There will be, regardless of the outcome, some kind of closure at Twickenham tomorrow. The curtain will come down on what has been the best decade in history for not just the All Blacks, but the wider game in New Zealand.
The post-World Cup future is bright. The All Blacks are set up in regard to their coaching and leadership, but there is no denying they are also coming to the end of an era.
They are bidding farewell to what can only be called the golden generation -- six players who have individually and collectively been hugely influential in driving the culture of success.
Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock -- their respective individual feats are known to all, their legend secure.
But their legacy can't be appreciated just by burrowing into the detail of what they did on the field. That's selling them short. Way short.
The scale of change in the past 10 years, and their role in influencing that change, is extensive. Where the All Blacks were in 2004 and where they are now -- it's incomparable.
As is well known, 2004 was the line in the sand moment when the decision was made by management and senior players to embark on a radical new path.
The binge drinking, the insular lifestyles, the lack of professionalism and general lack of hunger to work relentlessly at being better were targeted as the key areas that had to change.
There was potential for friction -- active resistance from the players even. There was none and that's because the emerging generation led by McCaw and Carter were hanging out for change. They were willing to make all the sacrifices required to drive the All Blacks to new peaks.
These two in particular entered international rugby with a different mind-set to their peers. They wanted to be there for a long time -- not a good time. They wanted to be better, more professional and give the team more of a chance to stake its claim.
There was a shift from the traditional, dictatorial coach-player relationships to an inclusive, collaborative leadership model. At the core of that change was the need for players to be responsible for every aspect of their careers and it's arguably this which is the most significant part of the golden generation's legacy.
It is now the norm -- a basic expectation that young players coming into the All Blacks will be self-reliant, independent and intrinsically driven to be all they can be.
It couldn't be any other way with McCaw in charge. His example has been stunning, and there's just no chance now of All Blacks, en masse, drinking themselves into such a state as they did one night in 2004 that they were having to be put into the recovery position by Springboks.
What's happened over the past decade is that players have ditched the last remnants of the amateur era. It's maybe a little harsh to suggest that pre-2005, there was an element of ridicule attached to those who didn't want to drink and train harder, but it's not necessarily untrue, either.
The All Blacks didn't give up having fun, they just learned the right time and place to have it and that neither was it inextricably linked with having to drink copiously.
All six of the men retiring or leaving have been instrumental in setting the new standards. McCaw is first to the training ground, last to leave. His work ethic is unsurpassed and his example filters down. His peers see him and they know what is expected.
Carter is meticulous in his preparation and point-blank refuses to cut corners. His goal-kicking is not as good as it is by chance -- it's hours of practising that have got him there and signalled to everyone that dedication is something to which they should aspire.
The other big shift has been the seriousness with which players now take their post-match recovery. There was a time when 30 seemed to be about the age that things would start to go wrong for rugby players.
Not now and the reason McCaw is playing as well as he ever has at almost 35 and Smith at 34 is the way they have looked after themselves. Nonu has been a yoga disciple and surely nothing could be more illustrative than that to signal changed attitudes -- going outside the box to be better is a big part of what the All Blacks do now.
"We have all played a lot of rugby together and because of that, the attitudes and the disciplines that all these guys have brought over the years has shaped the direction of the team," says McCaw.
"You learn to trust one another and know what you are going to do and you know what makes each other tick."
If the destruction of the British Lions in 2005 is viewed as the beginning of the golden generation, then there could be no more fitting end than a World Cup victory tomorrow.
That would close the loop nicely -- create a 10-year hegemony that would serve as both appropriate reward and inspiration.
Questions have been asked all week as to how the All Blacks intend to honour the contribution of their super six. No one has wanted to answer that and largely because there's no need.
The answer is obvious: the best way to endorse the legacy of the golden generation is to not only beat the Wallabies in the World Cup final, but to then carry on with the culture of relentless professionalism that McCaw, Carter and the others have instilled.
- Gregor Paul, Herald on Sunday
