New Zealand have overcome a nerve-racking final half hour from a feisty France side to win the Rugby World Cup final 8-7 at Eden Park in Auckland and be crowned world champions for the first time in 24 years.
The All Blacks were expected to dominate a French team that had struggled for momentum, points and unity during the tournament, but the red-hot favourites struggled to puncture a defence that was dogged after conceding a soft early try.
The home team got on the board in the 15th minute courtesy of the most unlikely of channels, with prop Tony Woodcock the beneficiary of a slick lineout move.
Hooker Keven Mealamu threw to Jerome Kaino at the back of the lineout and the athletic No.6 immediately dished the ball back inside to Woodcock, who only needed to palm off French tighthead prop Nicolas Mas on an eight-metre scoot to the tryline.
Half-back Piri Weepu, who had assumed New Zealand’s main kicking duties following the injury to Dan Carter in the pool stages, was off-target with the conversion attempt after earlier missing a difficult penalty kick from 41 metres.
France were willing to use the full width of the field from the start, but were too often overwhelmed by the physicality of the All Blacks, especially their counter-rucking.
The visitors’ best chances of getting on the scoreboard in the first half came when replacement five-eighth Francois Trinh-Duc, who came on for a groggy Morgan Parra midway through the opening stanza, missed a field goal attempt in the 36th minute.
And just a minute late, Trinh-Duc counter-attacked from his own 22-metre line and only a desperate ankle tap from Weepu prevented the busy playmaker from potentially going all the way.
Trinh-Duc lined up against New Zealand’s fourth-choice five-eighth Stephen Donald for the final 45 minutes of the match after Aaron Cruden hyperextended his right knee and was immediately carted off to continue the curse of the All Blacks’ No.10 jersey.
Donald, who was fishing in Waikato just two weeks ago when given the shock call-up, was calm and assured despite his last appearance for the All Blacks being an erratic effort off the bench in a last-minute loss to the Wallabies in Hong Kong last year.
Donald booted a penalty in the 45th minute to put the All Blacks up 8-0, but just two minutes later the game was blown wide open when French captain Thierry Dusautoir scored next to the posts to stun the capacity crowd.
The blindslide breakaway produced a nicely timed run off veteran centre Aurelien Rougerie to spark the French into action, and with Trinh-Duc’s conversion making the score 8-7, All Blacks fans would’ve been dreading the possibility of the French ruining another World Cup for them after downing the Kiwis in the 1999 and 2007 editions.
However, only a Trinh-Duc penalty attempt in the 64th minute that sailed well wide to the right was the only clear-cut chance the French got to pulling off a huge upset despite enjoying a glut of possession in the final 30 minutes.
The All Blacks resisted waves of French attacks to snuff out a brave fightback and Richie McCaw lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since David Kirk’s men won the inaugural tournament in 1987, also held in New Zealand.
Earlier, the French adopted a brave strategy during the haka by lining up in a V-formation and then advancing on the New Zealanders to signal they were ready to play.
Martin Flynn
Guest
Hi Pat, I thoroughly agree with you ! I'm from SA and support the boks and have to say that I'm ashamed to call Joubert one of our own. He blatantly robbed France of their first RWC. France were the deserved team on the day. How can he tell McCaw to stop playing the ball on the ground?! in normal circumstances that is called a penalty for the other side... The AB try came from a non penalty with the French attacking, when the French should have received the 3 points for negative play by the AB's. The subsequent AB penalty came from playing the ball on the ground, when it was only the AB's playing the ball on the ground. Joubert refused to give any kickable penalties to the French, it was plain to see. However after stating the above, I believe the Boks should have played NZ in the semi's. A similiar performance by the ref robbed SA of the win against Aus in Wellington. This will be remembered as the referees WC.
jo
Guest
Hi guys, If think the problem is that Joubert let play ABs with south rules and judge the French with the Européen rules, and sadly you can do lot of more with the south rules's. Of course the ABs are the best from far but not on this final. And what could happened if Joubert give a penalty to the french team at 10 mn of the end... Ou OU OU OU staying alive staying alive!! he need iron man stuff to get off the eden park ;-) Please with all my respect view the final again with a fresh beer and see... if a ref is bad he made bad judgement on the both sides ...you know... Great world cup the ABs !
Gaullois
Guest
Thanks AC. But you know we are maybe the best team on the world if there is no everytime the British" arbitrors to block this. We feed up with this now. Tired !!! I'm not sure that the next french team generation want fight against the British IRB during the next years, maybe is better for us to leave all international competition during few years...Maybe the IRB will change after. I'm so sorry that none AB says thanks to the French about the "colors" for this finale. We give this honnor to AB to be in blacks, it's very importante to understand that the Blue is also important for us. I listen none "Merci !"....
