The most amazing weekend in Rugby World Cup history? I think we can instantly dispense with the question mark. If you remained unstirred, whether at home or in the stadiums, it might be advisable to ask a doctor to check your pulse. From England's epic stuffing of the Wallaby pack to Fiji's glorious second-half fightback against South Africa it could scarcely have been more enthralling. Unless, of course, you happen to be reading this in Auckland.
More on the specifics of the All Blacks' shock departure another day. The obituaries can hold for a moment or two. It doesn't seem right to concentrate exclusively on one nation's collective despair, or euphoria, at the expense of a eureka moment for the entire sport. It takes some doing to eclipse the Jonah Lomu semi-final in Cape Town in 1995 for global impact. Ditto the final in Johannesburg despite Nelson Mandela's symbolic presence and the shock-waves created by New Zealand's defeat. And who can forget the two Twickenham semi-finals in 1999, let alone the Sydney final in 2003? But even Jonny can now move aside. Professional rugby union is moving out of its spotty adolescent phase and is maturing before our eyes.
That may sound a dangerous conclusion based on England's win over Australia, a flawed classic if ever there was one. But that's the whole point: rugby can still be different things to different people without losing its essential appeal as a rugged physical sport which rewards character, spirit and endeavour like no other. France against New Zealand might have been a dispiriting experience in the supposedly neutral environs of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium; instead it was a throbbing occasion which offered the ultimate illustration of what screeching pressure can do to normally ice-cool teams. How far would Jean-Baptiste Elissalde have run had the stands not been in the way? Wrexham? Toulouse? Run, Forest, run! Even my wife was entranced by a game of rugby and that really is unheard of. Mind you, I have been away for a while.
Fair play to the Springbok coach Jake White, who called it right immediately after the Fiji game. "There's no preparation for pressure," he stressed, claiming to be as shocked as "any other rugby guy" by the rat-a-tat departure of both the Wallabies and the All Blacks. 'How does it feel to be the only Tri-Nations coach left in the competition?' asked a mischievous reporter at White's post-match press conference. White opted for a diplomatic response, fully aware his own team had also wobbled badly during that extraordinary period when Fiji scored two tries despite being down to 14 men.
He was right to resist the temptation to stick a gratuitous boot in. Who knows what else lies around the corner? England winning a big game via cleverly-constructed backline tries? France reverting to bistro-lounging mode in Paris? Even the Springboks can hardly claim to be invincible with such an obvious disparity between their best XV and some of their back-up players. If there is one team sitting at home feeling slightly better about itself, even so, it is probably Wales, edged out by Fiji in the outstanding match of the pool rounds. Then again, the Welsh were well beaten by Australia who collapsed like a deck of cards against England's Dad's Army, who stuck 60 points on the Welsh second team in August. If you can make sense of it all, you are doing pretty well.
But, in a way, who cares about that? Who wants a sport where you know precisely what is going to happen? New Zealand do not have a divine right to win rugby matches, any more than Fiji are honour-bound to lose them. If a formulaic tournament is what you want, stick to the Tri-Nations. As things stand, Fiji have only two Tests in the diary next year. If they had a few more and can encourage the majority of their gifted youngsters not to chase the New Zealand dollar, what price them going even further in 2011? The All Blacks will come back stronger and so will the Wallabies. The game of rugby, even in their absence, is immeasurably richer.
At least we are in France, not exactly short of fine wines perfect for washing down large platefuls of humble pie. Few English journos thought Brian Ashton's team would beat Australia and some of the players and management would not be human if they didn't momentarily pause to enjoy the literary contortions required in the wake of the Wallaby result. One reporter from a national heavyweight daily paper was even taken to task on Sunday for his 'negative reporting' by the England team doctor Simon Kemp. Never mind Casualty or Green Wing, that's what I call real medical drama.
Performance of the weekend in adversity? Step forward the Fijian captain Mosese Rauluni and his team-mates. From their hotel on Marseille's Vieux Port there was no escape from the all-night celebrations, car-horns and thumping music which greeted France's remarkable victory in Cardiff. Sleep was impossible. And still they went out and played like that. Respect.
