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The pain is yet to subside for the All Blacks a day after their shock defeat to France in the World Cup quarter-finals.
The players and coaching staff fronted the media this morning clearly shattered by the 18-20 loss to France in Cardiff that saw the All Blacks register their worst World Cup ever.
Speaking to Radio Sport, captain Richie McCaw said he still felt the same as when referee Wayne Barnes blew the final whistle on Sunday.
"You feel like you want to wake up from a bad dream," McCaw said.
"We didn't get the one we really wanted and that's going to hurt like hell but some of the rugby we've played has been pretty good."
Lock Chris Jack, who played his last game for the All Blacks, said the loss hurt more than the semifinal defeat to Australia four years ago.
"We've been building for this for a long time," he said.
"We really had a drive for this and it's so disappointing."
Meanwhile, as the New Zealand Rugby Union chairman Jock Hobbs announced there would be a new All Blacks coach by Christmas, McCaw paid tribute to the current panel.
"They're probably the best coaches I've had anything to with," he said of All Blacks coach Graham Henry and his assistants Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith.
"They all bring different attributes to the team and because of that there's not many bits that get left out."
- NZ HERALD STAFF
