 |
| The 7 billionth baby will be a historic landmark of the Human Race. |
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Who is no.7 Billion?
Sometime today the world's 7 billionth baby will be born but everyday on average 200,000 babies are born meaning the first baby born today is crowned the 7th billionth human on earth. The only bad news, though, is that we are in a situation where we are on limited resourses and as our editor, Naveen Saily says, "At this point of time we are affecting we." He might be right about that but how can we stop this mess? Anyways the 7 billionth babys' birth will be celebrated around the world from India to England to Australia and back again. If you would like to ask something to us please comment.
Friday, 28 October 2011
Google, Yahoo, Bing and More
Now something extraordinary has happened, don't know? Well it's just that Kool Kidz Stuff is on Google, Yahoo, Bing, AOL, Excite, Entire Web, Gigablast, Web Crawler, DogPile, Exact Seek, IX Quick and Mamma which is amazing cause such a little site is on search engines with Facebook, Twitter, Google etc so this is surprising.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Who Will Win?-World Champions Once Again (Stage 5-The Grande Finale)
After 24 years and 5 Rugby World Cups New Zealand has once again lifted the Webb Ellis Cup on home ground but not without a big challenge from the French even before the game began when they dared to cross the 10 metre line during the Haka. At the start New Zealand were under big amounts of pressure but held on which led to a Tony Woodcock try which gave the All Blacks a 5-0 lead at halftime. After the break early in the second half Steven Donald kicked a penalty for a 8-0 lead only for the French captain to score a try which made the score 8-7 and after that half an hour of holding that lead the All Blacks kicked the ball out of touch to finally reclaim the title of World Champions. Below is an in depth report of the game.
France:
Path To The Final:
Wins: 4
Draws: 0
Losses: 3
New Zealand:
Path To The Final:
Wins: 7
Draws: 0
Losses: 0
IRB Rankings:(after cup)
Final Preview:
AUCKLAND, 23 Oct. - Captain Richie McCaw paid tribute to his All Blacks after they survived the most nerve-racking of scares to end 24 years of pain and clinch their second Rugby World Cup title with an 8-7 win over France.
"We had to dig deeper than ever before and it's hard to get it to sink in, but I am so proud of every single one of them," said McCaw after Sunday's match at Eden Park.
"We couldn't have been under more pressure at times but we stuck to our guns and got there in the end."
In the end it was a second-half penalty by fourth-choice fly half Stephen Donald that proved decisive. McCaw, playing his 103rd Test, saluted the replacements who had been drafted into his injury-hit squad.
"When we had problems the next guy stood up and the next guy stood up, and I take my hat off to the guy (Donald, who replaced Aaron Cruden in the Final) but it's not about one guy, everybody played as well as they can."
In 1999 and 2007 Les Bleus had wrecked New Zealand’s dreams of glory with dramatic come-from-behind victories.
And they looked as if they might do so again as they battled to within a single point of McCaw's team with half an hour of Sunday’s match remaining.
Delirious crowd
But in this re-enactment of the inaugural RWC 1987 Final, the French once again came off second best as a Tony Woodcock try and Donald's penalty gave New Zealand the edge over a converted try by Thierry Dusautoir.
France were unrecognisable from the team that had struggled in the earlier rounds and the All Blacks had to dig deeper than they would ever have imagined to get their hands on the Webb Ellis Cup in front of a delirious home crowd.
France captain Dusautoir, who was voted man of the match, said: "We read a lot of stuff this week but I thought we showed we know how to play rugby.
"We are really disappointed. I am really proud of my boys and what they did in the World Cup."
With both teams playing their third RWC Final, it was clear it was going to be a passionate encounter from the moment the French advanced on the All Blacks' Haka.
The collisions were shuddering and both teams lost their fly halves before the interval, when only a single unconverted try by prop Woodcock separated the sides.
Kicking duties
France got their first penalty attempt on goal two minutes into the second half, when McCaw was caught handling in the ruck. But scrum half Dimitri Yachvili’s attempt was just wide.
New Zealand won a penalty in front of the posts two minutes later. Donald took over the kicking duties and nailed his attempt to put his team 8-0 ahead.
But Les Bleus struck back almost immediately. A break by replacement fly half François Trinh-Duc opened up the All Blacks defence and France made several attempts on the line before captain Dusautoir raced in to touch down beside the posts.
