If we win it, then awesome; that wee simian is off our back - and in the trophy cabinet.
If we do not win it - and I will qualify that by saying that losing the final is an even more palatable result than losing this quarter final or a semi final exit - then I do not think we can ever expect to. No national union can do more to construct a smooth campaign than the NZRU & The Three Wise Men have done. To not win it after this amount of preparation and control means that it is not worth worrying about - it is not a true barometer of Test rugby over a four year period, or even for the calendar year it takes place in.
Choke, schmoke. The World Cup is simply a few knockout games preceeded by some friendlies. It’s basically a Champions Tournament like cricket & hockey have.
However, I think we can and will go all the way. This team still has a lot more to show.
I don’t to want to make a score prediction for Saturday. It may be close, but I am not worried: We will win it. And while I’m feeeling optimistic, England will pip Aussie by a drop goal again, Springboks over Fiji naturally (without Little), and Scotland to end the Pumas run. What am I thinking?
Now ... some tidbits for the build up:
Some Foreign Field has some interesting stats if you like that sort of thing. They kind of level the playing field for the final eight, but that is my point from above ... it’s on the day from now on in.
Laporte's team has raised a few eyebrows, most notably Beauxis at 10 and Traille back at fullback. I am sure (through the haze of mulled wine) that when we beat Les Bleus in Lyon last year, Traille was thrust into first five, and he kicked like a donkey.
“They are not the All Blacks, they are New Zealand-ers,” he said. “You are given the impression of a myth, of a miracle – but they have only been champions of the world once. They are very, very good, but we are aiming to expose the myth a little. They are just like the rest, 15 chaps on a pitch . . . 15 good players.” says Bernie the Door.
Is Laporte a dodgy plonker as some of the Toulousains I spoke to thought. He has picked a surprise team, got one foot in politics, and has been accused of behaving like Del Boy with signed team jerseys. Is he crackin gup?
And Paul Rees of The Guradian is already bagging us for 2011 - it will be our fault if the IRB drop the number of teams to 16 due to our small stadiums. Um, I remember my mates trekking to Huddersfield for NZ v Italy in 1999. Hardly Wembley was it? Kiwis will go.
“The NZ Rugby Union is adamant that it will not be able to pitch ticket prices as high as its French counterparts have because, it says, their rugby followers will stay at home rather than pay over the odds, even in the knock-out stages. It wants the number of finalists to be reduced to 16 to cut costs, so reducing the number of "uncommercial" fixtures such as Romania against Portugal or Japan against Canada.”Still loving this. Who thought Habana would be stood up like this ... ever?!
And finally, some good old YouTube - still makes the hairs on your neck stand up.
ALLEZ LES NOIRS!
No comments:
Post a Comment