Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Now I know why it's called football

What a cracking game of rugby at the weekend. Flowing, aggressive, end to end stuff, with great handling, direct running and a just result.

Of course, I'm talking about the third place play-off between Argentina and France.

The Rugby World Cup final was a different matter: a dour affair of ping-pong kicking, collapsed scrums and the most unimaginative rugby you can imagine. Even as a final it failed to be exciting.

Though hoping for a Springbok win, I almost wish Cueto's nearly-try (after a great break from Tait) had stood, if only to demonstrate to the teams the value of scoring tries.

It was a World Cup Final, so it was bound to be tense. More a game of chess than rugby, with the result more dependent on someone doing something wrong, rather than doing something right.

Tait, Crazy Horse and Easter (twice) dutifully obliged, giving the Saffers the penalties they needed to win the game.

It was ironic that England came closest to scoring a try. It would have their first "worked" try for them in around 3 and a half hours of rugby. (The gift against France doesn't count.)

So when they needed to score a 5-pointer - in the last 10 minutes - it was brutally clear that the England midfield had no idea of how to bring one about.

Wilkinson in particular showed a valiant refusal to take the ball to the line and deliver any sort of pass that would get the Bokke defence guessing.

He passed it too deep and too early and too slowly, making his team mates obvious targets for a patient defence.

Eventually, it would get kicked back to South Africa, almost out of boredom.

For their part, South Africa seem prepared to do just enough to get them over the line.

Both teams seemed to be content without the ball. Kicking it back to their opponents, feeding on scraps and waiting for the mistakes and penalties.

This is not how the game should be played.

Presumably even England fans (once of their rightful surprise and elation to have made the final) would like to see teams actively go out and "win" a game, rather not come second by default.

Think of the England team of 2003. It was almost the complete side: immense pack, great midfield, flying wingers and an almost perfect penalty kicker. No one begrudged its World Cup win.

How have we got from that to the absolutely risk-averse territorial and mistake-based rugby we have today?

Hopefully Stellenbosch might make a difference. Either that or the entry of Argentina and Fiji to regular international competition.

Labels: rugby, rugby world cup

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