Trinh-Duc converted to make it 8-7 and when Donald put the restart out on the full, the All Blacks’ anxiety was palpable.
Coach Graham Henry went to his bench and the out-of-form Piri Weepu was replaced by Andy Ellis, hooker Keven Mealamu gave way to Andrew Hore and Ali Williams took Sam Whitelock’s place in the second row.
Les Bleus sensed another famous upset and took every opportunity to apply pressure. With 15 minutes remaining, the All Blacks were behind on territory and possession when Trinh-Duc had a chance to put the French in front on the scoreboard. But his 48m penalty attempt was also wide of the mark.
With seven minutes left France pressed again but New Zealand managed to withstand the assault and when Craig Joubert blew the final whistle on the lowest-scoring Final, the All Blacks and their fans were understandably overjoyed.
Frenetic first half
The first half had been frenetic.
France fly half Morgan Parra had to leave the field after 11 minutes looking groggy and slightly bloodied following a double impact from Ma'a Nonu and McCaw, although he returned six minutes later.
In his absence the All Blacks opened the scoring when a well-worked lineout move deep in the France 22 allowed Woodcock to charge though a gap in the France defence and sprint 10m to touch down for his first ever RWC try.
Scrum half Weepu, who had been New Zealand's principal kicker following the injury to Dan Carter in the pool stages, missed his second shot of the night with the conversion attempt.
Parra was again in the wars and, to his very visible disappointment, was replaced for good by Trinh-Duc.
When the All Blacks won another penalty after 25 minutes, more points went begging when Weepu again skewed his kick wide.
But there was nothing wrong with their running game and only resolute French defence kept them from breaching the line.
France centre Aurélien Rougerie had to dive on the ball in-goal after a deft chip through by All Blacks wing Richard Kahui on the half-hour.
But the New Zealand injury woes continued when third-choice fly half Cruden suffered a nasty knee injury and was replaced by Donald, making his RWC debut.
On 36 minutes a long-range Trinh-Duc drop-goal attempt sailed just to the right of the uprights and shortly afterwards only a Weepu tap tackle could stop his run to the line when he split the All Blacks defence.
France:
Path To The Final:
Wins: 4
Draws: 0
Losses: 3
New Zealand:
Path To The Final:
Wins: 7
Draws: 0
Losses: 0
IRB Rankings:(after cup)
| Position (last week) | Member Union | Rating Point |
|---|---|---|
| 1(1) |  NEW ZEALAND | 91.43 |
| 2(2) |  AUSTRALIA | 87.42 |
| 3(3) |  FRANCE | 84.70 |
| 4(4) |  SOUTH AFRICA | 84.34 |
| 5(5) |  ENGLAND | 81.58 |
6(7)  |  IRELAND | 80.65 |
| 7(8) |  ARGENTINA | 80.28 |
8(6)  |  WALES | 80.18 |
| 9(9) |  TONGA | 76.63 |
| 10(10) |  SCOTLAND | 76.20 |
| 11(11) |  SAMOA | 75.81 |
| 12(12) |  ITALY | 73.99 |
| 13(13) |  CANADA | 72.92 |
| 14(14) |  GEORGIA | 71.09 |
| 15(15) |  JAPAN | 70.45 |
| 16(16) |  FIJI | 68.78 |
| 17(17) |  USA | 65.63 |
| 18(18) |  ROMANIA | 63.98 |
| 19(19) |  NAMIBIA | 61.24 |
| 20(20) |  PORTUGAL | 60.67 |
Final Preview:
All Blacks embrace each other after the narrowest of victories
"We had to dig deeper than ever before and it's hard to get it to sink in, but I am so proud of every single one of them," said McCaw after Sunday's match at Eden Park.
"We couldn't have been under more pressure at times but we stuck to our guns and got there in the end."
In the end it was a second-half penalty by fourth-choice fly half Stephen Donald that proved decisive. McCaw, playing his 103rd Test, saluted the replacements who had been drafted into his injury-hit squad.
"When we had problems the next guy stood up and the next guy stood up, and I take my hat off to the guy (Donald, who replaced Aaron Cruden in the Final) but it's not about one guy, everybody played as well as they can."
