:00:19. > :00:22.After seven weeks, seven games, one red card, one nation brought to its
:00:22. > :00:28.feet, whale sperm that world Cup adventure has come to an end.
:00:28. > :00:33.Australia were a step too far, but is this end just a beginning for
:00:33. > :00:38.Warren Gatland's young guns? There is something special happening. We
:00:38. > :00:43.have got to take it that there is something special happened. To have
:00:43. > :00:48.that experience, it will stand them in a great place.
:00:48. > :00:54.Good evening, welcome to the final Scrum V special. Wales lose to
:00:54. > :00:58.Australia, but it has been a roller-coaster.
:00:58. > :01:04.Yes, at our expert panel will be reviewing all of Wales' World Cup
:01:04. > :01:09.campaign, and we will hear the views of this man. We will hear
:01:09. > :01:13.from our man in New Zealand as well. Welcome to Auckland, we will
:01:13. > :01:18.reflect on the match last night, the tournament as a whole, and we
:01:18. > :01:23.look ahead to the final tomorrow. That is all in the company of the
:01:23. > :01:29.man who played for Wales and the All Blacks.
:01:29. > :01:39.Please welcome our special guest, Tommy Bowe, Gareth Edwards, Matthew
:01:39. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:51.Welcome. Great to see you, Ireland beat Australia, but it was one game
:01:51. > :01:55.too far. That was one of the main highlights of our tournament,
:01:55. > :02:00.beating the Aussies. The Welsh have had a fantastic tournament. They
:02:00. > :02:06.played a lot of rugby. They made a few areas, they might have been
:02:06. > :02:11.tired, compared to a lot of the new fellas. Disappointing, but
:02:11. > :02:17.everybody should be proud. We have talked about the physicality, what
:02:17. > :02:21.happened to the attacking or Welsh side? We saw more errors today than
:02:21. > :02:26.we have seen in most of the tournament. Also, the set piece
:02:26. > :02:30.scrum was under pressure. You have got to give credit to the
:02:30. > :02:36.Australians, they attacked us in the scrum, they closed Jamie
:02:36. > :02:42.Roberts down. That is credit to the way they defended. Australia were
:02:42. > :02:49.desperate to win, equally so to Wales. Given the disappointment of
:02:49. > :02:55.losing in the semi-final, how difficult was it for those boys to
:02:55. > :02:59.pick themselves up? Very difficult. Losing to France last weekend,
:02:59. > :03:04.bearing down to 14 men for the duration of the game, the boys gave
:03:04. > :03:12.it their all. People do not realise how a group -- how tough the group
:03:12. > :03:17.was, and that will have an effect. That was proven this morning. There
:03:17. > :03:22.were some tired boys out there. Australia made eight changes, they
:03:22. > :03:27.freshened things up. It was called the Bronze Final, but it felt like
:03:27. > :03:33.an anti-climax. Yes come up when you have lost, we can see that, but
:03:33. > :03:38.at the time, Wales wanted to win, they wanted a tangible return. It
:03:38. > :03:45.should not detract from what they have achieved. We should still look
:03:45. > :03:50.to them as he rose, they have done very well. The difference of having
:03:50. > :03:54.to win and wanting to win might have been the difference, and it
:03:54. > :03:59.was those small mistakes that cost us dearly. We saw more of it today
:03:59. > :04:03.than we have seen in the last month. They were small margins, but you
:04:03. > :04:09.have got to make the most of your kicking opportunities, and you
:04:09. > :04:19.cannot keep turning the ball over. We saw that this morning. We have
:04:19. > :04:28.
:04:28. > :04:35.got plenty to talk about. Gareth This was disappointed.
:04:35. > :04:39.disappointing. The crux of things, when you play against the best
:04:39. > :04:43.teams, you need specialist players playing in specialist positions. I
:04:43. > :04:50.will not point the finger at individuals, I am speaking about
:04:50. > :04:56.the collective, we were found out as regards the strength in depth.
:04:56. > :05:00.We have got to talk about kicks. Two games ago, there was no problem
:05:00. > :05:09.with converting our opportunities. When you play against the best
:05:09. > :05:15.teams in the world, you have got to take advantage of every opportunity.
