So, is this the real final? No team has ever been beaten on the way to winning the World Cup. Australia have never lost to New Zealand in a World Cup. One of those facts is going to change in the next two hours.
What it all means is that New Zealand is a very edgy place to be right now. Everything from Quade Cooper to the kick-off time (9pm local time) is causing huge levels of anxiety across both islands. Merely mention Dan carter's name and even the most reserved individual will drop to the floor, beating the fist on the ground, screaming "why, why, why". But, hey, there's always Aaron Cruden.
A thousand miles away in Australia things are just as unsettled. It's 25 years since the Wallabies have won at Eden Park. That hex was meant to be put to rest in the Pool game against Ireland but we know what happened there. But with typical Aussie bravado it seems they are prepared to try and bluff this one out and shift the pressure back New Zealand's direction. The Sydney Morning Herald published an open letter to the All Blacks which urged them not to choke and contained the following: "The great traditions of rugby [include] giving three cheers for the ref afterwards and the All Blacks crashing and burning."
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