Sheer bloody mindedness and composure under extreme pressure ended New Zealand's long wait for their second rugby World Cup title at Eden Park on Sunday.
The All Blacks were stretched right from the opening whistle by a France side that had been written off by many after they lurched their way into the final, losing twice in pool play and who were less than convincing in beating a 14-man Wales in the semi-finals.
Led by man-of-the-match Thierry Dusautoir, who tackled everything in a black shirt, France were in the match until the final three minutes when the All Blacks forwards shut the game down, held on to possession and inched their way down field to seal an 8-7 victory.
The All Blacks, who beat France 29-9 in the final of the inaugural tournament on the same ground in 1987, had entered every World Cup tournament since as hot favourites but failed to add to their Webb Ellis trophy.
France had also become something of a bete noire for 'Les Blacks', beating them in the 1999 semi-finals when they overcame a 14-point deficit and in the quarter-finals in 2007.
On both occasions the All Blacks had been heavy favourites, with the French written off by pundits and fans alike, only to overturn the form book and send New Zealand home empty-handed again with the unwanted label of "chokers".
RAKING KICKS
The All Blacks, mindful of that legacy, refused to allow any of the pre-match buildup to downplay the French, learning from their mistakes in the past. The match turned out exactly as they had expected.
France were brutal in the confrontation, smashing into breakdowns and their body positioning at the tackle meant the All Blacks were unable to get quick ball, which blunted their attacking potency.
The All Blacks dominated territory in the first half, playing a sensible game putting the ball behind the France defensive line with some raking kicks, though they were unable to put the game beyond doubt with scrumhalf Piri Weepu missing two penalties and the conversion of Tony Woodcock's try.
The loose head prop had gone over untouched after an intelligent piece of play when the All Blacks used two jumping pods in an attacking lineout.
The ball was thrown deep to the back to Jerome Kaino, who flicked it back to Woodcock as he peeled around from the front and through the gaping hole that had been created by the decoy jumper at the front.
Replacement flyhalf Stephen Donald added an early penalty in the second half to give the hosts an 8-0 lead but the All Blacks then had a momentary lapse in concentration when they failed to pick the ball up from a ruck and a French defender got a boot to it.
Weepu then tried to kick-pass the ball to his outside players only for it to bounce up into a French hand and they swept down field with Aurelien Rougerie, who had been anonymous for much of the tournament, featuring twice before Dusautoir crashed over.
Francois Trinh-Duc's conversion brought the score to 8-7 with 30 minutes remaining and the match turned into an arm wrestle with both sides resorting to high kicks and chasing rather than constructive play as they attempted to force an error inside opposition territory and grab a penalty.
New Zealand, however, managed to secure a turnover with three minutes remaining and the ball disappeared into a black blanket that inched down field for two minutes before referee Craig Joubert awarded them a penalty that effectively killed off the match.
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Comment 1 - 9 of 9
Yes I have to agree with Mr Moo...NZ may have won, they may have been (just) the best team in the tournament but they haven't convinced me or indeed many people that they would not have choked had the World Cup been held anywhere else than in their own country...both their World Cup wins have come on their own soil and until they manage to win on foreign turf, they can't really say they have laid the tag of 'chokers' to rest.
NZ choked in the final but were able to fall over the finish line… look at the facts, 1. They won against an off form French team (ignoring individual player performances) who were effectively operating without a manager. 2. The referee was biased towards them (too many examples to mention). 3. They had home advantage and were playing in their “fortress” stadium. Despite all these advantages stacked in their favour, they only won by a single point.
I have sympathy for such amazing players as the ABs that their public put them under such immense pressure that they choke in important matches. The NZ public and media should be ashamed of themselves, they are the biggest handicap to these great players and its lucky for the rest of the world otherwise NZ would have 6 World Cups and not 2.
NZ thought they just had to turn up to win.. well France played by far the better rugby and deserved to win. Pity that NOT ONE commentator gave France the credit they deserved.
john have you not found 10p to ring someone who gives a toss yet??? ho ho ho
2 Rita : what final have you ever personaly played in, the dumbest woman of the world ? in that case you probably won !
well well well no idiot english players in sight pride love and commitment of a country with respect gave us what we deserved thoroughly, aint see too many lilly whie english shirts in Canterbury today oh ther are preparing hookers and dwarfs for the next world cup hohoho
Congratz NZ
France side had been written off by many, and they prooved today that they deserved the silver medal, if not more.
sorry but France are the biggest chockers. 3 finals, no world cup victory
How boring. Worst world cup for years. Need to make it a 10 team tournament to make it worth watching. Still miles better than the football world cup though!
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