The Twickenham crowd can take a bow. After a poor start, in which they allowed Aaron Cruden to score a dodgy try for the All Blacks, the England faithful took control and kept their team in the hunt.
That same crowd may be the biggest obstacle to an All Black victory at next year's World Cup and in a way that's how it should be. Why have home crowd advantage if it isn't an advantage?
But Welshman Nigel Owens, generally regarded as one of rugby's two best referees, unravelled and let the crowd have too much say. A referee on top of his game doesn't make home advantage so obvious.
He did come up with two humorous lines, in response to Dane Coles' slow lineout throws and a rule transgression by Owen Farrell. Owens sought assurances from Coles he had been practising and reminded Farrell he'd instructed him on the rule last year. But with his experience, Owens should know to shelve his stand-up lines on a refereeing off-day and at least appear to be concentrating on his day job.
Cruden's try wasn't a try because he lost the ball before apparently - although not certainly - skidding it over the line. Owens failed to seek TMO assistance and that's when the crowd realised it must raise its work rate, aided by twisting evidence on the big screen. It worked.
Owens overruled his TMO to sin bin Coles, clutching at the yellow card with prejudicial haste. Bizarrely, he interrupted Beauden Barrett's conversion attempt to conduct a cold case inquiry that was pushing the statute of limitations. And if that was a dead-set scrum penalty try against the All Blacks, then Richie McCaw isn't the most amazing rugby warrior who ever lived (which he most certainly is). The way things were going, Owens might have gone back to review the Cruden try before blowing the final whistle.
Home ground advantage occurs in many ways. In the 2011 Rugby World Cup final at Eden Park, Craig Joubert favoured the All Blacks even though the home crowd was near silent with fear at the thought of, oh no, another French upset. Joubert, the other best referee in world rugby, also dished up a weird late penalty to sink the Crusaders when they played the Waratahs in this year's Super 15 final. In Sydney. The odds of Joubert awarding a similar penalty to the Waratahs in Christchurch would be 100-1. Steve Hansen has plenty to fear and he's getting in quick by demanding that the big screen doesn't become the big factor. He's got every reason to be worried, defending the Web Ellis Cup away from the Eden Park fortress.
Twickenham also showed why big World Cup matches are liable to turn into kick fests. Playing in your half is suicide, especially if the home ground factor is against you. It emphasises also that all forms of kicking are important, which is why Dan Carter must be firming as the No10 ahead of Cruden and Barrett. Carter is a far superior goal kicker, his restarts are legendary, and he knows how to turn the screws with his boot. Carter's old legs hardly matter, because there isn't a lot of running in many major World Cup games.