New Zealand ride their luck for shock World Cup final victory over Australia

England's World Cup defeat in football by USA in 1950, Foinavon's 100-1 Grand National triumph in 1967 and Bangladesh's one-day cricket victory over Australia in 2005.

This unexpected, but deserved, 34-20 success against Australia can be added to that list of major sporting upsets after New Zealand ended arguably the longest reign of any nation as world champions on an historic night in Brisbane.

Australia had won six successive World Cup tournaments since 1975 and the Kiwis were 7-1 to be crowned world champions for the first time.

Thrills, spills, drama, controversy and super-fit athletes with exceptional skill levels – this magnificent final highlighted everything that is good about rugby league.

Even the passionate pre-match haka, when the Aussies stood face-to-face with the Kiwis, added to the theatre.

Australia had won six successive world crowns since 1975 and beaten New Zealand in all 13 of their previous World Cup meetings – including the 1988 and 2000 finals.

As Stephen Kearney, the New Zealand coach who took over from Gary Kemble after their 3-0 Test whitewash by Great Britain 12 months ago, said: "It is a wonderful achievement. The game in New Zealand was in a bad state this time last year and some tough decisions had to be made."

In a land where union is king, New Zealand captain Nathan Cayless said: "Hopefully we will get a lot more respect now because we deserve it."

Kearney suggested pre-match the Kiwis would need luck to beat a side who had conceded only three tries in four wins in the tournament and beaten New Zealand in their last eight meetings.

Good fortune played its part but this win, with Wigan's Thomas Leuluai and Leeds-bound Greg Eastwood prominent in a rampaging pack superbly marshalled by Jeremy Smith, was no fluke.

Darren Lockyer, the Australia captain, missed out on a hat-trick by dropping the ball over the line with Billy Slater, voted Player of the Tournament was cruelly dubbed "Silly Billy" by the Australian press after throwing a suicidal back pass near his own line for Benji Marshall to accept the gift.

Steve Ganson, the St Helens-based referee also made two crucial decisions as video official.

Ganson ruled Australian forward Anthony Laffranchi had reefed the ball from Marshall's grasp in the build-up to Jerome Ropati's try which put New Zealand ahead 12-10 for the first time.

More significantly the Kiwis led only 22-20 when Ganson awarded Lance Hohaia a penalty try 10 minutes from time.

Nathan Fien's kick bounced over Joel Monaghan who then pulled back Hohaia who looked a likely scorer.

Unlike a certain other coach who had lost recently to New Zealand, Australian Ricky Stuart showed admirable restraint saying: "The decisions were not for me to judge, I just have to cop the result. We were not at our best and now people may believe any side, even Australia, can have an off-night and be got."

Kearney said: "The big thing was that Lance did not get the opportunity to score the try and that decision had to be made."

Ganson was given the backing of World Cup referees commissioner Mick Stone who said: "It was quite clear there was a breach and Steve had to decide if, in his opinion, a try would have been scored.

"We all have opinions and no doubt the 50,000 supporters would also have had an opinion. The only one that matters is Steve Ganson.

"I don't think it was a wrong decision. If he had given a penalty instead I don't think that would have been a wrong decision either.

"It was a really tough call and, at that time, it was basically a decision that decided the cup.

"With the Ropati try Steve felt, in his opinion, the ball had been stripped and was not a knock-on.

"It was the most difficult of the 18 games in the tournament to referee but Ashley Klein and Steve Ganson did well."

The English fans, who turned their backs on the Gold Coast beaches to cheer on the New Zealanders after the Lions World Cup flop, revelled in the Australians misery.

They cheerfully chanted to the grief-stricken Aussie supporters: "Always look on the bright side of life."

At least England players, watching this outstanding contest in their lounges back home after two defeats by New Zealand, can now say they were beaten by the eventual winners!

Match details

Australia: Slater; Monaghan, Inglis, Folau, Williams; Lockyer (capt), Thurston; Kite, C.Smith, Civoniceva, Laffranchi, Stewart, Gallen.
Subs: Hunt, Tupou, Fitzgibbon, Watmough.
New Zealand: Hohaia; Perrett, Mannering, Ropati, Vatuvei; Marshall, Fien; Cayless (capt), Leuluai, Blair, Fa'alago, Harrison, J.Smith.
Subs: Luke, Eastwood, Rapira, Manu.
Referee: A Klein (England).