Rugby might be a game of two halves but it is also, always, a story of three thirds - the build-up, the match itself and the aftermath. With the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup looming, Mark Price dipped into the files of the Otago Daily Times and elsewhere to sample a little of the flavour of the final of 1987 - also, of course, between the All Blacks and France.
THE BUILD-UP
Forward battle holds key to world crown
Saturday, June 20, 1987
AUCKLAND [NZPA] - The battle between two highly motivated forward packs is likely to hold the key to success for France or the All Blacks in the World Cup rugby final at Eden Park today.
When the two teams line up for their sixth test in a month, all thoughts of tiredness, and in France's case homesickness, will disappear.
But the days when France's sole strength lay in backlines chockful of gifted rugby artists are long gone.
Today it will field a pack several kilograms heavier than the All Blacks and with solid ball-winning capacity right down the lineout.
With France's coach Jacques Fouroux, and captain and hooker, Daniel Dubroca, emphasising the importance of winning physical domination, the opening exchanges, and perhaps the entire 80 minutes, seem set to be a gruelling, grinding confrontation.
Fouroux stressed the importance of winning the physical confrontation by smacking his right fist into his left palm.
He said France must adopt some of the All Blacks' mental commitment to test rugby if it is to repeat its marvellous Bastille Day victory of 1979.
"We must be Kiwis in some part of ourselves if we wish to win," Fouroux said.
French rugby - nothing like it . . .
By BRENT EDWARDS
There is nothing in rugby quite like the French.
Last year this writer called at their Christchurch hotel on the morning of the test against the All Blacks to keep an appointment and, on casual inquiry, was told the players were still in bed.
At 10am, Monsieur? "Oui, les garcons sont tres fatigue."
Unfortunately for France, the boys still looked "tres fatigue" at Lancaster Park that afternoon, when they were soundly beaten by David Kirk's "new" All Blacks.
The scrap between wingers Patrice Lagisquet and Patrick Esteve at practice in Auckland this week revived memories of a few of the stories which abound about French rugby players.
In 1961, on their first practice on New Zealand soil, at Nelson, a French forward set eyebrows agog when he urinated against a goalpost in full view of onlookers.
At Timaru, an Oamaru grandmother, incensed at the amount of foul play, took to the field with her umbrella and gave Michel Crauste, the French flanker, a hearty whack over the head.
It was Crauste who again held centre-stage at the dinner after the test at Athletic Park when he entered the dining room, surveyed his toheroa soup, and promptly added a liberal amount of champagne from the contents of one bottle, and red wine from another.
He later encouraged the All Blacks to follow his example ...
So what will happen today?
Will the French get up for breakfast?
Will Lagisquet and Esteve kiss and make up?
Will the All Blacks be laid prone by trying to match the unusual drinking habits of the French at the after-match dinner?
The French can be sublime at their best, slothful at worst. The beauty of French rugby is that no one, including the players themselves, know quite how things will turn out on the day.
C'est la vie.
Ace goalkickers set for cup showdown
AUCKLAND (NZPA). - The fate of the inaugural World Cup rugby final could well rest with the boots of the respective goalkickers, Grant Fox and Didier Camberabero.
From the opening match of the competition against Italy, Fox has shown an unerring eye for the posts.
For Camberabero, the tournament has come to life in recent matches.
Camberabero, who made his debut for France five years ago, attributes his remarkable comeback after several years in the wilderness to a hair transplant.
The 26-year-old son of Guy Camberabero, the goalkicking master of the 1960s, was dropped after only two games in 1983 ...
The transformation in Camberabero's attitude came earlier this year when, increasingly embarrassed by premature baldness, he agreed to an offer of a hair transplant by former French B international and hairdresser Gerard Guidi.
To ensure that the success story continues, Guidi has even flown to New Zealand to help Camberabero take care of his glossy mop.
THE MATCH
The players cast long shadows on Eden Park in the mid-afternoon sunshine.
A crowd of 48,000 fills the stands.
The cricket pitch shows up partly bald in the centre of the park.
Keith Quinn and Earle Kirton are the television commentators.
Quinn: "Looks like for the first half the French are going to play from right to left. New Zealand the other direction."
The French huddle as a brass band plays La Marseillaise.
Buck Shelford leads the haka.
A rooster drags the tricolours across the field.
