Triple Whammy

Last week was a triple whammy for British sport. It started with the football Euro 2008 quallies. Scotland lost in Georgia, & England were mugged in Moscow. The qualification hopes for both are now in jeopardy. Then South Africa were just too good in the RWC final. The miserable week was completed with the F1 Brazilian GP.



RWC Final



England couldn't upset the odds for the third match in a row, South Africa were just too strong. For once, England's grinding style using the forward pack was blunted. South Africa were able to force a couple of turnovers with fierce counter-rucking & were dominant in the line-out. It was a shame Cueto's 'try' was ruled out-Tait's fantastic jinking run deserved better. England were more than holding their own in the first half but gave away needless penalties. It was only towards the end of the half that the Springboks threatened the try-line. However, SA were always in front, & kept control for much of the second half, and thoroughly deserved their victory. TV cameras captured a disconsolate Jonny Wilkinson at the final whistle. I hope he gets the chance to play in one more final.

Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has done fantastically to finish runner-up in his rookie season. The feeling remains though, that a fantastic chance to win the title was squandered over the last two races. In China the team decided to allow him one more lap on badly wearing tyres which resulted in the DNF. In Interlagos, he had the rush of blood to the head- when he tried to pass Alonso and ran wide-which dropped him down a few places, but most damaging was the gearbox problem which left him back in 18th, & with too much ground to make up. A lot of the pundits seem to think he is definitely bound to win the title. I certainly hope so. Alonso & Raikkonen know what a threat he is & will be psyched up to beat him next year. Plus Massa, & the other young bucks, Kubica & Rosberg will be strong rivals for Hamilton to contend with next season. Still, he looks nailed-on to win BBC Sports Personality this year.

Dad's Army reach the Final

What was I saying last week about upsets in the RWC ? Never mind.

Most pundits, including me in one of my posts here, had written England off, if not before the tournament, certainly after the 36-0 drubbing by the Springboks. Now not only have they beaten the Aussies, but the hosts too. Wilko has once more proved himself to be the 'go-to guy' (as the Yanks would say) when you need a vital penalty slotted between the posts. It really is incredible how England have pulled themselves off the floor after the SA game & turned it around. All this has been achieved with a liberal sprinkling of 30-somethings who might have been deemed past it a few weeks ago. One of those is 33-year old Jason Robinson of course, who seemed to have played his last game when he pulled up with a hamstring problem in the SA game, but who has recovered incredibly. Now Robbo has the perfect occasion for his final game, the World Cup Final.

If South Africa beat the Pumas tonight, the final could be difficult for them psychologically. Having beaten an opponent comprehensively in a previous match, it can be difficult to adjust when the opposition is much stiffer in the rematch. Argentina would also make for a great final with the fierce sporting rivalry between the two nations. I expect the Springboks to edge a tight match tonight.