KEY POINTS:
It's fair to say that with the All Blacks' early exit from the World Cup, the final of the Air New Zealand Cup is hardly raising any interest because people are complaining they are all 'rugbyed' out.
That is not hard to understand. So much of New Zealand's rugby resources have been poured into this Cup campaign, that there is still a feeling of emptiness that it has all come to nothing.
This is a serious problem for New Zealand. We don't have the playing resources to sustain too many shocks like this, especially when we are losing such a dramatic core of our experience.
The value of experience in our rugby cannot be under-stated.
While none of our top players nowadays ever plays club rugby, in the days before professionalism the link between All Blacks and club rugby was strong.
There was the spreading of ideas that All Blacks brought back to their teams, the communication between younger players and these older experienced hands.
For opposing players there was nothing better than pitting yourself against an experienced player to see just how good you were. You knew that if you could foot it against some of those top players then there might be a future in the game for you.
That is important. It was also useful for selectors and coaches because experienced players would pass the word on that they had seen an impressive young player out in the country somewhere who was worth keeping an eye on.
There was also the point that there was much more exposure to different styles of rugby, and different match situations where different ways of combating opponents could be tried in a less important level of rugby. That sort of thing helps when you are in tight situations, like the All Blacks were against France in Cardiff.
But now the ability for ideas and experience to filter down through the rugby structure is lost because the players capable of providing it are all heading to play overseas where those ideas will be exposed to foreign players and coaches.
And you only have to look at what England has achieved in this World Cup by using its experience. I saw somewhere that their youngest player is 21, their next youngest is 27 and Jonny Wilkinson is the third youngest at 28. It makes you think about what we should be doing.
Jake White has said his team is the most capped Springbok side in history.
In New Zealand there has been a concentration on young and vigorous guys in our top sides but we might need to have a look at that policy. The life span of our players, in our rugby, is too short.
Speaking of Wilkinson, I would imagine there are a lot more New Zealanders who are now prepared to admit that he is a class act.
At the last World Cup, he praised his team for putting him in the position to kick vital goals, and he still praises them.
But you have got to admire him for the way he has played England back into the Cup, and he doesn't shirk his tackles either.
And after the injury list he has sustained since the last World Cup you would hope that he has got a good masseur lined up for later in life because there's a fair chance he will have more than a few aches and pains.
It wasn't surprising that Argentina dipped out in the semi-finals. Its scrum stood up well but you could see there wasn't a lot left in the tank, they just don't have the depth of other sides.
