Referee Craig Joubert walks on the pitch for the biggest game of his life at the Rugby World Cup Final match between France and New Zealand at Eden Park [GALLO/GETTY]
Published On 23 Oct 201123 Oct 2011
Share
Save
New Zealand fans wait with bated breath as the All Blacks target another Webb Ellis Cup since the country(***)s single 1987 triumph [GALLO/GETTY]
Advertisement
Les Bleus faced down New Zealand in the 1987 final and are hoping for this first world title. They will be spurred on by the results of a One poll released just hours before kick off showing 83 percent of New Zealanders believe the All Blacks will win [GALLO/GETTY]
Richie McCaw leads out the All Blacks and Thierry Dusautoir leads out France. It(***)s estimated nearly two-thirds of the four million population of New Zealand plan to watch the final [GALLO/GETTY]
Piri Weepu leads the Haka as France form an intimidating white arrow showing their resistance adding to the electric atmosphere [GALLO/GETTY]
First try to New Zealand on fifteen minutes. Prop Tony Woodcock scores a soft try from a lineout and the All Blacks take the lead in an ecstatic Eden Park [GALLO/GETTY]
Aaron Cruden continues the curse of the number 10 jersey limping out of the final with a knee injury. He becomes the third NZ flyhalf to go out of the tournament [GALLO/GETTY]
Advertisement
France are not phased by the nervy All Black performance and continue to pile on the pressure [GALLO/GETTY]
And it’s game on at 48 minutes as France captain Dusautoir batters through a huge gap in the NZ defence and casually places the ball at the base of the right-hand post. Eden Park falls quiet [GALLO/GETTY]
And Yachvili converts for France and the score becomes 7-8. Nervous times for hosts New Zealand [GALLO/GETTY]
Just twenty minutes to go and France impose themselves on the game at a tense Eden Park. Can New Zealand right twenty-four years of hurt? [GALLO/GETTY]
New Zealand buried 24 years of hurt by winning the Rugby World Cup on home soil. Despite losing playmaker and talisman Dan Carter early on, NZ overpowered France 8-7 for the win [GALLO/GETTY]
Captain Richie McCaw enjoys the roar of the crowd: "Some team had to do it sometime, and we had the chance this year. The whole country should be proud of every single one of the players."
And as New Zealand celebrates, McCaw lifts the Webb Ellis Cup to finally put the All Blacks in the history books [GALLO/GETTY]
