France vs New Zealand

[shtove]

I think the main thing about yesterday's miracle matches was that both winning teams were very disciplined and gave away few penalties when under huge pressure (cough ... Worsley!).

At one stage in the second half, the ABs went through 26 straight phases without scoring - and some AB commentators concluded the ref was biased because he didn't give a penalty! But you don't HAVE to spoil the ball, and maybe France just CHOSE to play it clean and defend with courage rather than cunning. I guess that kind of thinking is alien to McCaw and co.

 

[AB-choker]

France by + 2 pts
[/b]

hope you put your money where your mouth was

 

[bentinck]

I think the main thing about yesterday's miracle matches was that both winning teams were very disciplined and gave away few penalties when under huge pressure (cough ... Worsley!).

At one stage in the second half, the ABs went through 26 straight phases without scoring - and some AB commentators concluded the ref was biased because he didn't give a penalty! But you don't HAVE to spoil the ball, and maybe France just CHOSE to play it clean and defend with courage rather than cunning. I guess that kind of thinking is alien to McCaw and co.
[/b]

Has Worsley EVER gone through a match without giving away an incredibly important penalty? Will someone tell me what is the point of bringing on people at the end who give the game away (cough, Dallaglio)

 

[charlievolano]

Honestly there is always an excuse, forward pass, bad refs, dirty opponents or food poisoning.

When things started to go wrong you could see in the ABs' faces that they were afraid to lose, still human regardless of all the gods and spirits they can evoke.

And honestly the Abs tend to get away with tons of faults in the rucks and forward passes so it should be the last team to complain about these things.

A great game of rugby, can't wait to see he rematch in 4 years time.

 

[thomas]

<div class='quotemain'>
France by + 2 pts
[/b]

hope you put your money where your mouth was [/b][/quote]





I know, I should have bet this somewhere... <_<

 

[rodryliff]

A fantastic game, and really I'm so happy to see NZ out. Laporte needs to sort out his starting line-up, because you just can't leave players like Michalak and Chabal out. Also, the French left wing, whose name I can't remember, was awful, but still, brilliant stuff by the French.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

I am so happy right now you have no idea

I predictedf a choke by both Australia and New Zealand and I got what I wished for. Oh and Kiwis stop blaming the f***ing ref I watched the game and as it stands France made 178 tackles against you. 178 if you guys can't f***ing score with that much possession and that much goddamn territorial control then yur a bunch of idiots. Instead f dropping for goal for points you continue the tactic of all or nothing and it cost you dearly. Also the pick and drive tactics used were prolly the dumbest thing I have seen in ages you played right into the french strengths so congrats on that.

As a neutral supporter I usually don't pay much attention or care tat matter for the knocks you guys have at each other. For the past years have had to listen to Kiwis talk themselves up and repeatedly give themselves a tugjob for how awesome and great they are. I am really glad this happened because you all need to be humbled and frankly need to learn to shut up sometimes.

Its ok though we Canadians have the same problem with Ice Hockey, we continually talk ourselves up for the Olympics and by all means we should be cause we have the best players, the most money, the best development program etc. So when we don't win everyone is in shock because well that wasn't part of the script. Unfortunately that is sport. There is no script, every team has there day and unfortunately today wasn't yours. Live with it, learn from it and over the next four years try not to be so goddamn cocky.

 

[danny]

<div class='quotemain'> I don't think the All Blacks will win by a big margin like most previous posts have said, although I think it will be a hard-fought win for them. The French won't be holding anything back, so far they've been showing some promising performances after the historical first-round loss to Argentina. Unlike the All Blacks, the French have had some good tough challenges from their oppostions in the 'pool of death' and that achievement will certainly motivate them into this important knock-out stage. And that has been a worry for the All Blacks - no real 'big' rugby test in their own pool - and now all of sudden comes a clash between two (of a few) teams that were tipped to meet in the grand final. Italy was no match for them and Scotland played a second-string team so the ABs have yet to be challenged.



AB's by 10 [/b]

who cares that we haven't been challenged better that than being humiliated by argentina and ending up playing away from home even hough their hosts.

France will get done by +20.
[/b][/quote]

your post just shows how arrogant the Kiwis are when it comes to rugby. What u dont realise is that to win a world cup u have to have balls and a hard nosed pack. All I will say back to you is "Ali Williams" ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow quarterfinals shouldn't be won on forward passes... guess thats the only way France would win!
[/b]

Take your beating like a man not some spoilt antipodean gimp!

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

<div class='quotemain'> <div class='quotemain'>
France by + 2 pts
[/b]

hope you put your money where your mouth was [/b][/quote]





I know, I should have bet this somewhere... <_<
[/b][/quote]


Same for me, as I predicted same difference, but only bet it on TRF !!

 

[diehardkiwi07]

We lost this game fair and square NZ as a whole nation is mourning and i think it will take alot to get over this. NZ is the most proudest rugby country in the whole world and every country knows that, we breed rugby eat rugby and sleep rugby, it is only common sense we believe we should of won and at the end of the day we are proud to have won every rugby ***le bar the world cup trophy sitting in our cabinet. Remember 1 thing we host the next world cup and we are going to make this the biggest event since the Americas cup event

p.s thank you nz fans for not replying back to pestwicks nonsense

 

[I Bleed Black]

Well not sure where to start.

As someone who was at the game. It was an amazing game. The stadium was immense, both teams had huge support, and the game was played in good spirit.

I have been pretty quiet on this site for the last few weeks, being quietly confident that we had a good chance to go all the way (but not wanting to seem to arrogant or count my chickens), and looking forward to seeing a huge AB performance in a critical game at a massive venue.

Alas was not to be..... again

Well done France - All the french I met last night (except one) were very gracious winners and helped make a poor shocked (and then very drunk) kiwi manage to try and have a half decent night out for my several hundred pounds spent. Credit to their country.

Nice to hear some comments from those members who never show their face with anything contributory to say for 364 days of the year get straight in there with a few cheap comments. I fully expect the banter from the regulars and fair to say it goes both ways. But some members here (including the kiwis moaning about the ref) really let themselves down.

Aye, were chokers and its four more years (may they be great ones!) and then we will give her a crack at home.

Very proud of our boys, feel very sorry for them. They have given us a magical team to be proud of and this has not changed, and they will be taking this the hardest, esp the players leaving the ABs - not exactly the way to end your international career.

To Graham, Richie and the boys - Thanks for your contribution to the RWC!!!! Get back on the horse!!

Signed
Taking it on the chin

 

[Prestwick]

IBB, you sir are an honour to your team, your country and the sport in general.

Please, look forward in glee to what will probably be another four years of All Black domination and instead try and hope that New Zealand will focus this time on the reasons why their team did not win the crucial game of their tournament.

p.s thank you nz fans for not replying back to pestwicks nonsense[/b]

My god! I almost choked on that one!

On a nicer note, the French celebrated like demons until the wee hours of Sunday morning (this from the BBC RWC blog:

The party continued as the hordes spilt out onto the streets towards the Tower, the roads already starting to fill with cars blaring their horns.

It did not take long for the celebrations to envelop a giant 12 metre-high rugby ball showcasing the 2011 World Cup located on the Champs de Mars.

Well, if your team had just beaten the All Blacks, you wouldn't be able to resist cavorting in front of a huge ball that has "100% PURE NEW ZEALAND" plastered on the side of it either.

It was an opportunity too good to resist.[/b]

However, the situation was soon defused and all was well:

Some tried to conduct the crowd in a rendition of the La Marseillaise in a ploy to get them onside while others hurriedly tried to get a sign printed with the words "CONGRATULATIONS FRANCE" as a show of goodwill. Wise move.[/b]

 

[diehardkiwi07]

I wish the French and the English all the best and hope they both make the final so it will be an all NH world cup final where everyone will be treated to a spectacular game of aerial ping ping and penaltie shoot out :bravo:

 

[Prestwick]

Damn right mate! Stand aside man from New Zealand! Let us French and English show you how real men play scrabble! :lol:

 

[O'Rothlain]

Woooooooooo! Chabal and France have made me a happy man!
Now, it's not that I dislike you All Blacks nor do I hate New Zealand, I just hate the arrogance recently displayed by the southern hemi. So, take that and realize being a great rugby nation has no relationship to which direction the water swirls when you flush the john crapper.

