Don't keep that game on a DVD. Unless you want to show your students why a spear tackle is forbidden, you can break the neck or kill a player, and you will get a red card.
Wales plaid a more offensive rugby, and even scored a try. But the instructions from the French coach were to keep only three priorities: defense, no penalty, and... defense! France never intended to develop an attack by the wings... even after Wales played with only 14 players, probably because France coaches analysed the solidity of Wales defense, against South Africa and Ireland. And in the last 10 minutes France was not even keeping players in the rucks tot ry win the ball back, everybody on their feet... zero player in the ruck... waiting for the next red wave. Of course only the result counts, and France got it. But the 50m penalty from Wales missing the post by a few cms 5 minutes before the end could have changed the result...
Congratulations to the Welsh players who gave it all for 60 mn of play at 14 and could still have won. The captain who took the red card for the spear tackle will not sleep tonight... Watch for Wales in next year 6 nations tournament, as most of the players are between 19 and 23!
Congratulations to the winner France, for their defense, even if they let a try scored with one player more, and for the almost zero penalty game!... The final next Saturday will show if France can put more than one exceptional game at each world cup, and most of all establish a winning strategy against New Zealand or Australia.
Of course dont miss tomorrow semi-final between New Zealand and Australia, both teams do not want to lose...! like no team in the 6 nations tournament want to loose against England...!!
I don't know if anybody saw this cause I haven't heard anything on the forums about this but it's concerning the penalty given to France near the end when Wales' #12 tried to kick the long penalty that was just not long enough. Is it just me or should it be Wales that was penalized? When I looked at the action I saw Frances #8 coming in from the "gate" trying to grab the ball on the ground and the tackled player in the ruck grabbed the ball to bring it closer to him in order to prevent that. That, to me, is CLEARLY playing the ball while on the ground. It was a second action by the tackled player to place the ball and it prevented France from gaining possesion.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of it?
Rémi, Québec Ref