Blacks flog sorry France
28 Nov 2009
New Zealand were very impressive in their 39-12 victory over France in Marseille.
The French seeked to base their challenge around brutality at the tackle point and flair in the backline. However, with the latter being so reliant on the former, they struggled when they found an All Black side unwilling to take a backward step in contact in general play or at scrum time.
Furthermore, the French defensive line looked decidedly porous at times, with the likes of Dan Carter, Sitiveni Sivivatu, and Ma’a Nonu slicing through with alarming ease at times.
It underlined the fact that France had shot their bolt with their strong performance against the Springboks, and the Blacks were never forced to shift into fifth gear to negotiate their challenge. Graham Henry’s charges comprehensively outplayed their hosts in all facets of play, and finished their year-end tour with a morale boosting win.
The early exchanges suggested neither side were going to be afraid to get width on their attack, with France the more expansive, if less effective, of the two.
However, it would be the Blacks who would be the far more clinical of the combatants, capitalising on the majority of the opportunities they created in the first half, and racing to a 22-9 lead.
They breached the goal-line first, with their first threatening foray into France’s 22m. They rumbled up into the red zone, shifted the ball wide, where Sivivatu shrugged off the challenge of Vincent Clerc to score.
Carter converted, but France scrumhalf Julien Dupuy kicked two more penalties to go with an earlier three pointer to stay in touch.
Then a vintage moment from the Blacks, as they counter-attacked from deep in their half in a move that culminated in Sivivatu turning provider for Mils Muliaina after a break down the touchline.
Carter missed the conversion, but not long thereafter the Blacks extended their lead when they shoved the France scrum over their tryline, and Jerome Kaino was on hand to apply downward pressure for the try. Carter made no mistake with the conversion.
France were on the ropes, their counter-strikes being easily repelled by a well organised defensive line. Their inability to unlock the Blacks off set or general play forced them to seek other routes of point collection, and in this regard they had to be content with a Francois Trinh-Duc drop-goal.
The Blacks would have trotted down the tunnel the more content of the sides, enjoying a comfortable 10-point lead. Carter increased the buffer with a penalty 10 minutes into the second half and at 25-12, France would have been acutely aware that they needed to be next to cross the whitewash to drag themselves back into the contest.
Dupuy missed his second penalty of the half to compound their woes. Cory Jane then produced a wonderful piece of individual skill to hand off his defender then chip and collect, all within the confines of the tram tracks out wide, and you sensed it was all over.
Carter converted to take the score to 32-12, and when Conrad Smith broke around an unguarded blindside to score with 10 minutes left, the French looked utterly deflated and accepting of their fate.
294 Comments
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28 Nov 2009, 22:17 pm
Go France. Looking good even after Mils try
28 Nov 2009, 22:17 pm
They are not all whites. Black pants and socks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
28 Nov 2009, 22:18 pm
ouch, missed. 12-9.
Anyway, ABs smell blood. France are in for a massacre.
28 Nov 2009, 22:18 pm
9 – 12
28 Nov 2009, 22:19 pm
anyone got a streaming link?
28 Nov 2009, 22:20 pm
@AiDoc: so you see the game finally?
28 Nov 2009, 22:20 pm
@ad_oz: iraqgoals.net/3786-rugby-wales-vs-australia.html
28 Nov 2009, 22:20 pm
@Nils:
Au revoir, Zia zhen and good bye? Kiwis are the Rainbow Warriors?
28 Nov 2009, 22:21 pm
@Nils:
Tomorrow. Yes!
28 Nov 2009, 22:21 pm
@AiDoc: eh?
28 Nov 2009, 22:21 pm
@Nils: tyvm
28 Nov 2009, 22:22 pm
ABs look comfortable here. Every time they get into Frogs zone, they look like scoring.
bar huge upset, ABs should win this game by at least 10.
28 Nov 2009, 22:23 pm
That Smithy guy, who gives comments from the sideline, is as intelligent as an English referee! I love the guy who used to jump in the lineout though. Kaino?
28 Nov 2009, 22:23 pm
now this is a rugby game, not a lot of unnecessary kicking!
28 Nov 2009, 22:23 pm
@ad_oz: “tyvm”
Even more confusing. English is not my native language, even not second one.
28 Nov 2009, 22:23 pm
Carter penalty 15-9
28 Nov 2009, 22:24 pm
@Nils:
bar huge upset, ABs should win this game by at least 10. ????
30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
09 bi 15
0 tr5ies b 2 tries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
28 Nov 2009, 22:25 pm
@Nils: thank you very much
28 Nov 2009, 22:25 pm
Frogs are torn to shreds. Lucky to escape another try.
