Ireland suffered another Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat as they were well beaten by a dominant All Blacks side, bringing a curtain down on the playing career of Rory Best and Joe Schmidt’s Ireland tenure.
Tributes have since poured in for both men on social media, as others lamented another false dawn for Irish rugby.
First though, take a look at what Best had to say after the game:
The IRFU were quick to pay tribute to a servant of Irish rugby:
And the IRFU were also quick to thank the fans for their showing in Japan:
Fans made themselves heard inside the stadium with a rousing rendition of The Fields of Athenry ahead of kick-off:
There were also tributes paid to Best and Schmidt from their All Blacks counterparts:
New Zealand captain Kieran Read also thanked Best for his contribution to the sport:
There was plenty of respect on both sides after the final whistle:
Comedian Jarlath Regan put things into perspective for disappointed Ireland supporters:
Eddie O’Sullivan, Ireland’s head coach in 2007, also got plenty of mentions, thanks to his analysis on RTE: