1991 – England 9 Scotland 6
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was unfold throughout 5 international locations like some mad hatter’s picnic. Otley, Twickenham, Pontypridd, Dublin, Agen, Murrayfield … the one constants had been England’s no-nonsense ahead pack and David Campese in wind-up mode. Most keep in mind the opposite semi-final, wherein Campese’s brilliance shredded the All Blacks on the previous Lansdowne Road, greater than England’s last-four contest towards Scotland in Edinburgh. With good purpose: it was among the many dourest knockout video games within the match’s historical past. It was nonetheless 6-6 when Scotland had been awarded a second-half penalty about 20 metres out simply to the proper of the posts. Gavin Hastings rigorously settled the ball on a pile of sand – keep in mind them? – and all of Scotland (and England) awaited the formality of three factors. What we didn’t know was that Scotland’s captain had simply been clattered by Mickey Skinner and was nonetheless barely shaken. The kick missed to the proper and a subsequent Rob Andrew drop aim despatched England by means of, solely for his facet to lose the ultimate towards Australia in one other low-scoring sport. My personal abiding reminiscence of 1991? Nipping out to a Dublin pub for a quiet semi-final week pint of Guinness and bumping into the Wallaby entrance row, already in situ on the bar. Ah, ye olde beginner days.
1995 – England 29 New Zealand 45
What an unforgettable match. And, with respect to President Mandela, one man dominated all else. From our vantage level on the previous press benches comparatively near the pitch at Newlands, there appeared nothing a lot on because the All Black scrum-half Graeme Bachop threw a protracted floated cross in direction of the left touchline. What adopted was like one thing from a Godzilla film. Jonah Lomu was nonetheless solely 20 years previous however the large wing had the uncooked necessities – tempo, energy and agility – to make life all however not possible for remoted defenders. Tony Underwood and Will Carling had been left sprawling earlier than a half-stumbling Lomu rampaged straight excessive of the unlucky Mike Catt. Barely 5 minutes later, a marauding Josh Kronfeld had scored a second and, with Zinzan Brooke popping over a 45-metre drop aim, England had been flattened by half-time. It stays probably the most thrillingly damaging blast of rugby your correspondent has witnessed. Lomu ended up with 4 tries, additionally memorably grabbing Underwood by the collar within the second half and tossing him into contact as if he had been placing out the garbage. New Zealand, having led 35-3, did ease as much as shut the scoreboard hole barely however you’d have had lengthy odds that night time on England not dropping one other World Cup semi-final for (at the very least) one other 28 years.
2003 – England 24 France 7
For a lot of the 2003 competitors the solar shone and the French squad, staying out in Bondi, beloved the Sydney beachfront vibe. Then, on the morning of the match, all of us opened our bed room curtains to seek out rain-spattered home windows and weeping gray skies. Whether or not the climate spooked Les Bleus is tutorial now however England’s self-belief was unquestionably at an all-time excessive. They had headed all the way down to Australia absolutely anticipating to win and this was their time. Talk to the English forwards concerned, even now, and this was the sport wherein they felt they actually confirmed up. Riding shotgun was a 24-year-old Jonny Wilkinson, for whom the rugby pitch at weekends had turn into a sanctuary away from the nervousness and obsession that dominated his preparations. France scored an early strive by means of Serge Betsen however England’s pack then grabbed the match by the scruff and by no means let go. Wilkinson, ignoring the circumstances, contributed all his facet’s factors through three drop-goals (two off his proper foot) and 5 penalties. “We knew it wasn’t going to be the most spectacular game of rugby but I think we did a fairly good job,” the ever-modest fly-half stated later. The relaxation – the ultimate towards the Wallabies, Jonny dropping for World Cup glory – is now English rugby folklore.
2007 – England 14 France 9
The craziest World Cup of the lot from an English perspective. They had been thrashed 36-0 by South Africa within the pool levels and a few gamers had been packing their luggage for house on the morning of the quarter-final towards Australia. Suddenly right here they had been in Paris – as now – with a preventing probability of creating the ultimate. Off-field curiosity was starting to spiral, with The Gambler by Kenny Rogers now the group’s unofficial anthem. “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em …” And possibly France – might or not it’s the identical for the Springboks now? – had been at all times going to wrestle to hit the heights that undid New Zealand in a frantic quarter-final. England scored an opportunistic early strive by means of Josh Lewsey however had been nonetheless trailing 9-8 with six minutes remaining till some bloke referred to as Wilkinson nailed a penalty and – there’s a theme right here – a late drop aim. I keep in mind writing a Guardian column with England’s Martin Corry (who can probably overlook his groundbreaking “Cozzacam” video diaries?) and asking what the sport had felt prefer to play in. “Two fairly conservative sides playing with an increasingly greasy ball,” got here the reply. “Then again the final scoreboard is the only entertainment you need if you’re playing in a World Cup semi-final.” Quite so.
after newsletter promotion
2019 – England 19 New Zealand 7
After the typhoons, the earthquake tremors and Japan knocking out Ireland and Scotland, could there possibly be a more seismic shock? Eddie Jones, in a press conference at his team’s Disneyland hotel, did his best to spice up the pre-match formalities by alleging that persons unknown might have spied on England training and calling the New Zealand media “fans with keyboards”. In the event it was the All Blacks who played the cartoon fall guys as England – direct, physical and relentless – delivered one of the best performances in their history. Manu Tuilagi scored a second-minute try and George Ford, taking over the kicking duties from Owen Farrell, contributed four penalties. Afterwards, as Wonderwall and Hey Jude boomed around the stadium in Yokohama, it was tempting to imagine the Webb Ellis Cup might be coming home again. South Africa’s “Bomb Squad” soon put an abrupt stop to all that.
Discussion about this post