As the game approached, I pondered the fact that, in 1 week's time, I would be nervously sat, clad in white, awaiting the kick-off of England vs Scotland in Eden Park. 24 of those hour would be spent above the earth in a flying tin can, and 12 would mysteriously disappear somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, as Wednesday, Thursday and Friday would meld into one bizarre, mentally-sapping day.
Post-Haka, France kicked off looking distinctly like England, though I'm sure not an ounce of English energy will be expended whinging about it (see previous comments re England's away kit from NZ quarters). 2 and a half French scrum halfs on the pitch at the start (referee Rolland being the half if anyone is interested).
France started the better, and only the post stopped a Parra drop goal giving them a deserved lead. When he kicked out wide, Traille and Jane went for the same ball, and Traille knocked on. No penalty, and I can imagine living rooms in France exploded in anger.
If points were awarded for territory and possession, France would have been ahead after 8 minutes, which had been almost exclusively played in the New Zealand half. As it was, at the set-piece, it was the French who ceded, allowing Carter to clear things to half-way and the vast majority of the crowd to breathe deeply.
If you don't take the points when you have such an obvious upper-hand, you pay. Nonu sped through and almost got to the line himself thanks to poor tackling from back row and full back alike, Dagg fed Thompson from the recycled ball, and New Zealand had a relatively undeserved lead which Carter failed to extend.
I've seen New Zealand take apart France on two occasions in Paris and Marseille, and with these 5 points on the board so early, I did wonder whether it would be the World Cup France, on the back of consecutive victories against the All Blacks, or the more recent France who would react.
Thompson gave away a penalty an English forward would have been proud of, allowing France to clear, but only temporarily, as Kahui's hit on Traille gave the momentum for McCaw to turn over for the first time on his 100th Test appearance. From the subsequent line-out, the ball reached Jane in midfield as the French were expecting things to go wide, but he cut back and waltzed round static French defence to score. Carter succeeded where he had previously failed and New Zealand realism led French toothless promise 12-0. But not for long, Carter ambled through and fed Dagg who strolled under the posts, letting Carter add the extras for 19-0.
New Zealand have never let a team get within 20 points in a World Cup game on their own soil, and it didn't look like tonight would be the night.
After 26 minutes of the game, I found the soundtrack for it: Daft Punk - Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger. Add in Smarter, Keener, Brighter and countless other adjectives that don't scan into the title, and you get the picture. Remember 1999 said a French friend via Facebook (look for The Egg Chaser and 'like'). You can't fault the French for their blind optimism.
The first negative of a first half that could not have gone any better for the All Blacks saw Jane walk off to be replaced by Tarzan in the form of Sonny Bill Williams. Szarzewski repeated Faingaa's error of the day before by getting his head in the wrong place in the tackle, and Rolland blew up to prevent further injury. Picamoles was by far the most effective Frenchman, but 1 man can't beat 15, unless he has a whistle in his mouth I suppose, and his efforts continued to be in vain.
Yachvili dived after contact with Vito, but was fine two minutes later to attempt and succeed with a kick. France on the board at last, but it only served to sting New Zealand back into action until a penalty conceded for holding on on the ground (McCaw) allowed the French to bring a torrid half to an end. Half time: New Zealand 19 France 3
As the inquests started over ballons de vin rouge and Gauloises in Parisian cafes, or Guinness in Bastille bars, New Zealand hot the ground running; running indeed through a French defence that resembled a particularly hole-filled gruyere, for Dagg to go over virtually untouched and earn a bonus point. Dagg was a last minute change to my Fantasy team, which was nice.
France's front row really struggled. Clueless and leaderless, they resembled a train-wreck more and more with every passing minute. Scrummage penalised, Carter pounded on more misery. 29-3 and the only question now was "How bad could this get?"
There must have been smiles emerging on Tongan faces elsewhere in New Zealand, as they sensed the potential to cause an upset. As I typed that, Mermoz, from a position of comfortable offside, intercepted and ran home to get the French over the New Zealand line for the first time. Yachvili converted to make the score 29-10. Surely not.....
Carter and Dagg were the influential forces behind the scrum, but Whitelock, the most under-rated of the All Blacks' pack was the real driving force for me.
Rolland was helping the French during the second half, seeing the scrum consistently in their favour and giving three penalties which allowed the French to edge into New Zealand territory, but the All Blacks turned over ball, nudged back into French territory, and Carter did the rest with a drop goal to stretch the lead to 22 points. Only his 4th drop goal in Tests, which shows the way they play their rugby down in those parts.
France changed things somewhat, and with Thompson down and Dagg limping, they recycled time and again, before earning a penalty. The period showed that not all Rugby League converts have the off-loading ability of SBW, as Estebanez tried it in somewhat less smooth fashion.
Thompson had to limp off and France almost instantly made the most of it. Servat rumbling towards the line with his pack behind him. Carter got his body in the right place though, and the ball was held up. Another French penalty from the scrum (for not binding) saw the pressure continue as the French desperately searched for a high to end the game on. Woodcock was read the riot act for three consecutive penalties, and while this was happening, France took a quick tap and Trinh-Duc dived over. Strange decision this, as Rolland was still talking to the skipper and Woodcock. Opportunism at its best for France though, who had somehow gained respectability at 32-17 with 4 minutes to go.
