Final set to be a slave to the grind

RUGBY:  Coming out of the Telstra Stadium on Saturday night, a dejected young All Blacks fan was texting on his mobile while walking side by side with his girlfriend. One of a group of elated Wallaby fans slapped him on the shoulder and taunted: "20 years without Bill, better luck in 2007 mate." He just had to keep his head down, take no notice and walk on. Four more years of it.

It's funny how the All Blacks' timespan without a World Cup is rammed down their throats and indeed, is the subject of such undisguised glee for so many pundits and supporters around the globe.

New Zealand is a small nation of only four million people with a national passion for the game no other nation can match and, with a little raping and pillaging from the Pacific Islands, has punched above its weight for the best part of a century.

Yet the All Blacks hardly deserve the opprobrium of New Zealand's front page headings: "Chokers" and "the End of the World". Real rapists and pillagers aren't vilified to that extent, and it's rarely pointed out that other traditional rugby powers such as England, France, and indeed Wales, have never won the World Cup.

Sure, their dominance of the pyjama rugby which is the Super 12, where contests at the setpieces and the breakdown are almost outlawed, is a double-edged sword for the All Blacks when it comes to the international arena.

Why they didn't compete more in the lineout against Australia especially is beyond belief, and they then weakened their defensive lineout by bringing on the over-rated Brad Thorn, who needs a JCB to be lifted, for Ali Williams. Thorn's contribution was one ball carry, one off-the-ball scrap with Matt Cockbain, and two penalties against him.

Unfortunately for the All Blacks, there were only three scrums in the first-half, and it's as well for the hosts that they were favoured by playing in the first semi-final, and so avoided Sunday's deluge. They've also been favoured byrefereeing decisions against Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand.

Replays on the giant video screen and ensuing crowd reaction demonised All Blacks and French tacklers, yet the cheapest shot of all in the semi-finals was George Smith's late hit on Justin Marshall's exposed rib cage, and both Matt Rogers's "dive" in the tramlines and George Gregan's "sledging" of Byron Kelleher also left a bad taste in the mouth.

Frankly, the All Blacks brand of rugby in the final, against England on a dry day or France, would have been an altogether more appealing spectacle than what we've got.

Granted, the scrum stat was in part a tribute to the Wallabies' vastly improved handling skills and their cleaning out of rucks, enabling them to carry out their policy of ball retention by going wide. Buoyed by the seminal moments in the first 10 minutes that went in their favour - the wrongly disallowed Mils Muliaina try and Stirling Mortlock's intercept - their belief grew and their intensity never wavered.

Criticised unrelentingly in the Eddie Jones-George Gregan era for being too clinical, playing the game too much as if it was chess, and without enough passion, they seemed to press different buttons for this one and a host of players upped their levels of performance considerably. And white hot intensity feeds defending more effectively than attacking.

The Wallabies won both the 1991 World Cup and the 1999 World Cup, and have now reached this year's final, on the back of having the best defence in the tournament.

Jones and defensive coach John Muggleton tailored it magnificently on Saturday, double or triple tackling Jerry Collins and Keven Mealamu, the defence holding its ground and drifting crossfield to cramp the space of the All Blacks' outside backs and not leaving its own rugby league trio isolated in one-on-ones as was the case in the Tri-Nations.

They also remain the best at protecting a lead and running down the clock.

It was remarkable how so many wounded Wallabies all had "blood" injuries by the time they got to the sidelines. The system of stopping the clock at the behest of the referee would appear to be a more transparent way of playing 80 minutes of rugby. But actually it takes away the referee's discretion if he adjudges a team is guilty of time-wasting.

In fairness to England, they have already beaten Australia this summer, on Aussie soil, by playing a wide game and by outscoring them in tries, even if that method has gone into hibernation in their big games here. They are the more complete team, and nothing can be said this week to sway me from the belief that they are destined to win this final.

Like the Australian fans though, most of the barmy army don't care how they win, once they do win. They revel in field position and Jonny Wilkinson slotting his three pointers, the sweet chariot grinding the opposition down.

Compared to New Zealand and French rugby fans, the supporters of both finalists place a greater premium on winning over all other considerations. They deserve each other. New Zealand and French fans look for something more.

But all the doubts expressed about them before the tournament by many others and this writer (before being seduced by their bewitching play prior to the semi-finals) were reinforced. And for the All Blacks and the French to deliver more, they might have to imitate their conquerors over the weekend in having more settled and experienced sides.

For example, it's incredible to think that Frederic Michalak made his debut against South Africa in 2001, yet in the Lansdowne Road rain this year the ponderous Francois Gelez played instead, and was one of three players tried there (Gerald Merceron and Yann Delaigue followed) before Bernard Laporte resorted to Michalak last June after a favourable performance off the bench.

He had never been exposed to pressure games like Sunday's. That he was "a baby" at test level was, in part, of Laporte's own making.

Nevertheless, the Australian Rugby Federation, the IRB and the RWC organisers undoubtedly got the finalists they wanted. Bigger demand for tickets, more revenue for the local tourist industry, bigger television viewing figures. Although one wonders, outside of the two countries involved, if rugby supporters the world over are quite so excited about the final pairing.

The better team in each instance won the semi-finals. No question. Yet certainly the first semi-final, indeed both of them to an extent, reminded us that the physical collision in the tackle/contact area is still key, that defences still reign, especially when backed by field position and goal-kicking, of obtaining a lead, protecting it and closing the game out.

"Is that all you've got?" famously ran one Australian newspaper headline after Wilkinson had kicked England to victory over South Africa in their second pool game. But in the games against South Africa, Wales and France (in which they scored just two tries), it's pretty much all they've needed.

And it might be all they need to ram that headline down Australian throats once and for all next Saturday. England expects and all that. So too will Australia now. It's going to be a long week.