Look, humility is all the rage, gestures of humanity the new sports currency, and the All Blacks are trying to re-brand themselves as Saints in Sprigs.
But come on troops...that was a one sided World Cup final at Twickers where the truth about world and trans-Tasman rugby got twisted by a sin binning. Even then, the final margin was 17 points. The All Blacks won the tournament and the final going away. If Ben Smith - whose brain explosion could have planted the much-loved All Black fullback in the hall of infamy - had played a full 80, the margin would have been nearer to 30.
The All Blacks turned out to be fabulous, having left - by their own design - their best work on the training pitch for much of the tournament. Steve Hansen has proved a master coach, his mind and voice still drawing the best out of players despite having been on the coaching panel for so long. His appointments, including bringing Wayne Smith back, have been superb. NZ Rugby boss Steve Tew and his cohorts were bang on with the early pre-World Cup re-appointment of Hansen. Congratulations to them, spotting the man and the moment.
But the rest of world rugby hovers around incompetence. It's a game awash with money and gizmos and money but devoid of sufficient rugby sense and maybe raw-athletic resources