Rugby World Cup
Richmond Fanzone produces festival atmosphere to farewell Rugby World Cup
Robert Bartlett
November 1, 2015
New Zealand 34-17 Australia (Australia only)

RICHMOND -- There are finals and then there are World Cup finals. The former provide great moments, the latter create legends. And, be it rugby or otherwise, these global Holy Grails bring with them contagious ceremonies of colour, history and outright emotion. You simply cannot help but join in the madness.

For Saturday's maiden antipodean Rugby World Cup final between, quite fittingly, the two best teams in the world, Richmond was no different. After six weeks of tantalising rugby, 47 matches, 2,388 points and 266 tries, England 2015's final hurrah beckoned: it didn't disappoint.

The Underground spilled thousands onto the sunny streets of Surrey, with it coming a strange site of pirates and pumpkins wandering towards the Fanzone in an unfamiliar October warmth. It felt more like Glastonbury than Halloween.

"Barbeque weather!" joked one face-painted Australian fan as he made his way out of the train station, can of beer in hand. Even in the five-minute walk through Richmond town centre towards Old Deer Park, where the Fanzone is situated, one couldn't help but notice every pub was already overflowing onto the cobbled streets outside. Jubilant Kiwis and Wallabies -- decked out their iconic gold, green and black -- interspersed with supporters of nations that had already gone home, nerves masked by well-lubricated smiles.

"It has been a brilliant World Cup -- but I wish it was us," was the consensus of a small pocket of England fans, proudly displaying white shirts alongside envious green faces. Entering the Fanzone had a festival feel: sociable smiles welcomed the hordes through the gates, handing out the plethora of freebies that come with multi-million pound sponsorship deals. Those carrying the maximum four pints of their preferred tonic had to be wary of stray rugby balls falling from the skies. It was, though, refreshing to witness the stewards turn a blind eye as not to spoil the fun, a charm sometimes overlooked at other big sporting occasions.

"It's been a great World Cup for us," said one All Black who had travelled down from Scotland just to watch the game in the 10,000-capacity Fanzone tent. "Hopefully it's about to get better. But you never know with Australia -- you just don't know what to expect." Even on the biggest sporting stage, the humility and respect of the trans-Tasman rivalry far outshone any bitterness.

With two hours until kick-off, fans queued patiently for the giant Ferris wheel: from the summit, Twickenham's industrial coliseum, a mere 20 minutes' walk away, stood proudly across a glorious horizon. The main stage seemed within a stone's throw for those not fortunate enough to be there. In one of the chief sponsor's tents, England's World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson threw signed balls into the crowd and congratulated a couple of lucky fans who had won a pair of tickets to the match. "Those tickets are better than mine!"

Of course, there were downsides: a festival atmosphere costs festival prices. The big wheel set fans back £8 for four swift rotations, while £5 for a lukewarm plastic pint of beer would be too expensive at Buckingham Palace -- and that's without mentioning the £7 spent on a "steak sandwich."

That, though, paled into insignificance once people began to settle in front of the venue's primary big screen. As time ticked towards the 4pm start, fans took their seats in the grandstand, with any late comers having to settle for standing room only. "Don't go down to the bar now -- it's not worth it," said one New Zealander on return to his seat, clearly traumatised by the queue for the toilets as well.

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The noise as Richie McCaw and, firstly, Prince Harry appeared on the screen was deafening, while a crescendo of roars through the entrances, national anthems, haka and finally kick-off took atmosphere to fever pitch. "Here we go," came the final rallying cry from a group of All Blacks sat high in the back of the stands, nervously clinging on to each other's shoulders. New Zealand, the defending champions and most iconic rugby team in the world, held sway in the bustling blue tent with two thirds of the attendance cheering in their favour.

First the mesmeric Dan Carter, whose brilliant performance would inspire a historic victory at HQ, was given a hero's reception as he landed three penalties to Bernard Foley's one inside a frantic but ultimately try-less opening 35 minutes. That's when the worries started: "We should have scored inside the opening 10". However, Richmond's roof was almost blown clean off after a swashbuckling move was brilliantly finished by Nehe Milner-Skudder for the final's first try.

The Australian contingent was shell-shocked and, having spent most of halftime refilling their glasses with both beer and optimism, it soon got worse. Ma'a Nonu's thrilling individual try a minute after the restart produced a monumental bellow from their rugby rivals.

However, after Ben Smith's yellow card was greeted with a chorus of boos, golden arms started to rise from the crowd as the Wallabies finally reacted. A formidable nervousness blanketed the New Zealand faithful -- tries from David Pocock and Tevita Kuridrani, aided by two conversions from the boot of Foley, brought flooding back the questions over their ability to win a World Cup overseas.

But special men are made for special moments. Talismanic Carter, coolness personified, landed the most colossal of drop goals under a mountain of pressure to lift the roof once more. It shifted the whole feel of the occasion. It shifted the world, inside a small tent in Surrey, as beers flew through the air. For many, that was the moment the questions were finally answered and, when Beauden Barrett raced clear to score one of the great counter-attacking tries, New Zealand's fans jumped, hugged and embraced as one.

New Zealand
New Zealand© David Rogers/Getty Images

"Just the quiet night in for you then," ESPN's reporter joked in congratulatory manner after the final whistle was blown by Nigel Owens. "Yeah, I'll probably just dig out a DVD," came the response from an elated All Black, although the suggestion of watching the 2003 final highlights soon fell on deaf ears.

The majority stayed to watch New Zealand lift the Webb Ellis trophy for a record third time, before finally filtering out to the wreckage outside. Stray pint pots, try signs, scarves and rubbish were abandoned across the fields of Old Deer Park as fans made their way back out of the illuminated goalpost-shaped gates.

And, after the curtain had come down on what has been a marvellous tournament, one more thing needed to be said. "Four more years," was the song that greeted gutted Australian fans as they walked back towards Richmond Station, harking back to George Gregan's infamous jibe from the 2003 semifinal -- it's just a shame we have to wait that long.

© Robert Bartlett

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