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Ritchie McCaw’s wry smile said it all. As the referee blew the final whistle inside the deafening cauldron of Eden Park, the Kiwi skipper sported a distinct look of satisfaction.
Something very similar, I imagine, to the look on Shane Warne’s mug the first morning he peeled back the sheets to reveal a scantily clad Liz.
But Captain McCaw had every right to grin, as not only had he played through the pain barrier to put in a dominant display, he had lead a side that was superior in all areas right across the park, save for some wayward goal kicking.
The All Blacks were on song. In perfect harmony not just throughout the Haka, but for the 80 minutes that followed as they put in a passionate performance that completely shut the Wallabies out of the game.
Australia also did themselves no favours from a tactically perspective, as their attacking play channeled the creative flair of elevator music. The Wallabies alternated between kicking deep from their own half or straight up and down box kicks from Genia when they were a little further up field. Two threats that were easily neutralized by the return kicking of Israel Dagg and the safe hands of the acrobatic Cory Jane.
The decision to resign Robbie Deans to the top Wallabies coaching job will now be heavily criticized by his sceptics and going off their impotent semi -final performance and a disappointing tournament overall, it is tough to not join the choir of the non-believers.
The decision to minimise the running of the ball, even with the clock ticking down and points greatly needed, clearly came from the top and with an entire nation willing the ball wide into the waiting hands of Ioane or O’Connor, we were instead left to bemoan mundane, safety first rugby.
With the weight of expectation of an entire nation on their shoulders, it could have been safe to assume that the All Blacks were the ones who had to deal with the immense pressure of the occasion. But right from the kick off it was Australia who were under the pump, with the NZ-born Quade Copper looking like a Rock Wallaby caught in the headlights of and oncoming Fourby as he put the opening kick out on the full.
Cooper’s entire performance was in stark contrast to the poised display from the New Zealand number 10, Aaron Cruden, who given the circumstances could have been forgiven for being a little over-oared.
But he looked more a wiley veteran who had been steering the Kiwis a number of years than a 22-year old lad who had been with the team only a matter of days as he found space on a number of occasions and slotted a precision drop goal which was made to look easy, but was later put into perspective by Dagg’s dismal attempt.
The performance of the Kiwi’s third string flyhalf shows what tremendous stocks they have in their rugby larder, especially when you consider they only have a little over two million blokes to choose from, half of which appear to be living in London. Still, it must be noted that a number of bonus Polynesians does help booster their recruit-able population.
Although some may suggest this, the entire blame for their poor performance cannot rest with Cooper and Coach Deans as many of the Wallabies were a far cry off their usual standard. This was apparent in the opening exchanges where it looked as if the All Blacks were Teflon coated with many of the Australians guilty of missing tackles. The most notable of these was Rocky Elsom’s miss on Dagg which lead to the first and only try with Nonu crossing in the corner.
The only real shining light for the Wallabies was Digby Ioane, who was electric in possession and went tantilisingly close to crossing in the first half. His surging run was backed by a tidal wave of momentum which was somehow stopped by Jerome Kaino, which proved to be a decisive point in the match.
If the Aussies had crossed there, they would have raised doubts in the minds of the All Blacks and their supporters and given the visitors a huge lift. It was a massive tackle in the whole scheme of things and next Sunday when the Kiwi’s raise the Webb Ellis trophy aloft, they can attribute part of that success to Kaino’s commitment to reeling in Digby.
David Pocock’s quarter final performance polarized opinion with him being compared to the devil by the South African corner, but seemingly threatening Julia Gillard’s position in the top job amongst the Australian faithful.
Much will be made of his back to back penalties in the ruck against the Kiwis, but truth be told he was quite unlucky with one of the infringements and still managed to return to his pilfering ways as the game went on.
The refereeing performance also deserves commendation as Joubert bucked the recent trend of being the most talked about man on the field in the post game analysis. One of the few high points for Aussie spectators was the cameo of Sonny Bill which was little more than a round of applause followed by a dropped shoulder.
There’s no doubt many a Steinlager was raised in Auckland long into the night to celebrate the All Blacks memorable win. Much of their success can be attributed to their dominance at the breakdown, which like their national lager, had only a few simple ingredients which were combined perfectly to quench a nations thirst.
At the breakdown the Kiwi’s showed agility, brute strength, teamwork and utter commitment to secure the ball time and again. When they swung the ball wide, they went up in numbers, supporting one another and their retention of the pill was rarely in doubt.
The Australians, on the other hand, were slow to arrive and lackluster once they did, meaning that on the few occasions they did use some width they faced the prospect of an immediate turnover following the tackle.
The New Zealanders, much like our beloved Warnie, should be extremely proud of how they rose to the occasion. Although they only scored one try, it was their complete control of the match and their dominance of the scrum that will be remembered for the next four years.
Added to that the fact that Australia never even looked like crossing, despite having some possession deep in the Kiwi half and all in all, it was great day to hail from the land of the long white cloud. With a comfortable round victory against the French under their belt and the confidence they took from today’s performance, next Sunday’s final is a foregone conclusion and they’ll be few floating the possibility of a French upset.
For a country that has endured a terrible year in many aspects, it will be great for the Kiwi’s to look back in years to come as say: “2011, that’s the year we won the World Cup.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.