I saw a great quote yesterday – The All Blacks have never won a Rugby World Cup outside of Auckland!
That gave me such comfort… maybe we can beat them on our home turf of Twickenham.
But you have to admit they do have a tendency to choke. More comfort? Not when you realise that they usually had a tendency to choke against Les Bleus, and they have definitely put that one behind them.
Who will they play next – probably a team that they have played before in recent history.
I said last week after watching them beat Tonga that they looked like a team that had just been going to training and playing touch footy.
That might have been the case, because I think they spent their time in the pool games, experimenting with moves and combinations. They had that luxury, not being in a pool like ours.
But against the French, they turned on a masterclass. Their running lines were mostly dead straight, while in defence they got on the inside shoulder and forced the French to drift. The French tried to play with their usual unpredictability, but the All Blacks just turned out the lights!
How do you counter that? With direct defence, getting off the line and cutting down their insider runners – posting defensive people on both sides of the breakdown to counter changes of direction and adding numbers to the breakdown. Grinding, hard defence – it’s the only answer. Foraging and competing and making them work on the edges of correctness, and working to force turnovers and advantages and penalties.
They scored a couple in broken play after the French had put multiple phases together, then made one little mistake which was punished with prejudice.
I didn’t bother to get up for the first half, just watched the last 35 minutes, but at the 60 they just put their foot on the French throat and cruised home and it was amazing how the French heads and shoulders dropped and how they capitulated.
I can’t see the stronger teams falling for that. You can’t bully your way to a finals victory, but whoever is going to beat them will have to be up to the task.
You expect most teams to tire in the last 20, but the All Blacks just powered on and got stronger. Anyone who is going to beat them has to be at least as good at finishing, and most likely better.
I can’t wait for the final.
Steve Prendergrast
Guest
That's a fabulous phrase BB - you use it well (even if you started with something other than English) - I'm gping to advise any non performing workmates to roll up their sleeves and French the task in hand or opposition I'm going to advise anybody who gets up my nose to go and French themselves I'm going to - my god' the possibilities are endless. And its all due to your honeyed tongue.
marto
Guest
NZ are flat track bullies on their own turf and agaist minnows like France Tonga Namibia etc etc...Boks will smash them at the tackle area all 80 mins..THORMEULEN, EBEN, BISMARCK, BUGERMEISTER AND BIG WILLEM to dominate ... You heard it here first....
Disneychilly
Roar Rookie
Sod the odds I'll take a one point win.
Harry Jones
Expert
The French tackling was polygamous
Spanners
Guest
Don't sweat it, form has little to do with it. The NZ public were collectively wringing their hands and bemoaning the horrible form of the AB's through the pool phase. And then they put on 62 points v France. You want to talk about form, since 2000 the Wallabies have played Argentina 11 times for 10 wins, 1 loss. Without being privvy to Cheika's training this week, I am sure the next 2 weeks will be very light and that he will be freshening the boys up. You can't cram for an exam and the hard work the Wallabies have put in the past few months will stand them in good stead. I'd like to bet that resting Folau and Pocock from the Scotland match was a calculated gamble (that almost backfired). I am sure that they would have played, had the match been v SA or NZ. Cheika had the pills to roll the dice and the 2 blokes will be fresher and importantly, the team much better positioned to go all the way now. Obviously one of the upsides to having a very effective defensive structure is that you tend not to leak tries. For the AB's it is a double edged sword as they are better than anyone at converting defensive pressure into points. NZ are the kings of identifying which rucks to attack, generating turnover ball and then counterattacking to the fringes (sure it helps when the blokes on the fringe are Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder). The scored a bucketload of tries like this v France and have been doing it very well for the past 2 or 3 seasons. The Springboks will pose a different style to NZ this weekend, they tend not to run the ball so much, relying on field position and are happy to level up in 3's. There will be a lot less counterattacking opportunities for the AB's and they will have to get their points via alternative methods (they do have a few options and have a Plan B, C and D). Either way, the score will be a lot tighter and NZ will have to work a hell of a lot harder v SA than v France. Can the AB's lose? We all saw what happened if a ref gets a set against a scrum and if SA are able to stay with them off the boot of Pollard, well hey, scoreboard pressure can do funny things to your head. For mine, it should end up a mouthwatering ANZAC final. Injuries from this weekend will be absolutely massive. Form counts for absolutely nothing in a Final and in large part, it will be the healthiest squad that will lift Bill. McCaw/Carter or Folau/Pocock missing from the final would put a sizable dent in the hopes of either team.
winston
Guest
Nonu is the best player on the planet.
winston
Guest
agreed
CHRACOL
Guest
Momentum. The ABs and the Argentinians are really the only teams with progressive momentum by which I mean they get better. There's the final.
