© The Daily Telegraph
The last post I published here before I vanished was about rugby, and I thought on my return that if I was to have any claim to entertaining and informing you, I had to mention the most important event on the face of the earth, the Rugby World Cup. For those of my readers who live outside the solar system, the world cup started 6 weeks ago in New Zealand, and finished last Sunday with a victory of the home team, the dreaded All Blacks, over my beloved Bleus (the real ones, France), who happened to be playing in white that day.
Now, it has to be said that the All Blacks had easily been the best team since the beginning of the tournament. Or since the end of the last one 4 years ago. Or since World War I... Not so for France, who up to the final, had probably had their worst world cup ever. It would be difficult for me then to claim that New Zealand lifting the Webb Ellis trophy on Sunday is a huge injustice. And yet...
Inexplicably, but all too familiarily, the French team proceeded on the day to confound every expectations by playing with an intensity, a passion that they had not shown in a long time. My hopes were starting to raise, and even neutrals were saying that the mighty All Blacks had a fight on their hands. Unfortunately, that last category did not seem to include Craig Joubert, who was refereeing the match, and whose patience apparently only extended to New Zealand infringements. In a match so evenly poised, the slightest bias was bound to have an impact on the scoresheet, and it did. In the end, France lost by just 1 point, the smallest losing margin ever in a world cup final.
Incidentally, France also hold the record of the biggest losing margin ever: 23 points in 1999, just after they beat the same All Blacks in a semi-final that is considered by many the best ever match in world cup history. I am telling you, supporting France is not for the faint of heart!
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