The Right Result

Must admit that England played very well, and on another day could have won the game. I amaze myself when I write that I wouldn't have minded if they had won. Such great spirit. Mind you, until another look at the replays after the game, I felt certain that England had scored a try in the corner. But his foot was in touch - and so they hadn't.

But it would have been a bad bad day for rugby football if England had won the World Cup. They play the most unenterprising boring rugby of any team in the world. Their game against France was possibly the worst game of international rugby I've ever seen. Even in today's game, the sole tactic was to attack through the pack to get within kicking distance - and use the up-and-under at every opportunity. Except for Mathew Tait that is. Boring! If that's all rugby is, no father would ever want their sons to play the game. I don't blame England for playing this negative stuff. But I can be disappointed that it has proved to be so successful.

I would like the All Blacks to have won. They play the most fabulous rugby. I didn't see their defeat because I was speaker at Welshpool Rugby Club's 40th anniversary dinner on the same night. By all accounts they lost through a late try that should have been ruled out. Pity, because the French, who defeated them, for some bizarre reason played England the only way that allowed England to win - by out boring them through the forwards!

So congratulations to South Africa, to Fiji - and most of all to Argentina, who so gloriously made the whole tournament worthwhile.