:05:15. > :05:19.Everybody is disappointed with the game. But as coaches, we are
:05:20. > :05:26.stressing, let's not let this one game overshadow of the good work
:05:26. > :05:33.that has taken place before tonight and before last week. The youth
:05:33. > :05:38.coming through in the system and in the squad, they are overpowering
:05:38. > :05:46.the elder statesman, who are carrying more baggage than the
:05:46. > :05:51.younger members. They have shown their true colours. I am sure that
:05:51. > :05:57.has come across to the public in Wales and to you as broadcasters.
:05:57. > :06:02.There is a calmness about things, there is a result, a confidence
:06:02. > :06:06.that is slowly building up. We have not been successful on this
:06:06. > :06:09.occasion, and perhaps it is a mark of a team that they are
:06:09. > :06:15.disappointed that they came fourth when they know they could have come
:06:15. > :06:21.third quite easily, or been second, and they are experiencing this so
:06:21. > :06:26.early in their career. It could be the next World Cup or the World Cup
:06:26. > :06:33.after that, or the one after that. To have that experience, it stands
:06:33. > :06:41.Welsh rugby in a great place. Those of the thoughts of the coach,
:06:41. > :06:50.these are the statistics. I was disappointed with the result
:06:50. > :06:54.today, we are missing too many kicks. We all saw it. Quite
:06:54. > :07:02.impressive, the figures. Nothing wrong with the scrum and line-out,
:07:02. > :07:06.but they were not putting the The territory is disappointing.
:07:06. > :07:11.Let's look at the combined statistics for the tournament, very
:07:11. > :07:20.healthy. Warren Gatland will be pleased with that. Compare that
:07:20. > :07:26.with the Six Nations! We have got things to build on. These were in
:07:26. > :07:32.the top three. George North has made a great name for himself. Mike
:07:32. > :07:40.Phillips, again, back to his old form. Toby Faletau, one of the men
:07:40. > :07:46.of the tournament. Outstanding contribution. Luke Charteris was
:07:46. > :07:56.there as well. Superb, despite a day.
:07:56. > :07:56.
:07:56. > :08:00.Warren Gatland had to shuffle his back row. They looked entirely
:08:00. > :08:05.different without Sam Warburton. Was it a mistake not to take a
:08:05. > :08:11.replacement seven in the squad? do not think so. Ilott has been
:08:11. > :08:19.made of that, but your back row is almost always as good as your front
:08:19. > :08:25.five. Toby is at his most effective carrying. If you play him at No. 8,
:08:26. > :08:29.he has the freedom to play with the back three, but I thought Ryan
:08:29. > :08:34.Jones had one of his best games today. The competition has come
:08:34. > :08:44.through them now. They are not old men, they have got another World
:08:44. > :08:48.Cup in them. Within the squad, the amount of competitiveness breeds
:08:48. > :08:52.into the game. If you have got a competitive squad, if you have got
:08:52. > :08:58.a competitive team. Fattish a rink. It would have been nice to have
:08:58. > :09:04.seen to be with the ball in his hand, but we will never know.
:09:04. > :09:08.was going on with the slower ball? The Australian defence was
:09:08. > :09:16.outstanding, the players have brought in that energy, they have
:09:16. > :09:24.got speed, and because this havoc. -- they caused this havoc. We
:09:24. > :09:29.missed Sam Warburton massively in terms of the contact area. Again,
:09:29. > :09:35.with Adam out of the scrum, Paul has had experience at tight head,
:09:36. > :09:40.but his preferred position is loose head. We came unstuck. You cannot
:09:40. > :09:46.fault Australia for their great defence. When you come up against a
:09:46. > :09:50.class act, you know you're in for again. It is all about balance and
:09:50. > :09:56.being on the front foot. So much pressure coming from the Aussies.
:09:56. > :10:01.We did not look like we had a great difference, but it makes the
:10:01. > :10:05.difference for the back row. There is nothing better than going
:10:05. > :10:11.forward. That is what made it difficult for Wales. Jamie was
:10:11. > :10:19.getting nailed in midfield. We could not get the ball back quickly
:10:19. > :10:24.so that our backs could work at it. It sounds easy, but once they had
:10:24. > :10:29.the bit between their teeth, they were difficult to shake off.
:10:29. > :10:34.statistics are brittle, Wales lost by one point, one. And three points.
:10:34. > :10:40.When you get chances to kick at goal, you have got to take them.
