International Rugby Players

I would probably say NZ cheated if I was a French fan too but they didn't. It went in None of the commentators spoke about it during the game or after so no controversy

It did go in, I saw if from another angle on the IRB website but deserving winners of the game on sunday...NO but that's sports sometimes a deserving team will lose on the day.

Dusautoir named world's best player

France captain Thierry Dusautoir has been named the IRB Player of the Year, during a star-studded ceremony in Auckland on Monday.

IRB Awards Winners

IRB Player of the Year: Thierry Dusautoir

IRB Team of the Year: New Zealand

IRB Coach of the Year: Graham Henry

IRB Junior Player of the Year: George Ford, England

IRB Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC: Cecil Afrika, South Africa

IRB Women's Personality of the Year: Ruth Mitchell

IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Keith Lawrence

Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Jock Hobbs

IRB Development Award: Rookie Rugby

IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Wooden Spoon

IRPA Special Merit Award: George Smith, Australia

IRPA Try of the Year: Radike Samo, Australia v New Zealand

Planet Rugby/Photo L'equipe

Thierry's a BEAST, bring on 2015!

Rougerie the centre of gouging claims

France midfielder Aurélien Rougerie has been accused of eye-gouging All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw in Sunday's World Cup Final.

France are refusing to comment on the accusations while the IRB have confirmed the citing period for the match has expired and it has received no formal complaint. But the video evidence suggests that Rougerie has a case to answer. A YouTube clip which is doing the rounds on social media networks shows the Clermont centre going into a ruck with contact made between the Frenchman's head and McCaw's. Rougerie's hands then make contact with McCaw's eye area as he stands up. McCaw required treatment from the New Zealand medical staff after the incident.

The All Blacks captain downplayed the eye-gouging reports but did not deny his eye was injured late in the game. "I got a poke in the eye but I don't know if there was any intent," he said as the All Blacks victory road show moved to earthquake-stricken Christchurch.

Rugby commentator Keith Quinn has however called on the IRB to take action. "It was clearly seen on TV," he told Radio New Zealand. "I made the remark it looked like eye-gouging yesterday in a social situation and had confirmation from a source, which I'm saying is close to the New Zealand team, that eye-gouging took place."

France media manager Lionel Rossigneux said they would not be commenting on the allegations, but remarked out that "a knee hit the face of Morgan Parra by Richie McCaw". "The service of the French team is that we are not doing any comment on that," Rossigneux told the New Zealand Herald. "We just found it a bit sad that after the Rugby World Cup that there is still some stories in the newspaper rather than celebrating the All Blacks' victory.''

The incident has sparked a fresh battle between the Herald and elements of the French press with both sides accusing refereeing Craig Joubert of doing their team a disservice in final. McCaw's alleged multiple transgressions at the breakdown in dying minutes have received widespread coverage in the French press.

Eye gouging has to be dealt with the heaviest of penalties so players can cut this crap out once and for all.

...

and will Richie be dealt with for this?

From Twitter of French kicking coach Gonzalo Quesada (http://twitter.com/#!/GonzaloQuesada)

Richie did the job for his country, smashed Morgans head breaking several bones, ok with that, but the paper talks about him as a victim?

Now will the NZ press report this ever or even mention whether it was intentional or not? My personal feeling is that the NZ press are trying so hard to make the ABs look like saints because they were outclassed and made to look average on the biggest stage in world rugby and to add insult to injury it was in their own back yard. Now have they even reported on the state of Parra after his medical examinations in the press? But we know that Richie was treated after his incident.

P.S. The NZ Herald is a disgrace the way they carried on about the French team in the build up to the game, a complete embarrassment is putting it mildly just be happy with your cup and celebrate.

Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand press increase France bashing with headline 'beware filth of the French'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunio...the-French.html

French bashing a new Kiwi sport

http://www.rugby365.com/all_news/nbc/nz/news/2812184.htm

... after the final I'm sure this muppet Wayne Shelford must have felt his manhood shrink immensely!

... looking for NZ try, it's hard to find much on the game due to copyright infringements.

France Team Departure

New Zealand RWC celebration parade, Christchurch

Well France had a good game at the RWC but their RWC performance as a whole was pretty poor. IF they would of won they would have been the most un deserving team ever to win. You can't deny that NZ were undefeated in RWC and out classed every team they played. Let's not forget how badly NZ beat france in the early stages of the cup as well. I know you are a French fan but at the end of the day Rugby is a rough sport and injuries are going to happen and teams are going to have good and bad days. France did not deserve to win the RWC period. They performed very poorly this year.

Well France had a good game at the RWC but their RWC performance as a whole was pretty poor. IF they would of won they would have been the most un deserving team ever to win. You can't deny that NZ were undefeated in RWC and out classed every team they played. Let's not forget how badly NZ beat france in the early stages of the cup as well. I know you are a French fan but at the end of the day Rugby is a rough sport and injuries are going to happen and teams are going to have good and bad days. France did not deserve to win the RWC period. They performed very poorly this year.

Undeserving team ever? Really?

I don't understand this mentality people have about teams deserving more than another based on past matches/victories/losses over the year(s) or course of the tournament no two games are ever the same. When I watch 80 mins of rugby I want my team to win playing the best rugby I believe they can play or losing the same way too if that happens to be the case. But it doesn't always happen like that you can win ugly and lose ugly but if they played 80mins of great rugby against 16 men (Jourbert) then they deserved more than that, they didn't win the title but my god they won so much more than that in the bigger picture for the team and country. When you play a final the past matches and past encounters mean NOTHING. Because you are there to re-write history and with their backs against the wall France did, the media and public (who disgraced themselves when they booed the opposition even when the game was over and they were giving speeches) did all they could to break down the team, now that is what I expect from the sport of football not rugby. But in the final after the 80mins they proved they were worthy and deserving of the victory and if that meant the title then so be it but it wasn't planned to be a French victory and we didn't do enough to win.

The All Blacks were good throughout the tournament but the pool stages I mean come on they didn't have it hard, France were taking it so easy that they even lost to Tonga (not taking anyhting away from them) in the pool stages which meant nothing in terms of going into the knock-out stages and losing to ABs in the pool stages didn't mean anything in the bigger picture. NZ played an Argentina team riddled with injury to some of the best players, against an Australian side who didn't even show up for that game (they beat the defending world champions SA) NZ won the match and they were given a TRY (Nonu) that should not have stood. They didn't even win the TRI-NATIONS this year and with Argentina coming into the fold it will get harder for them and the other nations. They won the trophy and should be happy but it came at a high cost they lost the respect of many but they are not to blame the IRB is a sham. I don't ever want to watch a match as important as a RWC final regardless of who the teams are and have the referee be the most important factor in the game for his decisions.

John Smit unnveiled at Saracens, St Albans