What a final! All the grumblers in the rugby world were ready to sneer at the sad fate reserved for Marc Lièvremont’s men by commenting on the points thrashing predicted by some selectors more into TV appearances than being devout. After a rather messy start in the competition, it’s almost a perfect performance that the French XV delivered at Eden Park, yet leaving the Blacks to clinch the title on their home soil (8-7).
Courage, selflessness, bravery, and discipline were the weapons of a French XV that often made the black machine falter, which had been smoothly running since the opening match of this World Cup. A match played at a level above what was already set high against the English, which truly tested the New Zealanders and even completely unsettled a disoriented Weepu.
As if it was scripted, the story of this match was to intertwine with all the stories of this World Cup, with the entry of an outstanding Trinh-Duc notable for his choices and commitment or even the recurring impacts and tackles from a hyperactive Médard. The unruly kids had fallen into line, and Thierry Dusautoir’s try came to concretize an unwavering dominance by the French forwards.
How long those last 30 minutes seemed for the Blacks and too short for the French XV during which an entire nation stood with its warriors to preserve their slim one-point lead against the starved-for-glory, ball-hungry French. The Blacks were falling off their game, and their tackles were increasingly high without it seeming to bother Mr. Joubert, who was by far the most dreadful participant in this final, regularly overlooking McCaw’s illegal positions or the two raised scrums within the Blacks’ 40 meters.
But let’s be fair, even though the All Blacks are the new world champions, one can’t help but think that a tiny point is nothing, but in this case, a point is everything!
