Job done: All Blacks captain Richie McCaw hoists the Webb Ellis Cup aloft at Eden Park © Getty Images

The Rugby World Cup Final could not come soon enough for some fans who were on streets of Auckland early on Sunday, clearly unable to sleep and happier to deal with their nerves by pacing the streets of the city. But they were not alone for long. A steady stream of supporters emerged from trains, buses and boats, all dressed in black, and made a beeline for harbourside where the party started early and for some is still going. An estimated crowd of 50,000 painted the Viaduct and the assorted Fan Zones black except for the odd flash of colour from French fans or others who had chosen to stay and enjoy the tournament long after their sides had returned home.

The superb Fan Trail to Eden Park soon sparked into life with upwards of 20,000 fans opting to walk to the stadium and feed off each other's energy along the way. Seated well before kick off the tension was palpable but we had seen nothing yet as France had a little something up their sleeve. We were all transfixed as they moved into an arrow-like formation ahead of New Zealand's haka - what was going on here? Holding hands as if to reassure each other that what they were doing was not going akin to poking a bear with a stick, boos rang around the stadium as they advanced on the All Blacks but they were not perturbed. They were here to play and unsettle their rivals, and their supporters, anyway they could.

And they did not stop at theatrics. A committed display from the underdogs ensured for 80 minutes of nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat rugby. At no stage was it comfortable viewing. France's resistance and their failure to read the supposed script ensured a nervous night for the vast majority of the capacity Eden Park crowd. It was a painful experience at times with the agony suffered by fly-half Aaron Cruden, the third All Blacks playmaker to be struck down by injury during the tournament, felt by the entire 'stadium of four million'. But the crowd rose as one as his replacement Stephen Donald entered the fray, determined to encourage and infuse him with belief. At times it was a horrow show that some fans could not bear to watch and the longer the game hung in the balance the more they feared a big dramatic pay-off, a gory end to their World Cup hopes. A try for France's inspirational skipper Thierry Dusautoir triggered a moment of stunned silence from New Zealand fans but adamant that another one would not slip away, they soon found their voices again.

The All Blacks endeavoured to release the tension but it was not until the dying moments of a real arm-wrestle of a clash that tension finally gave way to delirium. The All Blacks had done it - at last. The fans didn't care that their heroes had failed to find their best form, the result was all that mattered, and anyway, they were too busy hugging their friends and total strangers.

The significance of the occasion was also not lost on the players who leapt into each other's arms - job done. A dejected France were left to wonder how they let this one get away when they could have so easily claimed the biggest upset in the history of the tournament. Instead they had to look on as fireworks lit the sky and a strangely hesitant Richie McCaw, reluctant to touch the trophy up until now because 'he didn't deserve it', stepped forward to finally get his hands on Bill. The place erupted once more as reality set in and their knotted stomachs eased - they really were World Cup winners. The fans' faith, that has been sorely tested over 24 painful years since their 1987 triumph, had been rewarded at last and it was time to celebrate - and they did, and then some.