In 1999 and 2007 Les Bleus had wrecked New Zealand’s dreams of glory with dramatic come-from-behind victories.
And they looked as if they might do so again as they battled to within a single point of McCaw's team with half an hour of Sunday’s match remaining.
Delirious crowd
But in this re-enactment of the inaugural RWC 1987 Final, the French once again came off second best as a Tony Woodcock try and Donald's penalty gave New Zealand the edge over a converted try by Thierry Dusautoir.
France were unrecognisable from the team that had struggled in the earlier rounds and the All Blacks had to dig deeper than they would ever have imagined to get their hands on the Webb Ellis Cup in front of a delirious home crowd.
France captain Dusautoir, who was voted man of the match, said: "We read a lot of stuff this week but I thought we showed we know how to play rugby.
"We are really disappointed. I am really proud of my boys and what they did in the World Cup."
With both teams playing their third RWC Final, it was clear it was going to be a passionate encounter from the moment the French advanced on the All Blacks' Haka.
The collisions were shuddering and both teams lost their fly halves before the interval, when only a single unconverted try by prop Woodcock separated the sides.
Kicking duties
France got their first penalty attempt on goal two minutes into the second half, when McCaw was caught handling in the ruck. But scrum half Dimitri Yachvili’s attempt was just wide.
New Zealand won a penalty in front of the posts two minutes later. Donald took over the kicking duties and nailed his attempt to put his team 8-0 ahead.
But Les Bleus struck back almost immediately. A break by replacement fly half François Trinh-Duc opened up the All Blacks defence and France made several attempts on the line before captain Dusautoir raced in to touch down beside the posts.
Trinh-Duc converted to make it 8-7 and when Donald put the restart out on the full, the All Blacks’ anxiety was palpable.
Coach Graham Henry went to his bench and the out-of-form Piri Weepu was replaced by Andy Ellis, hooker Keven Mealamu gave way to Andrew Hore and Ali Williams took Sam Whitelock’s place in the second row.
Les Bleus sensed another famous upset and took every opportunity to apply pressure. With 15 minutes remaining, the All Blacks were behind on territory and possession when Trinh-Duc had a chance to put the French in front on the scoreboard. But his 48m penalty attempt was also wide of the mark.
With seven minutes left France pressed again but New Zealand managed to withstand the assault and when Craig Joubert blew the final whistle on the lowest-scoring Final, the All Blacks and their fans were understandably overjoyed.
Frenetic first half
The first half had been frenetic.
France fly half Morgan Parra had to leave the field after 11 minutes looking groggy and slightly bloodied following a double impact from Ma'a Nonu and McCaw, although he returned six minutes later.
In his absence the All Blacks opened the scoring when a well-worked lineout move deep in the France 22 allowed Woodcock to charge though a gap in the France defence and sprint 10m to touch down for his first ever RWC try.
Scrum half Weepu, who had been New Zealand's principal kicker following the injury to Dan Carter in the pool stages, missed his second shot of the night with the conversion attempt.
Parra was again in the wars and, to his very visible disappointment, was replaced for good by Trinh-Duc.
When the All Blacks won another penalty after 25 minutes, more points went begging when Weepu again skewed his kick wide.
But there was nothing wrong with their running game and only resolute French defence kept them from breaching the line.
France centre Aurélien Rougerie had to dive on the ball in-goal after a deft chip through by All Blacks wing Richard Kahui on the half-hour.
But the New Zealand injury woes continued when third-choice fly half Cruden suffered a nasty knee injury and was replaced by Donald, making his RWC debut.
On 36 minutes a long-range Trinh-Duc drop-goal attempt sailed just to the right of the uprights and shortly afterwards only a Weepu tap tackle could stop his run to the line when he split the All Blacks defence.
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Kool Kidz Stuff's First Competition
Kool Kidz Stuff is now in competition mode as we are giving away a leather wallet worth $250! All you have to do is write a comment on this post saying why you should have the wallet. The wallet is worth so much because it was hand made by John F Kennedy in 1956. Also the comment has to say the competition code at the bottom which is JFK1 or else you cannot win the wallet. The terms and conditions are below.
