On Sunday morning our time, the All Blacks play the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup final. It should be an extremely close game.
But what if the unthinkable happens in the final? No, not an All Black loss, even worse than that: A draw. Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley writes.
Before you ask, "how is a draw worse than a loss?", just put yourself in those shoes, or more accurately, slippers, on Sunday morning. An extra 20 minutes of nail-biting, heart rate racing, sweat-inducing test rugby after 80 minutes of what will already be an incredibly tense affair.
This is what the term "anxiety attack" was coined to describe.
And also, to pre-empt the naysayers and so-called realists shouting, "what are the chances?", remember that both the 1995 and the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals went into extra time.
The 1995 Final featured the two teams that this Sunday's (NZT) game will also feature. The All Blacks lost that game and Hollywood made a movie about it.
I always think knowledge can go a long way to quell the fires of anxiety so, for your information, here's the process if the scores do find themselves to be tied at full time:
1. Two periods of extra time. 10 minutes each way
If the scores are still tied at the end of this...
2. Another 10 minutes of extra time will be played, first team to score ANY points will win
If no one scores any points...
3. There will be a kicking duel. Rugby's version of a Football penalty shootout. Five kickers from each team are selected from the players on the field
They each take a kick from three positions on the field. Two from in front, two from 15 metres in from touch on the right side, and one from 15 metres in from touch on the left side. Best of five wins.
If the scores are still tied after five kicks...
4. Kickers keep kicking until someone kicks, and the other team misses
So, hopefully, you can understand why the draw is easily unthinkable.
I just don't think we'll be able to take it.
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