along the way. However, I would rather they invested in new talent over the next few years than do what they did after 1987 and 1995 – keep too many of the old hands for too long which resulted in some abysmal performances once those players clapped out or retired (much as the Boks have experienced last year and this year by keeping on players well past their use by date).
Re Jane, although he is young enough, I don’t think he will be the first choice winger for too long…… He is a great all round player, and his defensive ability under the high ball was perfect for the World Cup, but I can’t see him holding his position against some of the speedsters we have coming through (he simply doesn’t have the top end gas of a Maitland or Dagg).
Apart from Dagg, there was a distinct lack of speed in the AB backline at this WC. We got away with it, just, but it was touch and go. If we had needed to chase the game in the last 20 minutes, the lack of pace out wide could have cost us as the French found it too easy to close us down.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Kahui and Jane were good selections by Henry & co. They were inherently defensive selections, but this was clearly the result of exhaustive analysis by Henry & co of what wins World Cups. I just hope that next time around, we can select players that are have those defensive qualities, but who also have top end gas (I.e. Habana in his prime).
26 Oct 2011, 00:03 am
Wooden Spoon – where are you? you must be hurting that all your support for France didnt eventuate, is that why youve been rather scarce?
HG (and Wooden Spoon) – I can understand why you guys were so vociferous in your support of the French, seems like attracts like. HG specifically, you were very vocal about some Aussie fans claiming they were spat on, what say you now that there are reports of Pascal Pape punching AND spitting on journalists in an Auckland restaurant yesterday?
seems the French have caught both yours and Spooners sour grapes virus..
dont think they or you two will ever fully recover..
26 Oct 2011, 00:05 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-375: you think Alucard will be dancing in the streets over the 7.2 earthquake that has killed close to 400 people in Turkey?
26 Oct 2011, 00:12 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-390: If they were journalists… why the fark not… Good on Pape. I was under the impression that they were paparazzi, so nothing wrong definitely.
Recover from what? I am glad I supported the better team in the Final… Started as biggest underdogs in RWC history, put played as Champions… Totally superior on the night.
26 Oct 2011, 00:38 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-392: ok, so spectators are off limits but journalists (also spectators) are fair game?
flip flop flip flop..
26 Oct 2011, 00:39 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-392:
“totally superior on the night” ??
looks at Scoreboard, again
26 Oct 2011, 00:52 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-393: You dont make sense… Not unusual though.
@poppa69(poppa69)-394: Thank Craigie for that… Nobody else…
26 Oct 2011, 01:09 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-384:
Thank you Heavens Gate – this says it all.
26 Oct 2011, 01:10 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-395: seems you have a problem IF kiwis spit on visitors (apparently) yet no problem when visitors hit and spit on kiwis?? typical, what to expect from someone like yourself though..
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-395: who would have thought a SA referee would be so corruptible? yet all and sundry were extolling the virutes of Craig the week before? flip flop indeed..
still, the ABs are World Champs for A4Y’s… hows that egg on your face boy?
26 Oct 2011, 01:14 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-397: Shame…
26 Oct 2011, 01:18 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-398: enjoy your 8th spot finish mate, so much for SA depth.. lmfao.. they should have rested those old boys for the entire 3Ns, but I guess theyve enjoyed their last two weeks of “downtime”
its great to see someone like yourself having to barrack for other teams, then the litany of excuses (repeated after your own teams failures) reiterated when your second choice also fails..
SCHWEEEEEEEEET !!
26 Oct 2011, 01:33 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-399: Always thought the AB’s were good enough to be proper World Champs but have been unlucky or just choked… I know different now. The ABs couldn’t win it on their own merit as players… everything had to be in their favour… scripted… like a WWE matchup. Hope you proud…
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