Damn You France - Now We Have to Support the All Blacks

In light of the weekend's semi-final results, The Rolling Maul has read on numerous occasions that all Wallaby supporters should support New Zealand in the final against France. Apparently it's meant to be some sort of familial thing, big-brother little-brother or some such nonsense.
Well there's been more than one pair of brothers that couldn't stand each other's guts. Cain wasn't exactly best mates with Abel after all and the Waugh twins were notorious for running each other out.

The All Blacks are the Wallabies greatest enemy and in any normal course of events (your enemy's enemy being your friend) it would be natural for Australians to wish only ill-will (ie choking) on them, especially in a final on their home soil.


So it was with some distress and a little bit of shock that the Rolling Maul watched France fall over the line against Wales. In a battle to the bottom and a contest driven by a lack of imagination by everyone on the field bar the referee, France dulled their way to another win against a team out of ideas and out of luck. Fair enough too. Rugby isn't a beauty contest.

But if Wales had managed to play attractive interesting Rugby and got through to the Final, then not being English and not being New Zealand they would have been a worthy underdog in a RWC final against the All Blacks and a worthy benefactor of the support from afar of Australian Rugby supporters.

As it is, France have defied the odds, not only by making the final in the first place but by being the only underdog in history not to be supported by the masses. Across Australia and the whole Rugby world outside of France and England (they REALLY hate the French), the All Blacks will be supported through gritted teeth.

France could fix this by scoring a couple of outrageously flamboyant tries in the first 10 minutes of the final. But it's not going to happen. They'll revert to kicking and chasing and playing for position and for that they must be punished, even if it is the All Blacks inflicting the punishment.

Go the All Blacks (grrrr).

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