Terms and Conditions:
1. You cannot swap the wallet for money 2. You cannot win the wallet if you have not sent a comment 3. The winner will be picked randomly 4. Competition begins October 20th and ends on the 20th of November 5. You have to write your full name, address and reason why you should win it 6. If the winner has his/her name as anonymous they will not win the wallet 7. There is only one wallet to win not 3 or 5 8. You cannot win if the comment does not have the competition code(JFK1)
Terms and Conditions:
1. You cannot swap the wallet for money 2. You cannot win the wallet if you have not sent a comment 3. The winner will be picked randomly 4. Competition begins October 20th and ends on the 20th of November 5. You have to write your full name, address and reason why you should win it 6. If the winner has his/her name as anonymous they will not win the wallet 7. There is only one wallet to win not 3 or 5 8. You cannot win if the comment does not have the competition code(JFK1)
 |
| This is the actual wallet that will be given to the winner of the competition. |
Monday, 17 October 2011
Who Will Win?-The Bronze Finale and The Grande Finale (Stage 4-Grande Finale)
On 21 October 2011 Wales and Australia will play the bronze final on Eden Park after their losses left France and New Zealand left to battle out the last 80 minutes of the tournament on 23 October 2011. We talked to our horoscope master, Mr Ramditta Saily, on the France-Wales game. He said that france would win and they did but only by 1 point. On Sunday he said if New Zealand won they would win the final against France but if Australia won they would win the cup aswell. But the French dont trust the horoscopes and say that they can win without the help of horoscopes. Below the photos is a guide to France and New Zealand's new ranking, path to the final and a preview of their semi final.
France:
RWC 2011 Ranking
AUCKLAND, 15 Oct. - France had to rely on all their experience and nous, along with three crucial penalties by Morgan Parra, to see off an emotion-driven 14-man Wales 9-8 at Eden Park on Saturday and reach their first Rugby World Cup final since 1999.
Against England in the quarter-finals it was France's sharp attack that made the difference with two tries, but in the semi-final it was an obdurate defence that allowed them to progress to a 23 October date with New Zealand or Australia.
Wales, despite having captain Sam Warburton sent off in the 18th minute, were in sight of the winning points with the clock running down. France were forced to defend in their own half for 27 phases without giving their desperate opponents the chance to sneak through.
Wales were repeatedly driven back in the tackle, their kickers were pushed out of drop-goal range and their hopes of a remarkable comeback were snuffed out.
"We did not start well, we lost confidence," France coach Marc Lièvremont said after the match. "When they went down to 14 and we had 15 we were still inhibited, but that does not matter; what matters is when they scored a try, we kept out composure.
"I will not brood or be unhappy because that was not our best match, what matters is we are going to the final."
Dangerous tackle
The match swung firmly in France's favour between the 10th and 18th minutes. First, Welsh prop Adam Jones was forced off with an injured ankle, then Warburton was sent off for a dangerous tackle on France wing Vincent Clerc.
It meant that Warren Gatland's team was forced to play for more than an hour with 14 men, and while they fought back in the second half through a Mike Phillips try, when the crunch came Wales did not have quite enough energy left to find a way through the French defence for a second time.
Warburton said he was surprised by his red card. "It felt that as soon as I hit him his body weight took control of what happened. I went to compete for the ball, thinking it was a normal tackle. The next thing I know I'm walking off into the stands.
"All the boys are gutted with the result but I thought the courage and bravery they showed was second to none."
Parra's display, if not quite a full vindication of Lièvremont's decision to continue with the scrum half at fly half, was enough to win the match for France.
Crucially he kicked the opening points of the second half in the 50th minute to give France a six-point lead.
His successes contrasted sharply with his Welsh counterpart James Hook, who was given the nod over veteran Stephen Jones when first-choice fly half Rhys Priestland was forced out with a shoulder injury.
Hook was on the mark with his first from out on the left touchline to open the scoring, but he missed two more direct kicks later in the first half that would have put Wales in front at half-time.
Eventually Gatland brought Stephen Jones on in the 46th minute and his cool head allowed Wales to grab a toehold as the match went into its closing stages.
"Parra was magnificent and defensively courageous," Lièvremont said. "He is the player who created the most breaks and he was successful with all his kicks."
Relieve pressure
France flanker Julien Bonnaire became the second France back row named man of the match in consecutive weeks after number 8 Imanol Harinordoquy received the accolade in the quarter-final victory over England.
