RWC 2011: THE FINAL!!! France vs. New Zealand

[Saintjay]

Hey don't knock the parade, it is going to be the best parade every with over twenty years of planning .

 

[kovana]

TBH.. NZ deserve it, they have been number 1 for many years.

 

[barthelemy]

Hey don't knock the parade, it is going to be the best parade every with over twenty years of planning .

Sorry Sir, A group of French Monkeys have broken the gazebo and the sound system, no more party !

 

[Saintjay]

TBH.. NZ deserve it, they have been number 1 for many years.

They have also been the favorite for nearly every worldcup apart from 2003.

 

[Teh Mite]

They have also been the favorite for nearly every worldcup apart from 2003.

New Zealand WERE favourites in 2003. Only the UK media said otherwise.

 

[Darwin]

New Zealand WERE favourites in 2003. Only the UK media said otherwise.

....and the IRB world Rankings....

 

[Shaggy]

....and the IRB world Rankings....

View attachment 1471

Did you not see he had his sarcasm warning below his post

 

[Teh Mite]

....and the IRB world Rankings....

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World rankings have bugger all to do with bookies favourites.

 

[Darwin]

World rankings have bugger all to do with bookies favourites.

Bookies favourites have bugger all to do with who is the actual favourite

 

[Saintjay]

New Zealand WERE favourites in 2003. Only the UK media said otherwise.

Yep and the world rankings and Clive Woodward who said "We went into the tournament as favorites" but hey what does he know

Here are the England vs All Blacks results 2002-2003 into the run up to the world cup in 2003

9/11/2002 England 31-28 New Zealand
14/6/2003 New Zealand 13-15 England.

Oh and here is big Lawrence and his views on the 2003 team again what did he know,

"England won 15 of their 16 games in the build-up to the 2003 World Cup, and Dallaglio admits those results were crucial to the team’s success Down Under. “Our confidence was high because we knew we had already beaten all of the other teams at the tournament,” he says. “We knew we had world-class players who could influence any game, and everywhere you looked in the squad, there was star quality. We weren’t taking it for granted, but we knew we had the weaponry and the proven track record to win the World Cup.”

So only the british press thought we were favorites, well them, the players, the team manager, the bookies, rankings and pretty much the rest of the world.
Sorry but your wrong.

 

[Teh Mite]

Yep and the world rankings and Clive Woodward who said "We went into the tournament as favorites" but hey what does he know

 

[BRSTLDRGN]

Cyril goes to get the tissues...

 

[Blutch]

The only thing to hope is that French actually PLAY the game with all they got.

I'm all with "les bleus" but they are capable of the best like the worst. Even if we lost, I just pray for the team to deliver a great piece of rugby, a great final because I have no doubt that the AB will deliver their very best, at home, in front of their fans in one of the most, or even the most legendary rugby stadium ever.

And now it's wait and see...

 

[nix0000]

I think think there's a point, a lot of people are missing here. In 99 and 07 (and even in 09, when we lost to them agian) it's widely regarded that we were outpassioned. The French treated those knock out games as their finals, while the ABs thoughts were elsewhere. This simply will not be the case on sunday night. It doesn't matter how fired up the French are, the All Blacks will better it twofold.
I mean look at 07. I remember one of the players-think it was Anton Oliver-saying that they were looking at concentating their full passion and energy on later games rather than wasting in on the French. Well look what happened. Look at 09, the French were so fired up, and I remember our players showing no respect and no passion whatsoever and the one time a player-Adam Thompson from memory-hit the ruck hard with force he was penalised.

If we can match them or better them mentally, then our far superior team chemistry and natural ability should get us home in a breeze.
I know my fingers are crossed.

 

[Larksea]

Much respect to the french Camp for letting the All Blacks wear Black even though they had the choice after winning the coin Toss.

 

[Tricia McMillan]

Form and skill are always on NZ side, no matter the opposant. That doesn't mean they always win.

It would be atrocious if they lost by 40 points. They "only" lost by 20 in pool stages, i think they can do better in a final.

I agree with this. We'll have a more conservative approach to the game as well. I don't see it ending 37-17 again, because I don't see France rolling over and playing dead no matter what the score is at any given time. We'll have to work our socks off for every single point we get.

 

[kovana]

Its so good to hear the NZ media 'try' and talk up the french. But let reality sink in. NZ Have won the RWC!

 

[merlinux]

Its so good to hear the NZ media 'try' and talk up the french. But let reality sink in. NZ Have won the RWC!

Well I do not live in NZ but from what I read on the NZ Herald website its all but talking us up mate... Wasnt there a headline "French make final an insult" or something like that.... And another one yesterday with a similar tone. All the experts analysis have also been ery very anti french, saying we are not worth anything come sunday.... Its even worse in australia.
Keep your reality for sunday night cause no you havent won it yet

 

[nix0000]

Btw, does anybody know the TAB odds on Cory Jane giving Maxime Medard another in the face hand off on Sunday night???

 

[William18]

I do not agree with this statement. All french players have said after the match about the sent off of Warburton that they found themselves in an unexpected situation. they could not loose that game anymore (against 14 players) and they unconsciensly decided to take a minimum risk, they just played to not loose, not to win. As well, the need to not consume too much energy in that semi-final became even more important (because they were playing against 14 and they had the occasion to have a more relax match to be ready properly for the final) Without the red card, the match would have been different but certainly not automatically a victory from Wales. you can say all what you want but our records against Wales in these last 20 years are largely in favour of France. Wales has effectively done a good match against south africa (but losing it) and a very good match against Ireland (it is not the all black even if I have a lot of respect for the irish). I really think that everybody was glad for the welsh so everybody prayed them. But at the end, if you base your judgement for next sunday on this semi final against Wales to say that France is a shitty team, you are totally wrong. Ok they put themselves under pressure finally all along the match playing this very minimal game, but again, thinking that it is representative of France, it is fully wrong.

Saying that and being rationalistic, we should loose on Sunday because I really think ABs are superior to France (not because France would be a shitty team who would have have an imaginary luck to arrive in final). I'm french so I'm hoping to win and I will support my team defenitly. I give 20% chance to win to France. First they will have to enter with a knife in their mouth on the pitch, they will have to resist to the physic ABs fight, they will have to be almost perfect in defense (I think, despite what a lot of people thing, that the match against Wales was a very good "training" for france in the way they were really focused to not consume themselves in rucks) and then, they will have to bring on the magic (specifically our backline with Medard, Clerc...)

I disagree with that statement. I thought that Wales completely outplayed France even with 14 men and there is no doubt that France have had luck on their side in making the final.