All Blacks Demolish France in RWC Quarterfinal
The New Zealand All Blacks have beaten France 62-13 with a record-breaking nine try performance – the biggest victory in World Cup quarter-final history.
Many French fans had hoped for a repeat of the 2007 Millennium Stadium quarterfinal, where France beat New Zealand, but the All Blacks made it clear that was not going to happen.
“New Zealand led 29-13 at the break, but really ramped it after the interval as France, dogged by stories of revolt and rebellion in the build-up to the game, were swept aside in embarrassing fashion”, as reported in RTE.ie.
“That was sensational stuff: they started at a tempo unlike any we’ve seen in this World Cup”, writes Dan Lucas in an article in The Guardian.
A record-breaking nine tries were scored in the match – Julian Savea performed the fourth hat-trick of his Test career and Brodie Retallick, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Jerome Kaino, Kieran Read and Tawera Kerr-Barlow (2) also scored.
“After such a defeat, after the helplessness we felt for most of the game, there’s not much left to say,” said Thierry Dusautoir, France captain.
Other international media response:
Robert Kitson in the Guardian:
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.
Matt Lawton in the London Daily Mail: To the irrepressible, irresistible All Blacks the French offered little resistance, succumbing rather meekly in the end to a masterclass in international rugby. When New Zealand play like this nobody can live with them. Not Australia, not South Africa. Certainly not the French. It is rugby from a different world. Rugby on a different level. Rugby played with more speed, flair and ferocity than any other side can manage. My word this lot are good.
Rob Bartlett on ESPNscrum.com: This wasn’t just a destruction, it was a brutal obliteration of Philippe Saint-Andre’s side in front of a shellshocked Millennium Stadium.
Rick Broadbent in the Times of London: Where to start? Nine tries executed at exhilarating pace; Dan Carter playing with a sort of sublime dexterity that made a mockery of recent muttering about his form; Julian Savea scoring a hat-trick to make it 38 tries in 39 internationals, wrapped up into a team performance that should make World Cup survivors feel very afraid. It was the biggest World Cup quarter-final win ever. On a night of rare skill and entertainment, at a stage when games are supposed to get tight, cagey and one-dimensional, New Zealand looked like the team of 2015.
Paul Cully in the Sydney Morning Herald: So now we know where the All Blacks have been in this tournament. Quietly building behind closed doors, happy to let the others take the praise. Not any longer. Their dismantling of a shell-shocked France has changed the conversation in this World Cup. Now the talk will be just who is capable of stopping them.
Chris Dutton in the Sydney Morning Herald: New Zealand are the kings of this tournament and the team to beat. They were simply outstanding. Masterclass. Tthey showed tonight they are definitely the team to beat and favourites to make it back to back World Cups.
Iain Spragg in the London Daily Telegraph: The intensity and the handling skills displayed by the Kiwis was incredible. That was absolutely ruthless and beautiful at the same.
Ben Dirs on BBC.com: The performance of Steve Hansen’s side was undoubtedly the most impressive of the tournament so far.
Dan Lucas in the Guardian: That was terrifying. As good as I’ve seen from the All Blacks in a long time. That was sensational stuff: they started at a tempo unlike any we’ve seen in this World. France were blown away, run down, torn apart and from then on it was far, far too easy for New Zealand.
The New Zealand team will face South Africa in next week’s semi-final.
Article Source: RTE.ie, October 17, 2015. NZ Herald
Image Source: Twitter – Rugby World Cup
