Well done to the All Blacks!!

[MOXron]

but here in lil' ol' New Zealand, for the last 7 weeks, like it or not; it has dominated our lives...

Honestly, I haven't even noticed it was there beyond the massive increase of irritating tourists.

That's pretty cool that they won.. I guess... not sure I can really be proud of some sweaty guys I don't know beating some other sweaty guys I don't know in a game I really don't care about but grats to them none the less

Really? You must have been living in a hole? It's had extreme coverage in EVERY form of media possible. We even have street flags with game schedules on them in the bay...

That was a very tense game. I had a walk down the main street down here in Dunedin down the game and it was absolute madness. The cars on the street were blaring their horns and hundreds of pumped fans were cheering, yelling and hugging each other. This was about an hour after we won.

Got that right. :L NZ is basically one big party zone at the moment, almost everyone I know of that is a big supporter of rugby is STILL partying, nearly a day after the game finished,and to top that off, the All Blacks have another two parades lined up for the next two days in Christchurch, and Wellington, after today's one in Auckland, busy boys. I mean, surely it's a great occasion to celebrate, but I feel some of the nation may be taking it out of proportion a little... I mean, I can't even do something as little as listen to the radio without hearing the same piece of commentation, as the game finished played over, and over again.

Also, to add to the whole over-the-top celebrations, apparently the All Blacks 1st V are getting knighted...

 

[Supertegwyn]

Wales should have won. I watched them lose to France and the referee was terrible. This is how it should have gone:

1. Wales
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. France

 

[Aur0ra145]

I'm an American and I don't follow sports (besides NCAA wrestling.)

I was wrestling an international match against Team New Zealand (I was on Team Texas at the time.)

Well, as a good gesture between opponents, we'd give each other a give. I have my guy a Texas Rangers (baseball) shirt and he gave me an All Blacks scarf. Little to say, I had no idea what they were at the time.

But, I started following them. Yep, it's pretty dern cool game. I'm glad they did well. I'm a permanent fan.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

I'm living in Australia and I was rooting for France just to annoy people

 

[SilentFlames26]

I was there, the atmosphere was tense to say the least, I was close to a heart attack for a large portion of the match. I'm a kiwi myself and I'm glad I don't have to experience the match from a French perspective because losing by one is just devastating, especially when they played their best match of the tournament.

 

[ElectroJosh]

As a New Zealand fan (and I am sure most Kiwis would agree) - the French response to the Haka was fantastic. Thats the sort of response we like - the other side indicating they aren't going to back down. It was also great to see a French side that had been underwhelming this tournament. Especially when you consider how good some of their players are. It felt like that was the match they finally decided to show what they could do.

Fantastic result and I am still getting over the hangover.

As a side note: Next world cup (2015) expect Wales to do something amazing. As much as I will always want the All Blacks to win I could see a Wales vs France final (depending on the draw) or Wales vs Australia (depending on if Cooper, Genia and Pocock are still playing).

 

[UrieHusky]

Really? You must have been living in a hole? It's had extreme coverage in EVERY form of media possible. We even have street flags with game schedules on them in the bay...

I live in Pt Chevalier, Auckland, I just never noticed it beyond ads on the buses, increase in annoying tourists and random flags everywhere.

 

[Superior Mind]

As a New Zealand fan (and I am sure most Kiwis would agree) - the French response to the Haka was fantastic. Thats the sort of response we like - the other side indicating they aren't going to back down.

It was wasn't it. So many people don't get the Haka, it's not a gesture of defiance or intimidation, it's a challenge. Trust the French to get it, they do get the All Blacks. Their V formation and advance didn't say "bring it", it didn't try to defuse it, it was a simple "challenge accepted". All those other attempts to try and defuse it have been very poor, even disrespectful. I remember the English trying to drown it out with "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and it may have been the South Africans who ignored it completely by turning their backs to it.

People have called it an unnecessary gimmick or even an unfair advantage for the All Blacks. Thing is the Haka psyches up the opponent just as much as it would the All Blacks. It's a reminder that they're playing against the best sporting team in the world and they need to rise to the occasion. And so many times you see it, teams rising to the occasion. The final was one of the great examples of this.

 

[MOXron]

I live in Pt Chevalier, Auckland, I just never noticed it beyond ads on the buses, increase in annoying tourists and random flags everywhere.

Honestly, you're lucky then, i'm quite sick of hearing about rugby. Ah well, it'll all be about elections now...

As a New Zealand fan (and I am sure most Kiwis would agree) - the French response to the Haka was fantastic. Thats the sort of response we like - the other side indicating they aren't going to back down. It was also great to see a French side that had been underwhelming this tournament. Especially when you consider how good some of their players are. It felt like that was the match they finally decided to show what they could do.

Fantastic result and I am still getting over the hangover.

