As far as New Zeland captain Richie McCaw was concerned, the All Blacks came into the tournament as world champions and were expected to play like that.

He described his emotion at the end of Saturday’s final at Twickenham as “warm inside and proud of the men I’ve been in battle with”.

Accolades for the All Blacks flooded in as soon as the final whistle went, led by beaten Wallaby coach Michael Cheika.

“New Zealand won fair and square and have been the form team since the last World Cup,” Cheika said. The All Blacks had not only became the first side to win consecutive World Cups, they were also the first team to win the crown three times.

They have been the world’s top-ranked side since 2009 and British bookmakers cannot see that changing soon as they have already installed the New Zealanders as even-money favourites to win the 2019 tournament in Japan.

Steve Hansen made winning the World Cup a focus as soon as he took over as New Zealand head coach after their 2011 success.

But he said after the mission was completed, that win, lose or draw, what mattered most to him was that the team enjoyed themselves.

“I think there’s a lot of people have realised we are not big bad ogres that sometimes we are printed to be in the media,” he said.

“We are just ordinary people who can play rugby reasonably well. Life’s too short not to have fun. If you’re serious all the time it’s pretty boring.”

But Hansen was effusive about the contribution of his retiring stars led by Dan Carter, and possibly 34-year-old McCaw who is undecided about his future.

Test centurions Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock and Ma’a Nonu are also stepping away from internationals as is centre Conrad Smith, a veteran of 94 Tests.

McCaw “is the greatest All Black we’ve ever had, and Dan’s a close second,” Hansen said.

“The only thing that separates them is one’s a flanker (McCaw) and shouldn’t play 148 Test matches. As a flanker that’s unheard of.

“There was a lot of talk going into this game about the loose forward trio,” he said in reference to Wallabies David Pocock, Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy.

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“Without wanting to be disrespectful to the other guys who I thought played really well, I thought our trio won that battle and Rico was the leader of our trio.”

McCaw, who has indicated retirement is close, is the world’s most capped player and most successful captain, leading his team to a near 90 percent win rate.

He said his major motivation was to ensure when he does leave he has added something to the number seven jersey.

“No person is bigger than what the team is and your job is to enhance and add something to that legacy,” he said.

“One thing I’ve always been big on is it’s not so much being a hero every week, it’s just doing your job as best you can to serve the team.”

McCaw also led the All Blacks to victory in the 2011 World Cup when they beat France 8-7 in Auckland. “It wa just a massive relief four years ago,” he said referring to the national expectation in rugby-obsessed New Zealand to end a 24-year wait for a second World Cup title to add to their triumph, again on home soil, at the inaugural 1987 edition. “This was an opportunity we really wanted to take,” McCaw explained

It will be the first final for the 44-year-old veteran of 67 Tests, who will be assisted by France’s Jerome Garces and England’s Wayne Barnes, the referees from last weekend’s semi-finals.

Owens was one of the first top figures in the world of rugby to announce he is gay in 2007.

“This is a huge honour and a privilege for me. I am humbled to have been chosen to referee the Rugby World Cup final,” said Owens.

“This is my third World Cup and I think it has been the best.

“It has been inspirational. The quality of rugby on display has been incredible in front of packed venues and so to be given the opportunity to referee the final match between the best two teams in the tournament is an amazing honour.”

Owens is the second Welshman to referee the World Cup final after Derek Bevan, who controlled the 1991 final that saw Australia beat hosts England.

Owens came out with one of the remarks of the tournament when he said “if you want to dive like that again, come back here in two weeks and play, not today” to Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg when he was punished for diving at English football club Newcastle United’s ground.

Rugby fans loved the dig at the reputation of rival footballers for diving. Owens said he was delighted that hs father would see his son had achieved the greatest accolade a rugby referee could receive.

He said being named for Saturday’s final was extra special because of difficult moments he had experienced.

Owens told the Wales on Sunday newspaper in 2007 that he had contemplated suicide because of how hard it would be to tell his parents of his homosexuality, as he was their only child.

Last year he said he was the target of homophobic abuse from spectators at an England-New Zealand Test. Two supporters were later banned from Twickenham for two years and to pay a cash sum to a charity chosen by Owens.

“I want to thank my friends and family for their ongoing support and for helping me through some rough times in my life,” said Owens on Monday.

“My dad, in particular, is always there for me and is delighted with this news – it’s just a shame my mother is not here to see this as she was a pillar of strength for me.

“She passed away six years ago and I know she would have been very proud.”

While he was criticised by France coach Philippe Saint-Andre for not seeing a punch that Ireland flanker Sean O’Brien delivered to lock Pascal Pape in a pool game, Owens received glowing praise from former All Black great and now selector Grant Fox.

“Nigel is clearly the best referee in the world — he’s demonstrated that,” Fox told New Zealand radio station Newstalk ZB on Saturday.

“One of the key things he does, apart from communicating incredibly well with the players, is that he lets the breakdown breathe, and that is really important.”

Irishman John Lacey has been appointed the referee of Friday’s third-place match between two-time world champions South Africa and Argentina.

He will be assisted by Kiwi duo Glen Jackson and Chris Pollock.