It is two weeks exactly until the All Blacks' 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup is named and the defending champions are riding high.
The All Blacks won by 28 points against the Wallabies to retain the Bledisloe Cup last night as captain Richie McCaw also celebrated setting a new world record.
It was job well done for the All Blacks as they disbanded today – a compliment of sorts for the man of the moment.
Coach Steve Hansen was full of praise for McCaw.
"He's an ordinary bloke – bright as hell, but a bit boring – but he's a special bloke," he says.
The record-breaking skipper appeared emotional after he guided his side to victory last night.
"I'm probably not a guy who gets too emotional but there's a lump in the throat. It's hard to explain but I didn't want it to stop."
Fellow teammate Dan Carter was also full of admiration.
"To achieve what he has – he's just a machine – [to] keep going for 142 games.
"Couldn't be any prouder of the guy and it couldn't happen to a better person," he says.
The 41-13 demolition of the Australians also meant feel-good farewells for Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Tony Woodcock and Kevin Mealamu.
They now have a mixture of downtime, ITM Cup action and training camps before the World Cup squad of 31 is named in a fortnight.
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