ADRIAN WARNER, Cardiff | Friday 11.35am.
NEW Zealand rugby hit one of the lowest moments in its history on Thursday when they were beaten 22-18 by South Africa in the third place playoff to finish their worst World Cup.
New Zealand will now have to qualify for the next tournament in 2003 for the first time. The defeat in Cardiff in a re-match of the 1995 final came just four days after a crushing loss to France in the semifinals.
It put coach John Hart under intense pressure to resign.
”The New Zealand supporters expect the All Blacks to win,” former All Black skipper Fitzpatrick told British television.
”To come here expecting to win and ending up coming fourth and having to qualify — and in a hard pool too with Tonga, Samoa and Fiji — the players and management are obviously devastated. They’ve got a hard time ahead of them.”
New Zealand, who won the tournament in 1987, finished third in 1991 and were beaten finalists in 1995, had entered the tournament as firm favourites.
But they were swept aside by France 43-31 and the 1999 tournament saw their worst ever final placing. The result gave South Africa the third and last automatic qualifying place alongside the two finalists for the 2003 event.
Former All Black flyhalf Grant Fox said on New Zealand television: ”The last 200 minutes of All Black rugby, if you take in the second half (of the quarter-final) against Scotland have been just a chapter of errors.
”They haven’t been able to maintain possession for long periods of time. We saw a lot of turnovers in the match today, a lot of knock-ons, (they’ve) not been able to maintain control of the ball through a lot of phases.”
”It just seems we are wanting to push passes and miracle balls instead of perhaps taking the tackle, going to ground and recycling the ball from there.” — Reuters