Well, the All Blacks have just fallen short of reaching the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, losing to the strong & dominant England side (Who had their 1st win against the AB's at a Rugby World Cup as well as becoming the 4th team (They joined the club along with Australia, France & South Africa) to beat New Zealand (Who handed their 1st defeat at a Rugby World Cup since 2007 in the quarterfinal against France) at a Rugby World Cup but their innovative defence that they brought them back won them the game of course meaning that the English are in the final, the match has been won by 12 points including that vital opening try scored by big Samoan born centre Manu Tuilagi & successfully converted by inspirational skipper Owen Farrell who scored 4 penalties then Ardie Savea (Who came off injured during the game) scored the All Blacks a try & converted by Richie Mo'unga but it wasn't enough as England ended New Zealand's reign as the world champions in rugby (A great win for England at International Stadium Yokohama) as well as our hopes of a historic three peat (And so for the 1st time since 2007, a new world champion will be crowned) in the semifinal in Yokohama on All Black captain Kieran Read's 34th birthday but the next one will be in France in 2023 but let's hope all that can change for New Zealand (And we're playing against in the 3rd & 4th place playoff but it's Wales who play South Africa tonight for a place in the final against England) & hard luck mate to our beloved All Blacks here (And what a disappointing way for New Zealand to end a World Cup like this, what a match for our viewers right around the world (And as a die hard New Zealand rugby fan myself, I am now being haunted by that semifinal defeat).
So that is my 327th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 67th of this year.
P.S. And we have just heard that South Africa have beaten Wales in the other semifinal (And the Welsh nearly had it but it was the Springboks who had to bring it home in the end & came out on top with South African first five Handre Pollard securing that match winning penalty goal to book a place in the final against England (Got him! South Africa have won! Straight through to him, caught & bowled (Oh wait, wrong code mate).
So it's England to play South Africa in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final (It is a rematch of the 2007 final in which the last time that the Springboks had won the World Cup against the English in a tryless final but their most recent meeting between the 2 teams was last year in which England won the test match at Twickenham despite controversy about that foul play decision made by Australian referee Angus Gardner whether the English captain Owen Farrell had used his arms in the tackle or not on Andre Esterhuizen because the Boks would have won the game should a penalty be awarded for an illegal shoulder charge (It was the year before the decision making framework for high tackles & shoulder charges (No arms tackles) according to World Rugby have been introduced) but will it be Farrell or Springbok captain Siya Kolisi to become the next World Cup winning captain to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy this year? (It was David Kirk from New Zealand in 1987 followed by Nick Farr-Jones (Australia) in 1991, Francois Pienaar (South Africa) in 1995, John Eales (Australia) in 1999, Martin Johnson (England) in 2003, John Smit (South Africa) in 2007 & Richie McCaw (New Zealand) twice in 2011 & 2015) We will find it out in 5 days time but will England win their 2nd World Cup title & their 1st since 2003 (They are looking to complete a Cricket & Rugby World Cup double (Australia was the last to complete a rare double way back in 1999 in which they won both the Cricket & Rugby World Cup in the same year) or will the famous William Webb Ellis trophy return to South Africa after 12 years?) at the International Stadium in Yokohama on Saturday night New Zealand time to decide who will become the new World Champion in rugby but it's the All Blacks against Wales (Both sides deserve to be in the final but it wasn't to be as they lost to both opponents England & South Africa in the semifinal) 1st to decide who'll finish 3rd at Tokyo Stadium in Tokyo on Friday.
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