World Cup - French luck finally runs out
If fortune really does favour the brave, the French rugby team have every right to feel aggrieved after their roller coaster World Cup campaign was ended in the final by New Zealand.
Dismissed by everyone but themselves, the rank outsiders played with enormous hearts on Sunday but ultimately came up short by a single point, as the nervy All Blacks won their second World Cup 24 years after their first.
"Obviously we are very, very sad about the result," French captain and man-of-the-match Thierry Dusautoir said after the 8-7 Eden Park defeat.
"But we were lucky in previous matches, so... that is part of sport... that is part of the game."
The French are the only team to reach a rugby World Cup final having lost two matches in the pool stage -- and they rode their luck in their semi-final win over Wales.
Although their good fortune finally ran out, both Dusautoir and coach Marc Lievremont said the French had much to be proud of.
"Whatever the result, I am very, very proud of the lads for tonight and for all of the competition," the captain said.
The French World Cup campaign had been beset by internal division and spats between the players and coach, but squad members have consistently said these differences, and widespread criticism levelled at them, had made them stronger.
"We have been through some difficult moments," Dusautoir said. "We have been criticised.
"But today we were strong and we showed that rugby is not just skills... it is also mental.
"Although perhaps today we needed more skills," he smiled.
"Tonight, everybody was nervous... them and us. There were 30 guys on the pitch and I think they were all scared.
"We rode our luck as best we could but we failed by one point."
Lievremont has been charming, loquacious and, at times, outspoken throughout the tournament.
He has never shied away from speaking his mind, and caused a stir after the semi-finals when he branded a section of his squad "spoiled brats".
But on Sunday as he sat alongside his captain, his suit slightly rumpled, his features slightly fallen, he had just two words when asked what he would like to say to his squad after his last match in charge: "thank you".
Comment 24 - 43 of 43
Give the cup back to France - Stephen Donald's penalty was wide!
Wales stolen? and what about last penalties they got, clearly fault of welsch and Roland give penalties against France. About red card, it's the rule even if very hard. France was simply lucky but stole nobody. What's about game England-Argentina? England totaly stole the game. Rugby spirit is getting lost... Yesterday all world saw NZ (as Springbock in 1995 with Pienaar) and IRB hypocrisy. Pienaar = McCaw = cheater
IRB, Joubert, NZ & co = hypocrites / Mc Caw shame on you!
Wales wasn't in the semi-final because they did an injury and recieved a deserved red card. The ref was 100% right and no media deny that.
A complete different story is the Final.
This has nothing to do with luck. The ABs were fried but the cup was given to them. How is it possible in the front of the whole world to stop the game for the ABs to take care of their injured players and deny and even penalise the French for the same? They cheated with the complicity of the refreees because ultimately they were unable to win properly. They are chockers unable to win outside NZ and they know it. Shame on NZ, shame on the ABs and shame on the IRB.
Like I said the story was written before. The Welsh supporters here who clap in their hands should know that the scenario would have been the same with them (and by the way I totally agree that they deserved to win the semis). We are proud of our team.
Yet I have a strange feeling. Wasn't England a little bit stolen in 2007 final? 1995 WC was a joke. I'm wondering if the southern hemisphere hasn't just but its hand on the Rugby WC. The Norh is invited but no more.
You'll tell me England won in 2003. But that year they were above everyone.
Anyway, back to our good old championships and H-Cup.
Stephen (post 38), sadly every nation has people whom post comments like that....
As for the game, it wasnt the prettiest but it had me on the edge of my seat till the end.
For all Welsh stubborn fans: Wales should have beaten France in the semi-final, France should have beaten the AB in the final so Wales should have won the WC by beating the AB. Means Wales is the best team in the world....
Forget the defeat to Australia.
37 David Peter
Its you thats the scum not welsh people, how many welsh people do you actually know you have just insulted the whole nation, really suprised you are abole to get away with making racist remarks like that on the internet, what a fool, you really are a sad person
Well played France - you put up a hell of a show - proud of you.
Thanks also for knocking out the Welsh scum!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Much closer than anticipated as the All Blacks had a much better Cup overall than did the Frogs. But give to to 'em, they came prepared to play. The better team with the better players with the better tournament play won, but just barely and certainly not impressively. The day of one nation dominating international rugby is over and the game is better for it.
Parra head injury play on .NZ no 10 knee injury stop the game ???@#$%.
it has to be said-the ref was never gonna award france a penalty within reasonable distance in the last 10 mins even if he had a gun to his head-as a neutral the ref defo favoured the ab's all game-whilst i wanted the ab's to win at the start yet again i'm disappointed by a poor/biased performace when defo impacted the result!!
No team gets to a final by luck alone, i for one cannot stand the all blacks. I am unable to forgive the many cases of cheating over the years, remember brian o driscolls injury.
by the way is Joubert of Huguenots ancestry ? I'd like to know...there is a great deal of Huguenots blood on the southern tip of Africa, so wouldn't be surprising. Cheater!! I blame Louis XIV for this loss..
I'm very proud of my team. Physically engaged, tactically there, I agree the Blacks were below par...but the Amphibians did not convert where it mattered: between min. 70 and min. 77. The Blacks defended well but were not un-penetrable, that was the fault of Les Bleus right there...nothing else to say. France has been in the final every 12 years, in a World of Anglo-Saxon Rugby, they have always responded present, beaten NZ (twice), Australia, England...they know how to play, they give a spice to the WC like no other teams do, double-thumbs-up on that...now we need Germany, Italy, Argentina to come to the world stage and bring some diversity to the Rugby World Cup. Peace all
what an ugly and insulting article's title.
I write from the Franco/Irish perspective of someone who normally only comments on the Tour de France. A sport which which, although very different, requires the same mindset of its champions and (crucially) suffers no interference from the referee.
The French won both the mental, tactical and physical battle today but, as much as i would like to be able to say NZ were vanquished, beaten, not to mention taught a lesson in humility, I cannot. The official(s) have much to answer for.
As for the Six nations, who cares? It is the World Cup that counts. The Northern Hemisphere is nothing. We will meet again.
Comrade: the most exciting team!!! You just have been watching a different WC than the rest of us then.
There was nothing exciting about that team, and I believe they will continue their downward spiral. If that is the kind of rugby you like watching then perhaps we should go back to the kick, run & hope. Boring, boring rugby at best and a terrible advert for the game.
Wake up and smell the coffee, or better still, go back to licking windows.
Bobby this is a rugby thread. The French are the most exciting team and deserved to be there.
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