All hail to the greatest rugby team in the world

When the final whistle went at Twickenham on Sunday morning I was met with conflicting emotions.

Disappointment at a great team's proud record had vanished in such a disappointing manner was, of course, present.

But I knew the glee in which the English fans and press (and some in New Zealand too) would greet the defeat that had me annoyed before a word had even been written.

And so it has come to pass.

England are world beaters, just a week after their own captain was booed during a loss to Australia. And the All Blacks, who just a month ago were the greatest team of all time, suddenly have huge issues which need sorted.

For goodness sake, can we just have some reasoned analysis of this game, taking into account everything, without resorting to hyperbole?

England were fully worthy of their victory at the weekend. They took advantage of some less-than-stellar defending in the backline and their kicking game was better in almost all regards to New Zealand's.

But this has to be put in some kind of perspective. This wasn't the World Cup final at Twickenham - it was the last game on a long tour after a long season of rugby and the All Blacks didn't turn up for most of the match.

I'm not trying to make excuses for the All Blacks - they got beat, end of story. I don't believe the norovirus which ran through the camp had any effect - it was a mental thing more than anything.

But to try and make it the changing of the guards, as too many seem willing to do already, is beyond laughable.

England have proven they can, on their day, beat any team in the world. I don't doubt that most of us already knew that.

Their problem is doing it regularly and on the biggest stage - something they haven't done since winning the World Cup.

France have had exactly the same issues over the years. They can be brilliant one week and devastatingly bad the following.

This means in tournaments like the World Cup the odd upset may be had. And that will continue to happen in the future.

But, as I said before, this has to be put in perspective.

England had to win this game, after disappointing defeats to Australia and South Africa and an okay performance against Fiji in the Autumn tests.

This followed a tour earlier in the year in which they lost two games to the Springboks and drew one.

And in the Six Nations they struggled to beat both Scotland and Italy, while losing at home to Wales - teams which have shown themselves to be relatively ordinary this year.

The old adage in sport as only being as good as your last game has some relevance, but if England want to define their year by one result they are kidding themselves.

This result can provide a springboard for the future, sure, but there are far more questions hanging over England that need addressed before they are acclaimed as winners of the next World Cup.

Consistency, for a start.

The All Blacks, meanwhile, played 14 games, drew one and lost one, whilst scoring almost double the tries of any other team over the same period.

There are things that Steve Hansen will undoubtedly look at - particularly in the front row, at halfback and in midfield - as he looks to sharpen his team for next year.

But if I were an England fan (god forbid!) I would enjoy the victory over the All Blacks while wondering why the same intensity and effort has been sadly lacking from the team for much of the year.

Make no doubts about it, this was a shock result. But let's not get too concerned just yet.

Let the English fans and media talk it up and let them buy into the hyperbole. I just think we're a little bit cleverer than that over here.

One final thing from Twickenham on Sunday and it's an old bug-bear of mine.

The singing of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' makes me physically ill, particularly when it's done over the haka.

The song is a traditional spiritual song sung by coloured people, and is widely assocaited with the slavery trade.

It was apparently first sung at an England match by some fans who were happy with a new black player on the wing. Yep, what better way to welcome a black player to the team than with a song associated with slavery, eh?

But the long history of English imperialism added to the irony of its origins as a rugby song turns me cold. It's like the traditional bully singing an anti-bullying song to a group of their victims.

Hate definitely isn't too strong a word for how I feel when I hear it being sung. Drowning out the haka with it made by blood boil - and that's as someone who has had a few pops about how precious some see the haka.

I thought it might install a new will to win for the All Blacks as they faced the English team. Ah well, being wrong isn't a new experience for me!

So what do you think? Are you worried about England's resurgence?