Southern Hemisphere Powers Maintain Dominance in Rugby World Cup Semifinals

This past weekend confirmed the unyielding hegemony of the southern hemisphere powers by filling three of the four semifinal slots at the Rugby World Cup. The Rugby Championship teams managed to hold their ground against their northern adversaries, reaffirming their authority in the sport.

In two electrifying matches held at the Stade de France, New Zealand barely held their lead against top-ranked Ireland while defending champions South Africa had an equally nerve-wracking one-point victory over host-nation France. However, Argentina managed to turn the tables on Wales, leaving the northern hemisphere represented solely by England, who had a modest win against Fiji.

The global pecking order of this beloved sport hasn't had a shake-up in a while. The World Cup has been dominated by only four nations - All Blacks and Springboks winning it three times each, Australia twice and England once in the past twenty years. This competition was seen as the opportunity by France and Ireland to shake things up and alter the statistics. Unfortunately, their hopes quickly deflated as they were eliminated, turning the tide in favour of their southern hemisphere opponents.

Despite bringing an electric atmosphere to the Parisian streets, filled with green-clad Irish fans and French supporters, their respective teams couldn't deliver the desired results. Ireland had a close call against the All Blacks but couldn't pull through, losing key players to retirement. France had to contend with questionable game refereeing and their usually strong defence crumbled, leaving them to face the sobering truth of elimination.

Looking ahead to the semifinals, New Zealand and South Africa are the frontrunners, expected to advance to the final. Both games will be held at the Stade de France, promising an exhilarating experience for spectators with its 80,000-strong crowd.