The All Blacks have the sun behind them.
• Fox kicks off. Long. Mesnel catches the ball behind his goal line. Kicks to touch.
• Lineout on French 22. Fitzpatrick throws in, one-handed. Not straight.
• French scrum. Berbizier passes to Blanco. Kicks to touch.
• Lineout. Fitzpatrick throws in. French knock on.
• All Black scrum. Reset. Reset. Kirk passes to Fox. Kicks. Bounces into touch on French line.
• Lineout. Berbizier throws in. Berbizier to Blanco. Kicks to touch.
• Lineout. Fitzpatrick throws in. Pierce charges for the line. Ball trapped on the ground.
• All Black scrum. Shelford off the back. To ground. Kirk to Fox. Fox loses ball in tackle of Dubroca. Berbizier to Blanco. Kicks to touch.
• Lineout. Fitzpatrick throws in. Maul. Ruck. Whistle.
• All Black scrum. Shelford off the back. Ruck. To Kirk, Fox, Stanley. Tackled by Mesnel on French 22. Ruck. Whistle.
• All Black scrum. Reset. Shelford off the back. Caught by Berbizier. Loses ball. Erbani picks up. Tackled. Loses ball. Alan Whetton to Gallagher. Kicks to touch on French 22.
• French lineout. Berbizier throws. French forward knocks on to Kirk. Advantage All Blacks. Fox, Taylor, Stanley crashes up. Loses ball. Whistle.
• All Black scrum. Reset. Kirk to Kirwan to Alan Whetton. Ruck. Kirk, Fox, Stanley, Gallagher, Green drops high pass. Whistle.
• Quinn: "Eight minutes gone in the game and we haven't had a penalty yet." French scrum. Screws. Rodriguez picks up. Whistle.
• French scrum. Berbizier to Blanco. Kicks to touch, just short of halfway.
• All Black lineout. Fitzpatrick throws. Gary Whetton taps back. Untidy for Kirk. Untidy for Fox. Alan Whetton picks up. To Jones. Wild pass. Claimed by Erbani. To Charvet, Lagisquet. Ball to ground. Charvet kicks through. Jones picks up. To Green. Kicks high and long. To Blanco on the French 22. Kicks to touch.
• All Black lineout. Fitzpatrick throws in. Tapped to Kirk. To Fox. Kicks high. Taylor chases. Whistle. Taylor in front.
• French scrum. Berbizier to shortside, left wing Lagisquet. Tackled. Ball to Berbizier. Caught by Gary Whetton and flung around by the jersey. Loses ball to Fox. Kicks to touch.
• French lineout. Berbizier throws in. Taken by Lorieux. Maul. Berbizier to Blanco. Kicks to touch.
• All Black lineout. Fitzpatrick throws. Alan Whetton taps back. Untidy for Kirk. Champ picks up. Whistle.
• Quinn: "The All Blacks have been on attack for the first 12 minutes." All Black scrum. Kirk, Fox, Stanley, Kirwan at speed. Running out of room. Inside to Gallagher. Tackled. Out.
• French lineout. Berbizier throws. Not straight.
• All Black scrum. Kirk blindside to Kirwan. Kirwan to Kirk. Out.
• Lineout begins to form five metres from the French line but then New Zealand gets a free kick. Quinn: "And that's a technical offence with regard to the formation of the lineout."
• Kirk taps and passes to Fox. Fox drop-kicks goal. New Zealand 3, France 0 after 14 minutes.
• France place-kicks off. Taken by Pierce. Maul. French offside.
• All Black penalty. Fox kicks to touch.
• French lineout. Berbizier throws in. Ruck. Whistle.
• All Black scrum. Kirk kicks high. Claimed by Alan Whetton. Kirk, Fox, Stanley, Gallagher, Green, pass goes out.
• French lineout. Berbizier throws in. Condom knocks on to Kirk. To Fox. Attempts drop goal. Low and short. Fumbled by Lagisquet. Picked up by Jones. Pirouettes past Blanco. Scores. New Zealand 7, France 0.
• Quinn: "Well this time last year the whole town was talking about the Jones boy. A year later the whole world is talking about the Jones boy.
• And he scores the first try in the Rugby World Cup final." The Jones try, and the beginning of the end for France, came after 17 minutes, 14 lineouts and 12 scrums.
