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« Thankyou All Blacks | | Whatever next? »

December 1, 2009

Posted on 12/01/2009

Faith restored

Peter Bills is thankful that his long wait for a side to show some attacking flair ended at the weekend, in The Independent.

"World rugby has waited all year - no, make that two years - for a blinding light of inspiration, a clarion call if you like from someone on how to play this game properly.

"The world champion South Africans have been a disappointment, scared of their own mighty shadow when it has come to embracing a proper running game with attacking intent. They have the players but their coaches have been too frightened to use them properly. Likewise the French who have forgotten how to utilise such talents.

"No-one else has seriously put their hands up to make the point as the game has plunged into an abyss of mess, muddle and mediocrity.

"Give thanks, therefore, for what New Zealand did in Marseille on Saturday night. Winning a game of rugby, just another Test match, was the least of their achievements when judged on a worldwide canvas. No, what the All Blacks did was re-affirm our faith in the game as something a whole lot more than just a series of bludgeoning forward charges, a contest about as subtle as the collision between two raging bulls."

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