AC
Guest
Come on Wal, NZ lost that 2007 qtr final game fair and square because they panicked, wound down their own clock by stupid pick and go rather than potting an easy drop-goal to close the gap and give them some breathing space. They were their own worst enemies on the day.
jeremy
Guest
Joubert apologised because he'd called 'ball is out', but in the same instant the French counterrucked and McCaw, who'd dived for the free ball and pushed it backwards, was suddenly playing the ball on the ground, and was penalised. So he got penalised for playing the ball after the ref had said it was OK to play for the ball. But hey, McCaw's a cheat and the IRB is crooked etc etc, just like FIFA was crooked when Italy won back in 2008. Posts like these are salve to my battered conscience; the realisation that it's eating you alive that New Zealand won the World Cup in a stunning event. You're jealous, Ash, and that's OK. I understand jealousy and envy, it means you're emotionally invested in the sport.
AC
Guest
Yep, I noted the All Blacks going off their feet at the break-down very often to seal off the ball, hands in the ruck, hands on the ball off their feet, incorrect entry to the ruck. The most notable last offence which wasn't penalised was Kaino off his feet messing with the ball at on the French side of the ruck. The French were hard done by. However, the French were guilty of these offences too, though in my opinion they didn't commit as many offences as the ABs. From the 60 mark the French forwards were dominating the Kiwis. For every other game of the tournament, the clearly stronger side was given the advantage. Not this time. Gaullois, I hope the fantastic efforts of the French to spread and strengthen the game further into Europe via the FIRA will continue to bear fruit to the extent that the old order gets seriously shaken up.
WQ
Guest
My reference to numbers actually means Wobbly's number 1 chokers and France number 2 chokers.
Touko
Guest
Or somebody pulling kiwi noses... ;-)
All Black of Perth
Guest
Like I said,.... keep it coming. I'm enjoying it,...... so are lots of other people on here.
Pat Hannagan
Guest
What? You have to report excellent, literary post match summaries and have them deleted by the mods? The world's gone all topsy turvy Ok, in dawn's sober light without the aid of golden truth liquid let us all join hands and say "ABs, you deserve the WC. Brilliant effort." There, a fully Rugby empty platitude that should see me remain in Rah Rah circles for another year at least.
Tighthead Ted
Guest
Pat Hanagan is not his real name. He posts on rugby heaven as Mick-E.
TowerofStrength
Guest
Pat sounds like a pom!
TowerofStrength
Guest
No I would say its pretty obvious the All Blacks are a far greater side than the Wallabies just by looking at the scoreboards over the last 100 years not basing it rugby world cups only which I might add both teams have the same amount. To say they can only win at home is petulance of the highest degree.
Jerry
Guest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owzhYNcd4OM
Mungehead
Guest
Well done Donald, we couldn't have done it without you. Oh sorry Sonny, yeah, I meant you.
Jerry
Guest
Well, no cause some teams lost all their matches in a pool which would be 4 losses. If you mean teams that qualified from pool play, Wales also lost 3 matches in this tournament.
Mungehead
Guest
That's it, these ridiculous comments about Joubert's refereeing have pushed me too far. Time to tell it like it was: he favoured the French. I was aghast at the way Joubert let the French constantly lie all over the All Blacks' side of the ruck without attempting to roll away, and there was some blatantly offside play as well. Joubert showed no favouritism whatsoever towards the ABs in that game.
Mungehead
Guest
Not so much beauty in the eye of the beholder as ugliness in the eye of the cyclops...
Matt in Norway
Guest
And this is the start of Johnno's mental rant, keep reading people, it gets more and more ridiculous and funny. Probably something to do with amount of beers he must have been drinking! There's a lesson in Johnno's awesome meltdown kids, don't drink and post.
DanSA
Guest
Congrats to the ABs, in what was a tough match. Seems there are rumblings about the referee again, which is a pity and detracts from a great final. Hopefully the IRB can do some work over the next 4 years to remove some of the grey areas and improve consistency. Feel for France, ironically think their supporters must have the hardest time to support a team which can go from useless to inspired in 4 weeks. Glad to see Dan Carter get his medal. Thought NH teams did themselves proud and the supposed gap is not as great as the SH supporters think. Maybe in 2015 we'll see a French or Welsh champions ...