Victory

{photo by Paul Estcourt via nz herald}

'Cause we are loyal.  Keep it that way. ~ Dave Dobbyn

All Blacks 8 - France 7.

You beaut.

{a rare smile from old Ted}

{jubilation}

{elation}

{celebration}

After an intense, nail-biting, nerve-wracking, 80 minutes of rugby, the All Blacks finally did it.

Welcome home, Webb Ellis Cup.

We watched it all unfold from a bar in the Octagon in the heart of Dunedin.  You could have cut the tension with a knife for most of the game.  The predictably unpredictable French side played the best rugby they have played in a very long time (after a pretty bof tournament so far) and our boys were battling all sorts of big test nerves and injuries.  Poor old Piri was having a kicking shocker (injury?) and child star Aaron Cruden suffered a nasty knee injury in the closing minutes of the first half. 

It was an epic battle out there.  Definitely not tiddlywinks, mate.

Hats off to Les Bleus for a pretty stellar performance but the night belonged to Black.  All Black.

And after the year we've had; this year of earthquakes, shipwrecks, and tsunamis; it's awesome to have something to celebrate. 

So proud to be a kiwi today.


Our World Champion All Blacks! from Jared Brandon Productions on Vimeo.