Pool A review: All Blacks win but lose Carter

New Zealand did what was needed to finish top of Pool A and sail through to the knockout stages of Rugby World Cup 2011 while Tonga produced the upset of the tournament with a win over France.

With the weight of a nation’s expectations on their shoulders, the All Blacks entered the tournament as clear favourites to take the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since the inaugural RWC in 1987.

The most scrutinised team in rugby came through the pool phase unscathed on the scoreboard, but New Zealand’s four straight wins were marred by the loss of playmaker Dan Carter on the eve of their final pool match against Canada.

With international rugby's record point scorer ruled out for the rest of the tournament after injuring his groin in training, coach Graham Henry has been forced to rethink his strategy heading into the knockout stage.

Colin Slade laid claim to the No.10 jersey with an impressive performance against the Canadians on Sunday, before moving to the wing to allow Piri Weepu his opportunity.

Biggest challenge

Despite lamenting the “tragic” loss of his star fly half, Henry was buoyed by the efforts of Slade and Weepu. While pleased with both players' performance, the All Blacks coach indicated Slade is the one likely to replace Carter in the starting XV for the quarter-final match against Argentina at Eden Park on 9 October.

“Colin Slade's the boy,” said Henry. “He just needs more football. We see Colin as the guy to play and we're just going to have to take him and see how he's performing out there and get him through."

New Zealand’s biggest challenge was always going to be France, who put an end to their RWC 2007 campaign when they beat the All Blacks in the quarter-finals.

There were no such dramas for Henry’s men at RWC 2011 as they disposed of Les Bleus 37-17 in their third Pool A outing. The match at Eden Park also marked captain Richie McCaw’s 100th All Blacks Test appearance.

The French raised more than a few eyebrows during the tournament with the selection of scrum half Morgan Parra at fly half and an increasingly apparent divide between the team and coach Marc Lièvremont.

Finished second

Les Bleus' 19-14 loss to Tonga on 1 October was hailed as the biggest surprise of RWC 2011, but while it would rank with major upsets at previous Rugby World Cups it did not change the expected quarter-final match-ups.

Despite having been beaten twice in pool play, Les Bleus finished second and will meet Pool B winners England at Eden Park on 8 October, leaving Lièvremont with the tough task this week of trying to reunite his squad.

"I thought I had experienced everything in terms of shame. But this time round, it's been an extremely violent feeling again,” the coach said following the Tonga match. “Each missed pass, each missed tackle, I took them as a deep personal failure.

"For now, there is no divide in the group, even if it may look like it. I'm still waiting for some reaction from the players. It's their choice if they do.

"I've got respect for them and think highly of them, I talk to them openly. I think it is reciprocal even though I am under no illusions.”

Mostly amateurs

Tonga were easily the best of the rest in Pool A, finishing third to automatically qualify for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.

The Sea Eagles faced a tough challenge from the outset of their campaign, losing 41-10 to New Zealand in the opener at Eden Park before going down 25-20 to Canada, but they found better form at the end to beat Japan and France.

With a squad boasting only a handful of professionals, Canada played with determination throughout the tournament.

While physically big enough to compete, the divide between amateur and professional rugby was apparent when the Canucks came up against France and New Zealand.

Considering how little rugby is played in their ice hockey-dominated country, Canada’s win over Tonga in their opening Pool A match was all the more notable. The victory in Whangarei was also their biggest RWC comeback, with the Canucks pulling back from a seven-point deficit.

A better team

Japan did not achieve their pre-tournament target of two wins, but the Brave Blossoms bowed out of RWC 2011 after some spirited performances and with a goal of doing substantially better when they host RWC 2019.

"We may not have attained the results we were looking for, but we have undoubtedly become a better rugby team,” said Osamu Ota, general manager of the Japan Rugby Football Union. "We still have a lot of catching up to do with the tier-one nations and we need to invest in the development of the team more than ever."

While Japan coach John Kirwan was disappointed his team weren’t able to register a victory in New Zealand - a draw with Canada was their best result - the former All Black believes his players have plenty of promise.

"I don't think we should lose sight of where we are heading, 2019 is a real goal for us,” he said. “By 2019, we should be in the top eight. It's a little bit of a disappointment, but we are heading in the right direction."