Interesting talking to people in my office about the rugby. The general consensus seems to be that France played better and deserved to win. I thought the All Blacks shaded it (despite playing poorly), as the "real" scoreline would have demonstrated, if the forward pass had been given. I also thought they showed in the first half that if they had clicked they would have won by 40 points, they were a pass away from a score a couple of times.In the UK at least, I think I may be in a minority of one in suggesting that the All Blacks were the better team.
3 comments:
NZ were certainly best in terms of possession, but they really disappointed me in the way that they didn't use it. Credit to France for their defence, but the only times we saw either of their wings in action was in close quarters, when did they get the ball in space out wide? The Kiwis dominated the last 3-4 years of international rugby by playing an expansive game. Instead, despite a couple of decent attacks in the first half, they decided to keep it tight, which just played into French hands. Ultimately, the French were more clinical, they hardly had any chances, yet they scored two tries. NZ had loads of possession, but also only scored two.
The "real" score was 20-18 to France. France played better because NZ bottled it, and if they hadn't thought they could saunter it, they would have won. As the sport commentator for the NZ Herald said on Monday "where was the droppie?. After the French try and the forward pass about which you appear to be obsessing, NZ were twice encamped in the French 22. The first time they were 7 metres from the line, and kept it in the forwards, assuming they would score a try, and the natural order would be restored.
They drove for the tryline like a juggernaut, but then at the 29th phase (29th), they knocked the ball on in the forwards, France cleared, and then NZ did the same again a few minutes later.
No-one shouted for the ball in the pocket, not once, but twice, and, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, once is unfortunate, twice is unforgivable.
That means that the forward pass doesn't matter; NZ should have won the game by 4 points even after that, but they were so convinced of their own superiority and didn't need to play percentages, they lost.
NZ may be the most talented side in the world, but they were not the best side on the day, because they did not think and react to the game as it was.
as I said I am in a minority of one it seems!!
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