Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Sean Fitzpatrick knows that the All Blacks are 15-20 points better than France but is still wary of the threat posed by Les Bleus.
"I'm nervous about tonight's Rugby World Cup final (which is good; I was nervous last week too and look what happened) but not so nervous that I can't stop and salute Keven Mealamu who is set to take the title of the All Blacks' most capped hooker.
"Kevvy equals my 92 test caps tonight and you'd have to say he looks likely to go on and become our third test centurion after Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina. He deserves it. I am glad he is on our side and if you watch him closely in the tests he plays, you will already understand why he is selected time and again for the All Blacks.
"He is mobile but extremely strong and he always - guaranteed - gets you over the advantage line and gets the ball back. In the modern game, I cannot tell you how golden that is. We saw him do exactly that in the quarter-final against Argentina and the semifinal against the Wallabies. He has a nice little step, he goes through tackles with a low body position that seems to defy gravity sometimes and certainly defies tacklers. He mightily helps the All Blacks build phases."
RSS feed
