The All Blacks' defeat against old enemies Australia at Carisbrook on Saturday has, predictably, not gone down well in New Zealand where the mixed fortunes of the Kiwis strike deep into the psyche of the entire nation.

The Sunday Star Times declared the defeat, the first at Carisbrook in 30 years, a "Bledisloe no-brainer".

The piece went on: "Many cherished national myths died on Saturday, and none more gruesomely than the myth of Carisbrook. Forget this nonsense about every win the Australians score against the All Blacks being treasured as something special.

"They're now so commonplace that it should now be New Zealand being cock-a-hoop when it manages to roll the men in green and gold. If the good rugby folk of this country can't sniff the trend, then it is time to change the medication."

Three men in particular have been the subject of the wrath of the rugby public: back rower Ron Cribb, who conceded the crucial late penalty try; scrumhalf Justin Marshall, who had a poor game, and skipper Anton Oliver, who spurned the chance for a bonus point by running a last ditch penalty.

Oliver has defended his decision saying that to take the easy kick would have been giving in and that the Tri-Nations meant nothing to him, winning the game was everything.

Since the loss Wayne Smith and fullback Jeff Wilson, the man who would have taken the kick, defended the captain's decision to go for the all or nothing play with the Bledisloe Cup one the line and heading to Australia.

"It's his call, that's why he's the captain. I don't have a problem with that at all - the captain makes the decision," said Wilson.