All Blacks Haunt the Wallabies - Well it was Halloween

English forward pack still hungry - for brains
Two days after the final and the dust has finally settled on the Rugby World Cup, even if England's post-mortems continue almost a month after the brutal murder (there isn't going to be a zombie resurrection even if the final was held on Halloween. The apocalypse is here. Get used to it).

Nonetheless, the Rolling Maul is still so very very tired. Not tired of Rugby mind you, and the lack of sleep isn’t an issue either (English readers finding it difficult to watch the final should just be grateful they didn't have to watch it at 3am).



No, just tired of the constant bleating from everyone Australian who has anything to do with Rugby about how this is the greatest All Blacks team ever. And of course, so the reasoning goes, they must be the best ever because they beat our Wallabies who are the best of either the last 12 or 18 months, or is it since 2003 or maybe 1999?

And for further justification, all those same Aussie pundits use as evidence that World Rugby awarded coach of the year to Michael Cheika (really) even if Dan Carter got player of the year but somehow despite David Pocock being rated player of the Rugby World Cup by just about everyone (not to mention he being the most perfect thing since William Webb Ellis refused to roll away and got yellow carded, so setting in motion what we now refer to as that other all-time legend and now nice guy Richie McCaw).

Anyway, at least the World Cup provided plenty of opportunities for some creative Halloween costumes. Yes, even in Australia, Halloween has arrived big time from over the Pacific. In inner west Sydney, where the Rolling Maul resides, it’s all a bit mental. Plagues of kids wander the streets searching for their next sugar hit while dealers openly parade their wares.

So favourite observed costumes? Count Pocock (think black eyes, bleeding nose, tissues up the nostrils, cape and fangs) and The Ghost of English Rugby (think the Poms after they lost to the Wallabies – no make-up required really – they are English so are already white enough).

Quote of the post-tournament: "Some people are on a mission in life. They achieve greatness, save the planet, resolve global poverty and dominate the breakdown." Mike Aylwin in The Guardian talking about everyone's favourite player of the tournament.

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