All Blacks second five-eighth Luke McAlister. Photo / Brett Phibbs
CARDIFF - Looking for a dose of adrenaline? How about a shot at goal to win a rugby World Cup knockout game.
That's the situation that could face five All Blacks at the end of their quarterfinal against France here on Sunday in the event of a stalemate.
The tournament rules for all knockout matches state that if scores are tied at fulltime, there will follow two 10-minute halves.
Should the scores still be level, there will be a 10-minute "sudden death" period of extra time in which the first team to score is victorious.
If the deadlock remains unbroken, a rarely-seen goalkicking competition will be played out.
It will involve five players from each team who are all still on the field when the final whistle blows.
Each will take shots from three different positions along the 22m line. The first is from directly in front of the posts, the second 15m in from the left touchline and the third at the same point on the right hand side.
All Blacks second five-eighth Luke McAlister yesterday said the issue of who would be New Zealand's chosen five had yet to be raised but said it was likely to be discussed at some stage before Sunday's clash.
A smiling McAlister said he would fully expect to figure among the five nominees.
"I guess there will be a few forwards who'll want to step up," he mused.
- NZPA