As a side note: Next world cup (2015) expect Wales to do something amazing. As much as I will always want the All Blacks to win I could see a Wales vs France final (depending on the draw) or Wales vs Australia (depending on if Cooper, Genia and Pocock are still playing).

Yeah- it's always a possibility, but before any of that would happen, i'd say Wales need to sort out their' un-coordinated approach to most games. They tend to run in and execute quite a few risky strategies that most other teams wouldn't. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. I feel though, that that's where the All Blacks held the French off, they stuck to the basics and stayed true to nothing but a simple screen tactic, and it basically won them the cup.

 

[ElectroJosh]

Yeah- it's always a possibility, but before any of that would happen, i'd say Wales need to sort out their' un-coordinated approach to most games. They tend to run in and execute quite a few risky strategies that most other teams wouldn't. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. I feel though, that that's where the All Blacks held the French off, they stuck to the basics and stayed true to nothing but a simple screen tactic, and it basically won them the cup.

Thats true but the Welsh had one of the youngest sides (I believe 7 of their players were the youngest in their respective positions out of all the World cup teams) and so will have learned a lot from this tournament. By next world cup there should be a core of very experienced and skillful players at their disposal. Australia is in a similar position.

Whe All Blacks are in for a bit of rebuilding process around 2013 - when a few of their current first choice may to slow down of aging (if they don't already in 2012). South Africa will actually be in a good position as they have a few very good players who have, for the last couple of years, been relegated to the bench - next year, though, they will probably be at the forefront of the Bokke team up to the 2015 tournament.

 

[Bird Evil]

Anyone hear that the french got fined for advancing on the haka? I think that is total bullshit, It was an awesome moment that kinda cemented the french teams will to not roll over and die and they get punished for it

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

came into the ruck with swinging clenched fist and a knee that both manage to catch Parra right in the face.

We'll have to agree to disagree then, as this still looks accidental to me, and I certainly can't see a swinging clenched fist there.

Just so everyone knows what we are talking about, I'll put this here and people can make up their own mind.

Nothing wrong I can see from the vid. Player who copped it made that mistake of trying to get back up right in front of a forming ruck and accidentally caught a knee for his trouble. One of the beauties of union is that you don't have to try and avoid obstacles between you and legally making a play. If someone is laying down in the 'channel' (the acceptable angles for joining a ruck or maul), it's there look out to get out of the channel not yours to make sure you don't accidentally step on a hand or collect a suddenly raised head with your knee.

 

[ElectroJosh]

Nothing wrong I can see from the vid. Player who copped it made that mistake of trying to get back up right in front of a forming ruck and accidentally caught a knee for his trouble. One of the beauties of union is that you don't have to try and avoid obstacles between you and legally making a play. If someone is laying down in the 'channel' (the acceptable angles for joining a ruck or maul), it's there look out to get out of the channel not yours to make sure you don't accidentally step on a hand or collect a suddenly raised head with your knee.

Well said; I have been on both ends of this in rucks and see nothing wrong with it - sometimes you even smash your own team-mates when you hit the rucks.

 

[MOXron]

Anyone hear that the french got fined for advancing on the haka? I think that is total bullshit, It was an awesome moment that kinda cemented the french teams will to not roll over and die and they get punished for it

Yeah. It was total crap. Our haka is not an official happening as such, it's just.. what is done, so I don't quite see where the need to implement a fine comes from. In my opinion that was one of the defining moments of the game, and I don't think i've ever seen a team do that to the All Blacks. As you said, "they wouldn't roll over and die" and that's exactly what it represented.

 

[BringBackBuck]

Anyone hear that the french got fined for advancing on the haka? I think that is total bullshit, It was an awesome moment that kinda cemented the french teams will to not roll over and die and they get punished for it

Yeah that is utter nonsense from the IRB. The French reaction to the haka was brilliant. Why some dickhead bureaucrat in the IRB decides to enforce a stupid rule about not crossing the 10 metre line is beyond me. But then again this is the same IRB who fined a Tongan player $10,000 for wearing the wrong colour mouthguard.

 

[FamoFunk]

Well and truly deserved by New Zealand!

Should they of been playing against France? No. It should of been against Wales, robbed beyond belief in that match against France.

My parents went to NZ for 3.5 weeks to watch the Ruby, and on Skype said how all the NZ folk they met were even in disbelief about the Wales Vs. France match. France got lucky, how can you lose two games and still end up in the fucking final?!

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

But then again this is the same IRB who fined a Tongan player $10,000 for wearing the wrong colour mouthguard.

Not the wrong colour, the wrong brand of mouthguard... as in one not made by one of the tournament's corporate sponsors. The IRB have become very protective of their corporate financiers.

And yet all England got for ballswapping was 2 of their support staff had to stay back at the hotel for the next match.


Anyway, now all the SANZAR national teams each have 2 world cup titles each, which is good.