What happened to the finals in the 2011 Rugby World Cup?

France XV came close to winning the 2011 World Cup, after losing 7-8 to New Zealand. Here’s what happened to the hapless heroes in that game.

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So close, but so far… except for one point, the French side coached by Marc Levremont could have done it The greatest achievement in its historyby defeating a defeated New Zealand at home, in their lair at Eden Park, as part of the Rugby World Cup Final.

Unfortunately for the Blues, the New Zealand lock didn’t give up that evening (it was morning in France) and there was still an incredible sense of frustration from the match, given the situation the players found themselves in. .

Disastrous preparations

Having been beaten by a Grand Slam champion in 2010 during the Six Nations, France stumbled onto the carpet the following year, being knocked out by England at their sanctuary at Twickenham (9-17) before sustaining a serious injury. Historic defeat against Italy (21-22). But this hurdle is the logical path to disastrous warm-up matches.

After being swept during their summer tours with South Africa (17-42) and Argentina (13-41), France XV suffered real humiliation the following autumn, winning the title. Heaviest home defeat in history against Australia (16-59).

The group stage is not reassuring, as the Blues owe their qualification to the quarter-finals only to the offensive bonus points they got on the way against Japan and Canada, even losing in an embarrassing way to Tonga (14-19).

Surprise in the final .. Who deserved to win?

Despite all odds, France’s fifteenth team succeeds in getting rid of its English rival in the quarter-finals (19-12), taking revenge by overcoming the 2003 and 2007 squads, both of which were eliminated in the semi-finals by the fifteenth. of roses. And after a pending victory (9-8) over Wales, the victory was reduced to 14 in most of the match, France joins New Zealand in the World Cup final.

But unlike the pool match, which ended in a clear and flawless victory for the national team all blacks (17-37), The Blues show a completely different side and outwit planet rugby. So much so that many consider the French defeat (7-8) an injustice, Craig Joubert’s refereeing was highlighted by the unlucky finalists, including Vincent Clerk: ” We didn’t have the penalties we needed in their camp, and we didn’t have any penalties in the second half. We have never had it while there have been some controversial actions. We came there to be world champions, and I think we should have been in this match. »

While waiting to see what Fabien Galtier’s men achieve at the 2023 World Cup, with Antoine Dupont on top, here’s what happened to the unfortunate champions in this final.