Wynne Gray: Nothing left but humble pie diet

Soak it up New Zealand. Mouth it quietly, get used to it, digest it and then deliver the words publicly and with humility.

On a balmy Sydney night when the rugby world watched, the Wallabies rather than the All Blacks seized the moment as the fifth World Cup entered its final, frantic, cut-throat week.

While the Wallabies went for the jugular immediately and attacked victory, the All Blacks were left in vein-popping anxiety, unable to cope with the intensity the Australians created through their better ball supply.

Where the Wallabies had been in mixed form earlier in the tournament, they were ruthless, accurate and sneeringly aggressive on Saturday. They mugged the All Blacks with their running game and slapped them with their sliding defence and spot-tackles.

They added layer upon layer of pressure from which the All Blacks were unable to extricate themselves, losing 22-10.

The result underlined several truths about professional rugby and predictions for this tournament.

Any one of the four semifinalists was in the hunt for the Webb Ellis Cup, the difference between them is infinitesimal. It can often be a mindset or a piece of fortune.

In the amateur era the All Blacks set the standard which others, under professionalism, have now met and challenged. Simple. Two teams go at it and on the day the most concentrated side invariably wins.

And that is the area where the All Black coaching staff and players will retrace their steps, searching for reasons why they produced their poorest response in their biggest game under the tutelage of John Mitchell and Robbie Deans.

Among the mantras they have espoused, one always sat highest.

If the preparation was right, the coaches said, the outcome would take care of itself.

Recriminations will not bring the semifinal back, but obviously some of the homework and planning was flawed.

They asked for and received a concession to base themselves in Melbourne away from the hype. They removed the squad from the NPC for training camps. The framework was complete.

The most bewildering issue boiled on all season - goalkicking. Carlos Spencer had the job for the opening test against England, Daniel Carter the next two, before Spencer was reinstated for four more matches.

At the World Cup, Spencer started in game one, but when damaged was replaced by Carter, who stayed for the next match, only to be replaced by Leon MacDonald.

When the All Blacks lost their formidable midfield presence, Tana Umaga, for the tournament, the succession plan failed.

Umaga had been used more as a decoy this season, but his jarring defence was a huge part of the All Black armoury and was missed.

Ma'a Nonu got a solitary chance and was dispatched. That mirrored the decision at the start of the year when he was used in the most awkward conditions against England and then shown the door.

Some defensive uncertainty in his start against Canada was not appreciated and he was shelved for the more seasoned MacDonald, who could also goal-kick with Spencer not favoured and Carter set to miss out on Aaron Mauger's return.

In the end, MacDonald's defence was scratchy against Wales, South Africa and the Wallabies, his goalkicking no better than Spencer's.

But the sourest taste came from the forwards' inability to back up their mighty work against the Springboks.

They shed three of their own lineouts and had more crooked throws. They did not adapt to the twin terrier assault from George Smith and Phil Waugh, a tactic the Wallabies had shown them at Eden Park this year.

When the All Blacks needed to vary their tactics, even with the little amount of ball they had, the direction did not change. It had when Justin Marshall revved up against Wales; on Saturday he was sidelined with a rib injury.

Captain Reuben Thorne was struggling to arrange his own game, the guidance was fractured.

No chips-in behind the straight-line Wallaby defence, no second-wave moves from set-pieces, not enough punch from the pack to drag in the Wallabies and create space.

They were beaten to the ball, beaten by the game-plan, emasculated by a Wallaby side who showed the value of nous and conviction.