Australia have won really. SBW has gifted them a try there .

JT has been class but BIlly slater has had his bast game in at least 2 years.

Thurston named man of the match, Personally I would of given it slater or Thaiday but its still a good choice.

To be fair, I think the kiwis left everything on the pitch at wembley last week, and they've not put in the challenge they might have. But you can't take away from this. I switched from BBC to premier after the miracle try because Davies was talking about "just doing the basics right". But it's not just the basics. Some if the skill has been breathtaking. Split-second decisions at full speed involving subtle and near-impossible skill. I don't think a rugby league team has ever existed which could have beaten the Aussies today.

We could pretend New Zealand scored a TRY

Well done Australia they absolutely deserved that. ( trust me it pains me to say that).

Anybody know the reason why SBW wasn't selected in the New Zealand 17 today?

SBW disappointed me in this game, he only seemed to want to get involved once the match was lost. Also proves that if we want to be the best as many of the Englandteam need to play in the NRL.

Poor end to the tournament , the Aussies didnt need top gear

All of the NZ team play NRL.....how did that work out for them today?

Must say I thought that closing sequence from the BBC was great.

Well, that was a great demonstration of rugby with some outstanding skill. Perhaps NZ left everything behind last week.

It's been a great tournament, as good as any sport can do.

Australia were in top gear nearly all game, what are you talking about? Hence the result and unforgettable performance we've just witnessed.

Not a great final
Australia where outstanding but New Zealand could have give us a better spectacle.

Great World Cup

Bring on more international rugby league

I think that the Kiwi halves were virtually non existent today. Dut to be fair to them they didn't have much to work with behind a beaten pack.

At least there was one consolation. Wigan was represented in the winning circle with the presence of David Furner (Assistant Coach of Australia).

How appropriate for the greatest rugby league club that the northern hemisphere has ever produced.

What do you say? Flawless performance by the boys.
I thought NZ were disappointing, but honestly they were under pressure from the first dropped ball by Bromwich. Would England have done any better? We'll never know - I think they might, but no-one was going to beat the Roos today.

Good tournament with some decent crowds, memorable moments, and an apparent £5 million profit expected. Apparently the final was the biggest ever attendance for a game of international RL. Not bad, to say the host nation were not playing.

We need to build on this. The sport desperately needs a 4th 'major' team, by the time the next tournament comes round. It is worrying that France appear to have gone backwards.

Not the game anyone wanted to see but an absolute pleasure to watch a team of such talented players at the peak of their power and skill. Could be the best team performance I've seen in a game of that magnitude.

We need to have a 4th major team. That is definitely true.

However France only [iappears[/i to have gone backwards. That is because Australia, New Zealand and England have all improved, while France has stood still.

We need to move France forward. France stands still because it relies on a single French Super League club. France can only move forward with the creation of more French Super League clubs.

Unfortunately Nigel Wood, with his roots in the Championship (Halifax) is tone deaf to the calls for improving France by means of the minimal starting effort of licensing a 2nd French Super League club in Toulouse.

Without drifting this thread, Toulouse were given opportunity to build from the Championship, they failed miserably both on and off the pitch

However yes I agree, another SL club is probably what is needed, but with the ending of licencing, there can be no immunity from relegation , ultimatley it is up to the French to build themselves

I know nothing of Nigel Wood. But he looks and sounds like a pie 'n peas up 'n under Yorkshireman. He has followed on from Richard Lewis, who was a good administrator, but had the charisma of a newt.

We, as a sport, need to start thinking radical. Bin London (they seemingly might not even make the start line in 2014), get a second French team from 2015 onwards.

Amazing that the only tries the Aussies conceded the whole tournament were from Ryan Hall, Leroy Cudjoe, George Burgess & Josh Charnley.

Maybe we are not as e as we think.

Just got back from the game and must say that New Zealand were very disappointing despite the majority of the crowd appearing to support them. You should have heard the boos for the roos across the ground when they came onto the pitch. It's a shame that the final couldn't emulate the England v NZ semi which was the game of the tournament. With England in the final the atmosphere would have been electric which it seemed to lack today.

NZ pack got absolutely mullered and they had not go forward with the Aus defence outstanding and when they did have a chance their passing seemed to let them down either behind the player or a cut out pass needed. Their chances though were few due to massive 3 man tackling. Did SBW play? .. Ineffective to say the least.

I think our England pack may have given them more of a game but no surprise on paper the Aussies are the best in the world and they also now proved it on the pitch.

What?

You're kidding right?