:10:40. > :10:47.course. That has never been a problem in Wales. The past couple
:10:47. > :10:51.of games, people have pointed the finger is, and at this level, you
:10:51. > :10:56.have to take your chances, and that is going to come down to goal-
:10:56. > :11:01.kicking, which is disappointing. Wales showed the quality they have,
:11:01. > :11:06.they scored some great tries, their defence was at standing, it is
:11:06. > :11:10.disappointing it has come down to a few small errors and missed kicks.
:11:11. > :11:15.The boffins have been at work, Stephen Jones leads the way as far
:11:15. > :11:25.as the goalkicker stats are concerned. 87% success rate. James
:11:25. > :11:29.
:11:29. > :11:37.Hook slotted 53%. They would have been working with those players.
:11:37. > :11:39.You either pick somebody for their goal-kicking... Maybe you make a
:11:39. > :11:44.compromise and you pick somebody for goal-kicking at this level.
:11:44. > :11:48.That success rate is not good enough. We know James Hook is a
:11:48. > :11:53.good kicker, but under pressure in that environment, you need players,
:11:53. > :11:57.Jonny Wilkinson, Neil Jenkins, Ronan O'Gara, they are the
:11:57. > :12:01.difference. The team have been outstanding in every aspect, they
:12:01. > :12:10.have been competitive in every area, the only area that has let them
:12:10. > :12:16.down is the cakes. I want to go to New Zealand. We built this game up,
:12:16. > :12:20.but in the end, it was a damp squib. Interesting to hear a good talking
:12:20. > :12:28.about the cakes, because last night, kicking was dominating the topic of
:12:28. > :12:36.conversation. We have two guests this morning, Shane Howarth and
:12:36. > :12:46.Paul Race. The kicks, in the end, was that the difference? Definitely.
:12:46. > :12:46.
:12:46. > :12:51.The last three matches, they missed 10 out of 17. You lose games by a
:12:51. > :12:56.couple of points, that is what has cost them. Is it the ruthless
:12:57. > :13:04.streak that the southern-hemisphere has? You cannot put that down to
:13:04. > :13:08.the kicking. James Hook was struggling a little bit. The Welsh
:13:08. > :13:14.went away from the formula that got them to the quarter-finals. That is
:13:14. > :13:19.the more important point. They went away from the game that got them to
:13:19. > :13:25.the quarter-finals. Was that partly because they were without Adam
:13:25. > :13:30.Jones and Sam Warburton, specialist positions? Last night, they played
:13:30. > :13:34.too narrow, they played Australia into the 15, but we have seen them
:13:34. > :13:39.go wide, and that is when they have been at their best. It was not
:13:39. > :13:45.until the last minute, when Leigh Halfpenny scored, but they had gone
:13:45. > :13:53.wide. Before that, it was easy for the Australians to defend, because
:13:53. > :13:57.the Welsh try to play of the middle. Australia, the try Mason's
:13:57. > :14:07.champions -- each way Nations champions, they should not be
:14:07. > :14:14.
:14:14. > :14:23.underestimated. The defeat gets narrower, but they need to get
:14:23. > :14:27.wider. Turnovers were a bit of a problem. It is a great shame,
:14:27. > :14:31.because up until the France game, Wales had played some of the best
:14:31. > :14:37.rugby of the tournament. They were sharper tactically, they buried
:14:37. > :14:43.their game astutely, and it is a shame that the sending off and the
:14:43. > :14:46.injury of Rhys Priestland seems to have cost them. Rhys Priestland
:14:47. > :14:53.suddenly so sorely missed in a match, the younger guard have come
:14:53. > :15:03.through, and they used at some of the older guard.
:15:03. > :15:04.
:15:04. > :15:09.-- but they took over from some of Did Wales run out of steam today?
:15:09. > :15:16.think key features were missing today. First was the scrum. Jones
:15:16. > :15:22.was sorely missed. Robinson has been very effective. And with Sam
:15:22. > :15:28.Warburton, the contact area has been another feature of the game,
:15:28. > :15:33.and also they have been able to generate speed. He has been in to
:15:33. > :15:38.man -- instrumental in doing that. Your players have had a fabulous
:15:38. > :15:43.World Cup. I am very proud of these guys. They started the journey
:15:43. > :15:47.towards the end of last season and a finishing the season in the Welsh
:15:47. > :15:51.squad. It means a lot to them to play for Wales and I am so proud to
:15:51. > :15:57.them demonstrating skills they have on that stage. Are you ready to put
:15:57. > :16:07.the phone down on some clubs after your players? I will have to keep
:16:07. > :16:08.
