Graham Henry was asked a question before New Zealand played France in a group match at Eden Park last month. If there was one thing he had learned from the 2007 quarter-final defeat to Les Bleus in Cardiff, what was it?

"Not to take it one game at a time in a World Cup," replied the All Blacks coach, reflecting on a tournament when they had in no way been tested in their group before facing the hosts, France, in the Welsh capital.

do not miss the FINAL tomorrow

10hrs

tv 10

/ricardo ;-D

Wales 18-21 Australia

A tournament that promised so much for Wales a week ago, with talk of new dawns and horizons, ended in the stale familiarity of a narrow defeat to a Tri-Nations side, their second of the World Cup.

Australia left with the bronze medal, but what meant far more to them than a symbol of failure was an end to a 25-year sequence of defeats in Auckland.

The play-off is a scrap for a prize no one wants. There is an element of cruelty to it, forcing players whose minds had drifted elsewhere the week before to rouse themselves for a battle they do not have the heart for and Wales suffered a marked drop in the intensity that had characterised their previous six matches in the tournament.

They even conceded points in the final quarter for the first time since their opening group game against South Africa, and for all the gains they have made in the World Cup in terms of conditioning and a varied tactical approach they have still to find a way of defeating sides above them in the world rankings.

They have played the Tri-Nations teams 45 times in the professional era and won on three occasions, while they have prevailed against France in seven of the last 34 meetings. The combined margin of their defeats in this World Cup to South Africa, France and Australia was five points, missed kicks costing them each time.

Wales missed three kicks against Australia, including a penalty from James Hook, a player who is struggling to find his instinctive touch, and while their kickers found their range against Namibia and Fiji, matches where the result was never in doubt, when the pressure was on they became inaccurate.

Since the group stage they have missed 10 attempts at goal out of 17. Australia not only had a better strike-rate in the play-off but they were more accurate in their passing. Their defence, the staple of their campaign, was rarely stretched as Wales reverted to the predictable and even though the Wallabies lost Kurtley Beale, who aggravated a hamstring injury, and Quade Cooper, who twisted his knee as he tried to jink through the Wales defence and ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, leaving them with just five of the players who had started the semi-final against New Zealand, they were largely in control.

Wales Halfpenny; North, J Davies (Scott Williams, 69), Roberts, Shane Williams; Hook (S Jones, 50), Phillips (L Williams, 63); Jenkins (capt), Bennett (Burns, 69), James (Bevington, 63), Charteris (AW Jones, 52), B Davies, Lydiate (Powell, 63), Faletau, R Jones.

Tries S Williams, Halfpenny. Con S Jones. Pens Hook, S Jones.

Australia Beale (Horne, 9); O'Connor, Ashley-Cooper, Barnes, Ioane; Cooper (A Faingaa, 20), Genia (Burgess, 63); Slipper, Polota-Nau (S Faingaa, 53), Ma'afu (Alexander, 60), Horwill (capt; Samo, 69), Sharpe (Simmons, 45), Higginbotham, Pocock, McCalman.

Tries Barnes, McCalman. Con O'Connor. Pens O'Connor 2. Drop goal Barnes.

/ricardo

The second half was only seven minutes old when Stephen Jones replaced Hook at fly-half, but the old warhorse had been on the field only a matter of seconds when Paul James was penalised for pulling down a rolling maul, giving Parra the opportunity to maintain his perfect record to widen the gap to six points.

Suddenly underpowered in the scrum and undermanned in defence, it was apparent that Wales would depend for any chance of recovery on the ability of Phillips, Roberts, Toby Faletau and George North, their most powerful ball-carriers, to drive holes in the French cover.

With 58 minutes gone Phillips finally succeeded in making a lethal incursion as he burst around a scrum close to the line, evaded Pascal Papé's attempted tackle and touched down. Disappointingly, Jones's attempted conversion hit the outside of the upright.

Wales remained on the front foot until the end, but were unable to manoeuvre Stephen Jones close enough to the posts a final, unrequited sequence of two dozen phases...

well done it Wales!

/RR

Rhys Priestland has lost his fitness battle for Wales's World Cup semi-final clash against France at Eden Park on Saturday.

S c a r l e t s fly-half Priestland injured his shoulder during the quarter-final victory over Ireland in Wellington last weekend, forcing him off three minutes from time.

He will be replaced in the team by U S A P - Perpignan-bound James H o o k , with the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, otherwise retaining the team that accounted for Ireland. One change on the bench sees the 102 times-capped Stephen Jones taking over from Hook.

W a l e s  have reached their first World Cup semi-final since 1987, and they possess several of the tournament's form players, including the wing George North, centre Jamie Roberts, scrum-half Mike Phillips, captain Sam Warburton and No8 Toby Faletau.

W a l e s have lost nine of their last 11 games against France, while their only victory over them since 2005 came during a Six Nations title and Grand Slam-winning campaign three years ago which was Gatland's first at the helm.

donot miss the game this week end!

/ricardo

Hallå där! I dag har vi vår första info för år 7 och år 8 i skolan! Hoppas många kommer och lyssnar hur vi har tänkt oss att driva verksamheten i år och vilka mål vi har fram emot!Vi får besök av Ian Caple, Head Coach på Enebybergs RugbyKlockan: 16:00Plats: AulanFör mer info kontakta: RR

It has not been a great week for the Challenge Cup, the oldest knockout competition in world rugby. The highlight of the fifth-round draw turned out to be a facile romp for the holders, Warrington, as Huddersfield produced their worst performance in years, and although the other televised tie between Crusaders and Catalans was a much tighter contest decided by the odd point in 69, it was played in front of an embarrassingly empty Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.

Thomas Bosc's late drop goal also denied the Crusaders, and Welsh rugby league in general, the huge benefits they could have derived from a lengthy cup run, and the quarter-final draw that followed wasn't ideal, either. Leeds versus Wigan should be a humdinger, but it would have been better as a semi-final or even the final.

A home tie against the Catalans isn't much of an incentive for Swinton or Batley when they meet in next Wednesday's rearranged fifth-round tie – another embarrassment to the cup, as it follows the belated discovery that Halifax had fielded an ineligible player in the previous round, forcing their disqualification from the tournament.

Bradford versus Warrington should be a fascinating contest but the BBC would far rather it had been played at an atmospheric Halliwell Jones Stadium than in front of the vast Odsal terraces.

The draw has also been unkind to Barrow, forcing them to travel to St Helens when a home game against the Saints would have been a terrific occasion at Craven Park.

There would be obvious problems surrounding the kick-off times in the middle of the Catalan summer – and of course Swinton or Batley retain the ability to make the whole plan a non-starter by beating the Catalans in the quarter-finals.

But if the Dragons do make it to the semis, can anyone think of a better way of making a grand statement to restore the magic of the Challenge Cup?

NEWS:
26th EIF Rugby is hosting 2 Open Days, where everyone can come along and join in lot fo rugby related fun. So wheather you're a total beginner wanting to try rugby for the first time, have played a bit from school or an experienced international come on down and enjoy the day with us and become part of the future of EIF Rugby.

For more details check out the website and see what Enebybergs If has to offer:

http://www1.idrottonline.se/EnebybergsIF/Nyheter/Egna-nyheter/Rugby-nyidrottinomEIF/

mvh: VRS RUGBY