Freeley Speaking: End of the Rugby World Cup road

Mitch Freeley (R) and Greg Keane followed their beloved England across New Zealand during the Rugby World Cup. Photo / Supplied

Track Mitch's Rugby World Cup adventures with his touring Twitter account: @NotSweetChariot

All good things must end and this, sadly, is my last blog post for nzherald.co.nz as a travelling fan at the Rugby World Cup.

Now I'm the first to admit that I didn't stick it out to the bitter end in New Zealand, seeing as my side England didn't exactly cover themselves in glory, fumbling out rather meekly in the quarter-final to the French.

So I decided to flee New Zealand to Australia and Malaysia, not only to see a little more of the world but also to experience different rugby cultures, and to see the matches away from New Zealand.

This yielded variable results.

In Australia it seemed like the RWC was brushed aside in favour of Aussie Rules transfers and the opening weekend of the A-League. It was where I experienced heartache in watching England crash out to the French on a big screen with four others in the centre of Melbourne.

However in Malaysia I met up with the Sabah Warriors, who along with about 60 others in the local Irish bar offered up passionate and rowdy support, even in the sweltering 30 degree heat, for the final. It's been interesting to have these Rugby World Cup experiences outside of the host nation, yet still feeling connected to the action on and off the pitch at the host nation.

Of course the best experiences of my tour came in New Zealand. From the hospitality, to the atmosphere at all the games I attended, even to the blanket media coverage it's has been nothing short of perfect.

I think my experience can be neatly summed up in one tidy story:

After stumbling off a 24 hour flight from England, me and my mate Greg wandered around Christchurch, bleary eyed, looking for a bed for the night. As we wandered up the street we bumped into a big man donning the uniform of a fire officer. Without hesitation he stuck up a conversation: "here for the rugby, boys?"

We started to get chatting and within five minutes he had pointed us in the direction of the best hostel in town and how he wished England a successful tournament.

That is something you just would not get in England, a friendly hello and a helping hand from a stranger like that. It just sums up the passion for rugby in New Zealand, and also the willingness to welcome the world, which made New Zealand such great hosts for this tournament.

It would be rude of me not to mention the student hosts who looked after us so fantastically in Dunedin. While the average England fan was spending out $200+ on accommodation in the town or freezing on a campsite, we stayed for free at a student house. It meant that we got to see a different, slightly student view of Dunedin.

From epic parties at the flat, to taking advantage of the student deals at every fast food place in town, we covered the board. Thankfully they were also eager rugby fans, and regularly gave me some good quotes for the impeding All Blacks clashes so I must thank the guys for that.

When it came to the game days Dunedin was transformed, and bloated with the arrival with English fans. But always the theme was the same, the underdogs were always passionately supported from the local students paying money to be a part of the Word Cup action - often they donned creative costumes to show support

Away from match days we wondered around the South Island, experiencing more famous Kiwi hospitality, and even seeing our English heroes in Queenstown before they proceeded to get themselves into trouble. After three great weeks in Dunedin, with our livers certainly a little worse for wear, we made our way up to Auckland - via Wellington and Taupo - for England's crucial group closer against Scotland.

Auckland was undoubtedly the beating heart of the Rugby World Cup, full of colour and life. Queens Wharf was transformed by the inflatable rugby ball, with the fan zone jammed packed full of tourists and rugby fans taking in all the interactive games, and making use of the free wifi. Over the weekend I was in Auckland it was firmly gripped with excitement for both rugby codes, as the Warriors made the NRL grand final as well.

England's match against the Scots certainly delivered in what I envisaged for Eden Park. The venue was crammed with both passionate Scottish and England fans, and as the national anthems blared out I felt truly lucky to have seen all of this, so far from home. It's just a shame England couldn't deliver in the tournament.

When it came to the rugby it was fascinating to view the contrasting styles. All I knew of really was the Six Nations, while occasionally getting up early on Saturday to view the Tri-Nations. So the bulldozing style of Tonga, Fiji and Samoa was quite the revelation.

I also admired the distinct styles of the major powers of the game, from the free flowing play of the All Blacks, the Australians, and now the Welsh, to the more ponderous and power-oriented styles of the English, French, and Springboks. It was a great way to learn more about the sport, and this was helped significantly by the blanket coverage from the media.

It dominated every aspect of the news, from the top story on the TVNZ news of the announcement of the All Blacks squad (which at the time me and Greg found bizarre that a squad announcement made prime time news) and the controversy of the traffic nightmare in Auckland which made pages and pages of news paper copy.

The World Cup dominated this country and I am proud to have formed some tiny part of the coverage with my blog being on nzherald.co.nz.

If the plan for New Zealand was to welcome the world during the world cup, they certainly did a fantastic job. England will have to go a long way to beat the excitement and passion that I seen over my time at the tournament, from the ideal final result (finally the best team in the world won) to the spectacular and tense knockout ties. The Aussies' win against the Springboks, and the 14-man Welsh side losing to the French particularly stood out as games of the tournament.

The Freeley Speaking Rugby World Cup First XV:

Fullback - Israel Dagg

Dagg had a fantastic World Cup and was a potent attacker for the AB's as they won the Webb Ellis Cup. He was truly devastating against the Wallabies.