28 Nov 2009, 22:26 pm
NoNuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu almost!
28 Nov 2009, 22:26 pm
@AiDoc: Maybe 30 (if gates open up). I still slightly fear those Frogs, they can turn it on like nobody does.
28 Nov 2009, 22:27 pm
@ad_oz: It works for you?
TRY ABS AGAIN! 20-9
28 Nov 2009, 22:27 pm
@ad_oz:
Must be porn or nonsense about the Da la i La m a so it is firewalled!!!!!!!
TRY Kainoa!!!!
28 Nov 2009, 22:27 pm
French suck. Quite well actually!
28 Nov 2009, 22:28 pm
Controversial try, I might say but nevertheless France are ready to be roosted and served with an apple in their mouth.
28 Nov 2009, 22:28 pm
@Nils: no it full on works. better quality than justin.tv
28 Nov 2009, 22:28 pm
22-9, here come French fries.
28 Nov 2009, 22:28 pm
@Nils:
All you have to do is cook their legs!!
28 Nov 2009, 22:30 pm
22-12, Frogs dropkick. 35th min.
45 mins to get clean sheet for 2 straight NH tours.
28 Nov 2009, 22:30 pm
@Nils:
Barnes was searching for a forward pass in Cardiff tonight, the first he has ever seen, unfortunately for the GotnoLanders, he spied one that was not!
28 Nov 2009, 22:31 pm
@Nils: And I do not mean clean sweeps, I mean no tries conceded in Europe since that sorry night in Cardiff in 2007.
28 Nov 2009, 22:33 pm
@Nils:
Hey English is not my first , second and ad nauseum, language either, but my Chinglish and Jinglish are not too bad.
ps Nobody was a Queenslander
28 Nov 2009, 22:35 pm
Why can’t the Bokke beat the Choirboys? Hell their best result against the MIB was foot and mouth disease!
28 Nov 2009, 22:35 pm
22-12 NZ half time
Like in Cardiff at half time Wales were just 11 points behind Australia yet completely outplayed (3 tries to zero).
28 Nov 2009, 22:36 pm
Hell it’s only half time?
Reminds me of 1987. Whenever that was!
28 Nov 2009, 22:37 pm
@AiDoc: Which is your first, if it is not a secret?
My first is Latvian, followed by Russian. English I learned in my 20s.
28 Nov 2009, 22:37 pm
@Nils:
Rubbish its 12 – 22
28 Nov 2009, 22:38 pm
@Nils:
Rubbish its 12 – 22 and that’s nothing to do with ESL.
28 Nov 2009, 22:38 pm
Sublime rugby by NZ.
What a contrast to the pathetic high kick and charge stuff dished out by the Springboks.
28 Nov 2009, 22:38 pm
@AiDoc: If you support the Frogs, then it is exactly like you said.
28 Nov 2009, 22:38 pm
@AiDoc: what is ESL?
28 Nov 2009, 22:41 pm
@Nils:
Putong hua (Mandarin), Guangdong hua (Cantonese), Shaghainese (Shaghai hua), Italian, French, and a few others
Latvian is a little like Russian or German?
28 Nov 2009, 22:42 pm
Frogs will go out with all guns blazing now. I feel that ABs should tame them and if it happens, they are deservedly on the top of the pile again.
28 Nov 2009, 22:43 pm
@Nils:
English as a second language.
There is no third language. All, apart from first, are second.
28 Nov 2009, 22:43 pm
anyone have a live stream for the game?
28 Nov 2009, 22:45 pm
@Robzim: i agree fully robzim, fantastic display by new zealand! You gotta love it. Pity in our country it is called “helter skelter”…did you see the 2nd try, they started in side their own 22!
28 Nov 2009, 22:45 pm
Great to see both teams moving the ball by hand. French look dangerous when they move it, but the AB’s seem to have sorted out some tactics that make them even more dangerous. Who knows what is happening in the scrums?? Started with the French looking dominant, ended with the AB’s getting a pushover.
28 Nov 2009, 22:45 pm
@captain fantail: iraqgoals.net/3786-rugby-wales-vs-australia.html
28 Nov 2009, 22:46 pm
@Nils:
No, the home team is always recorded first unless you are of an inferior dialect, which means American devalued English dialect.
28 Nov 2009, 22:47 pm
@AiDoc: Yes and no. It has some words from both of them (7 centuries under Germans and last 3 centuries under Russians bar 20 years in the independent First Republic (1918-1940) till Soviet occupation and now 18 years independent again since 1991) yet this language is completely different from them.
It is a Baltic language with the only relative left – Lithuanian language.
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