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The All Blacks managed to salvage something from their disappointing 2003 Rugby World Cup campaign when they beat a sub-standard French team 40-13 at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney on Saturday - securing themselves third-place at the RWC. It was the most-often repeated statement before the game and it proved true, this useless third/fourth-place play-off contest is a game nobody wants. The French certainly looked disinterested, with the Kiwis' focus were more geared towards displaying their individual brilliance than their capabilities as a unit. But to their credit, the All Blacks were the more willing team on the day and...

Jonny Wilkinson booted England into the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final, the pivot kicking five penalties and three drop-goals, two of which were on his right foot, as his country earned a 24-7 win over a disappointing French side in Sydney on Sunday. The game will not win any beauty pageants, but England demonstrated the versatility that has put them at the top of the Zurich World Rankings by reacting to the adverse weather conditions to eke out a controlled 10-man victory. Their style of play may not win them any admirers in the purist camp, but it was exactly...