Rugby World Cup 2011: Wales v France – live! | Scott Murray

• Press refresh or turn on the auto-update for the latest • Email scott.murray@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts • Watch World Cup video highlights, interviews and more 10 min: A big blow for Wales: a jiggered looking Adam Jones is replaced by Paul James. 8 min: PENALTY! Wales 3-0 France. A delicious kick by James Hook, from tight on the left touchline by the 22. He sets the ball slightly out right, curling it back in between the sticks. That never looked like missing, and will hopefully settle his nerves. If he has any, because that was ice cool. 7 min: Dusautoir is offside as both teams scrabble for the ball down the left after a clever chip down the left by Hook. That’s a penalty within kicking range. “Good morning from Wales,” begins Dr Alimantado. Morning. “The Smiths’ ‘A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours’ seems most appropriate. I’m not sure how to feel today. Wales good at sports is unpossible.” 4 min: Servat breaks down the left, making up plenty of ground. He’s upended, but Yachvili finds touch down by the Welsh 22. Warburton ensures the French can’t build on the field position by clearing upfield. Nothing quite coming off for either side yet. 2 min: Wales win their lineout just outside the French 22, but soon enough Toby Faletau knocks on. Then the Welsh pack goes south in the scrum, and the early pressure is off the French. And we’re off! The first World Cup semi-final is ON, and Wales are 80 minutes away from their first World Cup final! The rain has stopped, and Wales lump the ball straight downfield. Dimitri Yachvili, with his dodgy leg, hacks out down the left. He doesn’t get much distance on the kick, giving Wales good field position right from the off. “I saw a highlights package of the 1987 RWC recently,” begins Gary Naylor unsurprisingly, “and England’s quarter final appeared to be played in a Brisbane public park. Conversions were landing amongst picnickers.” The teams are out. The Mulligan and O’Hare tribute act parps his horn. Then the anthems. First, La Marseillaise . And then the Welsh one the Welsh one . The weather in Auckland: It is tipping down . Handling errors ahoy! Let’s hope it doesn’t get too tempestuous, or this’ll end up looking like England versus Scotland. Redressing the balance re Huw Richards: “Come now, we all know Huw was sent off for trying to use Gary Whetton as a punching bag,” writes our Kiwi pal Sean Carless. “Buck merely put a stop to the nonsense with a wee lovetap.” Venue: The 60,000 capacity Eden Park in Auckland. Kick off: 9am BST. Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) France: Medard, Clerc, Rougerie, Mermoz, Palisson, Parra, Yachvili, Poux, Servat, Mas, Pape, Nallet, Dusautoir, Bonnaire, Harinordoquy. Replacements: Szarzewski, Barcella, Pierre, Ouedraogo, Trinh-Duc, Doussain, Heymans. Wales: Halfpenny, North, J. Davies, Roberts, S. Williams, Hook, Phillips, Jenkins, Bennett, A. Jones, Charteris, A. Jones, Lydiate, Warburton, Faletau. Replacements: Burns, James, B. Davies, R. Jones, L. Williams, S. Jones, S. Williams. One thing is certain: this is massive . And we’ll be hearing the best two national anthems in the tournament today. That’s two things, isn’t it. Three if you’re counting each anthem. Wales made the semis of the World Cup that year, having seen off England 16-3 in the quarter-finals, a match worth watching again simply for the appalling kicking on display, a ludicrous number of attempts on goal being shanked straight out of play down the wings. They were trounced 49-6 by the hosts and eventual winners New Zealand – Huw Richards was sent off for being clapped around the jaw by Wayne Shelford – but won the third-placed play-off against Australia 22-21. It remains their best performance in a World Cup. But the 24-year wait is over: they’re in the semis again, and today have the chance to go one better. 1987 was a hell of a long time ago. Ronald Reagan was president of the USA. Everton were the football champions of England. The Smiths split up. And if all that doesn’t make you feel so very old, or smugly young, this is the killer: you’d still have to wait another two years to watch the original transmission of the Only Fools and Horses episode where Del falls through the bar . Rugby World Cup 2011 Wales rugby union team France rugby union team Rugby union Scott Murray guardian.co.uk

Posted by on October 15, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.