Bonnaire's athleticism meant that he was able to steal five Wales lineouts and relieve pressure on the France line just as the Welsh were gaining momentum.
"I am happy that we won, but I am disappointed with the level we played and the defence saved us tonight," Bonnaire said.
"Our World Cup hasn't been so great and we let a lot of people down here and at home, but I hope we made up for that by reaching the final."
France will now play their second Rugby World Cup final at Eden Park, having lost the inaugural final in 1987 to New Zealand.
That match ended in anticlimax for Les Bleus after they had beaten Australia in the semi-finals. Twenty-four years on they know they cannot repeat such a flat attacking performance if they want to win the Webb Ellis Cup at the third time of asking.
"I think we had a guardian angel tonight," Lièvremont said. "I think there are a lot of people annoyed that we have qualified, but we played with our hearts."
New Zealand:
RWC 2011 Ranking:
Path To The Final:
Pool Play (Pool A)
QuaterFinal:
New Zealand Bt Argentina 33-10
HalfTime: New Zealand Leading Argentina 12-7
SemiFinal:
New Zealand Bt Australia 20-6
Halftime: New Zealand Leading Australia 14-6
AUCKLAND, 16 Oct. - The chance to repeat history awaits the All Blacks following their dominant 20-6 semi-final victory over Australia at Eden Park on Sunday night.
A try by centre Ma’a Nonu, four penalties by Piri Weepu and a cool drop goal from Aaron Cruden secured New Zealand a place in the Rugby World Cup 2011 final against France, the team they beat the last time they lifted the Webb Ellis Cup, in 1987.
"It's awesome," captain Richie McCaw said. "We realised that we were going to have to front up and be on the job for 80 minutes.
"The intensity was there. Every single man out there did their bit tonight. That's what you have to do in World Cup rugby."
New Zealand’s ferocious play left the Australians scrambling to respond for much of the match, with the Wallabies now set to face Wales in the play-off for bronze.
"There's not much to say," wing James O’Connor said. "They beat us in every facet. They used the ball well and the physicality was up there. I guess that's what you need to win a Rugby World Cup semi-final and the All Blacks had it.
"They deserved that win. They lifted their physicality and we've never met physicality like that before."
Set the tone
The All Blacks were quick to take control of the match, while Australian fly half Quade Cooper set the tone for his game with his first touch. He kicked the ball out on the full from kick-off, much to the delight of a vocal crowd wearing mostly black.
"It was a tough night for all the boys. Nobody likes coming second," Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said.
New Zealand set the pace early by playing with tempo and the early charge forward paid dividends in the sixth minute when Nonu crossed the line after good work by Israel Dagg.
"We came out and played with spirit and great control," All Blacks number 8 Kieran Read said. "It was outstanding work from our forwards and they really put us on the front foot."
Referee Craig Joubert kept a careful eye on the breakdown, with Australia flanker David Pocock conceding two penalties in quick succession for leaving his feet at the ruck.
At the other end of the pitch a penalty against Pocock's opposite number McCaw gave Australia their first points courtesy of O’Connor’s boot.
As Cooper struggled to find his rhythm, the pressure of the famous All Blacks number 10 jersey did not get to young fly half Cruden, who joined the New Zealand squad two weeks ago following Dan Carter’s exit from the tournament through injury.
Surreal introduction
"It has been a pretty surreal couple of weeks,” the 22-year-old said. “It was great to get the late call-up and great to get called up to a World Cup semi-final. We really stepped up tonight and had a fantastic 80 minutes.
"Australia really tested us, especially in those first 30 minutes. We stood up to it and scored points when we could."
The All Blacks continued their high-tempo play in the second half and Weepu’s successful penalty kick after two minutes brought up New Zealand’s 2,000th RWC point.
Australia’s best chance came late in the match but the All Blacks defence stood firm in the final minutes, despite being reducted to 14 men after replacement Sonny Bill Williams was sent to the sin bin for a shoulder charge on Cooper.
As the clock wound down, chants of "four more years" rang out around Eden Park with the bulk of the 60,087 crowd revelling in the chance to finally return Australian legend George Gregan’s famous taunt from RWC 2003.
