match with the bulk of possession but were unable to work an opening to leave the French to contemplate a final against either hosts New Zealand or Australia who play the second semifinal Sunday on the same ground . But at the end , the main talking point was the crucial red card for Warburton , whose tackle on Vincent Clerc lifted the French wing off his feet as he released a pass . Blog : Why New Zealand must win the World Cup Rolland believed the infringement merited dismissal rather than a sin-bin offense or warning but former World Cup winning captain Francois Pienaar of South Africa thought otherwise . `` It was a dangerous tackle , yes . Never a red card , '' he told ITV Sport . `` It killed the game , '' he added . Warburton , who could miss next Friday 's third place playoff match , was also amazed to have been sent off . `` I 'm gutted . There was no malicious intent . I thought it was a normal tackle , the next thing I was walking off into the stands . '' Wales have made only one previous
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- France beat heroic 14-man Wales 9-8 in Auckland Saturday to reach the final of the Rugby World Cup . The match was overshadowed by the 18th minute dismissal of Wales captain Sam Warburton for a dangerous tackle . It looked to be a harsh decision by Irish referee Alain Rolland and tipped the match in France 's favor although they had to withstand a late Welsh onslaught to maintain their slender lead . Wales had led 3-0 through a James Hook penalty before losing their skipper , but a pair of Morgan Parra penalties put France 6-3 ahead at the interval . He increased that lead to 9-3 with his third penalty early in the second half only for Wales to hit back through a clever solo try by scrum half Mike Phillips . Stephen Jones , a second half replacement for Hook , missed the conversion as it hit the post before Wales had a second chance to take the lead in the closing moments . Fortunate to win a penalty on the halfway line , Leigh Halfpenny 's kick was accurate but dipped just under the posts . Wales spent the remainder of the