:16:08. > :16:13.people away now! And the some good guys. Thank you, Darren Edwards!
:16:13. > :16:18.Great to see years. 24 years after they met in the first final of the
:16:18. > :16:23.Rugby World Cup, France and New Zealand meet again on Sunday.
:16:23. > :16:26.From the New Zealand perspective, only one set of faces has mattered.
:16:26. > :16:30.There has only been one colour and it has been everywhere, even if
:16:30. > :16:35.some of them did not make it. The profile of the All Blacks has never
:16:35. > :16:39.been higher. The fall from grace if they were to lose would be greater
:16:39. > :16:47.than the previous five World Cups and they are up against the World
:16:47. > :16:53.Cup nemesis. The Australians have a particular
:16:53. > :16:58.grip. That was demonstrated in 1999. We've played France and athletic
:16:59. > :17:03.park in Wellington and the score was 54-3 to the All Blacks and two
:17:03. > :17:07.months later, there was a massive victory to France in a semi kind
:17:07. > :17:14.will -- a semi-final of the World Cup, at so we know how difficult it
:17:14. > :17:24.will be. New Zealand-born and the World Cup 24 years ago and beat
:17:24. > :17:24.
:17:24. > :17:31.France. The fame and acclaim would be instantaneous in the 21st
:17:31. > :17:35.century. In the last few weeks, he has not been able to play much but
:17:35. > :17:41.has kept his performance high because he can play the game in his
:17:41. > :17:47.head. New Zealand have a heart of week embrace the World Cup. Defeat
:17:47. > :17:54.and another failure would be of apocalyptic proportions. Is we did
:17:54. > :18:01.blow it, do not mention it -- if we did. The depressive quality would
:18:01. > :18:07.be huge. So many people absolutely certain this weekend is ours. A do
:18:07. > :18:13.not want to think about that. not sure, it is not the end of the
:18:13. > :18:21.world. Some people feel that way. I do not want to go down that track,
:18:21. > :18:25.to be honest. You have to suck it up and perform and do it. Were at
:18:25. > :18:30.about the French? New Zealand has admired them for their dashing
:18:30. > :18:36.style of play. Until now, the free abandon on the field is one thing,
:18:36. > :18:41.off it, especially define your isolated coach, is another. This -
:18:41. > :18:45.these players, according to one player, are not fit to lick the
:18:45. > :18:48.boots of the players before them. But they could still provide a kick.
:18:48. > :18:52.They have the ability to play outstanding rugby and they have
:18:52. > :18:57.done that in the past. And they will have nothing to lose on
:18:57. > :19:02.Saturday and they will play well. They may turn up in true French
:19:02. > :19:07.fashion and, here we go! In New Zealand win on Sunday, expect to
:19:07. > :19:14.hear the roar from Auckland in Wales. Sunday should be about one
:19:14. > :19:24.set of faces and one country. After waiting 24 years, the stadium of 4
:19:24. > :19:26.
:19:26. > :19:31.million is ready to celebrate. And give the 1999 and 2007, I
:19:31. > :19:35.suppose if there is one team left the All Blacks fear, that is France.
:19:35. > :19:45.This is a classic French try that shows you write them off at your
:19:45. > :19:50.
:19:50. > :19:55.of thing they can do. Length of the field, what a try! And the one
:19:55. > :20:05.brave series, both those test matches to win the series. -- and
:20:05. > :20:08.
:20:08. > :20:11.Everything he said it is just right, Graham Henry. Everybody is saying
:20:12. > :20:16.the French do not deserve to be here, but they do not care, they
:20:16. > :20:20.are in the final. It is a worry when everyone is saying they are
:20:20. > :20:23.the worst in the tournament, it is a worry for New Zealand. As much as
:20:23. > :20:27.Graham Henry will be telling his troops what he said, the media will
:20:27. > :20:32.be thinking the All Blacks will win against France.
:20:32. > :20:39.You play against the French. Marc Lievremont has fallen out with his
:20:39. > :20:44.players and they are in the Rugby World Cup final, how?
