Stephen Kearney is the favourite to retain the Kiwis coaching job, despite what happened in last year's World Cup final.

Evaluating a team's place in history is difficult but the present Australian side must be among the best.

The Kiwis rolled back the years in the World Cup final, evoking depressing days past as they failed to fire a shot and were chewed up by the Aussies, writes Chris Rattue.

Sonny Bill Williams doesn't have to contend with failure very often but yesterday it reduced the Kiwis second-rower to tears.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has had so many highlights in 2013, but playing in the World Cup final at Old Trafford wasn't one of them.

Herald rugby league writers Michael Brown and Chris Rattue answer three key questions from the Kiwis' loss to Australia in this morning's World Cup final.

As the champagne flowed for the Australian side, the tears flowed for the Kiwis after they were humbled 34-2 in this morning's World Cup final.

For five years it has pained Australia to know they were not world champions. This morning at Old Trafford they put that right in a masterful performance.

As well as watching the Kiwis with close interest, the league community in this country has spent much of the World Cup assessing the merits of Sam Tomkins.

The Kiwis call it "The Brotherhood" and they see it as their secret weapon heading into tomorrow's World Cup final against the Kangaroos.

Kiwis' hooker Issac Luke has grown so much over the past two years he now has designs on one day taking over the captaincy.

Shaun Johnson looms as the most important player for the Kiwis in Sunday morning's World Cup final, writes Richie Barnett.

Frank Pritchard had hoped to make his mark on a World Cup final but lost his chance today when he was ruled out of Sunday morning's showdown with Australia because of a hamstring strain.

When the Kiwis won the World Cup in 2008, it came as a surprise.

Sonny Bill Williams received an impromptu haka performance from his Kiwis teammates after being crowned the world's best rugby league player.

Sonny Bill Williams has been challenged to a swimming race by an unlikely contender - a child from Auckland.