The first of the 2011 semifinals was only moments away from being one of the great underdog success stories of world cup history. The young and seemingly unflappable Welsh team were reduced to 14 men. They came within inches of stealing a famous and deserved place in the 2011 final despite the loss of the Captain at the 17 minute mark. Unfortunately for many of the neutrals, the victors were a French team that although stingy and disciplined in defence, offered virtually nothing in attack. In a tournament where we have seen so much fantastic, inspirational rugby from all manner of sources, it really is ironic and in some ways sad that the French have secured a place in the final on the backs of their performance against Wales. I think it is fair to say that there has never been a team that has offered so little en route to a final; two pool losses and last night despite a very stingy defence and exceptional discipline in the last 15 minutes in particular, the French I believe failed to live up to their nations legacy and traditions in the world game. When you think of great French sides you think of their ability to attack, to unlock defences with individual brilliance, with ruthless team dynamics, with great forward play and great set piece work. You also think about great defence. It is true that previous final appearances in 1987 and 1999 were built on a sound defence...but that cant be it? When you put on your national jersey, I do think you have an obligation to express yourself, and to express your national rugby character. For the Welsh, I think they did that. There were only 14 of them out there which was a sad sight indeed and for my mind a refereeing decision that could have been different, probably should have been different. Given the context of the tackle, ie: The history of the offending player, his impeccable discipline record and how he is all that is good about rugby. He hasnt shown any cynicism or a penchant for trying to hurt the opposition. For me, that does need to come into consideration at some point under the discretion of the referee. In the incident he obviously had the player in the air and the law states that he is responsible for his safety. He didnt pile drive him. He let go of him. And as he freely admitted in the post match press conference he felt it was a normal tackle and proceeded to try and secure possession. I think the impact that refereeing decision had, far far far outweighed the importance of the infringement by the player. Yes it was a penalty. It was probably a yellow card. But in no way did it merit a Red Card that really defined the outcome of this tournament. I feel for Alain Roland, the referee because I believe he truly cares about the game. He would not desire to cause excessive impact on a match result based on the actions of an honest player. That is a great shame but I suppose it is one of the realities of sport at the very highest level in a tournament format. There are heavy collisions throughout the games , especially in a RWC semifinal but I feel the impact of this decision will sadly live on for a generation of all rugby fans. nfl jerseys china . He wore down the Colts defence and eventually made it pay. On a day when two of the leagues worst offences sputtered, Jones-Drew kicked things into high gear by rushing for 114 yards and scoring on a late 3-yard TD run to give Jacksonville its first road win of the season 17-3. jerseys from china . 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The New York bullpen shut down the Tigers from there, tossing three perfect frames.CALGARY -- The Americans on the Calgary Stampeders are about to get a geography lesson on just how big Canada is from west to east. The Stampeders depart Wednesday for Moncton to prepare for Sundays Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Some players may be amazed to find out they can fly for seven hours and still be in the same country. "I looked on the map on my iPad and tried to Google some things about it," defensive back Keon Raymond said Tuesday. "I just know its east. Dont know how far, but its east." Receiver Nik Lewis estimates 90 per cent of the Stampeders havent been further east than their annual road trip Montreal. "Its a long way, especially being from Texas where Im two hours from Mexico," he said. Quarterback Henry Burris travelled to Moncton in April for promotional appearances and says his non-Canadian teammates are about to get an education. "A lot of guys dont even know what New Brunswick is," Burris said. "They think its a company that makes bowling balls. For me, it was a great time out there. "The size of the country, its so much bigger than the U.S. You truly dont realize until you fly out there, but its such a beautiful country out there, a beautiful province. To be able to have a team out there would be a beautiful thing." By staging the regular-season game in Moncton, the CFL is not only looking to promote its brand in Eastern Canada but also gauge interest in a potential expansion franchise there. However, many challenges exist, not the least of which is the construction of a 25,000-seat stadium. The Edmonton Eskimos beat the Toronto Argonauts 24-6 last year at Moncton Stadium, which sold out around 21,000 seats on the University of Moncton campus. A Stampeder who will feel almost at home Sunday is Justin Conn, a linebacker from New Maryland, N.B., who Calgary signed Aug. 30. Conns hometown is near Fredericton. The Bishops University product has been talking up the advantages of playing a game at a lower altitude -- almost 1,000 metres lower than Calgary -- to his Stampeder teammates. "Thats what I said to them, Were up high here and were going to go there and feel like were in the best shape of our lives," Conn said. The Stampeders seem to feel most at home on the road this season. Theyre 5-0 in enemy territory and 2-4 at McMahon Stadium. Calgary (7-4) is coming off a 32-19 loss at home Saturday to the B.C. Lions (5-6). The Stampeders have the same record as the Edmonton Eskimos atop the West Division, but the Esks rank first by virtue of winning the season series. Hamilton (5-6) fell 38-23 to Edmonton on Friday and are losers of two straight. The Ticats are third in the East Division, but just two points back of Montreal. The Ticats have a shorter distance to travel, will arrive Thursday and wont need much time to adjust to the time zone as theres only one-hour difference between Hamilton and Moncton. The Stampeders will feell more jet lag coming from the west.dddddddddddd "Three hours, that was horrendous," Burris recalled. "You get out there at 11:30 and you still feel like its 8:30 and I wasnt able to get to bed until about three in the morning when I was out there. "Your body is going to be out of whack for the first couple of days because of the time change. Theres going to be a lot of adjustments were going to have to make and make fast and make sure were ready to go for Sunday." Stampeder head coach and general manager John Hufnagel called a team meeting for Wednesday morning prior to boarding the plane "so they dont have a full day off of football." With returner Larry Taylor sidelined with sore ribs, Hufnagel says hes taking both Landon Talley and LaMarcus Kocher on the Moncton trip and will determine this week which player will handle return duties. The Stampeders practise Thursday and Friday at Rocky Field in Moncton before heading to Prince Edward Island. Calgary will hold Saturdays walk-through at the University of P.E.I. in Charlottetown. "I have confidence in my football players that they understand the reason were going out there and thats to win the football game and they need to be prepared to win this football game," Hufnagel said. "We do have responsibilities out there that we need to attend to, which is dealing with the community." Burris said Tuesday his left ankle was still sore from a hit delivered by B.C.s Khalif Mitchell in the first quarter Saturday. "Hopefully lobsters help heal foot injuries because Im going to need it," he said laughing. But Burris turned serious about the incident saying when his feet and toes went numb, he feared broken bones. Mitchell was flagged for roughing the passer. "I dont know if (Mitchell) is going to get fined or not, but Im kind of wondering if thats going to happen," Burris said. "Its one of the craziest plays Ive ever seen. It was about four or five seconds after I released the ball and all of a sudden, boom. "Is that the type of play that deserves a slap on the wrist?" Lewis complained to the media following Saturdays game about a lack of ball touches during the game. He addressed those comments Tuesday. "I put it out there and I stand behind it," he said. "I talked to Huf, talked to the team. Everything is good in Lew-Lew land. Im looking forward to playing Moncton and putting on a show out there for them. Thats what they pay me for. Burris says he and Lewis discussed the receivers complaints. "People voice their opinions in different ways after a loss and an embarrassing loss at that," Burris said. "Me, Im a guy who gets silent and hes a guy who voices his opinion. "He apologized to the team and I told him, as a leader, hes going to be held accountable for that. I expect him to come back and give his all for the team and you wont see any more of the *****ing." cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '