Aaron Smith, All Blacks scrum-half, ends his international career after this final and a 125th selection.
“It was exceptional, France assured. It’s great to play in this stadium and see all these fireworks. When it’s not your day, it’s hard, but I loved this World Cup. We spent eight exceptional weeks and we will remember them for a long time. I will come back with my family one day. I loved every moment. I’m quite disgusted but I have immense memories in this jersey.
“I went to pick up my children. They don’t care, they love you no matter what. It really made me happy. They love their dad. He [his son] still liked the medal. These are still moments that we must appreciate. We need to take a step back. Family is important. This match was important but leaving the field, I knew that with the team we had given everything. It’s sports. I have excellent memories, especially of quarters. We had an exceptional month.”