New Zealand vs. Australia: Score, Reaction from Rugby World Cup 2015 Final

New Zealand and Australia served up a fantastic Rugby World Cup 2015 final at Twickenham on Saturday, with the defending champions eventually emerging as victors, winning 34-17.

The All Blacks become the first-ever nation to win back-to-back World Cups, while their win at Twickenham marks the first World Cup they've won on foreign soil.

New Zealand dominated the first half and took a 21-3 lead early in the second half, following tries from Nehe Milner-Skudder and Ma'a Nonu, but an ill-timed yellow card for Ben Smith saw the Wallabies reduce the gap to just four points through David Pocock and Tevita Kuridrani.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Dan Carter made the difference with his boot, however, scoring two conversions, a drop goal and four penalties to finally win his first World Cup final in his last appearance for the All Blacks. Beauden Barrett added another try in the final minutes. 

The defending champions pushed the Wallabies deep into their own half straight from the kick-off, moving the ball from sideline to sideline at a blinding pace. Just five minutes into the match, Australia were punished for hands on the floor, allowing Carter to kick his first penalty and give the All Blacks the lead.

The retiring Carter received some high praise from TV personality Piers Morgan:

Former rugby union professional Stirling Mortlock was impressed with New Zealand's intensity early:

New Zealand continued to dominate, with the Wallabies going nowhere in the breakdown and failing to put real pressure on the All Blacks defence, but the first scrum of the match immediately yielded an opportunity to tie things up, with Bernard Foley converting his first penalty attempt.

Australia started finding their groove in the breakdown, leading to a less one-sided match, but injuries soon started to threaten the Wallabies' chances. Kane Douglas was the first to leave the pitch after coming down awkwardly on his knee, and veteran star Matt Giteau would be lost as well before long.

Giteau failed to pass the concussion test after a big collision with Kieran Reid, and rugby player Freddie Burns felt awful for the 33-year-old:

Carter had made it 6-3 with another penalty just minutes before, and with two of the Wallabies' star performers now sidelined, things weren't looking good for Australia.

It didn't help that the Aussies kept shooting themselves in the foot with poor lineouts, or that referee Nigel Owens missed a clear forward pass from Milner-Skudder in the lead-up to Carter's third converted penalty, five minutes before half-time.

And things were about to get even worse for the Wallabies. Some fantastic passing between Ben Smith and Aaron Smith saw the Australian defence split wide open, and eventually, the ball was worked to Milner-Skudder, who dove into the corner untouched for his sixth try of the World Cup.

The try, via ITV Rugby:

Paul Williams of Rugby World was taken aback by the simple but beautiful try:

Carter nailed the conversion to put the All Blacks up 16-3 at half-time, giving Australia a mountain to climb. New Zealand dominated the possession and territory stats, and with Giteau and Douglas on the sidelines, things looked bleak for the Wallabies.

Nonu put together an excellent first half on the defensive end but was kept relatively quiet on the other side of the pitch, and that changed within the first two minutes of the second half. Taking an offload from Sonny Bill Williams, the centre spotted a gap in the Aussie defence and powered his way over the try line, nearly taking Drew Mitchell with him.

Here's the try, via ITV Rugby:

Carter missed the conversion, his first of the final, but with the score now 21-3, the match appeared all but over.

Ben Smith gave the Wallabies a lifeline, however, upending Drew Mitchell in the tackle and earning a yellow card for his troubles. With the fullback sin-binned, Pocock scored Australia's first try from a driving maul, and following the conversion from Foley, the score was 21-10.

Here's the try, courtesy of ITV Rugby:

With momentum now on their side, Australia finally managed to shift play into the All Blacks' half, but the defending champions responded well, forcing several penalties to slow down the pace of the match.

A magic moment from Kuridrani blew the final wide open, however. Foley produced a fine kick into the space behind the All Black line, and the ball eventually ended up with Kuridrani, who powered his way over the line. Here's the try:

England No. 8 Nick Easter was hardly surprised:

Following Foley's conversion, it was back to a four-point match, but Carter pushed the score to 24-17 with a stunning drop goal with 10 minutes left on the clock. He then followed it up with a massive penalty kick from 49 meters out, which led to this compliment from former cricketer Michael Vaughan:

Barrett added a late try to put the final score on the board and ensure the All Blacks become the first team to repeat as World Cup champions. 

After the match, DJ Zane Low could only thank Carter and Richie McCaw, two of the sport's all-time greats who are unlikely to ever put on the iconic black shirt again:

McCaw had an excellent match and refused to confirm he's set to retire from the sport, while Carter has already made it clear he'll no longer play for New Zealand beyond this tournament.

The No. 10 couldn't have asked for a better final match, as he played a pivotal role in the All Blacks' record-setting win. He missed the 2011 final with a groin injury, but those memories will have all but evaporated after Saturday's huge win over rivals Australia.

It's the end of an era for the All Blacks, with Nonu one of many key players joining Carter and possibly McCaw in retirement. The group produced the most dominant international four-year spell the sport has ever seen, and replacing such a legendary core of players will not be easy.

Post-Match Reaction

As shared by the All Blacks' Twitter account, McCaw kept his comments brief:

Carter could only talk about his sensational drop goal that just about halted the Wallabies' momentum:

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