As the kid who was always picked last for everything, especially rough games like rugby, I've developed a healthy respect for sports people over the years.

And a passing interest in their achievements.

I'm not going to pretend I made any special effort to see the game on Saturday night, but I do feel good when the All Blacks win, especially when they win well.

And I share in that pall of national gloom when they lose, especially when they lose badly, worst of all, badly at home.

The coach was clearly pretty grumpy. Question is, was he grumpier at the performance of the team, or the failure of his game plan?

Was it perhaps the swirling of the media sharks, asking impertinent, no actually, just plain rude questions about his future in the job?

Or was it the prospect of having to front NZ Rugby this week and explain what the heck went wrong?

As a mildly interested bystander, but technically a complete layman when it comes to sport, especially rugby, I defer to those who know what they're talking about.

But I draw some hope from the post-match interviews with the players.

Downhearted, broken even, after putting their bodies on the line for 80 minutes in a brutal, bruising encounter they were dejected and disappointed.

And the message I took from them was that they didn't need telling it wasn't good enough, they already felt it.

And whoever it was that talked about pride in the jersey and the need to get that back, that gave me hope.

That said to me there's knowledge in the side that they're playing for a lot more than themselves, or even the current coach.

And there's a spirit in the side that wants to win and will win again.