New Zealand All-Blacks escapes with a win against France Les Bleus, 8-7. All Blacks wins the Cup for the second time.

The 2011 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match, played on Sunday, 23 October 2011 at Eden Park, Auckland, in New Zealand and won by New Zealand. The match determines the winner of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the de facto world champions for the next four years. The participants in the 2011 final will be France and New Zealand which will be a repeat of the 1987 Rugby World Cup Final which was held at the very same venue 24 years earlier. Similarly to the 2007 Final, both participants had already played each other previously by being in the same pool. Per IRB policy and evolved customs of international rugby the match was adjudicated on field by a referee and supporting officials of 'neutral' (i.e. non-participant) nationality.

The two finalists met earlier in the competition during the pool stage. The match will feature the New Zealand All Blacks who have been undefeated in this tournament and France who lost to the All Blacks and Tonga in the pool stage. In an informal sense also purely by happenstance, the contending participants will represent the champions of respectively Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere rugby culture, having defeated rival teams from their own hemispheres to advance through the elimination quarterfinal and semifinal stages. Of the six Rugby World Cups contested to date, England in 2003 has been the only Northern Hemisphere champion and there have been four Northern Hemisphere runners-up: France in 1987 and 1999; England in 1991 and 2007. All prior champions have been undefeated in the tournament. Until now the nationality of the winner has never coincided with that of the Women's Rugby World Cup, although England held a status of being at least runner-up in both during the period 1991-1995 and from 2003 to the present. Victory by New Zealand has achieved this concurrence for the very first time.

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AUCKLAND, 23 Oct. - The All Blacks survived the most nerve-racking of scares to end 24 years of pain and clinch their second Rugby World Cup with an 8-7 win over France.

In 1999 and 2007 Les Bleus had wrecked New Zealand’s dreams of glory with dramatic come-from-behind victories.

And they looked as if they might do so again as they battled to within a single point of Richie McCaw's team with half an hour of Sunday’s match remaining.

But in this re-enactment of the inaugural RWC 1987 Final, the French once again came off second best at Eden Park as a Tony Woodcock try and a second-half penalty by replacement fly half Stephen Donald gave New Zealand the edge over a converted try by Thierry Dusautoir.

France were unrecognisable from the team that had struggled in the earlier rounds and the All Blacks had to dig deeper than they would ever have imagined to get their hands on the Webb Ellis Cup in front of a delirious home crowd.

France captain Dusautoir, who was voted man of the match, said "We read a lot of stuff this week but I thought we showed we know how to play rugby.

"We are really disappointed. I am really proud of my boys and what they did in the World Cup."

With both teams playing their third RWC Final, it was clear it was going to be a passionate encounter from the moment the French advanced on the All Blacks' haka.

Shuddering collisions

The collisions were shuddering and both teams lost their fly halves before the interval, when only a single unconverted try by prop Woodcock separated the sides.

France got their first penalty attempt on goal two minutes into the second half, when All Blacks captain Richie McCaw was caught handling in the ruck. But scrum half Dimitri Yachvili’s attempt was just wide.

When New Zealand won a penalty in front of the posts two minutes later, Donald took over the kicking duties and nailed his attempt to put his team 8-0 ahead.

But Les Bleus struck back almost immediately. A break by replacement fly half François Trinh-Duc opened up the All Blacks defence and France made several attempts on the line before captain Dusautoir raced in to touch down beside the posts.

Trinh-Duc converted to make it 8-7 and when Donald put the restart out on the full, the All Blacks’ anxiety was palpable.

Coach Graham Henry went to his bench and the out-of-form Piri Weepu was replaced by Andy Ellis, hooker Keven Mealamu gave way to Andrew Hore and Ali Williams took Sam Whitelock’s place in the second row.

Les Bleus sensed another famous upset and took every opportunity to apply pressure. With 15 minutes remaining, the All Blacks were behind on territory and possession when Trinh-Duc had a chance to put the French in front on the scoreboard. But his 48m penalty attempt was also wide of the mark.   

With seven minutes left France pressed again but New Zealand managed to withstand the assault and when Craig Joubert blew the final whistle on the lowest-scoring Final, the All Blacks and their fans were understandably overjoyed.

Frenetic first half

The first half had been frenetic.

France fly half Morgan Parra had to leave the field after 11 minutes looking groggy and slightly bloodied following a double impact from Ma'a Nonu and McCaw, although he returned six minutes later.

In his absence the All Blacks opened the scoring when a well-worked lineout move deep in the France 22 allowed Woodcock to charge though a gap in the France defence and sprint 10m to touch down for his first ever RWC try.

Scrum half Weepu, who had assumed New Zealand's main kicking duties following the injury to Dan Carter in the pool stages, missed his second kick of the night with the conversion attempt.  

Parra was again in the wars and, to his very visible disappointment, was replaced for good by Trinh-Duc.

When the All Blacks won another penalty after 25 minutes, more points went begging when Weepu again skewed his kick wide.

But there was nothing wrong with their running game and only resolute French defence kept them from breaching the line.

France centre Aurélien Rougerie had to dive on the ball in-goal after a deft chip through by All Blacks wing Richard Kahui on the half-hour.

But the New Zealand injury woes continued when third-choice fly half Aaron Cruden suffered a nasty knee injury and was replaced by Donald, making his RWC debut.

On 36 minutes a long-range Trinh-Duc drop-goal attempt sailed just to the right of the uprights and shortly afterwards only a Weepu tap tackle could stop his run to the line when he fielded a poor clearance kick by Donald.

PS:Big cheers and congratulations to All-Blacks for winning the Rugby World Cup. You've ended your 24 years of frustration and you're proved to you critics that you can win the Cup. It's Haka Time! Lol.