 

[Gay-Guy]

We lost. France beat us. We turned up. They turned up. No excuses for the lost. There are variables that could have changed the outcome for both sides but in the end it was the French who did what they had to do. So congratulations to them.....they were the better side.



The All Blacks showed signs they might lose in the tunnel. They looked nervous.



During the anthem Richie McCaw and a few others looked extra nervous. He was breathing deeply....yep....you could see the AB's were not mentally in the right frame of mind. There is only one frame of mind for these knockout games.....killer instinct....just ask the Argentinians.



During the haka the AB's chose the wrong haka. Kapo o Pango is the one they need to do if they are lacking courage because it is a war haka. Kamate despite its history and popularity is a cowards celebration of not getting slaughtered from rival warriors. The French stood over Kamate and reversed it back into the AB faces.



Collins, Carter and then Evans struggled with injuries during the game which affected the team. Though the French lost big hitter Betsen and still rolled on. The French did not let the concussion of Betsen affect them as a team.



The famed AB defensive pattern fell apart. Instead it was France who looked liked they had adopted the pattern and gave the AB's their own medicine.



The French tactical kicking was superb while the AB's did kick well but they CHOSE not to put it out for fear of their weak lineout. The AB's needed to adjust that game plan and kick it out as incredibly they dominated the French lineout....however their inability to seize on a wobbly French lineout showed lack of on-feild leadership regarding adjusting gameplans. The French lineout weakness in the game was therefore ignored.



The ref did have a big impact on the game...however good teams adjust to the ref. McCaw and Collins continually being penalised at the breakdown showed they did not adjust to the refs interpretation. Even the forward pass that resulted in a try had some of the AB players slowing down for a split second EXPECTING the ref or linesman to blow it up...they didn't.....try. Good teams play to the ref and the whistle and can adjust to a ref who is making mistakes. MacAlister getting sent off was uncalled (no team warning and it was a guess which two AB players he felt like sending as well as it being an unwaranted sendoff) for, but the NZ team should have banded together and gotten determined and angry as a group (See England in Auckland 2003 when they had 13 players and won) and they should have channelled that anger towards the French instead of looking confused and at a ref having an off day.



NZ failed to close out a game when 13 points up. The final penalty by France to make it 13-3 at the break was France's THIRD chance with a penalty kick. What was NZ doing playing the game in their own half at 13 up when they should have kicked it out in Frances half and forced France to make the play as France are the team that needs to play catch up football. NZ's one weakness over the last 2 years is their habit of letting weaker teams back into a game rather than putting the strangle hold on whenever they are in front.



Dan Carter is a good player but he is not a backline general or a leader or even an INSPIRER of men when they are down and afraid. That is what Tana Umaga used to do with the players around him out in the backs. Merhtens and Bunce were the leaders before him. Grant Fox as poofy as he was used to be the king leader for the AB backline in the '87 team. Dan Carter is still a boy and is not the hardened leader to instill stength into his backs when they are losing faith and need direction. With Jerry Collins not fully fit after he got hit hard in the first half NZ needed someone to stand up somewhere and take the game by the balls.



When it comes to the crunch after all this analysis....the hearts of the French players rose above their fears...the New Zealanders didn't and played within themselves and capitulated rather than rose above their fears. So yes....NZ choked yet again.



Well done to both England and France...they showed what the spirit of rugby really is about.....it is about the resolve of the human spirit against all odds. Attractive rugby is entertainment....winning rugby is about courage in the face of fire.

 

[tituslechmakus]

C'EST LA CHARGE DE CHABAL !!!!!!!!

i'm just a happy man ... the history repeats once again ...

it might be the 1st time in history that nz and aus get out of a comp on the same day!

 

[Prestwick]

Me and O'Ro were talking about this but....

