TWICKENHAM, England — At workplaces around the world Monday, New Zealanders will arrive with an extra spring in the step and an assertive gleam in their eyes. And nowhere will this be more so than in the many places where they work alongside Australians.
That New Zealand’s All Blacks became the first team to win consecutive Rugby World Cups and the first three-time champion is satisfying enough, but that the 34-17 victory at Twickenham Saturday was achieved against its larger neighbor and archrival Australia adds an extra dimension.
And, as the chants of “four more years” heard from the Twickenham stands indicate, New Zealand’s win created a feeling of satisfaction that will last until the next World Cup is played in Japan in 2019.