Down under's darkest day for rugby (and it will last for months)

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Both countries were in mourning after their highly-fancied teams were kicked out of the rugby World Cup at the quarter-final stage.

The Australians suffered the humiliation of going down 10-12 in Marseille to an England side they described as B-grade has-beens, while New Zealand's hopes of winning the competition ended in an 18-20 defeat to France in Cardiff.

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Chandigarh's a long way from France but it did not stop Englishman Chris Broad having a dig at Australia in yesterday's one-day loss to India. The match referee used the big screen to broadcast this cheeky message in the name of Aussie bowler Stuart Clark

The smell of death, as one commentator described it, will linger for months.

In Australia, the defeat was painted as "diabolical".

Only two weeks ago John O'Neill, chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union, outspokenly said Aussies hate the English at every sport they play.

He was more gracious in defeat, but yesterday one fan in a Sydney harbourside pub asked: "It's just a bad dream, isn't it mate? Just tell me I'll wake up in the morning and read how we gave the Poms a walloping."

In New Zealand, fans wore black arm bands to signify the death of a proud rugby image.

The All Blacks have won the trophy just once, 20 years ago in the inaugural tournament on home soil, and this was supposed to be the year they took it back.

One caller to a Wellington radio station said he could not stay on the line too long because he was about to string himself up on the nearest branch.

He added: "There's a queue of people waiting behind me to do the same thing."

Shocked: The All Blacks faces are as grey as their shirts after defeat to France