New Zealand’s Julian Savea scores hat-trick in nine-try rout of France
- 9 years ago
No French frolics this time, just pure black magic. The record books will show that New Zealand cruised into the World Cup semi-finals without a backward glance but give little hint of the cruel beauty of this nine-try exhibition. This was attacking rugby par excellence, performed by a side who prefer the stiletto to the lead piping. If they keep playing like this, the Webb Ellis Cup is heading in only one direction.
Their next opponents, South Africa, will offer a rather stiffer challenge than France were able to do but the Springboks are not in the same league in terms of making neutrals gasp at the quality of their execution. New Zealand scored four tries in the first half alone and three of them, in their different ways, ranked alongside any of the excellent scores previously seen at this spectacular tournament. To be in Cardiff to witness them was to be simultaneously entranced and grateful.
Even France can console themselves they lost out to a good side playing like a great one. In the space of 15 minutes towards the end of the first half, in particular, the All Blacks were irresistible. Nehe Milner-Skudder’s devastating sidestep, Dan Carter’s sweet back-handed off-load, Julian Savea’s scarily convincing Jonah Lomu impression … all three suggested a New Zealand team whose days of freezing on the big occasion, particularly against French opposition, are long gone.
New Zealand v France: Rugby World Cup 2015 quarter-final – as it happened
The All Blacks smashed France and banised their demons for good, scoring nine tries in the biggest ever World Cup quarter-final win
Read more
From the moment Freddie Michalak’s attempt at a clearing punt was charged down by the marauding Brodie Retallick to give the All Blacks the softest of try-scoring starts after just 10 minutes the outcome was never in doubt. Louis Picamoles, until being sent to the sin-bin for trying to wipe the smile off the prone Richie McCaw’s face, was a one-man band of bristling resistance while S
Their next opponents, South Africa, will offer a rather stiffer challenge than France were able to do but the Springboks are not in the same league in terms of making neutrals gasp at the quality of their execution. New Zealand scored four tries in the first half alone and three of them, in their different ways, ranked alongside any of the excellent scores previously seen at this spectacular tournament. To be in Cardiff to witness them was to be simultaneously entranced and grateful.
Even France can console themselves they lost out to a good side playing like a great one. In the space of 15 minutes towards the end of the first half, in particular, the All Blacks were irresistible. Nehe Milner-Skudder’s devastating sidestep, Dan Carter’s sweet back-handed off-load, Julian Savea’s scarily convincing Jonah Lomu impression … all three suggested a New Zealand team whose days of freezing on the big occasion, particularly against French opposition, are long gone.
New Zealand v France: Rugby World Cup 2015 quarter-final – as it happened
The All Blacks smashed France and banised their demons for good, scoring nine tries in the biggest ever World Cup quarter-final win
Read more
From the moment Freddie Michalak’s attempt at a clearing punt was charged down by the marauding Brodie Retallick to give the All Blacks the softest of try-scoring starts after just 10 minutes the outcome was never in doubt. Louis Picamoles, until being sent to the sin-bin for trying to wipe the smile off the prone Richie McCaw’s face, was a one-man band of bristling resistance while S