Determined All Blacks march on
New Zealand booked their spot in the World Cup Final next week with a determined performance against Australia who they beat 20-6 in their semifinal at Eden Park on Sunday.
The world's No.1 team will face France at the same venue next week in a repeat of the two teams that contested the 1987 RWC Final which New Zealand won on home soil.
Australia continued their losing streak at Eden Park and will face Wales in their third place play-off next Friday.
"Anything you can do I can do better."
The All Blacks could with conviction and accuracy be singing that old Annie Oakley song. Anything the Wallabies could do, the All Blacks did better. Anything at all.
They handled better, ran better, were more creative, scrummed much better, dominated the collisions, kicked better, caught better, were more disciplined. They were just more intense, more cohesive and they won every 50-50 situation. Ball in air, they won it; ball on the ground, they won it. As Richie McCaw said afterwards: "The intensity was there."
The All Blacks are clearly the No.1 team in the world. They had the better of possession (51%) and by far the better of territory (62%), and yet they managed just the one try. For 74 minutes the Wallabies, outplayed as they were, did not allow New Zealand to score a try. Clearly the Wallabies deserve lots and lots of praise, at least for their courage under fire. The leadership of David Pocock, James Horwill, Stephen Moore and Dan Vickerman under pressure was immense. They are not the No.2 side for nothing.
It is easy to consider this as the real Final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The French have a mountain to climb next Sunday, one they have not managed to climb before.
James Horwill won the toss. The weather on Sunday night was not a factor. So Horwill, wanting to get on top of the All Blacks from the start opted for the kick-off. And so after the poukaia sounded, the anthems were sung and kapo o pango performed, the crowd counted down in the intense tension of the night. The whistle sounded and Quade Cooper kicked off.
What a damp squib for Wallabies and their hopes of early dominance, for the erratic flyhalf kicked off directly into touch for a New Zealand scrum. From the scrum Piri Weepu kicked out for a line-out five metres from the Wallaby line. So much for kicking off to put Australia on top early on. And the pressure piled up.
Australia kicked out, New Zealand threw in quickly and Israel Dagg ran past three Wallabies New Zealand attacked.
Cory Jane grubbered towards the Wallaby line and James O'Connor was forced to concede a five-metre scrum. Jan came off his wing to attack but Pocock won a turnover.
Then came the try - the only try of the match as it turned out.
The All Blacks went right and Dagg came into the line. He flattened Rocky Elsom with a hand-off and as he was being tackled near touch got a brilliant inside pass to Ma'a Nonu who scored far out. 5-0 after six minutes.
The other 21 points in the match all came from kicks.
Twice Pocock was penalised at a tackle. The first time Weepu hit an upright and the ball bounced infield for another All Blacks' attack. Jerome Kaino won a turnover, Aaron Cruden broke brilliantly and Pocock was penalised. This time Weepu goaled. 8-0 after 12 minutes.
There was only one team in it but from the kick-off Weepu kicked badly. It was the only bad New Zealand kick of the night. O'Connor countered and gave to Digby Ioane for the best individual run of the night. He beat three All Blacks on a run right to the line, but All Black defenders grabbed him. Kaino lifted him up and hauled him back from the line but the Wallabies were on the attack and Richie McCaw was penalised at a tackle. Cooper goaled the easy kick. 8-3 after 15 minutes. It was the only penalty kick that Australia aimed at goal in the match.
Richard Kahui kicked to put the All Blacks on the attack. They went through several phases and then Cruden dropped a soaring goal. 11-3 after 22 minutes as the game's tempo seemed to slow.
Australia had its first scrum after 27 minutes and then Will Genia grubbered them to an attacking line-out from which they bashed and after several phases Cooper, from slap in front, kicked a drop over. 11-6 after 32 minutes.
Just before half-time Ashley-Cooper was penalised for one of those sad offsides from a knock-on and Weepu goaled. 14-6.
The second half - gripping as it was with so much at stake - yielded only six points from two penalty goals. The first was early in the half when Pat McCabe was penalised at a tackle, the second eight minutes from time when Ben Alexander was penalised at a scrum. That second one meant that Australia needed two converted tries to draw and force extra-time. They had only eight minutes to do it.
Time did not inject urgency into their play. They were on the attack but content to slow the ball down and bash over and over at a defence that was never going to yield.
The match ended with Cooper running back for a kick and being bundled into touch. So much was expected and required of Cooper to create opportunities, especially in the absence of Beale. Instead he made many, many errors.
Man of the Match: There were so many in contention - from Israel Dagg who set the game alight, Piri Weepu who did so much to set his side on the way to victory to Keven Mealamu who epitomised All Black commitment. But our choice is right wing Cory Jane. He was so clever, skilled and creative on attack and his skill in the air was brilliant. For some reason the Wallabies kept kicking on him, presumably believing that at some stage he had to miss one. He missed none.
Moment of the Match: Israel Dagg's pass to Ma'a Nonu for the All Black try.
Villain of the Match: Nobody. Mercifully it was a match without controversy.
The scorers:
For New Zealand:
Try: Nonu
Pens: Weepu 4
DG: Cruden
For Australia:
Pen: O'Connor
DG: Cooper
Yellow card(s): Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand, 76th minute - dangerous tackle)
The teams:
New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Richard Kahui, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Brad Thorn, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Sonny Bill Williams.
Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Anthony Fainga'a, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Rob Horne.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Romain Poite (France)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)