While it is a repeat of the 2007 RWC quarterfinal, and we all know the history there, the All Blacks surely won’t make the same mistakes this time round in Cardiff as the RWC reaches its business end.
The All Blacks’ second half performance in the 47-9 victory over Tonga showed signs that the squad was able to step up a gear and pile on the points late in a match, something that the defending world champions had been lacking in the tournament pool play.
The French are at their most dangerous when their backs are against the wall and nobody gives them a prayer to win a match. This has usually been the case when Les Bleus have come up against the All Blacks.
But, couldn’t the exact same be said about the All Blacks also? Take the recent loss to the Wallabies in Sydney as a prime example. An underwhelming performance led to dominance the week after, and lets not forget the intense media criticism that followed.
In similar circumstances heading into their quarter final against the All Blacks, France will be amped to once again break kiwi hearts.
A lot of focus this week has been on who will officiate the match.
Nigel Owens has been given the job, to the surprise of many as it was hoped that Wayne Barnes (the infamous ref from the 2007 QF) would be selected.
From a New Zealand perspective, this doesn’t matter – nothing other than the result matters.
The All Blacks have openly admitted that they are wary of the French, but deep down they know two things. One, the on-field performance so far during the RWC has been less than awe inspiring, and two, no team in the history of the tournament has been in such a position to defend the William Web Ellis Trophy.
Result Means Everything to All Blacks
On the injury front, the All Blacks have been lucky to this point barring the tournament-ending hamstring tear Tony Woodcock endured against Tonga. There are niggles to the likes of Waisake Naholo and Richie McCaw, but on things seem to be ticking along nicely.
The second half against Tonga finally gave fans a sign that the All Black backline is starting to settle into its usual point accumulating machine self, but barring the massive impression Argentina made in the opening match, the All Blacks are yet to face the sort of challenge France will bring, and it will be an interesting thing to see how that plays out at the Millennium Stadium.
In their first big test of the tournament, the French struggled against Ireland and weren’t able to turn fortunes around in the second half. The All Blacks did just this against Argentina.
There is no point looking past this weekend. The result against the French has to come first, and if the New Zealand public think that there is no possibility of history from 2007 repeating itself, they would be mistaken. Form in the tournament prior to the quarterfinal means nothing, the real World Cup starts now, but the French have nothing to lose at all, while the All Blacks will be thrown to the dogs by their public if victory isn’t achieved.
Brace yourself, a lot is on the line in Cardiff from an All Black viewpoint.
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