Herald on Sunday front page in the spotlight for summing up 'NZ's mood' after RWC loss

The Herald on Sunday (HoS) front page has been making headlines across the globe and being shared on social media for "summing up the mood of the country".

It's been a morning of mourning for New Zealand after the All Blacks' shocking loss against England last night.

No one really wants to talk about it and the front page reflected exactly that.

Today's edition of the Herald on Sunday's front page is completely blacked out, except for a small text excerpt reading: "The All Blacks are out of the World Cup. If you want to read more, go to the sports section."

In all honesty, the news in the sports section is not the news we wish we'd printed today. Its the news no New Zealander wanted to read.

Kiwis, for the most apart, appreciated how the HoS team illustrated our collective mood.

Well done @heraldonsunday - after last night’s disappointment this made me laugh out loud. pic.twitter.com/svIH58nndv

— Hilary Barry (@Hilary_Barry) October 26, 2019

The @nzherald front page #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/ecBq6XKfS4

— Nick (@Winn1) October 26, 2019

Excellent HoS front page in the circumstances @nzherald pic.twitter.com/IX1Xk3P65e

— Juliette Sivertsen (@j_sivertsen) October 26, 2019

Overseas, the front page has been compared to New Orleans' response to the Saints' Super Bowl result this year, as depicted in the Times-Picayune front page the following day.

The Times-Picayune Monday front page. New Orleans probably could have spiced this game up a bit.#WhoDat #NewOrleans #Saints pic.twitter.com/zdz0pJaAfh

— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) February 4, 2019

World media reacts to All Blacks' shock semifinal loss against England

English media is, on the other hand, giving its people the news many of them didn't expect: England beat the All Blacks and advanced to the final of the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

In The Times', Stephen Jones described it as "one of England's greatest sporting days".

"This was one of England's greatest sporting days - and I am not just talking rugby here. The planning, execution, defending and attacking of this breathtaking England team made it arguably their greatest day, a performance they will find hard to surpass if they win the final at the same venue next Saturday," he wrote.

"England got it absolutely right. The quality of some of the tackling - you were never two passes away from a dominant hit and they picked when to go in and compete almost perfectly. England spent the whole of the second half forcing New Zealand to play out from their own third. They were physically and mentally dominant today," Paul Grayson said on the BBC Radio 5 Live.

In The Guardian's, Roberts Kitson described it as "faintly unreal" that New Zealand, "the tournament favourites", had been beaten.

"No one connected with English rugby will ever forget the annus mirabilis of 2003 but finally Martin Johnson and co have some serious competition. While Eddie Jones's squad are still 80 minutes short of their ultimate ambition, it is impossible to recall any Red Rose side, ancient or modern, playing better than this," he wrote.

"If it sounds faintly unreal to report that New Zealand, the tournament favourites and previously unbeaten in 18 World Cup matches dating back to 2007, could conceivably have been beaten by 30 unanswered points that is the plain, unvarnished truth. Their dreams of becoming the first team to win three consecutive Webb Ellis Cups were not so much dashed on a humid evening as sliced and diced by a bunch of sword-wielding Samurai warriors."