The All Blacks have been congratulated by friends and foes alike for a 'masterclass' of rugby in the World Cup final, and even those grumbling about the ref's performance had to give the team full credit.
Watch video highlights of the RWC 2015 final here:
The final whistle had not even been blown in the All Blacks' 34-17 win over the Wallabies this morning before you could find tweets casting doubt on referee Nigel Owens' performance:
Fully expecting a formal apology from @rugbyworldcup after @Nigelrefowens first half effort. Not holding my breath though.
— Drew (@drewprint) October 31, 2015
Amazing how good your continuity is with no pesky laws to worry about
— Matt Rowley (@MattRowley) October 31, 2015
Watching a replay of the #RWCfinal ... Mitchell was tripped - led to a NZ try. A few penalties missed by @Nigelrefowens - all hurt #AUS
— Matthew Murphy (@TheMurphstar) October 31, 2015
Australian television commentators also laid into the ref, with former Wallaby Rod Kafer demanding a red card for the offence that got All Black fullback Ben Smith sent off for 10 minutes.
But most Australian reaction has refused to blame the ref. Despite a provocative front page headline of 'The great villain that cost the Wallabies', the Sydney Morning Herald's Paul Cully is actually pretty reasonable about the Wallabies' loss, saying the Wallabies needed to be perfect to beat this All Black team.
He does note that Australian grumbles will centre on Nigel Owens, saying he missed an "obvious" forward pass before Dan Carter's third penalty and a high shot from Kaino on Pocock, but admits the Wallabies lineout was the greater villain.
Dan Carter Photo: AFP
The Brisbane Times' Georgina Robinson also gave all the credit to the NZ team, saying the final featured a "masterclass" from Carter, while the Daily Telegraph's Iain Payten also used that word to describe the way Carter took out the "gallant" Wallabies. Payten did, however, note that Owens "dudded Australia with several crook decisions".
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Wallabies star David Pocock and Springboks great Bryan Habana all congratulated the All Blacks on their victory:
Congratulations @AllBlacks v worthy world champions. A great campaign to the final & thrilling fight back by @wallabies #StrongerAsOne
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) October 31, 2015
Congrats to @AllBlacks. Deserved the win tonight. Australia - sorry we couldn't get the job done. Thanks for all the support. #RWCFinal
— David Pocock (@pocockdavid) October 31, 2015
Well done @AllBlacks a truly memorable @rugbyworldcup all round to make it the biggest and most successful one yet.. On to #Japan2019
— Bryan Habana (@BryanHabana) October 31, 2015
And Dan Carter's control of the game was also singled out on social media as something special:
Dan Carter says farewell to his All Blacks career in style: 4 penalties 2 conversions 1 drop goal 19 points #legend pic.twitter.com/0TUuywZmRN
— Rugby Banter Page (@RugbyBanterPag3) October 31, 2015
You are the man @DanCarter
— Aaron Cruden (@aaron_cruden) October 31, 2015
Thank you #TeamAllBlacks pic.twitter.com/aVj9Uxsb31
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 31, 2015
But the biggest social media reaction went to Sonny Bill Williams. His off-loads and powerful tackling might have made an immediate impact on the game, but he is being remembered for another simple act of post-match kindness:
This kid ran on pitch & was grabbed by security. SBW rescued & have his medal. Thanks Jeremy Stormer #BLACKTOBLACK pic.twitter.com/ZS3LH1fzCe
— Dean Buchanan (@buchanandr) October 31, 2015
He'll never forget the day @SonnyBWilliams gave him his #RWCFinal2015 medal. @AllBlacks #RWCFinal #allblacks pic.twitter.com/lRTpmWUqv0
— Matt Manukia (@MattManukia) October 31, 2015
And the final word goes to retiring veteran hooker Keven Mealamu, who tweeted this before bedtime:
Blessings Going worldwide for your support Peeps #EarlyNight...... #MuchLove #AllBlackEverything #Back2Back pic.twitter.com/hlxqvJVhOn
— keven_mealamu (@kevenmealamu) October 31, 2015
Watch the after-match haka here:
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES... #NZL enjoy their first moments as #RWC2015 champions pic.twitter.com/3bkGivw52G
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 31, 2015
