KEY POINTS:
Who would have believed it even a few weeks ago?
Just a year after the Kiwis were thrashed 58-0 by Australia and whitewashed 3-0 in a series by Great Britain, New Zealand rugby league finds itself at the summit of the international game.
The tag of world champions
is the Kiwis' for the next five years thanks to a fairy tale night in Brisbane in November.
In the World Cup final at a packed Suncorp Stadium, skipper Nathan Cayless and his men made a mockery of the Kangaroos' status as raging favourites to score a stunning 34-20 victory.
Almost every pre-game reading of the tea leaves had suggested otherwise.
The Kangaroos had held the World Cup since 1975 and won every one of their 13 cup encounters against New Zealand going back to the inaugural tournament in 1954.
They were also on an eight-match winning streak against the Kiwis and had cruised through their three pool matches and their semifinal.
New Zealand's passage to the championship decider had been less straightforward.
After a disappointing 30-6 loss to Australia in the opening weekend, they had two tough scraps with England before coming out on top in both.
The underdog Kiwis then showed what the simple mix of mistake reduction and good defence could do, as they came back from an early 10-0 deficit to rattle the usually unflappable Kangaroos.
Two key moments in the second half turned the contest in their favour.
Midway through the spell, newly-crowned International Player of Year Billy Slater, who had set up Australia's first two tries, produced a howler on defence.
The fullback threw a wild pass that was snapped up by Benji Marshall for a gift four-pointer.
Then, with 10 minutes to go, the Kiwis were awarded a rare penalty try when Lance Hohaia was held back in a kick-chase.
Marshall's simple conversion gave his side a 28-20 cushion with time running out.
Any thoughts of a Kangaroo fightback were snuffed out by a sixth New Zealand try, before the final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations among the Kiwis and their supporters.
It had taken New Zealand 54 years to claim the World Cup for the first time, but the wait only made the achievement that much sweeter.
"That's my grand final," said Cayless, who has yet to win a National Rugby League premiership after 12 seasons with Parramatta.
"That's the biggest thing for me. I just can't believe it."
Victory was also a triumph for the coaching combination of newcomer Stephen Kearney and his more experienced assistant, Wayne Bennett.
Ironically, Bennett, a six-time NRL title winner with Brisbane, was at the helm for Australia on the last black day for the Kangaroos, their 24-0 defeat to the Kiwis in the 2005 Tri-Nations final.
Bennett resigned after that result in Leeds, and his successor, Ricky Stuart, did the same this month.
Stuart's departure came in far more controversial circumstances and included a A$20,000 ($24,000) fine imposed under World Cup disciplinary provisions.
Defeat in the final had rankled Stuart so much that he abused referee Ashley Klein and English official Stuart Cummings in a hotel foyer the day after the match.
The Kiwis' success followed another impressive late-season surge by the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL.
The Warriors won eight of their last 10 round-robin matches to snatch the eighth and final spot in the playoffs.
They then caused a huge boilover by downing defending champions Melbourne in fortress Olympic Park, before grabbing a home win over the Sydney Roosters to get into last four.
However, preliminary final opponents Manly proved too strong, the Sea Eagles qualifying for the grand final, where they humiliated Melbourne 40-0.
Manu Vatuvei's feats for the Warriors, including 16 tries in 17 appearances, in a season hampered by injury were rewarded with the accolade of International Winger of the Year.
In October, the curtain came down on one of the sport's great careers, with former Kiwi skipper Ruben Wiki announcing his retirement after 312 NRL games, 87 for the Warriors.
The rest of the centre-cum-prop's appearances were for Canberra, with whom he made his first-grade debut in 1993 and won a premiership the following year.
Wiki, 35, also played a world record 55 tests between 1994 and 2006.
News that Wiki was hanging up his boots was followed by the surprise announcement that champion halfback Stacey Jones was bringing his out of storage.
Jones, 32, has signed a one-year deal with the Warriors, the club where he spent 11 seasons before his move to the English Super League at the end of 2005.
Nicknamed the Little General, the former Kiwi retired a year ago and was the Warriors' kicking coach during the 2008 campaign.
He still holds club records for games played (238), tries scored (75) and total points (654).
- NZPA
