The All Blacks performs 'Haka' dance before their game against France in the final. New Zealand won the match 8-7. (photo - Sydney Morning Herald)When the semi-final line up was completed, the winner was a foregone conclusion. What remained was how the opposition going to fare. The Wallabies (Australia) were demolished in the semis. The final against France expected to be a piece of cake. But France, the third time finalists gave a brave fight. Finally, the All Blacks scraped through to emerge as the winner of the Rugby Worldcup 2011.
Being hosts does not takes away the brilliance of All Blacks - the 'Brazil' of rugby. Like Brazil in football, it is a joy to watch the All Blacks in full flow. While other top teams rely heavily on their physical prowess, New Zealand always had a fine combination of power and finesse. Who can forget the exploits of Jonah Lomu & co. in the 1995 Worldcup ? Despite their great show and depth of talent, the All Blacks could not always translate it in the Worldcup. This truimph is only their second, and that too after a long gap of 24-years.
I completely missed the 2007 edition of Rugby Worldcup held in France, because then I was working in Saudi Arabia. This time too, I missed some of the action, mostly due to the odd time schedules. Nor was there a re-telecast (so far) on TV. The sports-channel Neo, after their initial excitment seems to have lost interest in rugby. Or is it that they have already sold time & space to money-spinners like football and cricket ? I hardly follow these games which are so numerous, boring and predictable.
Rugby may not be a 'cash cow' like football,cricket,golf, F-1 racing etc. Nor it has superstars, earnings and rankings to speak of. The nature of the game does not allow too much of individual effort. It's truly a team game. Let's hope it will remain that way. Atleast, there are sports that exists just for the sake of sports.
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