The quarter finals were nothing short of fantasic. Regardless of what you think about the refereeing peformance of Bryce Lawrence, it is undeniable that the game was a great example of how exciting a low scoring Rugby game can be. Purists who appreciate strong defence over soft trys should be rejoicing! In an article for The Sydney Morning Herald this week, Rugby great John Eales wrote:
"The divide at the moment is between positive and negative – or between enterprising and timid –and unlike at the World Cup in 2007, in 2011 the good guys are now winning."
This really sums up the two Northern Hemisphere quarter finals. Ireland struggled to match the pace of the Welsh, as the Irish seemed to come out prepared to kick their way to victory. This was made perfectly clear with the selection of Ronan O'Gara over Jonothan Sexton. Warburton was immense in disrupting the Irish and was the key element in their victory.
The French victory was the biggest upset of the quarter finals. A key part to their victory was the selection of Imanol Harinordoquy. News coming out from the French squad was the reasons for the tension between players and Lievremont was over the coach bairly ever placing him in the starting XV throughout the pool stages. When considering the experience and power Harinordoquy brought to the field against England, you seriously have to question the judgement of Lievremont. To be fair, the English should have won that game, but certainly didn't deserve to. England were unable to produce points or make the most basic of tackles, a team that fails to do this do not deserve a place in the semi-finals of rugby's finest showcase. It's a good thing for the tournament that England are going home, ensuring that the audience get to see teams play who are trying to win, rather than playing like the English and expecting to win.
The reason France won: Imanol Harinordoquy
It's hard to look into lessons for the Wallabies from the All Blacks game. The injuries to Colin Slade and Daniel Carter make for an entirely different looking New Zealand backline. Although Aaron Cruden stepped up well against Argentina, you know he will face an entirely different experience against the Wallabies. It is also hard to read how some of New Zealands stars from earlier in the tournament such as Richard Kahui and Ma'a Nonu will go against the Wallabies. Pat McCabe was a defensive powerhouse against South Africa and should be capable of cancelling out the line breaking threat Nonu presents. Kahui will need space against the Wallabies, something the Wallabies don't offer very often. It's hard to read how this All Blacks line up will go against Australia, but judging by how poor Australia were when in possession of the ball against South Africa, the All Blacks clearly deserve to be favourites leading into Sunday nights game. However we'll just have to wait and see to find out whether New Zealand deserve their status as tournament favourites...
Come Back later for Semi-Final previews and other related Rugby news
