vallierojas: Rugby World Cup 2011: five things we've learned about the finalists

Too much smothering, contemptuous running, too many head wounds, more catching means less kicking and France will not beat New Zealand

1. I'll be saying this again

For those on the weekend chanting "Allez Les Bleus" for France or "Four More Years" against Australia the manner of going to the final did not matter. The World Cup is big enough to keep thousands and thousands of people happy. But for somebody in Russia ? interested in hosting the tournament in 2023 ? the reality of World Cup rugby may not be matching what they were offered by the promotional DVD. Two tries in two semi-finals certainly put the price of tries up. Smothering defence, smothering breakdowns, there's a lot of smothering going on. And if there's a lot of repetition there, it's because six weeks at the World Cup may be starting to tax my well of words, and with a week with the French to come there may be much shaking of the head ahead. There, more repetition.

2. Fifteen love

Israel Dagg and Maxime M�dard could have a private competition to see which can beat the first tackler with the more contemptuous ease. They are both cruel, in that they seem to delight in making the point: you think you've got me; there, you didn't. The run by Dagg for the one try of the second semi-final was sensational because he was in the process of stumbling towards the touchline when he managed to slip the ball to Ma'a Nonu. So he can pass extravagantly as well as glide out of contact. One thing he can't do is drop goals. He was practising them before kick-off and fluffed almost every single one. He stood in the pocket, as they say, and fluffed the real thing. Leave the kicking to others, Israel. Run ? in fact, why don't you have a public competition with Maxime to see who can make more yards from full-back.

3. Head bangers

There has been a lot of spilt claret in New Zealand, particularly from head wounds. Now, the old bonce is prone to bleed when it pops open, but clashes of heads do seem to be on the increase. It's the multiple tackles, with defenders going in as pincers on the ball carriers. "Leg tackles" became the phrase of the week after Wales beat Ireland, the type of tackle used to bring Sean O'Brien down. It suggests that there are more varieties ? "chest tackle", "hold-and-choke" ? although the "no-arms" tackle of Sonny Bill Williams on Quade Cooper remains illegal. And the spear tackle, of course, is not allowed either, not even by Sam Warburton. Radike Samo came off second best against the head of Kieran Read, while Cory Jane, Andy Ellis and Pat McCabe turned Eden Park red with what poured out of nose, head and nose respectively. There have also been KOs from heads on hip bones, although none in the semi-finals, possibly because "hip tackle" was not the order of the day.

4. Fine tuning the aerial

Vincent Clerc spent a few uncomfortable moments up in the air on Saturday. This was life upside down, a case of being in the wrong arms at the wrong angle, but usually wings are very good when airborne nowadays. They have to chase and receive and jump for all sorts of hanging parabolic diagonals, not to mention the good old fashioned up-and-under. Is there a better catcher of the ball above his head than Cory Jane? Tim Horan and Jason Little used to betray too much time spent in their youth playing Aussie Rules with their prowess at catching at the apex of their leap but Jane seems able to rise in the heaviest of congestion and emerge with the ball. Funnily enough, given how much time is spent researching the art of sending the ball high into the sky, it tended to land with a bounce quite a lot on this semi-final weekend. Everything should be caught or the kickers will be encouraged to kick more.

5. Sorry, France, but ?

Somehow the side that lost in pretty abject fashion twice in the pools, to New Zealand and Tonga, and that are still at the silent-rage stage of their relationship-counselling involving coach and players, are in the grand final. Of course, France managed to lose three times at their own World Cup in 2007 and still finish fourth. Here they could lose thrice and finish second. Not "could" but "will". It has been said many times before ? we're back to repetition ? that France have this mythical one performance in them and may not have used it up in their defeat of England and have only to beat New Zealand once to win the Webb Ellis Cup and the pool game certainly wasn't that once. So, in theory, it could still be out there, ready to burst, and France could fulfil what their coach calls his team's "irrational belief in their destiny". Of course, he doesn't talk to them about such things ? Anyway, it doesn't matter because France cannot beat the All Blacks. You can never say never but France are not going to beat New Zealand, ever, at this World Cup.

Eddie Butler