Iconic World Cup images: 1999

The French fight back for a stunning upset in 1999. Photo / Allsport

Things began awkwardly and ended in bitterness.

The plane carrying the All Blacks to the 1999 World Cup had an image of the All Blacks front row emblazoned on its side. The only problem was it depicted loose head prop Carl Hoeft on hooker Anton Oliver's right (that is, wrong) side, and tighthead Kees Meeuws on Oliver's left.

Then the All Blacks chose to take a spot of R and R on the French Riviera, which raised the question, perhaps unfairly, whether they had taken their eye off the main prize.

Tonga, England and Italy were accounted for comfortably enough and Scotland were seen off 30-18 in a less convincing performance in the quarter-final.

Cue France, who already had shown a knack of lifting themselves against the All Blacks.
But New Zealand had Jonah Lomu and the French had shown a marked disinclination to tackle him. Not that they were alone in that.

Lomu barged through first six, then four tacklers for two spectacular tries, the second just after halftime had the All Blacks 24-10 up, appearing to have seen off a potentially awkward challenge and heading for Cardiff and the final.

What followed is still stunning to reflect upon.

First five-eighths Christophe Lamaison, who had scored France's sole first half try, banged over two dropped goals and two penalties in eight minutes. 24-22.

France's ambitions and self belief soared on a heady brew of flair, sensing a slackening in the All Blacks' intensity, and brutality.

Little wing Christophe Dominici profited from a fortuitous bounce to speed away to score; combative centre Richard Dourthe pounced on a ball chipped into the All Blacks' in goal area; and wing Philippe Bernat-Salles was quickest to a ball kicked through from halfway. France had roared, 33 points to nil in 26 minutes.

Game effectively over.

There's no question some nasty stuff went on up front. Flanker Josh Kronfeld referred to it as "the shit going on".

The All Blacks were under instructions to keep things clean, not to react. Kronfeld was gouged in one eye by a French prop; in the other about 10 minutes later.

"There was a lot of off the ball stuff going on. The French had done their homework on how to disrupt us. Back then it was just something you dealt with," Kronfeld said.

No All Blacks team and coach - John Hart - has been vilified as much as that 1999 cup side when they returned home. New Zealand fans' reaction was out of all proportion.
Time to give the French some due. When the spirit is upon them, they can be a mighty foe.

Kronfeld's final thought?

"We came under pressure and didn't really have the ethos to fall back on, and that was to grind out a win."