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 World Cup Words
Posted: Monday November 08, 1999 12:52 PM
LONDON (Reuters) -- Quotes from players, coaches and supporters during the World Cup which ended Saturday with a win for Australia over France in the final. "We came here with one goal, to win the World Cup," It's the pinnacle of rugby and we're very proud of what we've achieved. It wasn't easy, but we did it." -- Australian captain John Eales after receiving the trophy. "There's been some fantastic players in this tournament and I feel a little embarrassed to win this award," -- Australian center Tim Horan after being named player of the tournament. "The Australians played like a team used to high level matches while we were like kids playing a World Cup final." -- French captain Rapael Ibanez. "Of course I'm disappointed, but we were still second and that's brilliant." - French supporter in the heart of Paris still celebrating despite a giant screen relaying the result of the French defeat in the final. "I don't really want to talk about that now but there were things happening on the field that we weren't happy about." -- John Eales when asked by a journalist whether his teammates had been eye gouged by the French players. "For decades, the French coaches have tried to improve discipline and other things to make France perform well on a regular basis but it has never worked. Maybe it's got something to do with Latin spirit." -- French manager Jo Maso. "Devastation for the team, devastation for the fans back home and the fans that were here -- we feel as though we've let everyone down. What else can you say? I can only apologize for that." -- New Zealand coach John Hart after the semifinal defeat by France. "People back home were baying for my blood. They have got it." -- John Hart announcing his retirement as New Zealand's coach. "To come here expecting to win and ending up coming fourth and having to qualify -- and in a hard pool too with Tonga, Samoa and Fiji -- the players and management are obviously devastated. They've got a hard time ahead of them." -- former All Black skipper Sean Fitzpatrick told British television. "Maybe all the mollycoddling and the flash hotels, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year that they earn and everything else has perhaps taken a little bit of the desperation out of the All Blacks and that will to win." -- New Zealand's Radio Sport host Martin Devlin. "They are for rugby what Brazil are for soccer and maybe even more than that." -- French scrumhalf Fabien Galthie on New Zealand after semifinal victory. "I told them to get ready for war because it's always going to be a war when you are playing New Zealand. I told them we should sing because that's what soldiers do before battle. So we sang La Marseillaise." -- After the All Blacks had performed their haka war dance, the French players formed a circle and Raphael Ibanez talked to them. "The favorite doesn't always win." -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley. "Of course it's a failure that we are out of the tournament but only one team can win it. We beat a heavily-fancied England and lost a game to Australia which could have gone either way," -- South African coach Nick Mallett after the defending champions lost to Australia in the semifinals. "Oh no, not again! First it was the cricket World Cup, now Aussies break S.A. hearts in Twickenham thriller." -- headline in the South African Sunday Argus. Australia also beat South Africa in the semifinals of the cricket World Cup. "I've got a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I decided to dedicate my life to the Lord in 1993. There are a lot of things that have happened in my life that I can't explain and today was one of them." -- South African flyhalf Jannie de Beer on his five drop goals in the win over England. "I have not seen a better kicking display in my whole life than I saw today. He was awesome. I've never seen anything like it and I don't think we will for a long, long time." -- Former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar on de Beer's performance. "Personally, yes it's a failure. I had set my sights on winning the World Cup, so to go out in the quarterfinals is a failure. If you set a goal to win and then don't, you've failed." -- England coach Clive Woodward after the defeat by South Africa. "It's like having a Ferrari in the garage and going out and catching the bus." -- Australian center Tim Horan puzzled why the sliding roof in the Millennium Stadium was not shut to keep out rain during the quarterfinal with Wales. "We need badly a Super 12 type competition in the Northern Hemisphere -- there has to be a stronger bridge for players between club level and the international arena. The unions have to work together as they do in the south." -- Welsh coach Graham Henry on what Europe needs to improve standards. "I think we were robbed. I still don't know why [the penalty try] was given." -- Fiji captain and prop Greg Smith after losing to France in the quarterfinals. "I don't often oppose players who weight 120 kilos and run fast." -- French prop Christian Califano commenting on the Fiji forwards. "We had to qualify and I think we proved we deserved to be here. Apart from one or two matches, developing nations have been faring very well at this World Cup." -- Daniel Herrera, coach of amateurs Uruguay, after suggestions that the tournament should be cut back to fewer teams. "It's very, very difficult to play rugby in Romania and all of these players have sacrificed a hell of a lot just to rub shoulders with the great players here." -- Romania's New Zealand technical director John Phillips. "There was a hell of a lot of hype -- maybe they started to think the game was easy, just have to trot out and win." -- Wales coach Graham Henry admits complacency played a part in his team's 38-31 defeat by Samoa. "There was no malice. I didn't go for the guy's head. I decided just to rake his hand to release the ball." -- South African center Brendan Venter on his sending-off against Uruguay.
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