On this day in 2011: All Blacks win the World Cup
New Zealand claimed their first Rugby World Cup triumph since 1987 when they sealed a narrow victory in the final of the global showpiece on this day in 2011.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw held the William Webb Ellis trophy aloft following his side’s hard-fought 8-7 win after France put them under great pressure when their captain, Thierry Dusautoir, scored a try in the second half.
French fightback
That came after Tony Woodcock crossed the whitewash in the first half to give his side a 5-0 lead at the interval before Stephen Donald slotted a penalty, but Les Bleus launched a fightback with Dusautoir’s five-pointer which was converted by Francois Trinh-Duc.
France applied concerted pressure in the final stages but the All Blacks held on and breathed a huge sigh of relief as they celebrated World Cup glory for the first time since 1987.
McCaw said: “It wasn’t very pretty, but it came down to how much desire, how much courage the boys had. A lot of guys have put a lot of effort in for a long time, and they weren’t going to let the opportunity go.
“We probably didn’t play our best, but we played good enough. I take my hat off to every single player who took to the field.”
Coach Graham Henry, who stepped down after the tournament, said: “We have been through a lot together. A lot of the guys played in the last World Cup and fell at the quarter-final and, to win this, there are no words for it, quite frankly.”
His France counterpart Marc Lievremont, for whom it was also a last match in charge, said: “It is tremendously sad, but I am tremendously proud of the players. We said the All Blacks were the best team in the world. Today, the French team was great.”