:20:44. > :20:53.It is a puzzle to me. To lose two games, how they have got through to
:20:53. > :20:56.the final is crazy. But they are the and the Northern hemisphere
:20:56. > :21:01.team New Zealand were worry about. They have gone down and beaten them
:21:01. > :21:03.on their home patch in the last couple of years. New Zealand
:21:03. > :21:10.embarrassed them earlier in the tournament and I think they should
:21:10. > :21:16.be worried. My head thinks New Zealand will win comfortably, but I
:21:17. > :21:19.would love to go and see France Paul -- put on a real fight. I
:21:19. > :21:26.would be upset if they were third tonight.
:21:26. > :21:30.I was in Rome at the end of March when Italy did the reigning Grand
:21:30. > :21:34.Slam champions France, they were a mess. And here they are in the
:21:34. > :21:40.Rugby World Cup final. That is French rugby. The boys have covered
:21:40. > :21:44.it. New Zealand are overwhelming favourites. We have always said
:21:44. > :21:49.this is theirs to lose. Even if France play their best rugby they
:21:49. > :21:55.have played all year, let alone in the last month, I still think New
:21:55. > :22:01.Zealand have enough to beat them. But at their peril. And that is the
:22:01. > :22:06.beauty of Sunday's game. Absolutely. Back to allow a man in
:22:06. > :22:10.New Zealand. It is crunch time for Graham Henry. -- our man.
:22:10. > :22:16.It's his. I will come on to the theories about the French. New
:22:16. > :22:20.Zealand, we will talk about them first. How far away will Graham
:22:20. > :22:30.Henry have to emigrate if it does not happen tomorrow? You will see
:22:30. > :22:36.him back up in Wales', probably! -- Wales. There are probably over 3
:22:36. > :22:41.million people from New Zealand watching knowing what they have in
:22:41. > :22:46.store tomorrow night, and I believe given how much the All Blacks have
:22:46. > :22:52.been bitten of the last few World Cups, they are different be focused.
:22:52. > :22:58.I think that will stand them in good stead. New Zealand, everybody
:22:58. > :23:03.will think it will be easy. That is not the way they look at it in the
:23:03. > :23:10.All Blacks. We have spoken about this a lot, this French arguing
:23:11. > :23:15.behind the scenes. But you have a theory. It has got to be a stunt.
:23:15. > :23:25.To allow players to rant and rave about the coach and vice versa, it
:23:25. > :23:27.
:23:27. > :23:31.is a queasy French tactic. -- crazy. There was an independent report we
:23:31. > :23:36.New Zealand lost in 2007 and one finding was that the All Blacks on
:23:36. > :23:40.never more vulnerable than when they're public is over-confident of
:23:40. > :23:44.victory, and France are looking to tap into that that they are jokers
:23:44. > :23:49.and they have no chance. But they are not when you look at them on
:23:49. > :23:54.paper. They have played the Biarritz way so far, but they have
:23:54. > :24:04.the capacity to play like to lose. And if they turn up on Sunday, it
:24:04. > :24:07.
:24:08. > :24:11.will make a game for them. -- Toulouse. France side will turn --
:24:11. > :24:15.you never know which French team is going to turn up.
:24:15. > :24:21.You have to give me �5 for saying that!
:24:21. > :24:25.I will pay you, do not worry. Bad is a warning, at no more, I do
:24:25. > :24:35.not know which French team will turn up! -- that is.
:24:35. > :24:35.
:24:35. > :24:45.This is what the fans think. All the way from New Zealand, give
:24:45. > :24:46.
:24:46. > :24:54.it up! Pet is less than 36 hours to go, how are you feeling? -- there
:24:54. > :25:04.is. Tense, nervous, tight. All of those things. Perfectly relaxed and
:25:04. > :25:10.ready to take on them, even though we are not playing Wales. Is the
:25:10. > :25:14.whole country feeling that way? speak for all off them everywhere
:25:14. > :25:19.and there are more living outside the country can hear. But we all
:25:19. > :25:24.know for certain there are only two teams in this tournament. They
:25:24. > :25:33.might be blamed the French, but we would prefer to be playing Wales. -
:25:33. > :25:39.- they might be playing. Can you even contemplate losing? No more
:25:39. > :25:48.than anybody else. And he started this world -- and we started this
:25:48. > :25:53.World Cup talking about Dan Carter, now it is about Piru Weepu.
