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French team subdued after victory
Posted: Monday November 01, 1999 03:09 PM
On the morning following the afternoon before, the French players were in remarkably subdued mood as they left their hotel on Monday morning. Their destination is Cardiff for a final no one expected them to be a part of. The magnitude of their victory over the New Zealand All-Blacks in Sunday's Rugby World Cup semifinal classic seemingly has drained them of all emotion. The world's newspapers however were not so reticent, with headlines from London to Paris to Auckland respectively heralding or mourning one of the greatest sporting upsets in recent memory. "The Blues flatten the Blacks," boomed the French newspaper -- Le Figaro. "Magnifique" said the London Daily Mail. And, getting straight to the point, "Buggerr'd" read the headline in New Zealand's Evening Post.
But when all the furor has died down, perhaps the French team's reluctance to go overboard is well founded. Incredible as their victory over New Zealand was, and one guy earned himself $60,000 on the strength of a $200 bet on a French triumph, the job won't be done until they lift the trophy. Ahead lies a challenge every bit as daunting as the one they faced them at Twickenham. Australia, unlike the hapless All-Blacks, will not be caught unaware. Having seen what the French are capable of, they will be doubly wary of complacency. As a result, France, which came into the match with New Zealand on the back of one of its most dismal seasons ever, will face perhaps an even tougher task. Over the next few days, the newly reborn French will have to address that problem, and come up with a way in which to beat the Australians without the element of surprise. Upsetting the All-Blacks was an incredible achievement, don't get me wrong, but it was only a semifinal, and that means you're only halfway there. And as two northern hemisphere teams have found in previous World Cup finals, taking the final step can be a whole different ballgame. Terry Baddoo is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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