Wilkinson puts the boot in Laporte's France.
LAPORTE - WILKO'S A MACHINE
By Neal Collins, Sydney
French coach Bernard Laporte declared on Sunday night: Jonny Wilkinson is alive and well... and kicking like a machine!
After seeing Wilko put the boot in to his Bleus with three drop goals and five penalties to score all the points in a rain-lashed 24-7 semi-final win in Sydney, he said: "Our kicker is a man not a machine. Wilkinson is superb. He knows how to put sides under pressure."
Laporte, looking surprisingly chipper, spoke long and earnestly in French, which isn't my strongest language.
He talked of not having the ball, of the importance of possession. Asked if he was concerned about his side's indiscipline, which saw numerous penalties and two players sin-binned, he said: "We made many faults but when you play under pressure, you do this. Wilkinson has the ability to put team's under pressure.
"Some people say he was dead (pronounced 'deed' by stand-in interpreter Fabien Galthie) but he was not dead. He was fantastic.
"It's true the rain had a massive impact on the game but to be a top team we need to master the kicking game as well.
"Frederic Michalak (101 points before the semi but only a conversion and four missed penalties when it mattered) is a man not a machine. He did not kick penalties today. This is rugby.
"England were spectacular tonight. They did not make the mistakes we made. At half-time I told the players we were only five points behind, but we let it slip away from us."
Scrum-half Fabien Galthie, 34 and probably playing in his last World Cup, was the only player brave enough to emerge from a shell-shocked French dressing room.
He said: "It was a close match for 21 minutes. Then we were under pressure. In the second half, against the wind, it was always going to be England. It's logic.
"We aren't as heavy as England. Our forwards like to run. We are not so strong, it was difficult for us. We should be able to play with the sun and the rain.
"I hope the final is spectacular. The winner is not important to me. I want it to be a good final."
|
