RWC World Cup Final Preview

Posted by gmorgan on Oct 23, 2011 in Rugby Union | 0 comments

New Zealand v FranceEden Park, Auckland
Sunday 23rd October 2011.

Almost a month to the day since their Pool A clash, New Zealand and France will go head to head once again at Eden Park on Sunday, only this time rugby’s ultimate prize is up for grabs.
But let’s face it, it’s not the final most neutrals would have wished for.
Wales, Australia and even Ireland have all played more attractive, more positive rugby than the French at this tournament and would arguably have provided a sterner test for an All Blacks side who, for all intents and purposes, have cruised their way into the final.
Yet we all know that knockout tournament rugby is not about being positive and entertaining.
It’s about three things; results, results and results.
And for all their negativity and lack of adventure, France have done enough when the pressure has been on to get over the line, even if they haven’t shown much interest in actually getting over the try-line too often in the process.
So can this uncelebrated, unloved and certainly in the pool stage, unconvincing Les Bleus side really walk away with the William Webb Ellis trophy for the first time?
In a word, no.
Strange as it may sound, outgoing coach Marc Lievremont actually seems to underrate the players at his disposal.
His ultra-conservative, kick-dominated strategy, especially in the Wales game smacked of a man who feels that his charges are so limited that a more adventurous approach would see them exposed and ultimately lead to disaster.
And yet the evidence suggests otherwise.
The French scrum may not be the most formidable in world rugby, but Nicolas Mas, Jean-Baptiste Poux and William Servat make up a front row that is certainly no pushover, while locks Lionel Nallet and Pascal Pape showed against both England and Wales that they are supremely efficient at claiming their own throws and very effective at plundering some ball from the opposition as and when the opportunity presents itself.
Imanol Harinordoquy provides another decent line-out option and the formidable number eight is so impressive in the loose that he almost makes up for the deficiencies of flankers Thierry Dusautoir and Julien Bonnaire who don’t lack for effort, but are hardly in the David Pocock or Richie McCaw league.
So although the French aren’t going to destroy any of the top sides up front, they are capable of at least holding their own against most of them, while in the backs they have enough potential firepower to ask questions of the world’s best defences.
At least in theory.
Unfortunately, given Lievremont’s insistence on keeping it tight almost regardless of the game situation, mutton-chopped full-back Maxime Medard rarely has a chance to showpiece his sublime skills and searing pace as he almost invariably goes to the skies rather than keeping ball in hand.
Winger Vincent Clerc is another real talent who all too often is left a virtual spectator as his team-mates box-kick their way downfield and launch bombs from deep, while centre Aurelien Rougerie is man with clever feet and sleight of hand who deserves more than simply being employed as a midfield battering ram.
Half-back pairing Dimitri Yachvili and Morgan Parra have also shown that they can slice defences open with clever, sniping runs in broken play, but these moments of creativity have been all too rare, largely buried underneath the preference for rugby by numbers.
Lievremont just doesn’t seem to trust his players to do anything more than the basics and while it’s impossible to deny that this approach has proved effective up to this point, it won’t be enough to take the French all the way.
Indeed, had James Hook, Leigh Halfpenny and Stephen Jones had their kicking boots on in last weekend’s semi-final, the men in blue would not even have managed to overcome a 14-man Wales side who turned in comfortably their worst performance of the tournament.
It’s almost certainly too late for Lievremont to make any significant tactical alterations at this point and that is likely to spell doom for his side on Sunday.
For the All Blacks, meanwhile, the main battle is simply to ensure that they play the game and not the occasion.
Graham Henry’s men know they have the edge over the French in every department.
They know exactly how their opponents will play and as long as they can keep their nerves in check and execute their gameplan, the agonising wait for “Bill” to return to the land of the long white cloud will surely come to an end.
New Zealand blitzed an admittedly under-strength France side in the pool stage and should repeat the trick in Auckland on Sunday.
Unsurprisingly, Henry has named the same starting fifteen that disposed of Australia with such ease in the semi-finals, with Richie McCaw again ignoring his serious foot problem as he prepares to win his 103rd Test cap.
The only change for the hosts comes on the bench where Adam Thomson comes in for the unfortunate Victor Vito after recovering from an ankle injury.
Sonny Bill Williams will join Thomson for bench-warming duties despite picking up that senseless yellow card in the latter stages of the Australia game, while in starting his 92nd Test, Keven Mealamu will draw level with the legendary Sean Fitzpatrick as the most capped hooker in All Blacks history.
Like his team selection, Henry’s gameplan won’t contain any surprises either, with the Kiwis set to play with the same high tempo and level of intensity in both defence and attack that proved too much for the Wallabies.
Much will again be expected of back-rowers McCaw, Jerome Kaino and Kieran Read who should dominate their French counterparts at the breakdown, while Piri Weepu will retain the kicking duties having performed admirably off the tee since Dan Carter’s World Cup came to a premature end.
South African referee Craig Joubert has been rewarded for a fine tournament by being handed the whistle for Sunday and on past evidence he will come down extremely hard on the French if they try and slow the game down with any skulduggery at the ruck.
Unless their players ignore their coach, we are unlikely to see any razzle-dazzle from France, so hopefully the All Blacks can produce the fireworks and cap off what has been a fascinating, thrilling and memorable tournament in style.
Congratulations should go to all those involved; it’s been quite a ride.