Ali Williams took the kick-off though, fed Slade, who allowed the ball to be recycled, before Nonu, Smith and SBW combined for the latter to slide in the corner. A 5th try, unconverted this time, re-emphasised the All Black dominance. Game over. 5 tries to 2, a comfortable run-out for New Zealand who won by the same margin they had done when they had last played France in a World Cup on home soil.
Full Time: New Zealand 37 France 17
The lack of joy which greeted the second half French tries in their coaches' box said it all. This was a hammering. France started reasonably well, but were toothless and given a lesson in effective use of the ball by the excellent New Zealand backs. Nonu and Smith are head and shoulders above every other centre partnership in this tournament, and with Carter back to something approaching his best, and Kahui, Jane, Williams and mainly Dagg providing the rapier like penetration out wide, they put the French to the sword.
Credit though to the French. In the second half, they at least showed some drive and punch, leading to Mermoz's, admittedly offside for me, interception try and a cheekily Yachvili-inspired second try for Trinh-Duc, who I must also credit for giving France more of an option than the makeshift 10 Parra had.
Still, a rugby lesson for France and the watching world. New Zealand win Pool A and enter the half of the draw where they are likely to come across their Southern hemisphere cousins. France find themselves in the shoes occupied by England 4 years ago. Should Tonga beat France and score a bonus point, they would squeeze out the French. Unlikely though that may be, France's passage to an Auckland QF i still not 100% confirmed.
D'avance, je m'excuse, n'ayant pas d'accents sur ce clavier.
Afin de digerer ce match, je suis alle faire mes courses. Pour ce midi, j'ai pris un peu de brie francais. Et ceci a bien resume le match de ce matin. Il avait l'air tres bien dans le paquet, les premieres gorgees etaient tres bonnes, mais au bout de ses premiers gouts, j'avais quand meme l'impression qu'il me manquait quelquechose. Telles devraient etre les pensees de Marc Lievremont cette nuit a Auckland.
Un debut de match a la fois epoustouflant, a la fois sans de vrais dents, de la part des francais n'a rien apporte. Le drop de Parra touche le poteau, et Picamoles, de loin le meilleur avant francais, faisait un en avant en essayant de rattraper le ballon en position d'attaque. 8 minutes de jeu passe exclusivement en territoire All Blacks, sans rien.... peur ca fait!
En effet, les All Blacks ayant enfin eu leur reveil, marquait trois fois en douze minutes. Thompson, Jane et Dagg profitant d'une defence papier-mache des bleus. Carter en transformait deux sur trois, et 19-0 apres 26 minutes laissait venir des souvenir de defaites torrides a Paris et Marseille ses dernieres annees, plutot qu'aux deux victoires consecutives a la Coupe du Monde.
Les trois points de Yachvili qui fermait cette premiere periode laissait un peu d'espoir aux francais, mais 'peu' etait le mot cle.
Apres dix minutes dur (on imagine) avec les entraineurs, les francais devaient commencer cette deuxieme mi-temps comme ils avaient demarre le match. Devaient commencer, mais n'ont pas commence.... Direct du coup d'envoi, la balle arrivait entre les mains de Dagg et l'essai du point de bonus, qui tuait lui aussi tout espoir francais, est arrive.
La France etait sans inspiration, et le capitaine, qui aurait du etre dans la gueule et de ses joueurs, et de l'adversaire en montrant le chemin a ses coequipiers, etait completement anonyme. un melee qui s'ecroule, penalite All Black, Carter reussit. 29-3. Trop facile... beaucoup trop facile. Mais, de nulle part, sont venu deux morceaux d'aide. M. Rolland, qui depuis le debut discutait longuement en francais avec les bleus, commencait a voir la melee en faveur des francais. De plus, Mermoz, qui pour moi etait hors-jeu d'un bon metre, interceptait la longue passe de son ex-pot Perpignanais Carter, et marquait l'essai.
Revenir, ceci dit, etait impossible, et un drop de Carter avancait le scoreboard a 32-10, et la possibilite de 50 points existait toujours. L'introduction de Servat, changait pas mal de choses, et a la melee et dans le ruck et maul, et penalite apres penalite contre les avants Neo-Zelandais provoquait une discussion entre Woodcock, McCaw (100eme selection) et M. Rolland). Discussion a peine terminee, Yachvili tappe vite, passe a Trinh-Duc, qui lui aussi faisait bonne impression des son arrivee, et celui-ci marque le deuxieme essai francais (essai transforme par Yachvili de nouveau).
Un peu decu par la facon que cet essai soit marque, les All Blacks prenait le coup d'envoi (Ali Williams), recyclait apres le plaquage sur Slade, et avec l'aide de Nonu et Smith, SB Williams marquait le 5eme essai, sans transformation de Carter, pour ramener le score a 37-17, ce qui fut le score final.
Apres 8 bonnes minutes, les francais sont completement passe a cote de leur match. Picamoles a part peut-etre. Les All Blacks etaient plus forts, plus rapides, mieux, plus grands, plus intelligents, plus astucieux.... Je pourrais continuer. C'etait une victoire logique, et personne n'aurait eu a se plaindre si c'etait d'une marge encore plus grande.
Lievremont, quant a lui, prepare le match contre le Tonga avec de vrais dilemmes. La qualification n'est pas encore 100% assuree, et certains joueurs ont publiquement critique ses choix et ses propos. Sa carriere d'entraineur a encore 1, 2, ou 4 matchs. Ce ne serait qu'un optimiste qui verrait, apres cette performance, la France en demi finale pour la 5eme fois de suite....
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