France coach Marc Lievremont signed off from his role on Monday, having one final jibe at the media after a tempestuous battle throughout the rugby World Cup.

Tens of thousands of people flooded onto the streets of downtown Auckland on Monday to celebrate the end of a 24-year drought after the All Blacks beat France in the rugby World Cup final.

New Zealand ended 24 years of misery when by edging France 8-7 to win the Rugby World Cup on home soil for a second time here on Sunday.

New Zealand found an unlikely hero in fly-half Stephen Donald in their gripping 8-7 World Cup final win over France at Eden Park here on Sunday.

The morning after watching his young Australian lineup being completely battered by New Zealand in Sunday's semifinal, Robbie Deans predicted France didn't have a chance against the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final.

Assistant coach Neil Jenkins says Wales has to grab the chance to become the third-best team in international rugby, even if that wasn't the aim coming into the World Cup.

New Zealand will face France in the final of the Rugby World Cup after beating archrival Australia 20-6 in a semifinal Sunday, drawing a giant step closer to ending a 24-year quest for its second world title.

Stephen Donald says he was unwinding, fishing down by the Waikato River, when the SOS call came from through from the All Blacks to become their fourth fly-half of the World Cup.

France coach Marc Lievremont stuck with the squad of 22 players that turned around their rugby World Cup campaign with their quarterfinal defeat of England for their encounter against Wales at Eden Park on Saturday.

Pride and penitence was mixed with pain in the aftermath of weekend Rugby World Cup quarterfinals which left four survivors nursing injuries of varied severity and four teams dealing with defeat with degrees of resignation.