PB
Guest
Yeah, if you didn't see the first 35 minutes, you missed the winning of this game.
wardad
Guest
I thought that was rather a handsome looking brute ,then again like most blokes I reckon I'm not a bad looking geezer despite many.many serious shortcomings !
Chivas
Guest
Thought Beale executed really well against the Scotts. He is playing with confidence and intent. He took the balls that came his way with nonchalant ease, something he has not always done. I like Beale when he is playing to his potential. He really is a superb talent. It would be nice if one of the three amigos were to deliver on their potential. JOC has run off again, Cooper looks a spent force who never made it to the heights that his fans seem to imagine he did... maybe Beale?
I like that 20.2% odds It has been thrown about quite a bit lately :D
Digby
Roar Guru
I give it a 20.2% chance of a twenty point AB winning margin and a 98.6% chance that the Boks will provide more resistance than the French. ;)
CA3ZAR
Roar Pro
If Hansen decides at some point down the line, long after he retires to let all the planning and management notes of the plan going into this World Cup to go online for everyone to see (he won't btw), I won't be surprised if everything that has happened in the World Cup so farm apart from the lack of skill execution, has been articulately pre planned. Side note- ABs the only team that can find space using either kicking, passing or running, which I think is scary
taylorman
Roar Guru
Depends if the English media decide to turn on the Wallabies re the Scots match for putting out their team. Wouldn't put it past them.
Frontrow
Guest
Hooper started the Eden Park game and eventually went off for a concussion check - Pocock replaced him and when Hooper came back on, after he passed the test - Cheika left Pocock on because the Wallabies were getting beaten at the breakdown. The two played together for actually 32 minutes and the Kiwis had already worked out the counter after Sydney and honestly for 32 minutes - it didn't make a huge difference - Pocock got one great clean steal - a very good defensive one and badly needed at the time and he tightened up the defense in close around the ruck - but other than that the Kiwi counter measures worked very well What the Eden Park game and the Scottish game did expose though was that Hooper's fetching at test level is not as strong as at Super Level - he is a good tackler and ball carrier as has a bit of pace but he gets knocked off the ball to easily at test level at the ruck too often where as Pocock is a stronger guy over the ball. In some ways - though some will disagree - Hooper plays no7 like a no6 and Pocock plays no8 like no 7 at test level. But if you had to start just one it should be Pocock not Hooper. Hooper zip is better suited to coming of the bench later on but you need your best fetcher starting the game always -unless he is injured obviously as in Scotland
taylorman
Roar Guru
I think we are seeing a step up in the ABs Biltong. A big step up. And I think this game has been a specific target for some months, if not years. It's McCaw and co's swan song and I think they've left nothing to chance for this match. I don't get the same vibe from the Boks side. They rallied when exposed, but I think that's wearing off. But agree, we will re-visit it afterwards. You know me. Always the eternal optimist when it comes to the ABs, not always right though.:-)
DCNZ
Guest
The Pumas will believe they can do it... . I am not anti-Australia, but the Argentine backline is playing beautifully ! Will be interesting to see if KB can tackle properly....
Ralph
Roar Guru
Win by twenty? Tell him he's dreaming!
Ralph
Roar Guru
I suspect it will be a lot tighter than 20 points. The french ref will allow a breakdown wrestle, which will result in a lot of slower play. I also expect a stop start affair as the SB try and break the AB flow (not a dig - that is what I would do if I were them). The AB's will have to take their chances when they appear and must start direct before loosening up later in the game. A good tactical kicking game will be worth gold, especially in the first half hour. If the SB's get more than a seven point lead we won't win by more than 3 (obviously could lose). If the AB's get more than a seven point lead we might win by more than 12. Geez, it's whoever turns up on fire me thinks.