Moment of Relief

October 23, 2011 Eden Park New Zealand 8-7 France

We can only imagine how different the last decade would have been had the All Blacks not won the 2011 World Cup. And that was a real possibility as they struggled to contain a French team that came to life.

It was a long, nerve-wracking struggle that saw the teams separated only by a point for the last 15 minutes and the All Blacks needed an heroic performance from skipper Richie McCaw to win.

It was a game that changed the mood of a nation – that allowed the pressure to release and a new optimism to sweep the country.