Wales lost the first semi-final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup 8-9 rather than France winning the match. Both sides played uninspired and essentially negative rugby.
The lackluster win by France suggests that tonight’s semi-final between the Wallabies and the All Blacks will be the real final. It is difficult to see how either of these sides won’t defeat France in the tournament decider next Sunday.
The game was lost by Wales for four reasons. First, they lost their captain Sam Warburton in the 24th minute when he made a dynamic, strong tackle on the French winger Vincent Clerc. It was the perfect hit with the shoulder driving Clerc up. But instead of holding the winger, Warburton started to drive him into the turf before letting him go.
Warburton’s cause was not helped by Clerc milking the outcome of the penalty. He lay prone for a couple of minutes before carrying on, after the red card had been handed out, as if nothing had happened.
I have had my doubts about the French gamesmanship in milking penalties after Morgan Parra got one against the All Blacks, with a blatant dive, in the pool round match. And later in the semi-final, Clerc tried to win another penalty with a dive. But this time referee Alain Rolland was awake to the stunt and called for the play to continue.
Stuart Barnes reckoned after the match that the referee over-reacted by giving the red card and not a yellow. Barnes was insistent that Warburton did not drive Clerc into the turf, he was not a dirty player and that, therefore, the referee had made a mistake. This mistake cost Wales the game. ‘There is no way it was a red card,’ he said time and time again on a panel after the match. ‘It was not the decision of a top referee.’
I agree with him. John Eales is also on-board commenting that the tackle was never more than a yellow card.
The IRB has to do something about this milking of penalties. I believe that these dives should be reviewed after the match and if it is a dive then the player should be suspended for a match.
Even though they played for nearly an hour without a player, a captain and their main fetcher, Wales could still have won the contest if they had kicked their goals. They missed 4 penalties, a conversion (which should have been better positioned if Mike Phillips had scored closer to the posts, as he could), and two dropped goals.
France, on the other hand, kicked all three of their penalties, although they missed a dropped goal attempt.
Wales, even though they were a man short, kicked the ball away too much. I can’t believe the number of times they kicked the ball back to the French instead of running at them. When Phillips did run he scored an easy try.
The only really good aspect of the French play, aside from their defence around the rucks and mauls, was their lineout. Wales simply could not win their lineout ball. This meant they couldn’t mount the continual pressure Wales needed to mount against a poor French side.
The point about all this is that the World Cup is a tournament. The winner is the team that wins the final and not necessarily the best team in the tournament or, indeed, world rugby. Wales lost their crucial scrum leader, the prop Adam Jones. Then came the yellow card decision.
So tonight’s semi-final assumes an even bigger importance, if that is possible. For it seems impossible for France to win this tournament after losing two pool round matches (against New Zealand and Tonga) and then playing so poorly for their lucky win against Wales.
The New Zealand All Blacks’ Jerome Kaino, right, charges into a group of Australian defnders during their Tri-Nations rugby union match at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010. New Zealand won the match 23-22. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Both the Wallabies and the All Blacks are suffering from injuries. The latest player to drop out, Kurtley Beale, probably changes the balance of favouritism to the All Blacks. Beale made the crucial break-out against the Springboks and his work under the high ball has been very good.
But as France showed this week and the week before, it is not necessary to go into a match as favourites to come out winners. Sometimes luck and the bounce of the ball is enough to give a result that might not seem to be apparent before the match is played.
Jerry
Guest
"In SA we prefer to beat the best, to win – and call ourselves champs" So what have you been calling yourself since 07? (joke)
Colin N
Guest
Australia.
Mike
Guest
Don't put your team in the same class as All Blacks, Ivan, until you earn it.
Mike
Guest
Hmmm, so far no-one - you were the favourites for this one, remember? If you go down against France however, we may think about it...
Mike
Guest
With a good ref, Boks would probably have done worse. If you can't do well under Lawrence, the ref that Ireland did even better against Australia under, how on earth do you think you would have got anywhere underJoubert, Barnes or Rolland?
Mike
Guest
Why on earth would the Boks be in a "real final". I can think of at least four nations that would get in before them. Your biggest beef appears to be with Australia, against whom your record in past two years is 6 losses out of 7. No objective person is going to put Boks in a top two at the moment. A few years back, sure.