TEAMS
Rugby World Cup final, June 20, 1987.
• NEW ZEALAND: John Gallagher, John Kirwan, Warwick Taylor, Joe Stanley, Craig Green, Grant Fox, David Kirk, John Drake, Sean Fitzpatrick, Steven McDowell, Murray Pierce, Gary Whetton; Michael Jones, Alan Whetton, Buck Shelford.
• FRANCE: Serge Blanco, Patrice Lagisquet, Philippe Sella, Denis Charvet, Didier Camberabero, Frank Mesnel, Pierre Berbizier, Jean-Pierre Garuet-Lempirou, Daniel Dubroca, Pascal Ondarts, Jean Condom, Alain Lorieux, Eric Champ, Dominique Erbani, Laurent Rodriguez.
• FINAL SCORE: New Zealand 29 [Jones, Kirk, Kirwan tries, Fox 1 conversion, 4 penalties and 1 drop goal], France 9 [Berbizier try, Camberabero 1 conversion and 1 penalty].
THE AFTERMATH
All Blacks find cup of gold at end of rainbow
AUCKLAND: "Go for gold or settle for pewter," formed the main part of All Black coach Brian Lochore's motivation for the team before its 29-9 World Cup win over France on Saturday.
"I am not sure whether the runners-up actually got pewter but that was the expression we worked on," Lochore said.
"We also brought in the reserves and others in the squad more than usual.
"They had given such a fine example.
"Their example and dedication were marvellous.
"So the players were told that if they did not want to give the maximum effort there were others around who would.
"The other significant thing was that we felt, for the first time in a long, long time, that we had all New Zealand behind us."
Lochore said he had periods of worry on Saturday, starting with some of the players appearing confident before the game ...
"I guess I relaxed when John Kirwan scored his try and we had 26 points with about 14 minutes to go."
This morning, Lochore will climb on to his motorcycle and do a tour of his farm.
Would he go through the intense pressure of a World Cup again?
"Oh, I don't know.
"Probably not.
"Well, maybe.
"Yes, I could do it all again."
World champions - Kirk magic inspires All Blacks
AUCKLAND (PA).- David Kirk, the All Black captain, got the individual highlight he wanted from the inaugural World Cup tournament at Eden Park on Saturday.
Before the World Cup final, Kirk said he could not single out an event of special personal significance thus far in the competition.
"I'll have that on Saturday," he added.
And so it proved.
After 22 minutes of the second half Kirk scored his fifth try of the competition.
From second-phase play Kirk set first five-eighth Grant Fox on his way to the right just outside the French 22 metre line.
Turning inside Fox found the inevitable support from flanker Michael Jones, who in turn slipped the ball to Kirk, who shrugged off three tackles and dived over for a try which sent the 46,000 capacity crowd into raptures.
Jacques Fouroux, the French coach, had a resigned air about him after the match. He did not regard the match as calamitous or disastrous for France.
"There is no tragedy in rugby. It is a game."
Too good for us,says Springbok boss
JOHANNESBURG: (Reuters).- Danie Craven, the South African rugby boss, hailed the All Blacks as the kings of the sport following their World Cup win and said they were too good for South Africa.
Craven, president of the South African Rugby Board, said the Springboks' absence did not mean that New Zealand had scored a hollow victory.
He described the All Blacks as "the rugby kings - I believe the current New Zealand team would beat us."
Kirk leaves critics with no answer
By the Sports Editor
No player or captain has more decisively flattened his detractors than has David Kirk, the All Black skipper, during the World Cup rugby tournament.
Kirk seemed washed up as an All Black captain after the series loss to the Wallabies last year.
Now he has captained the All Blacks to eight wins in his 10 tests as captain, including the World Cup.
Not bad for a player who many critics lambasted as the Wallabies held aloft the Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park last September.
Rugby benefits from tournament
ODT Editorial
It is encouraging that all of the teams competing have shown to have players of real international quality.
They can return to their homes with the knowledge that this player or that is up with the best available, and their project could be to seek to develop others to similar levels of skill.
There have been teams of great spirit, like Wales, which have gone beyond the levels predicted for them ... teams of considerable character, like France, which have won new enthusiasm here for their often immaculate running skills ... and there has been the unit strength demonstrated by the All Blacks.
The All Blacks have won, but so has rugby.
