KEY POINTS:
CARDIFF - Byron Kelleher admitted the pain of being knocked out in the quarter-finals of the World Cup by France hurt even more than the semi-final defeat of 1999.
Lightning struck twice for the New Zealand scrum-half as Les Bleus achieved another famous victory over the World Cup favourites at the Millennium Stadium this morning.
France's come from behind 20-18 victory was arguably even more impressive than their 43-31 semi-final success against the All Blacks eight years ago.
It was certainly an emotional way for Kelleher, who also experienced that 1999 loss at Twickenham, to end his 57-Test All Black career.
"It hurts even more. We're a better team than '99 and we know it," he said. "Personally, to never reach the pinnacle of winning the World Cup breaks me. I'm suffering and it hurts me.
"No disrespect to any of the All Blacks in that 1999 campaign but the closeness and the camaraderie that we've got in this team is something special.
"We strongly believe we could have pulled it off and we were just two points away. It just didn't go for us on the night.
"But that is it for me. I've got great memories of being an All Black and I've sacrificed myself for the last 10-12 years to win the World Cup.
"I've had great wins and picked up trophies but not to win the biggest one really hurts."
Kelleher spoke prior to the match of the mental scarring he carried since that 1999 semi-final and the mourning he witnessed when the team returned to New Zealand.
And the 30-year-old scrum-half, now on his way to French giants Toulouse from Waikato, expects nothing different from the Kiwi public this time around.
"All New Zealanders should feel the grief we are suffering tonight," said Kelleher.
"We know rugby is our pinnacle and that is what we represent. We played for our country and we're hurting that we let them down.
"All we can do is hope the nation can embrace us and understand that we're feeling the same pain within the camp."
The All Blacks have lifted the William Webb Ellis trophy just once and that was 20 years ago in the inaugural tournament on home soil.
Saturday's defeat was the first time they'd failed to at least make the semi-finals of rugby union's showpiece event.
But Kelleher believes the upsets that have been such a feature of this tournament - Fiji beat Wales to reach the last eight and earlier Saturday reigning champions England overturned the odds to win their quarter-final against Australia - are a positive thing for the world of rugby as a whole.
"If we went out and won every game, what would be the point in playing? It shows how good this competition is and how other teams can shine on the big occasion and put it together.
"It's great for world rugby but not for New Zealand rugby."
- AFP
