(ATR) New Zealand became the first nation to retain the Rugby World Cup after beating Australia 34-17 in a thrilling final at Twickenham in London.
It also meant that the All Blacks are now the most dominant team in the history of the competition, having won it a record three times, although this was their first triumph away from home.
It was a fitting end to a showpiece that has shattered records, with attendances the highest ever throughout England 2015 for a Rugby World Cup and the tournament generating a profit of $246 million, according to World Rugby.
The total number of points scored in the final – 51 – is also the most in a final since the inaugural event in 1987, also won by New Zealand.
Tries from Nehe Milner-Skudder, Ma’a Nonu, Beauden Barrett and a host of kicks from the mercurial fly-half Dan Carter were enough to see off the Wallabies, despite David Pocock and Tevita Kuridrani touching down and Bernard Foley scoring two penalties.
After the match, New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen praised the overall tournament preparation and said that his side were intent on simply enjoying the experience.
"Before the tournament we sat down as a team and said let’s enjoy this," Hansen said. "Let’s make sure win, lose or not is irrelevant. What we want to be able to do is leave this country with people understanding that we’ve got some good values and that we’re not bad people to be around and enjoy the experience.
"Because I think too many athletes let special occasions slip by and they don’t get to enjoy it. We relished moving around a lot, it was a big advantage to us. I think people realised we’re not the big ogres we’re printed as being in the media. We’re just ordinary guys who can play rugby reasonably well. Life’s too short not to have fun either."
His counterpart, Australia head coach Michael Cheika, said how "painful" it was for his battling side to lose. But he also expressed his upset over being denied by World Rugby the chance to join his players before the match for the national anthem.
"I’ve been really pleased with the way we’ve handled things," he said. "We’ve been really honest about the way we’ve done things both on and off the field and our participation within the tournament.
"We’re probably a bit disappointed tonight, we wanted to go and sing the national anthem together, the coaches and allbut World Rugby wouldn’t let is and that’s the way it is."
Twickenham welcomed 80,125 on a warm Saturday afternoon in the English capital, with spectators making their way to and from the game on various forms of public transport.
Travel issues had blighted the start of England 2015 but it appeared organisers learnt lessons quickly for the later rounds. Heightened security measures were in place but an afternoon kick-off time meant congestion was not as severe as it was for evening matches.
There was a strong royal presence in the crowd as Prince Harry was joined by his brother, Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, and his grandfather Prince Philip. World Rugby president Bernard Lapasset joined Prince Harry in handing over the trophy to winning captain Richie McCaw after the final whistle.
In the build-up to the final, World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper hailed England 2015 as "the best Rugby World Cup ever", setting a high bar for next hosts Japan to follow in 2019.
With the absence of the hosts England, who failed to qualify from their group, it meant the crowd for the final was a fairly even split of those rooting for Australia and those backing New Zealand giving a unique atmosphere at the home of English rugby.
There were still touts outside the stadium offering to sell tickets for more than £100 $154).
But in the end, it was the All Blacks who reaped the biggest reward of the night.
Reported in London by Christian Radnedge
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