Reuben Thorne: New Zealand supporters demand the best

ALL BLACK captain Reuben Thorne paused and broke into a rare smile.

For five weeks Thorne had reacted to questions with stoicism and a selection of stock answers about the challenges ahead.

Then a question yesterday from an Australian journalist, inquiring how a World Cup semi-final loss to the Wallabies would affect New Zealand, had the 28-year-old momentarily stumped.