Rugby World Cup: New Zealand 8 - 7 France (Final)

In 1979, the SEC re-launched its end-of-the-season basketball tournament, which it hadn't played since the early 1950's. Naturally, we Kentucky fans expected to dominate the tournament. But we lost in the final in 1979 and 1980, and we were bounced in the quarter-finals in 1981. In 1982, however, the tournament was scheduled for Rupp Arena, and UK fans thought this fact alone would pretty much solve the problem. Surely the Big Blue would win the SEC on its home floor. In the quarter-finals, we beat Auburn 89-66, and then we beat Ole Miss 62-58 in the semis. That left only Alabama. But in one of the worst games ever played at Rupp, a tense and unhappy Kentucky team lost, 48-46. (Derrick Hord was 4-13 in that game, and I realize now this is one of the reasons I disliked him so much).

With that background in mind, I had real doubts about New Zealand's ability to break its long-time curse and win the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1987. The Kiwi fans had been celebrating all week since they beat Australia in the semi-finals. Their only remaining opponent was France, and they had beaten France 37-17 only a few weeks before. But I was pretty certain that France had not gone all-out in that game, and that they would have new plans for the big final. I also figured that the Kiwis would choke under the enormous pressure of their country's expectations.

That is basically what happened. France played a strong and determined game, while New Zealand spent the whole second half on its back foot, basically just waiting for the whistle to blow while they were still ahead. Also the French apparently got some bad breaks with the officiating, but this Welsh fan will have no sympathy for them on that point. Finally, the game was over and New Zealand could celebrate. For the next four years, no one can deny that they are the champions of the world.

Another UK analogy may be useful here. In 1984, Kentucky finally won the SEC tournament. In another very ugly game in Nashville, a heavily favored UK squad overcame its nerves, another terrible shooting day, and the efforts to Charles Barkley to scrape to a 51-49 victory over Auburn. And ever since that burden was lifted, the Cats have done pretty well in that tournament. Maybe the same thing will happen to the Kiwis.