If you were to view the events at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday from a New Zealand perspective, a couple of refereeing decisions would prey on the mind. The first concerned the sin- binning of All Black centre Luke McAlister for a block on Yannick Jauzion.

It's a bit of professional blocking that goes on in every match, a seemingly nonchalant choice of a running line that impedes the attacking player while pretending not to notice. The only cavil would be that Lionel Beauxis' chip was a little overcooked and would have been easily defended by four News Zealand players. The All Blacks conceded 10 points during McAlister's sabbatical.

Was it a penalty against McAlister? Certainly. Was it a yellow card? I thought it was a harsh decision on the premise that Jauzion wouldn't have scored a try. The second issue revolves around France's match- winning try. Most people agreed that the pass to Freddie Michalak was forward. Those are the breaks, though, and sometimes you have to accept they'll go against you.

It's not about being churlish with regard to France's victory. They earned it the hard way, based on the back of a staggering tackle count and that uncanny knack of turning half chances into points. Those who feared New Zealand had entered the knock-out phase of the World Cup undercooked had that theory borne out. When the pressure reached its zenith, the All Black players were unable to problem-solve and ended up running short of ideas, outside of the mundane pick and drive. It did yield one try but in those final minutes of the contest, more subtle option-taking was required.

New Zealand enjoyed serious success in the past against France and in flashes during Saturday night's game when they put pace on the game, kept the tempo high and varied the point of attack. That's exactly what was required to extricate themselves from the precarious predicament in which they languished at that point in the contest.

It should have been about creating space for McAlister in midfield or either wing because, fleetingly, that's where they made some serious in-roads. It would have stretched an already tiring French team, rather than allowing them to muster some heroic last-ditch defence.

New Zealand hadn't been tested in this tournament and possibly only once in the last 18 months - in losing to Australia - and that proved a real handicap. They gradually lost their shape in a game, which at 13-0, they should have been capable of going on to dominate. You saw forwards hanging around out on the wing, complicating the process of moving ball swiftly and too often Jerry Collins ended up as first receiver.

The decision to take New Zealand players out of the first half of the Super 14 tournament may now be viewed as a mistake because it denied them that hard edge that comes from playing at the highest level, particularly in the latter stages of the tournament.

In contrast the French played some serious opposition in the build-up to the World Cup and then had the benefit of a really tough pool. They deserve great credit for out-thinking their opponents in terms of tactics. The first half kicking game might have seemed a little cumbersome but they then showed a clinical ability to take their chances.

The New Zealand press have been mighty smug since the competition began and have devoted a fair amount of column inches to the dominance of the Southern Hemisphere teams and how the Northern Hemisphere sides have struggled. They got their comeuppance for that arrogance with the victories of England and France and the fact that a Six Nations team will be in the World Cup final.

I always considered England to have had a great chance of upsetting the Australians, based on the hard edge of their forward pack. It was the foundation for their victory. The English have improved in recent displays, particularly their victory over Tonga. I thought that improvement was significant and provided they could maintain that upward curve they'd have a chance against the Aussies.

Jonny Wilkinson's return and the absence of Stephen Larkham ensured a big swing in England's favour. They decimated Australia in the scrum and won the collisions at the breakdown, thus denying the Wallabies the quality ball they craved to unleash their big runners.

England played a more expansive game than I had anticipated and while their back play is still some way short of where it needs to be, it makes them less one-dimensional. You could see how much the victory meant to Brian Ashton, his coaching staff and the players. Few outside of the England camp might have believed they could do it but they possessed a core of players who have the experience of winning those high-profile matches.

The victories for France and England underline the importance of getting your tactics right on the big occasion and having the belief and application to get the job done. Those who have written off the Northern Hemisphere teams got their answer on the only proving ground that matters: the pitch.