Wow! What a match France-All Blacks was ! Well, maybe too much stress in the last minutes : no one said a single word during these last 8 or 10 minutes in the whole bar, some of my friends did not even want to watch.
Now we have to take our revenge against England.
As for the final, I'd say France vs South Africa. Though I'd like to see this World Cup, that started with an Argentinian victory over France, ending up with a French victory over Argentina.
By the way, the latest IRB ranking :
(
As at 8 October; last week's position in brackets)
1(1) New Zealand 89.63
2(5) France 88.38
3(3) South Africa 86.44
4(4) Argentina 86.04
5(2) Australia 84.21
6(6) England 83.63
7(7) Ireland 78.66
8(8) Scotland 76.83
9(9) Fiji 75.82
10(10) Wales 74.08
France jump from the fifth to the second place.
Quote:
France send All Blacks packing
Fantastic! Sheer fantasy! Amazing Saturday went spirally upwards into fantasy! There has never been a day like it in World Cup rugby.
Whether France deserved to win or not, doesn't matter one iota. The fact is that they did win. If the brave deserve the fair, they deserved this victory. The French made 178 tackles to New Zealand's 36. That was bravery as they stood shoulder to shoulder and repelled the Pacific wave that threatened to overwhelm them. They kept a tsunami at bay.
They tackled and tackled and then New Zealand lost the ball, and Elissalde went scampering off like a little boy who has pinched one of his mother's cookies and then kicked the cookie into the crowd for an outburst of ecstasy.
It was, as Dickens once wrote, the best of times and it was the worst of times. It was a time of ecstasy for France. It was a time of utter, shuddering despair for New Zealand.
Fantastic Saturday will go down in rugby history.
It is tough for New Zealand. For France it is a wonderful boost and reward for a country which has done so much to make this World Cup a joyous success.
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Planet Rugby | 2007 Rugby World Cup Match Reports. | France send ABs packing