...did anyone notice that in the last ten minutes, anyone in the New Zealand camp holding any kind of authority went AWOL?

There was absolutely no direction from guys like Jack, McCaw, anyone who has more than four or five years front line experience with the All Blacks.

Nobody was there to stop the All Black back line from imploding and turning into just another Pacific Island side; looking to break the line on their own, play sevens style rugby but without any direction or dicipline.

Look at South Africa today. When they were in meltdown against Fiji, the big elder Boks, the guys with experience, who have seen this happen before against England at least seven times in the last ten years, grabbed the heads of Steyn, Habana, James and co and banged them together, telling them to cool their jets and concentrate on the game and working as a team. They worked out how to get past Fiji, hammered it to the corner, got a drive going and the rest is history.

Where was that leadership from those in the All Blacks who should know better? Nowhere.

In theory, McCaw in that final pre line out huddle should have said "right guys, calm the **** down, just keep the ball in France's 22 and keep possession. McAllister, you hang back and when the time comes, give it the best shot you have at a DG."

Instead, whatever was said in that huddle probabbly went along the lines of "WE CAN DO THIS! NEW ZEALAND! WOOOO!" and as a result, the team just imploded against some superb French defense.

If there is one thing that the NZRFU need to focus on post RWC then it is the fact that for all the years of mental, physical and aspirational preparation, for all those months spent being rested, for all those games against the NH and in the Tri Nations, nobody, nobody fronted up and answered the call when it really mattered. And that, that is very worrying.

 

[Stillknox]

Sometimes, I'm proud to be french…



What a match. Possibly not spectacular, but what intensity and drama. I loved the way that the French faced the haka : standing close to the Abs, dressed in blue, white and red. Not a provocation, just our participation in this ceremonial : « we exist too », proud of our colors. Also loved the face of the French during this, ready for the big fight.



What a defense, what a spirit. Excellent discipline too. But a crapy first half. The game plan « all boot » wasn't very successful, but despites that Traille was good at fullback, better than the irregular Poitrenaud. Beauxis's still green, but he was solid for his young age. Dusautoir was excellent in defense, strong in attack, man on the match. Michalak… aaah Michalak, the beauty and the beast. Sometimes genius, sometimes awful. Have to admit, his run and his pass to Jauzion were pure class. Jauzion who's still one of the best centre in the world. Clerc, Elissalde were great too.



I think that the second try is valid. Traille passed to the back, but Michalak comes so quickly that its seems to be a forward pass, but I might be wrong. If it's the case, well… that's a part of the game. The NZ tries were litigious too, especially the first one. The ref was blind on two touches found by the French. And after all the NZ got 70% field occupation, won almost every touches and scrums, and didn't scored. We scored each time we was in good situation. McCallister's fault is really clear for me. Quite frankly, this is not a stolen game.



I'm a bit sad for New Zealand. I think they're still the best team of the world, but the point is you have to be the best at the best moment. The ABs don't seems to have this "culture of knockout game" like the French, I hope this will be rectified in four years



Now, we cannot lose this one. Not again, against those bloody () English. Not again in final… this is our time ! I hope we'll meet again our Argentinians friends in final, with a litlle taste of Top14

 

[shtove]

The French tactical kicking was superb while the AB's did kick well but they CHOSE not to put it out for fear of their weak lineout. The AB's needed to adjust that game plan and kick it out as incredibly they dominated the French lineout....however their inability to seize on a wobbly French lineout showed lack of on-feild leadership regarding adjusting gameplans. The French lineout weakness in the game was therefore ignored.


Well done to both England and France...they showed what the spirit of rugby really is about.....it is about the resolve of the human spirit against all odds. Attractive rugby is entertainment....winning rugby is about courage in the face of fire. [/b]

Hey, haven't seen you on here for ages. Welcome back.

The last time you were around you were talking about the long tactical kicking to beat the ABs, and saying only SA had it. Must say I didn't think French kicking was much better than it was last November.

Anyway, can't argue with your final observation. Cup rugby is a wonderful game.