It's not over till the fat lady sings! As a more well-known person has said. Keep the feet on the ground ABs. All the supporters want it but it is not yet in the cupboard. Take care and gook luck.

I posted a blog on this article yesterday singing the praises of Aaron Cruden and his mature and humble attitude to being called up to serve his country. Last night I watched the William bros on the news. As a lead up to the World Cup final. I was very disappointed. I don't mind rugby players having a bit of fun as I presume that its pretty full on in the camp. Unfortunatly Ali and SBW were not funny. They came across as very immature and quite disrespectful to the media who were there to do the job. Good on the TV3 chap who had Ali on. He deserved it. NZ is solidly behind the All Blacks on Sunday night but we haven't won yet and Ali and SBW didn't look like their feet were on the ground. I was pleased when Kieran Read spoke as he reintroduced some realism to the conversation. In 2007 Ali's head met the knee of a large ugly Frenchman that knocked him senseless. He needs to remember that it doesn't matter how much of a comedian you are, its how your mental state is on the day of the game!

ty #65, I wouldn't be too worried about that press conference, that's the kind of stuff you get with Ali Williams anyway! Some of the fans might be running around claiming the All Blacks will win the Final by at least 30 points, but you can sleep easy and be rest assured that the All Blacks certainly won't be taking this French team lightly, especially since they burned us in 2007 at the World Cup during Graham Henry's reign. The All Blacks beat the Australians last weekend by winning the forward battle and I expect them to try and dominate the French up front as well. The French have a pretty decent loose forward trio, led by the impressive Thierry Dusautoir, who was a key figure in that 2007 victory over the All Blacks. In that game he scored a try and made an astonishing 38 tackles (four more than the entire All Blacks team made in the game!). I don't want to be sucked into the whole massive occasion and become another chest-beater, but I am quietly confident that the All Blacks will win the Final. I don't think it will be a blowout score, but with the vast majority of the 60,000 in the crowd cheering on the men in black I think the Final might just be a bridge too far for the French.

I'm really worried now after seeing Ali Williams & SBW acting the complete fool in that press conference - Not the focused humble attitude that will be needed! I hope words have been said from above... If the ABs lose this game it will be the biggest choke EVER - they should be scared because if any team can pull a rabbit out it's the French! I really hope they're watching the '99 semi this week - 30 odd unanswered points... Gulp! And Marc Lievremont was playing in that game...

As any true sportsman knows, your biggest game is your next one. NEVER under estimate your next opponent! The Cup's not won yet. Having said that, the All Blacks' composure will shine & see them through, I'm sure. Every person connected with the team understands what the French can bring is their unpredictability. The AB coaches will have nutted out Plans B, C, D, E & F this time. If all that fails (& I for one moment don't think it will), all we need to do is "remember 'The Rainbow Warrior'!!!!!".

The reason why AB fans people are so confident is because we've already smashed France during pool play & quite frankly they haven't shown any improvement since then,they lost to Tonga,beat an inept England & if it wasn't for Wales lack of killer instinct,France would have been playing for bronze instead of in the final,us Kiwis have every right to feel confident in our team,I'll say it now without any disrespect to The French,NZ will be World Champions by 11 pm this sunday evening,it's not arrogance,it stems from belief & confidence in our teams ability compared to them,I don't believe in hoodoos I believe in the present & we have a team good enough to beat them & beat them well.

The French will turnup....they love these one off games. Good, as uncle Ted has mentioned, there is some history that needs to be answered for, if the French turnup, I don't think the ABs would want it any other way. I hope the French bring their "A" game, there are some ghosts that need to be laid to rest.

To everyone saying that the All Blacks think they have it in the bag is just total and utter rubbish. This All Blacks team is humble and taking it one step at a time. Richie McCaw leads with humility and will not underestimate the French. The ABs have had to listen to a barrage of criticism and pressure throughout this tournament thanks to the media. Before the NZ/Aus game nearly every member of the Australian team thrusted pressure upon the ABs with their comments. In this time the ABs kept grounded and quiet. Now that they are getting so very close to winning, all sorts of people are coming out of the woodwork firing shots at them. Anything is possible in a rugby game and the result could go either way, but just stop with the dribble as it is just pathetic and childish

I've just woken for a brief moment to write this, roll on Monday when this World Cup is over- what a boring sport but it's certainly cured my insomnia.

Riaan , to you and all the South Africans and Welsh who feel robbed of a world cup chance - us kiwi fans know how you feel. 2007 and Wayne Barnes, 1995 and food poisoning. When we were whingeing about the injustice of it all, you were celebrating your good luck. It isn't nice when no one else cares but believe me we know where you're coming from... Suck it up, and see you guys at the next World Cup.