New Zealand 27, Ireland 17 Ronan O'Gara sat, head bowed, at the back of the media centre along with three of his teammates. At the top table, Brian O'Driscoll lamented another one that got away and in particular the "silly mistakes" that had cost Ireland dear.
No doubt thinking of his own missed tackle that allowed Luke McAlister through for the decisive, 71st-minute try, O'Gara frustratedly if silently punched his left palm and cursed himself.
You felt sorry for the lad. No one deliberately sets out to make mistakes in sport, least of all at such a crunch stage of a match, and opportunities like this don't come along often - indeed, for many of this team, maybe never again in New Zealand.
"I was so keen to make it I couldn't see it happening," said the Ireland outhalf. "I completely put my hand up, it was my mistake. I'm one of the leaders in the team, it was kinda all to play for and that effectively finished the game. So I put my hand up, learn from it and move on, like I have plenty of times in the past."
If the truth be told, the All Blacks were still the likeliest winners. Not only were they ahead on the scoreboard, their scrum especially, their close-in driving and even their slightly malfunctioning backs were all a stronger means of go-forward ball and potency than Ireland's.
Singling out Ireland's lineout and tactical kicking, scrumhalf Byron Kelleher admitted the visitors were "a couple of steps ahead of where they were on the end-of-year tour, they played some expansive rugby and tested us on the tactical side of things."
But, ultimately, with the help of the All Blacks' scrum power, "we just zapped the energy out of their legs, so we got on top of them that way," he said.
Nevertheless, when the second half became something of a battle for territory, Peter Stringer's clever box kicks, O'Gara's angled punts and the arrival of Girvan Dempsey gave Ireland the more assured look. The All Blacks' strategists were playing too high-risk and ought really to have exposed Andrew Trimble more than they did. In one of these exchanges, one recalls Casey Laulala running sideways and hesitating about what to do next. He passed to Doug Howlett, who sliced his touch-kick toward his own 10-metre line.
O'Gara, like everyone, sensed the All Blacks were rattled around the hour mark. He asked O'Driscoll if he wanted more of the ball, but the captain said to carry on what he was doing.
A third of the way in, it had looked like being a long night. But Ireland's response to falling 17-0 behind was typical of their resolve and mental strength on this tour. In times past Irish teams might even have settled for potting a couple of penalties. Instead it was great to see Stringer tap the first for Paul O'Connell's ultra-determined try, and a Munster maul work Jerry Flannery clearly over at the tail of the drive following O'Driscoll's decision to twice opt for the corner.
Their lineout remains superb, the defence has come on a ton this season and, out here, the breakdown work has been exceptional.
There have been a host of excellent individual performances. Here O'Connell was immense, towering in the lineouts with nine takes, putting pressure on the Keven Mealamu throw and ultra-physical everywhere. Denis Leamy is now becoming one of the team's most important cogs, and the rangy, ball-carrying, hard-working, big-hitting Neil Best flourished out here. Flannery shares their voracious appetite for work and John Hayes deserves a medal.
Well though O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy (whose scrambling and front-up defence was superb here) have gone, if there was a disappointment, it was in the back play.
For sure, O'Driscoll's beauty last week was perhaps Ireland's set-piece try of the season, but there have been a lot of imprecise, overcomplicated-looking moves against an All Blacks defence that pushed up on to the Irish midfield and applied more depth than a week before.
There was quicker, more go-forward ball for Kelleher than for Peter Stringer because their backs were getting over the gain line more often. Little has been seen of Ireland's outside three in attack. Sure the heavens opened at Eden Park, but the kind of handling across the All Blacks line to release Joe Rokocoko before he was hauled down by D'Arcy was beyond Ireland's scope here.
Fine, physical young talent though he is, it's not Trimble's fault he's being picked on the wing. And Geordan Murphy's knock-on in contact led to the opening try.
The nagging suspicion remains that the All Blacks, missing frontliners, were, if not for the taking, then far from vintage. Without Dan Carter's and Tana Umaga's sheer presence they don't look so almighty anymore.
And not the least damaging aspect of Richie McCaw assuming the captaincy from Umaga is that whatever about him being as good a leader, you wonder should the world's best openside, for example, be calling six lineouts on himself and taking up quite as much ball as a target runner.
O'Connell felt the team just came up short, that they didn't go after the game 100 per cent at the end. His try and Graham Henry's ringing endorsement were scant consolation.
"It's a team game. No-one remembers a "man of the match" or who scores a try. We'd be remembered if we'd beaten the All Blacks, and as you get older that's something you realise. When you're young you want to go out there and do your best, and do yourself proud, but I think the older you get the more you realise it's about the team and if the team is successful that's how you're remembered as a player. Unfortunately we're after leaving two big chances behind us now."
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6 mins: Kelleher try, McAlister con 7-0; 24: McAlister pen 10-0; 27: Dermody try, McAlister con 17-0; 32: O'Connell try, O'Gara con 17-7; 40: Flannery try, O'Gara con 17-14 (half-time 17-14); 52: O'Gara pen 20-17; 71: McAlister try and con 27-17.
NEW ZEALAND: M Muliaina (Chiefs); D Howlett (Blues), C Laulala (Crusaders), A Mauger (Crusaders), J Rokocoko (Blues); L McAlister (Blues), B Kelleher (Chiefs); C Dermody (Highlanders), K Mealamu (Blues), C Hayman (Highlanders); C Jack (Crusaders), T Flavell (Blues); J Kaino (Blues), R McCaw (Crusaders, capt), R So'oialo (Wellington). Replacements: G Rawlinson (Blues) for Flavell (54 mins), N Tialata (Hurricanes) for Dermody, C Newby (Highlanders) for Kaino (both 68 mins), A Hore (Hurricanes) for Mealamu, D Hill (Chiefs) for McAlister (both 75 mins). Not used: J Cowan (Highlanders), M Nonu (Hurricanes).
IRELAND: G Murphy (Leicester); S Horgan (Leinster), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), G D'Arcy (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster); R O'Gara (Munster), P Stringer (Munster); M Horan (Munster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster); D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster); N Best Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), D Leamy (Munster). Replacements: G Dempsey (Leinster) for Murphy (47-52 mins) and for Trimble (64 mins), M O'Driscoll (Munster) for Best, I Boss (Ulster) for Stringer (both 75 mins). Not used: R Best (Ulster), K Gleeson (Leinster), D Hickie (Leinster).
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (Australia).
