After a slow start to the tournament, England have made their way to the final with the hope of being the first team to defend the World Cup successfully.
With a stunning semifinal victory over hosts France, England have shown critics that no matter how many people wrote them off as also-rans, they have the ability and the belief to go all the way in 2007. Iconic flyhalf Johnny Wilkinson sealed victory with a late drop goal, reaffirming his status as England’s most important cog in their rugby machine.
Am incredible start to the match saw Josh Lewsey score a fantastic try in the corner after only 82 seconds. Scrum half Andy Gomersall’s box kick caused problems for French fullback Damien Traille, playing out of his usual position as a centre. When the ball bobbed up unexpectedly, he slipped at the critical moment and Lewsey was on hand to scoop up the ball, force his way through Traille’s vain attempted tackle and crash over the line sending the English fans into a frenzy.
The tide changed after the opening burst from the English however. France gradually started to creep back into the match, asserting dominance at the set pieces and breakdown and playing a nice positional game. The first half definitely saw the French on top, both in confidence and on the scoreboard. Young flyhalf Lionel Beauxis saw Les Bleus approach halftime leading 6–5 with two penalty goals as a result of English indiscretions. Both Beauxis and Wilkinson missed drop goals, seemingly the new craze at the World Cup this year, and the match was in the balance as the teams headed to the rooms for the break.
The opposing number 10s exchanged penalties early in the second half and the match was delicately poised at 9-8. English fullback Jason Robinson (who was magnificent under the high ball all night in his 50th test for his country) made an electric break through the broken French defense midway through the half. The English immediately tried to ride this momentum but were penalised at the subsequent breakdown giving France another opportunity they welcomly accepted.
In perhaps the true turning point of the match, the French made a nifty-attacking raid down the left flank after a pinpoint kick from replacement flyhalf Freddie Michalak. Winger Vincent Clerc seemed certain to score but replacement flanker Joe Worsley made a valiant ankle tap on the flying winger. Clerc still managed to offload to cult French hero Sebastien Chabal but he was brought down inches from the line.
This exchange seemed to lift the men from the home country. They steadily worked their way downfield and were rewarded with a Wilkinson penalty goal following a French high shot on Robinson. With the score now in England’s favour at 11-9 and only five minutes remaining, the reigning champions could smell victory.
The French would not lie down however and raid after raid on the English quarter was repelled by committed defense. With two minutes remaining and England once again in the French quarter, the whole stadium was expecting a Wilkinson drop goal to seal the deal and he did not disappoint. After biding his time, moving left and right until the perfect opportunity presented itself, Wilkinson calmly potted over the drop goal and England were through to the final once again, bidding the shocked hosts adieu.
While French tears were flowing (particularly odd looking on a man of Chabal’s stature) fans from England were all set to celebrate in bars across Paris throughout the night. For Les Bleus it was a second semifinal loss in a row to the English and a disappointing end to the World Cup hosted in their own backyard. For the English on the other hand, only South Africa remain in their way to becoming the first team to hold aloft the William Webb Ellis Trophy in successive World Cups.
Further information regarding the Rugby World Cup including lineups, results and stats can be found at the official site for the tournament.
Review of the 2nd semifinal featuring South Africa and Argentina.
