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2011 Rugby World Cup Final Preview & Tips | New Zealand vs France
New Zealand takes on France in the 2011 World Cup Final on Sunday. The match pits one of the strongest teams at the tournament against a team that has progressed to a final on a run of inconsistent form, luck and stubborn defending.
New Zealand vs. France Trends Analysis
France and New Zealand have clashed thirteen times in the past decade. France has won just two of these fixtures, while one ended in a draw and New Zealand took ten wins. Crucially, one of France’s victories came in New Zealand in 2009, while the other was achieved in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
The most recent meeting between these teams was at this World Cup, where New Zealand beat France 37-17 in a match where France seemed to be playing off the back foot and without flair or passion.
Unfortunately that description holds equally true for France’s last fixture, where the French benefited enormously from the sending off of Wales captain, Sam Warburton, in the first quarter of the match, then spent the remainder of the match defending against a 14 man Wales.
It’s hard to tell what this means about French form, as their defence was solid enough against a talented Welsh backline that ran at them for most of the match. However, they made little effort on attack and there was no flow or flair to their backline play.
Given that they’ve lost two matches en-route to the final, and can count themselves extremely lucky to be playing this event, it’s no surprise that they are rank outsiders for this match. However, the French are most dangerous with their backs to the wall and could put on a much improved performance on Sunday.
New Zealand, however, look to be in solid form. They put a clinical win over Australia to reach the final, and look to be a complete unit. However, the All Blacks are yet to be put under severe pressure at the World Cup, and weren’t fully tested by an Australian outfit that looked inexperienced and disorganised in the semifinal.
Furthermore the pressure is squarely on All Black shoulders for this fixture, and any early scores by the French could have severe ramifications for the flow of the All Black game and their composure.
New Zealand vs. France Betting Tips
Bookies seem to think that France is on a hiding in this fixture, with a +16.5 no draw handicap offered on the French team.
This handicap fails to take into account what will happen if the French come to play on Sunday. There’s no question they have the players to win the game, not to mention the flair. Some early pressure on New Zealand could easily give France a sniff.
We think New Zealand will eventually pull through, but not by the handicap margin. Our 2011 Rugby World Cup final betting tip is therefore to back the French at even odds at +16.5.
New Zealand vs. France Betting Odds
Today's Rugby Betting Specials
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