:25:53. > :26:02.would give him the best support we can. He fills out the short quite
:26:02. > :26:11.well at the back! Toby Faletau has been nominated for Rugby World Cup
:26:11. > :26:15.tournament player. I gave him the boot. Outstanding for... They have
:26:15. > :26:19.embraced him as a Welshman and from the Pacific islands, I would like
:26:19. > :26:24.to present him with this small token of our rugby appreciation.
:26:24. > :26:34.Outstanding work. I am sure he would love that. We have loved a
:26:34. > :26:44.
:26:44. > :26:50.He is a top man. That is the Rugby World Cup Final, but he would make
:26:51. > :26:55.the team of the tournament? -- who would.
:26:55. > :27:04.It is an absolute pleasure to be asked to pick the team of the
:27:04. > :27:10.tournament. Let me share why. A lot of red-shirts and deservedly so.
:27:10. > :27:16.What a centre partnership. He would defend against those two. -- he
:27:16. > :27:23.would defend against those two? What a set of backs. But they lead
:27:23. > :27:28.a pack -- they need a pack in front to deliver quality Boll -- ball. No
:27:28. > :27:36.team can represent this tournament without Adam Jones. Luke Charteris
:27:36. > :27:43.has been phenomenal. And we have two more Welshmen, Toby Faletau,
:27:43. > :27:48.and Warburtons. That is the perfect pack. They have impressed everyone
:27:48. > :27:58.and I am sure most people would agree with the team I have selected.
:27:58. > :28:00.
:28:00. > :28:10.Find out what the panel thinks. I could not see... Starting with you,
:28:10. > :28:13.
:28:13. > :28:17.Matthew. Sam Warburton. That is a tight call. He has been struggling
:28:17. > :28:23.with injury and has not been able to train, but he has fronted up on
:28:23. > :28:28.the game days. Sam Warburton has just come on the black and has led
:28:28. > :28:35.Wales really well in this campaign. And will be there for many more
:28:36. > :28:43.years. Kingsley has his coach's head on and discerning, what is he
:28:43. > :28:52.doing? Castrogiovanni, Adam Jones. Castrogiovanni has been outstanding.
:28:52. > :28:57.This is a bit red and black! I would agree with Luke Charteris. I
:28:57. > :29:07.do not know how you can leave David Pocock out of the team. What about
:29:07. > :29:12.his scrum-half? I agree with that. I think he has stood up. I think
:29:12. > :29:20.Mike deserves a place. Rhys Priestland, when he played. Not
:29:20. > :29:25.many disagreements elsewhere. But Castrogiovanni certainly. I know
:29:25. > :29:31.from my experience he scored four tries from scrum, two turnover
:29:31. > :29:36.scrums. I he came off against you and the game changed. And think in
:29:36. > :29:41.the past playing against him, if you let him get on top of you, they
:29:41. > :29:47.are a very difficult team to beat. But we really went after him. He
:29:47. > :29:57.came off after 35 minutes, which was a -- which was a huge bonus for
:29:57. > :30:00.
:30:00. > :30:10.Two right-wingers. I should be in there! It is a strong side, it is
:30:10. > :30:18.very Welsh, obviously! He did not put his boy in there! Can I ask a
:30:18. > :30:26.scrum half what you think of the joys? There is only one guy. As
:30:26. > :30:31.well as Piri Weepu played... He has been one of the outstanding scrum-
:30:31. > :30:39.halves of the tournament, but Mike Phillips every time. I would have
:30:39. > :30:49.thought you would have had a tough job, putting Lloyd in! I am going
:30:49. > :30:54.
:30:54. > :31:04.to agree! Happy birthday! Time to catch up with Eddie Butler. His
:31:04. > :31:12.
:31:12. > :31:17.Here we are, it is what we always wanted, to go to Eden Park at the
:31:17. > :31:27.end of October, for a final. Not the one we wanted, but still, here
:31:27. > :31:28.
:31:28. > :31:38.we go. The missed drop goal, but how we Schalke the Rugby World!
:31:38. > :31:40.
:31:40. > :31:45.Then, what a good second half in the next game. Nigel Irvine's
:31:45. > :31:52.should never have been given eight game with Wales in that group.
