Final: Australia Claim Second World Cup
Australia v France, 35-12
(Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 6 November 1999)
France had worked a miracle befitting Lourdes in rising from the dead at Twickenham to run rings around the All Blacks in the semifinal. Now they came to the new glory of Cardiff's rugby – Millennium Stadium and all its grandeur – and at last a city which embraced the 1999 World Cup and the happy crowds in its streets and pubs.
The occasion was, field condition apart, splendid, the match one-sided, for the French abandoned the elan and panache of Twickenham as if winning that miracle match was their World Cup. In fact they swapped glory for some pretty tawdry practices that led John Eales, Australia's noble captain, to warn that he would take his team off the field.
The adamantine Australian defence, which yielded only a single try in the whole World Cup, was, as in 1991, unbudging and gave the French only kicked scores.
Despite creative spirits such as Stephen Larkham, Tim Horan who was voted the player of the World Cup, Ben Tune and Matthew Burke, the Wallabies could manage only two tries and the French managed to stay in touch for much of the game's first half.
Abdelatif Benazzi thought he had scored a try but was brought back for an earlier knock-on but half-time came and four kicks were ahead of two, 12-6 to Australia.
With a quarter of an hour to go, George Gregan, Horan and Owen Finegan got together to bundle Ben Tune over.
Their only other try came deep in injury time when Gregan broke from a line-out and played inside to Finegan. The burly flank rumbled on and on and undeviatingly on to score for a try that made the score look like a hiding.
Queen Elizabeth II gave the cup to John Eales and Australia became the first team to win the Webb Ellis Cup twice, the only team to win it away from home.
The Wallabies stuffed Bill into their pouch and waltzed off home as heroes.
Scorers:
For Australia:
Tries: Finegan, Tune
Cons: Burke 2
Pens: Burke 7
For France:
Pens: Lamaison 4
Teams:
Australia: Matthew Burke, Ben Tune, Dan Herbert, Tim Horan, Joe Roff, Stephen Larkham, George Gregan, Toutai Kefu, David Wilson, Matt Cockbain, David Giffin, John Eales (captain), Richard Harry, Michael Foley, Andrew Blades.
Replacements: Mark Connors, Dan Crowley, Owen Finegan, Nathan Grey, Jason Little, Jeremy Paul, Chris Whitaker.
France: Xavier Garbajosa, Philippe Bernat-Salles, Emile Ntamack, Richard Dourthe, Christophe Dominci, Christophe Lamaison, Fabien Galthié, Christophe Juillet, Olivier Magne, Marc Lièvremont, Fabien Pelous, Abdelatif Benazzi, Franck Tournaire, Raphaël Ibañez (captain), Cédric Soulette.
Replacements: Olivier Brouzet, Arnaud Costes, Marc Dal Maso, Pieter de Villiers, Stéphane Glas, Ugo Mola, Stéphane Castaignède.
Referee: André Watson (South Africa)