"It's sort of hard to summarise the feeling after a loss like this,” Wallaby second row Dan Vickerman said. “Unfortunately there's not a next week for us. The group is pretty low. It's devastating. Any Test you play for your country is special. It's just unfortunate it's against Wales next week.”
 |
| The winner of the Rugby World Cup 2011 will be decided on the 23rd of October. |
 |
| French captain Thierry Dusautoir. |
 |
| All Blacks captain Richie Mccaw. |
France:
RWC 2011 Ranking
IRB World Rankings
| Team | Pos. | (Prev.) | Rtg. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | New Zealand | 1 | (1) | 91.34 |
 | Australia | 2 | (2) | 86.49 |
 | France | 3 | (5) | 84.79 |
 | South Africa | 4 | (3) | 84.34 |
 | England | 5 | (6) | 81.58 |
Path To The Final:
Pool Play (Pool A)
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | TF | TA | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 49 | 36 | 6 | 4 | 20 |
 France | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 124 | 96 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
 Tonga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 98 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 9 |
 Canada | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 82 | 168 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 6 |
 Japan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 69 | 184 | 8 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
QuaterFinals:
France bt England 19-12
HalfTime: France Leading England 16-0
SemiFinals:
France bt Wales 9-8
HalfTime: France Leading Wales 6-3
Morgan Parra kicks a penalty for France on their way to the final
Against England in the quarter-finals it was France's sharp attack that made the difference with two tries, but in the semi-final it was an obdurate defence that allowed them to progress to a 23 October date with New Zealand or Australia.
Wales, despite having captain Sam Warburton sent off in the 18th minute, were in sight of the winning points with the clock running down. France were forced to defend in their own half for 27 phases without giving their desperate opponents the chance to sneak through.
Wales were repeatedly driven back in the tackle, their kickers were pushed out of drop-goal range and their hopes of a remarkable comeback were snuffed out.
"We did not start well, we lost confidence," France coach Marc Lièvremont said after the match. "When they went down to 14 and we had 15 we were still inhibited, but that does not matter; what matters is when they scored a try, we kept out composure.
"I will not brood or be unhappy because that was not our best match, what matters is we are going to the final."
Dangerous tackle
The match swung firmly in France's favour between the 10th and 18th minutes. First, Welsh prop Adam Jones was forced off with an injured ankle, then Warburton was sent off for a dangerous tackle on France wing Vincent Clerc.
It meant that Warren Gatland's team was forced to play for more than an hour with 14 men, and while they fought back in the second half through a Mike Phillips try, when the crunch came Wales did not have quite enough energy left to find a way through the French defence for a second time.
Warburton said he was surprised by his red card. "It felt that as soon as I hit him his body weight took control of what happened. I went to compete for the ball, thinking it was a normal tackle. The next thing I know I'm walking off into the stands.
"All the boys are gutted with the result but I thought the courage and bravery they showed was second to none."
Parra's display, if not quite a full vindication of Lièvremont's decision to continue with the scrum half at fly half, was enough to win the match for France.
Crucially he kicked the opening points of the second half in the 50th minute to give France a six-point lead.
His successes contrasted sharply with his Welsh counterpart James Hook, who was given the nod over veteran Stephen Jones when first-choice fly half Rhys Priestland was forced out with a shoulder injury.
Hook was on the mark with his first from out on the left touchline to open the scoring, but he missed two more direct kicks later in the first half that would have put Wales in front at half-time.
Eventually Gatland brought Stephen Jones on in the 46th minute and his cool head allowed Wales to grab a toehold as the match went into its closing stages.
"Parra was magnificent and defensively courageous," Lièvremont said. "He is the player who created the most breaks and he was successful with all his kicks."
Relieve pressure
France flanker Julien Bonnaire became the second France back row named man of the match in consecutive weeks after number 8 Imanol Harinordoquy received the accolade in the quarter-final victory over England.
Bonnaire's athleticism meant that he was able to steal five Wales lineouts and relieve pressure on the France line just as the Welsh were gaining momentum.
"I am happy that we won, but I am disappointed with the level we played and the defence saved us tonight," Bonnaire said.
"Our World Cup hasn't been so great and we let a lot of people down here and at home, but I hope we made up for that by reaching the final."
France will now play their second Rugby World Cup final at Eden Park, having lost the inaugural final in 1987 to New Zealand.
