The All Blacks' loss against England has the country in mourning. But while some Kiwis come to terms with the loss, others are looking for someone to blame.
National MP Judith Collins has the answer to the loss - the Government.
After the result on Saturday night, former National Party MP Steven Joyce posted on Twitter, saying: "Looks like winning three World Cups in a row is much more difficult than many people thought."
Collins replied: "Never happened when we were in Govt."
But Joyce was quick to respond, saying "possibly not the time Judith" with a cheeky laughing emoji.
As a matter of fact, the All Blacks have lost under a National Government. From 1990 to 1999, National was in power and the All Blacks failed to win three consecutive World Cups - Australia won it twice and South Africa once.
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The idea that the Government is to blame for our country's rugby losses is not a new one. In 2017, NZME published an article which hinted at Jacinda Ardern of "cursing" the All Blacks in their clash against the Wallabies.
Out of five reasons the All Blacks lost, one was a "light-hearted mention of Jacinda Ardern's pending swearing in as Prime Minister".
The article mentioned the All Blacks have never won while the country had a female Prime Minister.
"The first time New Zealand had a female prime minister was when Jenny Shipley was in power between 1997-99 and in 1998, the All Blacks went through one of their worst losing streaks in history when dropping five tests in a row, culminating in a horrible (for them) 19-14 loss to the Wallabies in Sydney.
"Coincidence? We hope so."
Whether the game was "cursed" by a woman in power and a Labour Government, or whether the All Blacks were just out-played, the end result is the same - the boys will have to fight even harder to ensure their victory in 2023.
Newshub.
