its not a dig at england in the slightest its a dig at boring unimaginative rugby!!
and sanzar can argue till the cows come home... but new zealand on a good day could stick 40 pts on any team in the world including sa and aus.... id be very shocked if sa or aus could do the same thing.
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Well, to be perfectly honest the biggest EVER loss on record for the AB's was a whopping....
28-7 loss to Australia in 1999.
So no, no team can or has stuck 40points (or even 30points) on the AB's and walked away the better team.
The point though I guess, is you only have to win by a single point (or 2points in Frances case) to beat anyone. I would argue that attractive rugby does alot more to promote the game, and attract new fans, but its all good to concentrate on glitz and glamour when you have such a good playing record. Most teams are rightfully just happy to win, and no-one has high ground enough to tell others how the game should be played. But the odd dig or two never hurt anyone, right England??
But as I've said, I'd prefer that the AB's continue dominating between cups with attractive rugby, then win every now and again with boring rugby.
As for the tournament, it doesn't quite have the same drama, or memories, (for my mind) as 1995. Thats the first cup I can actually remember and is still the one with the most poignant and dramatic moments. The main examples, that will forever remain burned in rugby folklore, is the emergance of the unparalled Jonah Lomu, and the closely fought Final in front of the very boisterous South African crowd (newly accepted back into the fold of international rugby). This was all capped off by the appearance of Mandela in the Boks jersey handing over the cup to his successful captain.
I think its hard to top the emotional levels achieved when the home nation takes part in the final. So I think this cup will always be struggling to compete now that France is out. The style of rugby has definitely been defense orientated and boring from the point of view of 3rd party fans (those not supporting either of the teams involved in the game). But, the cup has been very enjoyable from the success of some of the minnows. While 3rd party viewers may have been bored to some extent, everyone in sport loves the underdog, and for this reason the tournament has been successful.
Successful, but not the best.
Maybe if the ELV's come into play for 2011, and provided there are a few upsets (apart from NZ getting knocked out early again!!!) then the makings are there for a memorable tournament also.
But all respect to the French people for doing justice to the now rich history of a truely great tournament.
