Match details Ĭraig Joubert's refereeing was heavily criticised by the French team and many international observers. He became the first player ever to make his Test debut in a Rugby World Cup Final. Īnother historic milestone occurred when Jean-Marc Doussain came on as a late substitute for France. The French captain, Dusautoir, who was described as "enjoying a heroic game in defence" by The Daily Telegraph 's Brendan Gallagher, was named man of the match. Trinh-Duc attempted a penalty kick from 48 metres in the 65th minute, but missed the goal, and thereafter there were few chances for either side. The French reacted straight away: Trinh-Duc made a run towards the line, and after several attempts, Dusautoir scored a try, which Trinh-Duc converted to take the score to 8–7. The French came back into the game in the second half, although it did not begin well for them: Dimitri Yachvili missed the team's first penalty attempt after two minutes, and Stephen Donald pushed New Zealand further into the lead by successfully kicking a penalty two minutes later. Second half French captain Thierry Dusautoir was named man of the match. The French were forced to defend stoically for much of the first half, due to New Zealand playing a good running game, but late in the half François Trinh-Duc missed a drop goal attempt and had a run to the line cut off by Weepu. Nine minutes later, New Zealand's Aaron Cruden, the team's third choice fly-half, only playing due to injuries to Dan Carter and Colin Slade, hyper-extended his knee, and was replaced by Stephen Donald. Weepu missed another attempt in the 25th minute. Piri Weepu, who had already missed a penalty kick, failed with his conversion effort. From a line-out in the French 22, Tony Woodcock received the ball and broke through a hole in the French defence to score his first try of the World Cup. In a match of "grim physical attrition", New Zealand scored first. They were later fined £2,500 by the IRB for crossing the half-way line, a decision that was labeled "pedantic" and the "final insult". The French had decided to meet the haka in this fashion on Sunday morning, and French captain Thierry Dusautoir stated that "it was a great moment". Haka and French response Īfter the national anthems, the New Zealand players performed the Kapa o Pango haka as the French team stared back and then advanced towards them in a V-shaped formation before fanning out into a straight line. Match summary Choice of colours įrance won the toss for choice of colours ahead of the final at Eden Park, but agreed to play in their white change kit to allow New Zealand to play in their traditional all-black kit. See also: 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool A and 2011 Rugby World Cup knockout stage France New Zealand's victory marked the first time that a nation had held both the men's World Cup and Women's Rugby World Cup, as the Black Ferns had won the 2010 tournament. As in the 2007 final, both teams had progressed from the same pool. The match echoed the 1987 Rugby World Cup Final which was also held at Eden Park between the same teams. The result was the lowest score of any World Cup final. Each side scored one try and the outcome was determined by kicks – the All Blacks kicked a penalty goal while the French managed only the conversion of their try. The match was a close-fought and tight contest with few line-breaks. The French team also experienced a player revolt against their coach Marc Lièvremont, confirmed after the tournament by veteran back-rower Imanol Harinordoquy. New Zealand were favourites, as they went into the final unbeaten and the French had lost two pool games, including one to New Zealand. New Zealand won the match 8–7, the slimmest margin by which any Rugby World Cup final has been decided. The match took place on 23 October 2011 at Eden Park, in Auckland, New Zealand. The 2011 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match between France and New Zealand, to determine the winner of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
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