BY THE barest of margins, Sam Whitelock fell short of the one record that really mattered.
He was just two points short of ending his storied New Zealand career as the first man to win three Rugby World Cups after triumphing in 2011 and 2015.
South Africa’s 12-11 win in a pulsating Paris final ensured the Springboks joined Whitelock as back-to-back champions after retaining their 2019 title.
However, it meant the great lock finished his 153rd and final All Blacks match, and 26th RWC appearance – both new records – on the losing side for a change.
“Sport can be pretty cruel,” he said in the immediate aftermath. But that’s why we love it. The fine margins, the element of jeopardy and everything in between. And Whitelock knows more than most what it’s like to come out on top.
When Rugby World, in the RWC final mixed zone, asked hooker Codie Taylor to sum up Whitelock’s impact, he said he has been the archetypal All Black.
“Massive, massive respect for him as a person, as a player and as a father,” Taylor explained.
“He defines what an All Black is. He’s uncompromising, he goes about his work and leaves it all out there. I’m really gutted that we couldn’t finish it for him.”
When asked if Whitelock had said anything in a heartbroken changing room, Taylor admitted that emotions were high all round.
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