RWC 2011 as I saw it

THE RWC 2011 is over and long after the last game was played, the discussions about the individual tries, scoring opportunities lost, team selection and refereeing decisions are still in the air.

Some have vowed that they will make it to England for the 2015 games having missed out on the opportunity this year. Maybe the airfares and accommodation will be cheaper and there are other sights to be visited between games, time and finances permitting.

As one looks at the tournament as a whole, there are a few games that will be etched in our memory for a long period of time. Without doubt the game between Wales and France will stand out for the controversial dismissal of the Welsh skipper and subsequently the game being played with 14 men.

Other games that will be remembered will be the agonising one point loss by Wales to South Africa and the Ireland/Aussie game, where the Wallabies were shell shocked and may be lost their way thereafter.

Of course the final will also be etched in our memory as there is a school of thought that the French could have pulled through. In the final, France had a momentary loss of concentration long enough to permit Woodcock to sneak through.

In fact Woodcock is a big guy but the gap left when the line out split in two was wide enough to drive a truck through. Thereafter the French defence was tight and the fact that no further tries were scored is ample testimony of the same. The move had obviously been well planned and executed to perfection as we saw the rare smile on the face of the All Blacks coach with plenty of patting on the back, indicating a job well done.

There is an old adage which says ‘forwards win you matches, the backs just decide by how much’. However, in RWC 2011, this could be amplified further to indicate that the back-row forwards decided the outcome of a game.

In my mind there is no doubt that in this tournament that the guys sporting the 6, 7 and 8 jerseys dominated the game. They are standout scrummagers, scavengers at every breakdown point, turning over opposition ball at the point of tackle and making life generally easy for the three quarters to run amok.

The four semi final games proved the point where the importance of a quality third row was evident. It is fitting therefore that the ‘IRB Player of the Year’ went to the French Skipper Thierry Dusautoir who had an outstanding tournament despite off the field controversies. Obviously the All Blacks, Australian, Springboks and Welsh third row had good games throughout the tournament.

A magical moment of the world cup for me was the All Blacks’ try in the semi final against the Wallabies. A scything and match winning run from left to right by fullback Israel Dagg had the All Blacks charging forward at pace and it was Ma’a Nonu who was perfectly placed to receive a pass. The centre pounced on Dagg’s fantastic offload as the full back went to ground just centimetres – maybe even millimetres from the touchline.

The next best was the try in the final. I am sure that there will be countless views to the contrary, but I view these two tries as ones that changed the game and that too in the knockout stages.

In term of outstanding players, I will limit the same to players from the teams that made it to the quarters, although in the pool stages there were loads of players.

Thierry Dusautoir of France: Quite simply, one of the best individual performances seen in a Rugby World Cup and that too at a final. Some truly monstrous hits, several ball carries, a crucial try in the finals and inspirational leadership that almost saw France pull off a stunning victory against the All Blacks.

Toby Faletau of Wales: He is no doubt a world-class player and we are bound to see much more of him. He got through an incredibly high workload, started all seven of Wales’ games and surprisingly did not miss a single tackle. Mind boggling is the answer to such a statistic.

Imanol Harinordoquy of France: Although at the start of the tournament he found himself more on the bench, he soon took out his frustrations and proved a point in the games that he eventually played in. A brilliant line out specialist as well as in the loose. Maybe Victor Matfiled will have a few words to say.

Jerome Kaino of New Zealand: One of the brilliant guys in defence throughout the tournament. Of the many hits that he made, the standout for me was his try-saving tackle on a dangerous Digby Ioane in the semi-final.

Richie McCaw, skipper of the All Blacks: He proved once again that he is still the best open side flanker in the world. In the semi final against the Wallabies I thought that it went 50/50 against another great, David Pocock. When Richie retires maybe the mantle will shift to Pocock, who got through a tremendous workload in this world cup.

David Pocock of Australia: The quality of the player is such that despite rugby being a 15-man game, his absence was sorely felt in the game against Ireland. As I said earlier, his workload included 26 tackles against South Africa that kept the Springboks at bay and got the Wallabies in by just a whisker.

At times I believe that the Wallabies are over-reliant on him. This was indicated in the All Blacks game, where they chose to run at him as a definite ploy so that he was effectively taken out of the game as he was then unable to scavenge at the side of the rucks, which is his speciality.

Sam Warburton, the inspirational skipper of Wales: He simply led by example and the rest of the team rallied around his youthful exuberance. He turned 23 during the World Cup and turned the old myth of experience on its head. The only disappointment was his performance against the French, where his leadership skills were needed the most.

Nicolas Mas of France: I might be accused of bias, but personally I believe that the French scrummaging improved significantly when he hit his straps as tight head prop. His rucking was physical and very effective and rarely did he give away any penalties at scrum time or in the rucks.

Last but not least my coach of the tournament was Gatland. He has moulded the young Welsh side into a truly potent force. His unique training methods in the lead up to the RWC had his boys amongst the fittest throughout the tournament. Wales will take on the Wallabies in early December and that tussle would be fascinating.

(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)