:31:52. > :31:58.Still, Namibia, all I remember, the mountain coming out and George
:31:58. > :32:06.North running like a loon. Then, Fiji, what happened to them? The
:32:06. > :32:10.teams that did not turn up. Fiji, England! Then, Ireland in the
:32:10. > :32:17.quarter-final. It was supposed to be the dream ticket. They beat
:32:17. > :32:27.Australia, we lost to South Africa, one of us was bound to go through.
:32:27. > :32:29.
:32:29. > :32:35.But it was not so. Two bright sides, and one had to go out. And then,
:32:35. > :32:44.there was France, I still find it hard to talk about it. Too much has
:32:44. > :32:50.been said about referees, too many referees in general. Why not have a
:32:50. > :32:56.competition about referees? Whatever happened to the unseen,
:32:56. > :33:00.unheard referee? There was another Finn, the missed a drop goal. We
:33:00. > :33:09.missed one against South Africa, and against France, it went away as
:33:09. > :33:13.well. Here we are, back at Eden Park. We are disappointed not to be
:33:13. > :33:23.here for the Grand Final, and that says a lot about what Wales have
:33:23. > :33:26.
:33:26. > :33:30.done. The boys have been absolutely magnificent. One more time! Eden
:33:30. > :33:36.Park, we can say goodbye to wit. Fourth at the World Cup. It is
:33:36. > :33:42.still pretty good. We need Adam Jones, but we knew that before we
:33:42. > :33:47.came. We need Sam Warburton. We sort of knew that. We need Rhys
:33:47. > :33:53.Priestland, goodness me! We did not know that! What they find he has
:33:53. > :33:58.been! Without him, we do not block the same at all. George North ran
:33:58. > :34:05.his heart out and he was sensational. Shane Williams
:34:05. > :34:09.finished with a try. It was probably a forward pass! But it was
:34:09. > :34:16.courageous to the end, inventive to the end, we ran out of steam, we
:34:16. > :34:26.ran out of players, but all in all, that was a good World Cup.
:34:26. > :34:31.
:34:31. > :34:36.Let's go live to New Zealand. The performance of the Welsh team has
:34:36. > :34:39.galvanised this country, the whole country was united last week, but
:34:39. > :34:44.all we are here rig here is that the New Zealanders have got behind
:34:44. > :34:51.Wales as well. Yes, they have almost become the
:34:51. > :34:56.unofficial adopted team, because of the way they have played the game.
:34:56. > :35:02.Respect has been a really big word, that Wales have not had from New
:35:02. > :35:07.Zealand in the past. I think they have it now. Warren Gatland was
:35:07. > :35:15.quiet until after the semi-final, which helped! He has had a prickly
:35:15. > :35:19.one at New Zealand as before. The way they played. Also, the way they
:35:19. > :35:25.conducted themselves. After the semi-final, 4 million people did
:35:25. > :35:28.not agree with the referee. That was a measure of the young boy.
:35:28. > :35:37.Listening to Sam Warburton speak, sea and the respect that other
:35:37. > :35:42.players have got, it will stand him in good stead. It was unfortunate
:35:42. > :35:47.they could not get across the line. With the way they have played and
:35:47. > :35:51.conducted themselves... Warren Gatland had a lot to say,
:35:51. > :35:55.particularly looking forward, but he might start pensioning off some
:35:56. > :36:05.of the older players before the Six Nations. But that is a big risk,
:36:06. > :36:07.
:36:07. > :36:11.because the props, T he -- he does not have many options. There are
:36:11. > :36:17.some old players for New Zealand and Argentina. For Wales, there is
:36:17. > :36:22.a small pool. You freshen up, but you want to keep players for as
:36:22. > :36:28.long as they have got something. Consistency is key, we have seen
:36:28. > :36:36.what they can do here, they cannot let this drop now. A lot of players
:36:36. > :36:42.will still be there in 2015. This experience will do them well. You
:36:42. > :36:47.look at the All Blacks, they have kept this side through the
:36:47. > :36:52.tournament. It has got them to the final. You cannot take away World
:36:52. > :37:00.Cup experience. It is a young side, and I would hate to think how good
:37:00. > :37:04.they will be in 2015. Who would have thought, Wales make the final
:37:04. > :37:14.weekend, and whatever happens, what a position for them to be in and to
:37:14. > :37:18.
:37:18. > :37:22.The boys have just been talking about Warren Gatland, what next?
