Will the French be battered All Black and Les Bleus?
The All Blacks will head into Sunday’s World Cup final as the shortest-priced favourites in the 24-year history of the tournament. And with good reason. You couldn’t call their semi-final win over the Wallabies ruthless – there were a few too many errors and five missed goals between Piri Weepu and Aaron Cruden – but NZ were still a class above Australia. And all the other teams at this tournament for that matter.
Even sans talismanic five-eighth Dan Carter, they are simply on another level. Led by the rejuvenated Richie McCaw, their work at the breakdown is peerless and dominance in the scrum should see them steamroll a lightweight French pack.
As much as anything though, it’s hard to shake the belief their opposition is the worst team to ever make a World Cup decider. No country has ever made it out of their pool with two losses, let alone to the final prior to this tournament, but somehow the Tri Colores have managed the feat.
Comfortably eclipsed by the Kiwis in their pool 37-17, they were a rabble against Tonga, showed patches of their best against a rudderless England in the quarter-final and then escaped by a point against a Welsh side that played with 14-men for more than an hour. The bright spots have come in newly-fashioned five-eighth Dominic Parra and ever-reliable No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy, but few others have regularly inspired.
Coach Marc Lievremont has already called a number of players spoilt brats for breaking curfew to celebrate the Wales win. His squad has already been painted as guileless, and Lievremont doesn’t mind adding some extra brush strokes so all the pressure goes onto NZ.
Giving the French any hope at Eden Park defies logic. But they pantsed the Kiwis at the ’99 and ’07 World Cups and were also the last team to beat the Kiwis in Auckland in ’94.
The mercurial French usually have at least one five-star performance in them each Cup; four million New Zealanders will be praying their match against England was it.
The French have consistently underperformed throughout this World-cup. They only beat the Welsh due to Wales’ terrible kicking efforts, and to nearly lose to a team with a man down for 90% of the match is a pretty poor show. They lack the aggression and passion of previous teams, so are they going to get trounced, absolutely!!!
Well put Glenn. While I would be astonished if this isn’t a bloodbath…i also think then the great kiwi choke syndrome should never be discounted…a few bob on a miracle upset probably is worth considering.
The frogs will either lose horrifically or scrape home in a nail-biter. They’ve a long history of dropping their guns and running. Let’s hope there’s a few foreign legions among their ranks this weekend.
history is on the side of the kiwis. they’re first and only win coming in NZ… and against the french. NZ 29–9
Ahh.. dont forget the kiwis are the fav this year for a reason, even with their third option for kickinging (no.10), Cruden or Weepu they are still in the fInal. The French are not a match for the kiwi’s they fluked it in because of a harsh call on th eWelsh. If anybodys is a true contest it is the Welsh, unfort they are now out… Go the AB’s!
Kiwis no doubt in my mind..if they lose the team would be safer moving to France
Blacks no chance and should haka and Chuka their way home
The Kiwis will punish the French just as they did in 1987!