The All Blacks have touched down at Auckland International Airport three days after their crushing loss in the Rugby World Cup final in Paris.
South Africa edged the 14-man All Blacks, 12-11, in an arm-wrestle of a Rugby World Cup final, claiming the Webb Ellis Cup for the fourth time in eight attempts.
The team arrived home from France this afternooon, and were greeted by a small but vocal crowd at Auckland Airport.
Captain Sam Cane was popular with fans at the airport who were eager to get selfies with him.
He said he had been pleasantly surprised by the support he had received in the wake of the match when he was sent off with a red card after a high tackle.
He said he was trying to be not too hard on himself but reiterated that he felt he had let the side down and the sending off was something he would have to live with for the rest of his life.
The final was the last match in charge for departing head coach Ian Foster who is being succeeded by Crusaders coach Scott Robertson.
Although the All Blacks did not succeed in their cup quest the tournament has enhanced the reputations of young players such as halfback Cam Roigard and prop Tamaiti Williams. However, it was not quite the sendoff the squad was hoping for for a crop of departing players, including Aaron Smith, Sam Whitelock and Dane Coles.
One consolation was the naming of loose forward Ardie Savea as the best player in the world, at an awards function in Paris the day after the final.
1 comment
We wuz robbed!
Posted on 03-11-2023 10:22 | By morepork
That referee was more interested in applying the minute details of the rules and showcasing himself, than letting the game flow. Compare it with the semi-final where the refereeing was superlative. There was no malice in Sam's tackle and it didn't deserve a red card. The try that was disallowed due to a knock on was another debatable incident also. If the ball actually falls against your hand when you are not actually trying to grasp it, is that really a knock on? These are professional Rugby players, not little girls at school... The courage and tenacity exhibited by the team makes them worthy of their jerseys and we should be proud of them, even if the result was not what we wanted.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to make a comment.