perennial chokers

they have choked again.

all blacks 18-20 france.

im frustrated n angry. n i can feel it even in my bones. im sad, yes, but tts not e key emotion.

i noe ppl say it's just a game. but it isnt. it's not fanaticism as well, u see. im not a hardcore rugby fan. i do watch alot more than any ordinary folk, but definitely not as much as im a fan of soccer. but it's sth tt goes to e emotions. it affects u. deeply, in e veins. if ur a sports fan, ull understand.

u noe it's serious when u wake up e next day n e feelin stays w u. it's not e same when manchester united loses to a crap team. those days, i can read it. i can notice e usual flow isnt there. i can notice off-form players. i can notice a lack of heart. when they do lose, u dun see disappointment or regret. sometimes they seem so arrogant n narcissistic tt i'll be pissed how they can be so aloof to e poor showin. but it's different w e all blacks.

it's like. an all-conquering roger federer, sittin atop e tennis rankings since Feb 2004, chasin history, w only e clay French Open eludin him. movin into e Grand Slam, he snapped his main rival, claycourt kingpin rafael nadal's record winning streak on clay. he showed his class thru e French Open, reached e final, n then lost to nadal again. or. benfica inflictin a defeat on manchester united in e last group match of champions league 2005/06, e first time united failed to reach e knockout stages. those were e last times i felt this agonizing after-taste.

it is how everythin builds up. e expectations, e hype, n e history.

easily e greatest rugby team in e sports history. they're considered by almost all to be head n shoulders above e rest. it's as if rugby is e all blacks. e rest are there to chase after em. but, compared to michael schumacher, pete sampras, n liverpool, they do not have e records to show for it. tri-nations, six nations, or any other tours, or takin on other combined all-stars, e all blacks have performed like who they are. they do not just win. they mesmerise. n they walk over their opponents. but e blot is. they've actually not won e world cup since becomin inaugural champions in 1987. 20 whole years they've gone in as favourites. n they've choked.

this time, no different in reputation. an equally strong team compared w e past, w players who are e best in their positions on e globe. some critics even call e team e best ever. ull take note, considering greats like andrew mehrtens, jonah lomu, christian cullen, taine randell, jeff wilson, josh kronfeld, carlos spencer, justin marshall, kees meeuws, n tana umaga are no longer around. they have gone on a rampage under graham henry since 2003, immediately forgettin about e wound. not just were they winnin, they pulled away from their nearest rivals. jonny wilkinson hurt himself n england slumped; australia became a mess; france was in transition. their build-up to this world cup was excellent, most importantly without major disruptions on personnel.

ppl genuinely believed it's gonna be theirs after 20 years. but it was e case every edition. they come in, they sweep e group, then throw it away in e knockouts. e papers had it all. coverage n hype, over if they'll choke again. e match-up was 1999 replayed. france again. flashback, it was also a peerless all blacks against a talented but splutterin french. no one gave em much chance. n e kiwis led 24-10 in no time. but france pulled off one of e greatest turnarounds, scorin 33 points. how much will tt history influence e game? i thot it wont. e all blacks are too professional to be affected. france, supposedly a top 3 favourite of this edition but meekly succumbed to e argentinians on openin day, has gotten her groove back, though maybe not soon enough. e media played up e attention on e opposin hookers, anton oliver n rafael ibanez, legends in their own right, who featured in 1999. e french captain hoped e story will inspire his troops. oliver just wants to erase tt memory n set things right.

like '99, nth was in favor of france. they screwed up openin day's festivities in paris by losing a given. much like e soccer team's loss to senegal on openin day in 2002, when defendin e world cup. they're stylish n has home advantage, but critics pan they lack substance. man for man, they're in for a drubbin. e all blacks now boast e most powerful front row in world rugby; e french were never renowned for tt. serge betsen is a world class flanker, sebastien chabal is fearsome, but richie mccaw, jerry collins, rodney so'oialo, ali williams as e back row looks like an all-star selection. leon macdonald is capable n experienced; france is using an upstart for e critical fullback position. in midfield e experienced first-choice fullback mils muliaina n e talented luke mcalister do face a battle in world class centre yannick jauzion. all blacks' wings are try machines; france only has cedric heymans who is dangerous. in e inspirational position of flyhalf talented youngster lionel beauxis meets 2005 world player of e year daniel carter. only at scrumhalf are the french more equipped, jean-baptiste elissalde a rising star, e possessed byron kelleher just capable. but snarlin on e bench further are most-capped chris jack, record try-scorer doug howlett, underrated nick evans n top deputy kevan mealamu, players who can walk into any other international XV any day. e mercurial frederic michalak is no longer e same man, more erratic than inspirational nowadays. n betsen, one of france's great hopes, was injured 4mins into e match.

this then happened. muliaina n carter injured themselves durin e group stages, n wernt exactly fit for this match. their play showed flaws durin e games against e minor teams. apart from their near-perfect moves in other departments, they were losin too many balls. i was fearful tt france can expose this. n e commentator noted, v insightfully, tt up till now, e strongest test e all blacks have had was scotland, whom they beat 40-0. they not just have to peak now, they must have the fortitude to match a top-pooled country. n they cldnt.

after displayin to france how to play smooth, passin, magical rugby in e openin periods, goin 13-0 up, everythin crumbled in e 2nd half. mcalister got sinbinned, e kiwis were exposed all over, france gained confidence n momentum, ran riot over a panicky all blacks. as all these played out, n when e all blacks needed their best, carter, oliver, kelleher n then reserve flyhalf evans were all replaced. michalak came on, n w his first touch n burst he split e kiwis, n assisted e subsequent try. e all blacks were down. they pushed n pushed w pick-n-gos n in e dyin minutes sent a half-field crazy drop kick wide. before they, as predicted, got turned over in their last possession.

though not like '99, france knew they pulled off sth special. an at first straight-faced but now jubilant bernard laporte vs a proud but defeated henry. there were other lastin images. carter was tearin on e bench, w e veteran mealamu givin him a consolin pat. he knows he cld have done alot more. with near 700 points at only 25, his scorin was relatively low here. if he wasnt half-fit n had peaked, e team cld go all e way. he still has his future ahead, but this cld v well be e best chance he will have. collins, so'oialo, kelleher, mccaw, oliver gave their all, blood n sweat, n looked miserable at e end. it was more than just a game. to these maori warriors, they've let down others whom they fight for. they've let down e performance of e haka. more significantly, they've let e great opportunity to be inducted in history as a formidable force slip.