Swing Low
Sunday, 14. October 2007, 10:45:57
England 14 - 9 France.
That is not a remarkable score in itself. England France games have always been close. Sometimes far too close. It is not remarkable that there was only one try [England, second minute, conversion missed]. It is also not totally remarkable that France did not really fire on all cylinders and that Chabal is, well all said and done, over rated.
No, what is remarkable is that England are in the final for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. England are in the final of the most spectacular global sporting event for the second consecutive time. And, should England win next week against either an impressive Boks side or the thoroughly outstanding Pumas, England will be the only team to win back to back world cups. Add to that that England are the only country to win the Rugby and football world cups. No mean feat. Really.
England started off in the worst possible fashion. A dismal 34 - 0 mauling from the Boks. England were disjointed, were lacking invention, the backs were not firing and the forwards, usually the powerhouse, the driving force behind so many England victories, was simply brushed aside. Probably the most impressive aspect of the game was not the 'nill' against Whites, but that the Boks did not allow England a chance to score. No penalties in kicking distance, no drops and clearly, no tries.
However, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Was it that dreadful performance that allowed England the freedom and the drive to realise that, this is the World Cup and we have to improve ?
Improve we did. We beat the USA, not totally impressive in itself, but it was the first win. Then Samoa and the Tongans, two southern hemisphere countries / archipelagos that are both very physical and very good at Sevens.
This gave us second place in the group. We had to work now. Australia, who were top of their group had looked god, without really ever having to stretch. England would be a different proposition. And so it proved to be. England played to their strengths, as Australia knew they would, and said so on numerous occasions before kick off. Strange then that they seemed unprepared for the game. If the Aussies spent as much time in preparation for England games as they d sledging, they may win one or two more. But then again, maybe not. The Aussies have a chip on their shoulder about England. Always have had. One wonders why?
So, onto the semi finals fr England. Against the oldest of old foes. There has always been a certain respect between Le Beuof and The Frogs. After all, there are some really good cheeses in England, and te French make some really rather good wines to compliment them. Perhaps that is why the English has paid so many visits to France in the last 1100 years or so, why we put a deposit on a patch of their land in the north west, and why the French came to visit in the later half of the eleventh century and helped the English write Magna Carta and helped the English mounted knights develop some chivalry; [chivalry is a derivative of the French word chevallier.]
France were the favourites. Three wins in three warm up games, home advantage and a great win themselves over, perhaps, even more difficult southern opposition [the Blacks, as ever, choking on the big day] game them a swagger not seen since Thierry Henry started advertising a very poor small car.
The stage was set. Stadt De France. Not Park de Prince, no. This is a football stadium. The Parisian crowd has never really warmed to this place in the way they did in the PdP, but even a fickle Parisian crown would be utterly behind Le Bleu.
I have to say, before the game there were butterflies a plenty. But, these were allayed in the second minute, Lewsey going over to stun the French. The game went on, a kicking game developed, some hits that made even the toughest of fans wince. The crowd cheered, as did the French Madagascan bar as I was in at the time, when Chabal came on. Wilkinson was one of the first to put the long haired Gallic brute on his arse. There were others.
Half time came and went, England one point behind for a long time. Then a penalty to England. Two points up. A quarter of the game to go. It seemed like an eternity. A two point lead. A penalty or a drop would surely give the French the win. England pressing and tackling, Chabal huffing and puffing more and more, the tackles getting bigger and bigger.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Wilkinson, as he was four years ago, was set up perfectly for the drop. It was good. A five point lead. It dawned on the French crown, at least in the Tana bar in which I was the lone English voice, that the French would now have to get a try to win. They had 77 mins' to do that. They failed. Now they had three minutes.
The history books will show that England won by five points. However, for many English supporter it was the sweetest medicine after such a bitter opening night against the Boks.
Englands first game was against South Africa. The Pumas will decide if England have the chance to exorcise that drubbing : 34-0. England will take a 3-0 score next week if it brings the Webb Ellis Cup back home.
Oh and in the interests of neutrality, Ireland, wales and Scotland also played in the World cup. Scotland did pretty well too.
