Greatness excellence to deserve the accolade.
But the 2015 All Blacks will go down in history as one of the truly great rugby teams, after they won the Rugby World Cup in a pulsating 34-17 victory over Australia at Twickenham yesterday morning.
The All Blacks are the first team to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups and the first to hold aloft the golden Webb Ellis Cup three times. The record has been a long time coming for patient New Zealand supporters, who can now forget the agony of previous failed campaigns.
But there is so much more to this All Blacks team than cold, hard facts. The total commitment to free-flowing, 15-man rugby is to be commended. It is a style that brings joy to those watching and needs to be emulated in the Northern Hemisphere if the game is to make ground into football's dominance.
The All Blacks were clearly the dominant team in yesterday's final but great credit must go to the valiant Wallabies, who refused to give in. Typical of the fickle nature of sport, there were some nervous times before the final whistle. Fans watching at home or at various public settings in the Western Bay, would have started celebrating early as the All Blacks rushed out to a 21-3 lead early in the second spell.
