New Zealand victorious, the top ranked team in the world, the team that has only lost three games since RWC 2011, with all their best players fit and on form, deservedly won RWC 2015 beating a spirited, brave Australian team, which has improved immeasurably in the year that Cheika has been coaching them.
The first half really decided the game. Australia were strangely nervous, muted and inaccurate, whereas New Zealand, with Carter at his most calm, clinical and ruthless were unsurprisingly dominant and led by 13 points at half time. The NZ try by Milner-Skudder in the corner summed up why they have been the best team by far over the last eight years. There was a hint of obstruction leading up to the last phase, but he simply walked over the tryline untouched to score, as a result of the ability of the men inside him fixing defenders and creating space for others. Both forwards and backs were involved, all playing heads up rugby and nobody taking the ball on too far, always executing the timing of the pass perfectly, committing the defender to make the tackle, and not taking contact. As a coach, it was breathtaking, it looks simple, it isn't.
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| Look no defenders... |
Australia then conceded a second try to Nonu's individual brilliance, running the ball in unopposed, with four defenders failing to lay a hand on him. This left Oz with a mountain to climb, but, thanks to heroics from Pocock and Hooper in the back row, they started to dominate the contact area, retain possession, build pressure and go through the phases, and after Smith was unnecessarily sin binned for a tip tackle (the first yellow ever in a final), they scored tries through Pocock and Kuridrani to cut the gap to just four points and it was game on.
NZ has always that ability to soak up pressure and find that sixth gear to seize the initiative back from teams that get close to them on the scoreboard. Dan "Superman" Carter did just that, stroking a drop goal over from the 10 yard line and then kicking over a penalty from inside his own half. As Australia chased the game, bodies tired and the play became more open, Mitchell turned the ball over in the NZ 22, and the best counter attacking team ever, funny enough delivered the coup de grace by scoring a breakaway try to seal the win, and their place in history as the first team ever to win consecutive World Cups.
NZ has always that ability to soak up pressure and find that sixth gear to seize the initiative back from teams that get close to them on the scoreboard. Dan "Superman" Carter did just that, stroking a drop goal over from the 10 yard line and then kicking over a penalty from inside his own half. As Australia chased the game, bodies tired and the play became more open, Mitchell turned the ball over in the NZ 22, and the best counter attacking team ever, funny enough delivered the coup de grace by scoring a breakaway try to seal the win, and their place in history as the first team ever to win consecutive World Cups.
It was a great contest, especially in the second half, and all credit to Australia for getting back to within once score (very few teams would have done so), but the best team (probably ever) won and, despite losing some superstars to retirement, who would bet against them retaining the trophy in Japan in four years time.
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| When will we see their like again? |
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