That is not a remarkable score in itself. England France games have always been close. Sometimes far too close. It is not remarkable that there was only one try [England, second minute, conversion missed]. It is also not totally remarkable that France did not really fire on all cylinders and that Chabal is, well all said and done, over rated.
No, what is remarkable is that England are in the final for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. England are in the final of the most spectacular global sporting event for the second consecutive time. And, should England win next week against either an impressive Boks side or the thoroughly outstanding Pumas, England will be the only team to win back to back world cups. Add to that that England are the only country to win the Rugby and football world cups. No mean feat. Really.
England started off in the worst possible fashion. A dismal 34 - 0 mauling from the Boks. England were disjointed, were lacking invention, the backs were not firing and the forwards, usually the powerhouse, the driving force behind so many England victories, was simply brushed aside. Probably the most impressive aspect of the game was not the 'nill' against Whites, but that the Boks did not allow England a chance to score. No penalties in kicking distance, no drops and clearly, no tries.
However, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Was it that dreadful performance that allowed England the freedom and the drive to realise that, this is the World Cup and we have to improve ?
Improve we did. We beat the USA, not totally impressive in itself, but it was the first win. Then Samoa and the Tongans, two southern hemisphere countries / archipelagos that are both very physical and very good at Sevens.
This gave us second place in the group. We had to work now. Australia, who were top of their group had looked god, without really ever having to stretch. England would be a different proposition. And so it proved to be. England played to their strengths, as Australia knew they would, and said so on numerous occasions before kick off. Strange then that they seemed unprepared for the game. If the Aussies spent as much time in preparation for England games as they d sledging, they may win one or two more. But then again, maybe not. The Aussies have a chip on their shoulder about England. Always have had. One wonders why?
So, onto the semi finals fr England. Against the oldest of old foes. There has always been a certain respect between Le Beuof and The Frogs. After all, there are some really good cheeses in England, and te French make some really rather good wines to compliment them. Perhaps that is why the English has paid so many visits to France in the last 1100 years or so, why we put a deposit on a patch of their land in the north west, and why the French came to visit in the later half of the eleventh century and helped the English write Magna Carta and helped the English mounted knights develop some chivalry; [chivalry is a derivative of the French word chevallier.]
France were the favourites. Three wins in three warm up games, home advantage and a great win themselves over, perhaps, even more difficult southern opposition [the Blacks, as ever, choking on the big day] game them a swagger not seen since Thierry Henry started advertising a very poor small car.
The stage was set. Stadt De France. Not Park de Prince, no. This is a football stadium. The Parisian crowd has never really warmed to this place in the way they did in the PdP, but even a fickle Parisian crown would be utterly behind Le Bleu.
I have to say, before the game there were butterflies a plenty. But, these were allayed in the second minute, Lewsey going over to stun the French. The game went on, a kicking game developed, some hits that made even the toughest of fans wince. The crowd cheered, as did the French Madagascan bar as I was in at the time, when Chabal came on. Wilkinson was one of the first to put the long haired Gallic brute on his arse. There were others.
Half time came and went, England one point behind for a long time. Then a penalty to England. Two points up. A quarter of the game to go. It seemed like an eternity. A two point lead. A penalty or a drop would surely give the French the win. England pressing and tackling, Chabal huffing and puffing more and more, the tackles getting bigger and bigger.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Wilkinson, as he was four years ago, was set up perfectly for the drop. It was good. A five point lead. It dawned on the French crown, at least in the Tana bar in which I was the lone English voice, that the French would now have to get a try to win. They had 77 mins' to do that. They failed. Now they had three minutes.
The history books will show that England won by five points. However, for many English supporter it was the sweetest medicine after such a bitter opening night against the Boks.
Englands first game was against South Africa. The Pumas will decide if England have the chance to exorcise that drubbing : 34-0. England will take a 3-0 score next week if it brings the Webb Ellis Cup back home.
Oh and in the interests of neutrality, Ireland, wales and Scotland also played in the World cup. Scotland did pretty well too.
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