KEY POINTS:
Beaten and downcast, they arrived at London's Heathrow Hilton hotel at 6pm on Monday, their reputations already shattered after their World Cup exit.
About 18 All Blacks, team management, wives and partners quietly gathered to commiserate over a meal and drinks at the hotel.
It was to be a low-key event, intended to attract little attention - a time perhaps to reflect on what might have been.
The meal over, some players and managers decided to go to the hotel's luxurious bar.
It was there that the evening started to unravel as the bar bill soared.
Within a few hours, the team were back in the world's headlines.
Winger Doug Howlett had been arrested after an outbreak of drunken madness during which he vandalised two cars outside the five-star hotel.
All Black management have rejected claims of a $31,000 food and drink bill from the evening, insisting the bar tab was a few hundred pounds.
Howlett has apologised and says he will pay for the damage to the cars. He will also face Rugby Union disciplinary action.
The senior member of the management group at the hotel, All Blacks media manager Scott Compton, told the Weekend Herald he expected hard questions to be asked of him and his colleagues, but Howlett acted alone and "you can't hold someone's hand 24/7".
Compton said the team were disappointed in "misinformation" about the food and beverage bill from Monday night.
He said about £10,000 ($26,300) was spent on the entire stay at the hotel, which included accommodation and food and beverages for the whole group.
The NZ party checked out of the hotel on Wednesday afternoon. The full costs would paid by the Rugby Union.
"We were on Rugby Union business, getting guys home from the tournament, so it will be a team cost," Compton said.
"It would be more accurate to say we spent hundreds of pounds, rather than thousands, having a few drinks together and a meal on Monday night."
Those at the dinner included players Nick Evans, Conrad Smith, Neemia Tialata and his partner, Sione Lauaki, Jerry Collins, Ali Williams and Mils Muliaina and his partner.
Management officials included Compton, Gilbert Enoka, Errol Collins, Andrew Sullivan, Mick Byrne, Mike Cron and his wife, Peter Gallagher, Ashley Jones and Mark Sayers.
"I think it reflects really well on the team that management and players were commiserating together," Compton said.
"We did a bit of mourning together, and there was a bit of merriment that evening. We are very comfortable that was an appropriate course of action, and everyone behaved appropriately until Doug, in isolation, at the very end of the evening made a serious error of judgment."
Things were winding down about 3am when Howlett went outside, alone, and damaged the cars.
"It's been a hallmark of this team over this management group's tenure that we need players to make their own decisions and make good decisions," Compton said.
"We are always going to try to support each other, but we are not going to hold your hand."
Asked if Howlett had shown any signs of becoming unruly, Compton said he had not.
It would not be appropriate to comment on how intoxicated Howlett was.
Asked if he and his fellow management would come under scrutiny because of Howlett's rampage, Compton said: "I think it's good and healthy if we ask hard questions of ourselves.
"I will be happy to debrief it with any of our senior management when we get the time and the opportunity."
Compton said he would be back at work on Monday and "we'll take it from there".
Howlett is to join the Munster club in Ireland after ending his contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union at the end of the year.
He is to marry Monique Everard, the mother of his 3-month-old son Charles, on December 1.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry was at home yesterday with wife Raewyn and did not want to comment when the Weekend Herald visited.
Asked about the Howlett incident and whether it was blown all out of proportion, Henry politely said: "I've got no other comment to make, mate".
Former All Black Norm Hewitt, whose own drunken antics as a player gained him notoriety, declined to speak about Howlett's situation when the Weekend Herald contacted him.
Hewitt said there had been enough publicity already and there was "no need to keep drawing it into the public discussion".
He was particularly disturbed to see pictures of Howlett's family dragged into the publicity.
"He's fronted and he's getting on with it, and he's going to be paying the price for his actions.
"Would we have even considered going this far if we had won the World Cup?"