Mike
Guest
Yes, I thought Australia looked pretty much like the team that won the 3N. "Are Australia the team you talk them up to be ?" I haven't talked Austrralia up at all, nor is that your issue.What you are mad about is that I pointed out the truth, that Bryce Lawrence didn't lose SA the game last week. "whats your take on why the wallabies didnt really perform at this cup ?" I think getting into a semi-final is performing. Rugby no longer consists of 4-5 nations.
The expert
Guest
Will smith is perhaps a gay black man of afl background
The expert
Guest
Wrong spiro again ,what challenge did wobblies mount ?none ,france played terrible and won still won thats what a world cups about ,france may play this week its not over at all
Ivan Nel
Roar Rookie
by that reasoning we could say this is all your fault. You got the flue and that meant that a doctor was on duty that night to see you, he wasnt at home to catch his wife in bed with another, and as such his dog was let out of the yard and knocked by a car, that car was made in england and required parts- which meant extra work for a welshman who works at the plant who was then delayed by 4 minutes to send the welsh team a tweet and wales never got the tweet which read - dont tip tackle - and as such warburton was sent off. how could you !
Ivan Nel
Roar Rookie
Do you really believe that Samoa would have beaten Ireland and France ? They have improved, but not as much as you think. SA beat them in second gear, doing 'just enough' to cruise home without injuries and Ireland and France are probably as good. Wales are not cheats buddy, They are a good team on the up, just like Samoa.
Ivan Nel
Roar Rookie
Ok then - in fear of you posting another 253 times on this and forgetting to feed your kids - Australia won, end of story.
Ivan Nel
Roar Rookie
Lets agree to disagree - however Bryce did, my point now is - that SA were a better team on the day than Aus - but made some crucial mistakes that cost them points. Aus won the game, but most would feel SA (having taken their chances) should have won. They were dominant and the Aussies really had to dig in on defense to win - it leaves me thinking that SA were stronger than Aus in this Cup, and Pocock made some incredible steals that, as we saw today, should have cost Aus points. im not saying SA didnt do anything illegal, but with the amount of territory they had, it would probably have cost them less points - and in a 2 point game, it only took 1 penalty to change it. Pocock is a good player, very good - so give him that much and Australia are a quality team, but they did not put their best down at this tournament, and as such - a more fitting final would have been SA NZ. i cant see France upsetting NZ now, unless they pull one of their rabbits in the hat moves - but its unlikely, only SA would have given NZ a run here - because they have the forward power to beat NZ upfront, and stop momentum for those dangerous runnners. so you can have that one, Australia did beat SA - but it shouldnt have happened for the sake of the game. or more telling, SA shouldnt have beaten Wales - then this argument becomes null. I think SA would have beaten IReland and France and have made the final on the other side.
Mike
Guest
I don't know, I think he's pretty safe on this one - since we never got anywhere near 20-3 (except against us) how can anyone prove him wrong! :)
Ivan Nel
Roar Rookie
I agree - the ABs have been the best team without doubt for many years, its fitting that they get the Cup. Its puts the balance of the game into place. as a saffa, im dissapointed my team didnt win, but im happy for the kiwis to get one.
Mike
Guest
You certainly have that opportunity. Some of the new Saffa talent coming through is exciting. Not just Goosen
Ivan Nel
Roar Rookie
ya we sure saw that today. so tell us Mike, since we wont agree on the SA - Aus quarter - lets leave that one. Lets talk about Australia for a second. In your opinion - did Australia impress you in this WC ? did they look like the team they were in the 3N at all ? The pack was owned by Ireland, and by SA and by NZ - and im guessing will be owned again by Wales. The backlineis very good, but were not used in the big games at all, because their packs were beaten, Are Australia the team you talk them up to be ? Ive hardly been convinced at this cup that they are that good. Quade has been erratic, maybe you need Giteau back, maybe Barnes needs to play 10. Genia wasnt good today, but a quality player - and everyone has an off one. So my question is - whats your take on why the wallabies didnt really perform at this cup ? Im sure thats a fair statement, we know the Wallabies at their best are world beaters, but they didnt show any of that in this tournament. Why ?
Ivan Nel
Roar Rookie
That puts a new spin on it - interesting. 87 - Nz in NZ 91 - Aus in England - away win 95 - Sa in sa 99 - Aus in Wales- away win 03 - England in Australia - away win 07 - SA in france- away win 11 - Nz in Nz ?
Mike
Guest
You do realise a kiwi might win the Melbourne Cup too? They have a habit of doing that.
Mike
Guest
Well, they can only win THIS one at home, that's true. In four year's time they may well win one away (and no, I'm not by any means an ABs supporter but your post above is full of cr*p)