That match ended in anticlimax for Les Bleus after they had beaten Australia in the semi-finals. Twenty-four years on they know they cannot repeat such a flat attacking performance if they want to win the Webb Ellis Cup at the third time of asking.
"I think we had a guardian angel tonight," Lièvremont said. "I think there are a lot of people annoyed that we have qualified, but we played with our hearts."
New Zealand:
RWC 2011 Ranking:
IRB World Rankings
| Team | Pos. | (Prev.) | Rtg. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 1 | (1) | 91.34 |
| Australia | 2 | (2) | 86.49 |
| France | 3 | (5) | 84.79 |
| South Africa | 4 | (3) | 84.34 |
| England | 5 | (6) | 81.58 |
Path To The Final:
Pool Play (Pool A)
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | TF | TA | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 49 | 36 | 6 | 4 | 20 |
France | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 124 | 96 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
Tonga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 98 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 9 |
Canada | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 82 | 168 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 6 |
Japan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 69 | 184 | 8 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
QuaterFinal:
New Zealand Bt Argentina 33-10
HalfTime: New Zealand Leading Argentina 12-7
SemiFinal:
New Zealand Bt Australia 20-6
Halftime: New Zealand Leading Australia 14-6
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw fends off opposite number David Pocock
A try by centre Ma’a Nonu, four penalties by Piri Weepu and a cool drop goal from Aaron Cruden secured New Zealand a place in the Rugby World Cup 2011 final against France, the team they beat the last time they lifted the Webb Ellis Cup, in 1987.
"It's awesome," captain Richie McCaw said. "We realised that we were going to have to front up and be on the job for 80 minutes.
"The intensity was there. Every single man out there did their bit tonight. That's what you have to do in World Cup rugby."
New Zealand’s ferocious play left the Australians scrambling to respond for much of the match, with the Wallabies now set to face Wales in the play-off for bronze.
"There's not much to say," wing James O’Connor said. "They beat us in every facet. They used the ball well and the physicality was up there. I guess that's what you need to win a Rugby World Cup semi-final and the All Blacks had it.
"They deserved that win. They lifted their physicality and we've never met physicality like that before."
Set the tone
The All Blacks were quick to take control of the match, while Australian fly half Quade Cooper set the tone for his game with his first touch. He kicked the ball out on the full from kick-off, much to the delight of a vocal crowd wearing mostly black.
"It was a tough night for all the boys. Nobody likes coming second," Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said.
New Zealand set the pace early by playing with tempo and the early charge forward paid dividends in the sixth minute when Nonu crossed the line after good work by Israel Dagg.
"We came out and played with spirit and great control," All Blacks number 8 Kieran Read said. "It was outstanding work from our forwards and they really put us on the front foot."
Referee Craig Joubert kept a careful eye on the breakdown, with Australia flanker David Pocock conceding two penalties in quick succession for leaving his feet at the ruck.
At the other end of the pitch a penalty against Pocock's opposite number McCaw gave Australia their first points courtesy of O’Connor’s boot.
As Cooper struggled to find his rhythm, the pressure of the famous All Blacks number 10 jersey did not get to young fly half Cruden, who joined the New Zealand squad two weeks ago following Dan Carter’s exit from the tournament through injury.
Surreal introduction
"It has been a pretty surreal couple of weeks,” the 22-year-old said. “It was great to get the late call-up and great to get called up to a World Cup semi-final. We really stepped up tonight and had a fantastic 80 minutes.
"Australia really tested us, especially in those first 30 minutes. We stood up to it and scored points when we could."
The All Blacks continued their high-tempo play in the second half and Weepu’s successful penalty kick after two minutes brought up New Zealand’s 2,000th RWC point.
Australia’s best chance came late in the match but the All Blacks defence stood firm in the final minutes, despite being reducted to 14 men after replacement Sonny Bill Williams was sent to the sin bin for a shoulder charge on Cooper.
As the clock wound down, chants of "four more years" rang out around Eden Park with the bulk of the 60,087 crowd revelling in the chance to finally return Australian legend George Gregan’s famous taunt from RWC 2003.
"It's sort of hard to summarise the feeling after a loss like this,” Wallaby second row Dan Vickerman said. “Unfortunately there's not a next week for us. The group is pretty low. It's devastating. Any Test you play for your country is special. It's just unfortunate it's against Wales next week.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)