Defence looms as key to World Cup final, say Wallabies

So, if we are to believe the stories that emanated from New Zealand on Saturday night, Nigel Owens will today be named as referee for the 2015 World Cup Final.

But that could change with showers that splattered this part of southwest London in the early afternoon expected to return by match time in the Rugby World Cup semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa.

Is that it? Arguably one of the best teams in All Blacks history, owning one of the best records by any worldwide team, can only manage a measly two-point win that was still in the balance in the last minute?

The IRB, known as World Rugby these days, are based in Dublin and you could probably name an entire rugby team full of Irish referees over that 10 year period, but Welsh officials at that level have been thin on the ground.

The All Blacks superstar made it a case of fourth time lucky after experiencing World Cup heartbreak during previous attempts on global domination.

“It is quite easy to start thinking about the result and what potentially could happen, but you soon lose track”.

Asked on Monday about what the teams could take from those matches, Foster told reporters: “I think it’s a total clean sheet”.

“We have different guys who bring different things from all different areas and that’s what makes this team environment special”.

If New Zealand’s slog past South Africa was a street-fight, Australia’s escape from Argentina was dancing in those same streets – rugby as a celebration, sport as an adventure to be lived and relished rather than the sensible execution of a risk-averse strategy. As for the third-place game, “It does not mean anything to me, it’s like kissing your sister”. They converted penalties that were in range of the posts but they never looked like scoring a try, even when New Zealand were reduced to 14 men. “I think at the moment it’s pretty important to get the balance between the two (attack and defence)”. The Wallabies continued success mightn’t be a game changer, but it gives them a seat again among the other major codes. You don’t want to let your team-mates down. “We were down to 14 men and if the Boks took points at that stage it could have been tough”.

Yet it is a common theme to see this team marginalised as one dimensional, boring and only capable of playing the often termed “10-man game”.