‘End of the World’: All Blacks loss shocks Kiwis

Wellington: The All Blacks’ World Cup semi-final defeat stunned New Zealand on Saturday as dreams of a third consecutive crown were crushed by a superior England side. “End of the World! All Blacks stunned by incredible English,” said the New Zealand Herald. England’s 19-7 victory in Yokohama ended an incredible 18-match unbeaten run in World Cup games for the All Blacks, who had reigned supreme since defeating Tonga at the start of the 2011 tournament. Research company Gemba Insights had suggested the nation’s mental health could be negatively affected by an All Blacks loss after recording “a noticeable rising anxiety” as the team advanced into the knockout stages. Former All Blacks fly-half Stephen Donald saw the writing on the wall five minutes into the second half when England led 10-0. “If they (the All Blacks) can get out of this it will be a hell of an effort,” Donald, who kicked the match-winning penalty in the 2011 final and is now a television pundit, said during the live broadcast of the match. The Herald, looking for a reason why things went wrong, said the decision to start Scott Barrett at blindside flanker was “a gamble that didn’t work”. Barrett was replaced
at half-time. (AFP)