Wings - George North and James O'Connor

I went with two young talents in the wing positions, who had a huge impact for their sides. 21 year old O'Connor is the boy wonder of Australian rugby, and was the second highest points scorer in the tournament with 52 points. His star moment came against South Africa when he kicked a penalty for a narrow win for the Wallabies under massive pressure.

George North was one of Wales' brightest lights, blessed with power, pace and dancing feet North had it all as the Welsh made their way to the Rugby World Cup Semi finals. More worryingly, he is only 19 so expect him to star in a few more World Cups to come.

Outside centre - Manu Tuilagi

Aside from a spot of swimming in Auckland's harbour, wearing a branded mouth guard and getting involved with England's mischief in Queenstown. Manu Tuilagi was England's best player in an otherwise disappointing tournament for the 2003 champions. His bulldozing, uncompromising style was truly unique in a side devout of flair and creativity. Again youth is truly on his side, providing he can mature off the pitch, I can see him being a major part of the England set up.

Inside centre - Ma'a Nonu

Nonu had a strong World Cup and stood out in a All Blacks side full of excellent ball carriers. Nonu's pace and aggression was a key asset for the All Blacks, often dictating attacks for his side. However his distribution was at his best throughout the tournament, this particularly showed against the Wallabies as the AB's convincingly beat their Tasman rivals to get to the Rugby World Cup final.

Flyhalf - Morné Steyn

Arguably this slot should have been for Dan Carter, but unfortunately injury ruled him out of the business end of the tournament, much to the worry of the nation. In his absence Morne Steyn of the Springboks stepped up as my fly-half choice. An expert long kicker, and with 14 conversions in five matches he was the tournament's leading points kicker by some margin - despite the defending champions crashing out in disappointing style in the quarters.

Scrumhalf - Dimitri Yachvili

Yachvili was one of the French side's stand out players, often starting the attacks for the bulldozing French side. But also his contribution with the boot was telling, kicking his side out of trouble along with partner in crime Morgan Parra, both of whom were the major thrust for Les Bleus.

Loosehead prop - Tony Woodcock

The veteran was potent in theAB's scrum. Solid throughout the tournament and particularly in the semi-final against the Wallabies, as the All Blacks absolutely demolished their pack. More importantly Woodcock also scored the team's only try in the World Cup final over the French.

Hooker - William Servat

A master on the line-out, and well versed in the scrum, Servat was my pick at hooker. He was strong in the tight exchanges and he formed a key element as the second oldest ever French side to reach a World Cup final. At 32 you can imagine that this could have been his last World Cup, but he will be proud of his efforts as he helped his side get to the Rugby World Cup final.

Tighthead prop - Nicolas Mas

Mas was sorely missed in his side's first match up with New Zealand as Les Bleus were beaten convincingly. But in the final he returned to his best with a strong defensive display, in what was a tight and tense final. Just like teammate Servat, Mas was strong in the scrum, and was a defensive rock of strength for his side.

Second-row: Danie Rossouw and Brad Thorn

Both Thorn and Rossouw where my certain choices in the second row. Roussouw in particular was devastating for the Springboks in the pool stages, both in the tackle and with the ball, breaking the line time and time again. Thorn again optimises the number 4 shirt, big, uncompromising and as strong as a ox. Also dominant in the set pieces and scrum. Many people I asked about the All Blacks pointed to him as the colossus of the side. Now he is the oldest Rugby World Cup winner of all time.

Blindside flanker: Jerome Kaino

Kaino is now the fifth All Black in my squad, and is in as being the most complete number 6 in the tournament. Fantastic with the ball in hand, but crucially working hard with and without the ball for his side, making all of those hard yards and doing the less glamorous jobs for his side.

Openside flanker: Richie McCaw

It just had to be Richie, hadn't it? The All Blacks captain was dominant in the games he played, and while injured the nation prayed that he didn't pull out of the squad. He did what every great leader does, which was carry on through adversity and he got the job done for the All Blacks.

He also looks good wearing a silver cap and lifting gold trophies.

Number eight - Toby Faletau

Naturalised Welshman Toby Faletau is my choice at number 8. The 20-year-old came from strong rugby stock, as his father Kuli played for Tonga at the Rugby World Cup in 1999. Faletau was fantastic for the Welsh and was a mainstay in the side throughout the tournament. With his defensive work, combined with the flair of the Welsh side nearly pushing them to their first World Cup Final, he has a big future in the Welsh set up.

Coach of the tournament - Warren Gatland

For me Warren gets the nod as coach of the tournament. He crafted a young, excited Welsh side in the mould of the great sides of yesteryear. Playing with a distinct southern hemisphere style, and taking the likes of South Africa and France down to the wire, the New Zealand native should be proud of what he has done. Perhaps a call from the All Blacks is on the cards?

So my plan is to travel on for a few more weeks, I'm taking in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan before I head back to a bitterly cold England, which will be gripped by frost and snow. Then it's back onto the job hunt, ideally in Journalism. (Incidentally if any one who is reading this, and you enjoy my writing and want to give me a job, drop me an e-mail!)

Again I would like to thank the guys at nzherald.co.nz who have posted up my work, and to all the people who have commented on the blog and followed the adventure via twitter.

It's been a pleasure to share my experience of the Rugby World Cup and I am already looking forward to my next visit to Rugby Country.