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France (right) and New Zealand All Blacks scrum during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. AAP Image/AFP, Franck Fife
On the paddock, captain Richie McCaw and co. have pursued their goal with such unrelenting intensity, it’s almost psychotic. And there’s absolutely nothing to suggest that the 80 minutes against 22 Frenchmen, is going to be any different.
Let’s be frank. Last weekend’s semi-final against the Wallabies was the Grand Final – a remarkable display of All Black domination and clinical accuracy.
Example: Australia’s first error via Quade Cooper’s overcooked kickoff before a second of rugby had been played.
Conversely, the All Blacks first faux pas occurred around the 25-minute mark. The villain, front-rower Tony Woodcock. Go figure.
James O’Connor said the encounter was the most brutal he’d ever experienced. His teammates rolling blood-bin rotation reinforced that theory.
So victory was particularly sweet for captain McCaw, not just because he’d made Horwill pay for Super Rugby and Tri Nations defeats, but because the result was categorically delivered on the stage that mattered most.
In context, this is the same Australian XV that stonewalled defending champs South Africa in the quarter-finals, which makes the All Blacks statement so much more resounding.
New Zealand comprises half of the nominees for the IRB Player of the Year Award – Piri Weepu, Ma’a Nonu and Jerome Kaino.
None embody the All Blacks approach more completely than King Kaino, who has played in all matches bar 30 odd seconds. Just ask pocket-rocket Digby Ioane, who was monstered by King Kaino en route to the try-line only to head skyline. Legendary stuff.
Looking towards the final, All Black legend Tana Umaga says his countrymen need to open with a decent dose of ‘shock and awe’ to kneecap any semblance of ugly French surprises.
Umaga is right of course. But that’s not entirely in line with the All Blacks’ current approach that appears to measure ‘shock and awe’ in blocks of 80, not 10-20.
Whether Richie’s crook foot is good for that standard remains to be seen. But it wouldn’t really matter. Because even with a third-string first-five calling the shots, it seems anything in a white-tipped, skin-tight All Black jersey, takes on a whole new dimension in Graham Henry’s regime.
To think, four years ago, it would have been considered heresy to suggest Graham Henry should be cemented indefinitely to the helm of the All Blacks ship. But that is the general sentiment across New Zealand’s rugby community on the cusp of World Cup supremacy.
His recipe for this success is a delicate formula in a black bottle, refined on the anvil of good, bad and ugly experience.
I only hope that once the dust has settled on this glorious campaign, we don’t put a lid on it.
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.