:37:22. > :37:31.Four years ago, when Welsh rugby was in disarray, it was to this man
:37:31. > :37:38.they turned for salvation. Roger Lewis scarlet the group. Warren
:37:38. > :37:42.Gatland was on top of his wish-list. In the blink of an eye, he turned
:37:42. > :37:48.18 crashed into one that would sweep all before them at the next
:37:48. > :37:53.Six Nations. 18 of Grand Slam winners. As expectations were
:37:53. > :37:57.raised, performances slumped. They finished fourth for the next three
:37:57. > :38:03.years. Many questioned the wisdom of extending his contract for
:38:03. > :38:07.another four years. How that confidence has been repaid. He has
:38:07. > :38:11.an unshakeable faith in his ability and in the players he picks. He has
:38:11. > :38:15.never shied from making controversial calls. Rhys
:38:15. > :38:20.Priestland was third choice before the World Cup. An injury to Stephen
:38:20. > :38:26.Jones gave him a chance, and he took it. The campaign has made
:38:26. > :38:30.Warren Gatland a target, but he has moved quickly to dispel any rumours.
:38:30. > :38:34.He is signed until the next World Cup, and he intends to stay. He has
:38:34. > :38:40.called this tournament a watershed, a journey to the next one starts
:38:40. > :38:45.now. I had a chat with him after the
:38:45. > :38:49.England home game, and there was a remarkable confidence about him. He
:38:49. > :38:53.was talking about the younger players, how they have galvanised
:38:53. > :39:00.the older players. Have you been surprised how well they have done?
:39:00. > :39:05.Yes. I thought the quarter-finals were realistic. Ireland beating
:39:05. > :39:10.Australia turn the tournament around. I thought Ireland would be
:39:10. > :39:19.too experienced. To perform as we have done, Warren Gatland deserves
:39:19. > :39:26.a massive amount of credit. 75% of the jobless election. -- the job
:39:26. > :39:34.his selection. A lot of coaches her on the side of experience, he has
:39:34. > :39:37.given young men chances. They have stepped up. The other coaches are
:39:37. > :39:42.there to work on the defence and the tactics. He has done a
:39:42. > :39:47.fantastic job, nobody can question that. The other person who should
:39:47. > :39:57.take credit is Roger Lewis. The union did criticism for offering
:39:57. > :40:02.Warren Gatland a four-year deal before a World Cup. It was a smart
:40:02. > :40:07.piece of business. A calculated risk, well done. He was the man he
:40:07. > :40:15.wanted for the next four years, but also, I think they should be credit
:40:15. > :40:19.to the regions, because they have not come out of a spaceship. They
:40:19. > :40:23.have come up through the academies. We knew that Sam Warburton would be
:40:23. > :40:28.special a few years ago, the way he was practising with the senior
:40:28. > :40:34.players. Everybody has contributed, and we should be very proud. There
:40:34. > :40:41.is a campaign on Twitter to save Sean, because his contract is
:40:41. > :40:49.running out. How important is he? Very important. He has Porton a
:40:49. > :40:57.structure which works well. -- porter in a structure. If you want
:40:57. > :41:02.to win trophies, defence will be key to that. That was shown in 2008.
:41:02. > :41:06.The defence has been outstanding debt. He works well with Warren
:41:06. > :41:11.Gatland, and it is important to keep them together. We would have
:41:11. > :41:16.preferred it if you were wearing the red of Wales. You were injured.
:41:16. > :41:24.Did you get a sense that they were on to something special? Definitely.
:41:24. > :41:29.I went to the camps in Poland, you could see it building. I was
:41:29. > :41:34.disappointed to drop out of the squad in August, but we had three
:41:34. > :41:38.tough games against England and Argentina, and you could see that
:41:38. > :41:42.the boys were on the verge of something special. The biggest
:41:42. > :41:51.thing, the youngsters have done a great job. Her blue they will be
:41:51. > :41:56.there for many years, and we will only use a couple of players --
:41:56. > :42:05.only lose a couple of players. played against them, we talked
:42:05. > :42:11.about how fit they look. A lot of the boys in previous years, they
:42:11. > :42:16.would have played against Ireland in the past, but this year, the
:42:16. > :42:19.defence was exceptional, they all stood up to the plate. Going
:42:19. > :42:26.forward, it will be exciting for Welsh rugby, it will be good for
:42:26. > :42:33.the regions, they will be coming back, they will be focusing on the