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LONDON - The All Blacks were given no shortage of advice from the British media and a none-to-subtle goodbye from a Welsh scribe as they flew out from the rugby World Cup today.
It is unlikely anyone in the squad was flicking through British newspapers as their flight departed London's Heathrow airport this morning (NZ time).
But if they were it wouldn't have helped their downtrodden mood after Sunday's shock quarterfinal loss to France.
Newspapers were chock-full of coverage of the Cardiff match plus more on England's defeat of Australia.
Predictions that the tournament would be dominated by southern hemisphere teams were lampooned while other reports focused on the greater mental toughness of the European teams.
The "choke" word was smattered liberally through headlines and reports, with columnists outdoing themselves in describing the All Blacks' propensity for botching World Cups.
Chief sports writer for The Times Simon Barnes suggested a new way for the All Blacks to finish their haka.
"The players should all seize themselves by the throat and stick out their tongues in a vivid mime of the national sport of the country," Barnes wrote.
"New Zealand is a place full of wonders but it's still a dot in the ocean.
"When it comes to the World Cup, is the desire to prove that New Zealand is something more than a provincial backwater altogether too much for them?
"Is the World Cup just too big an idea?"
The Independent's Hugh Godwin suspected New Zealand's chances won't get any better at future tournaments given the number of leading players migrating to rich European clubs.
"The inspirational power of the black jersey is wearing thin," he wrote.
"The big money leagues of Britain, Ireland and France are where it's at and top players far from over the hill... are on their way over here as fast as their newly-bulging bank accounts can carry them."
Meanwhile, a week of glowing tributes in the Welsh media directed at head coach Graham Henry and assistant Steve Hansen - who have both been the head coach of Wales at different times - ground to a halt today.
"Should we really be going for a failed Kiwi coach who'd be coming back for seconds?" read a lengthy headline in The Western Mail which warned against taking on either Henry or Hansen again for the vacant Welsh position.
Writer Andy Howell said Henry was unlikely to be asked but opined that a second Hansen term would be a retrograde step.
"Admittedly he brought discipline and professionalism (in his first term) but what else other than a dour personality and an apparent obsession with continually running down Welsh rugby?" Howell asked.
- NZPA
