THIS was the best Rugby World Cup so far, and New Zealand were worthy winners. The final always comes down to which team plays better on the day, but over the last four years you can’t argue with the All Blacks’ record - they are the best team in the world by some way.

They do all the basics really well, and when the chances come they take them. It’s a simple formula, but one which no other team has mastered to anything like the same extent.

Maybe the tough games Australia had played on the way to the final took their toll, but they still they produced a lot of quality play. Even so, they couldn’t quite break the All Blacks down to the same extent that their own defence was broken, and one or two special moments made the difference.

One of those moments was the first try, which was executed really well, with every pass being spot on. The second try, begun by Sonny Bill Williams and finished by Ma’a Nonu, was another. That score came a couple of minutes after Williams had come on as a substitute at the start of the second half, and the slight superiority of the New Zealand bench also made a difference over the 80 minutes.

There was a great atmosphere at Twickenham for the final, and it was played in a really good spirit. These players have huge respect for each other, and that contributed significantly to the quality of the match.

The final was a fitting conclusion to a tournament in which so many of the games were first-rate. A couple of the matches were not so good, of course, but the vast majority of teams played entertaining rugby and were often rewarded for their enterprise - none more so than Japan, whose win over South Africa set the tournament alight.

The Japanese played a different style of rugby, refusing to slow down to the pace at which the Springboks wanted to play. Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick, their coaches, got their tactics spot on, and it was just an amazing day. It will be fascinating to see what the Japanese do next, especially as they will host the next World Cup in 2019.

Japan went on to run Scotland close, and who knows what would have happened if they had had a week to prepare for that match rather than four days. As it was, they became the first team to win three pool games but not qualify for the knockout stages.

Argentina are another country to have come on a massive journey, thanks in part in their case to participation in the Rugby Championship. They also play an exciting brand of rugby, and they appear certain to keep on improving in the years to come.

Most nations, in fact, had a lot to be pleased about in the way they played. England were the biggest exceptions, France are also in disarray, and Tonga and Samoa underperformed as well.

The stadiums were virtually full for every match despite England’s early elimination, and it is a credit to the English people who attended those games in such numbers that they got behind the other teams. For example, at our quarter-final against Australia at Twickenham, there was a massive amount of English support for Scotland - something that a lot of Scottish people could take a lesson from, I think.

After the game I met my friend Peter Winterbottom, the former England international, and he told me he had been shouting for Scotland. “I don’t know what came over me,” he admitted.

Losing that game was just gut-wrenching. I felt so sorry for the guys. They were never really out of the match, and after taking the lead with minutes to go they could have held on if they had won that late lineout.

There are lots of ifs and buts in every game, and both sets of players made mistakes, so I would not be too harsh on referee Craig Joubert for making the mistake that gave Australia the winning penalty. But he should have held his hand up and admitted it was a mistake - people respect that - instead of heading for the hills.

Looking at their five games as a whole, Scotland showed a composure under pressure that has been lacking for the past few years. Their decision-making has improved, and they closed out the game well against both Japan and the United States.

They lost to South Africa, but stuck in well. Then against Samoa they hung in for the first half then controlled the game in the second. It was a match they could have lost quite easily, and the fact they had the character to win says a lot about how much they have progressed.

They can keep that progress up for the next few years too, I’m sure of that. Vern Cotter has a relatively young squad, nearly all of whom should be around for the next World Cup, and there is a real confidence about the players.

The front row is a really solid and settled unit now with WP Nel having a vital role to play at tighthead prop, the Gray brothers were tireless at lock, and in the back row John Hardie and David Denton were arguably our two best players. Greig Laidlaw and Finn Russell have a class partnership at half-back, Mark Bennett is now recognised on the world stage as a really talented centre, and we have some excellent finishers in the back three.

This is a team that can get better and better as the years go on, and I expect them to show as much in next year’s Six Nations. Speaking of which, our next game is a massive one. It’s against England, who may just feel they have a point to prove after doing so badly at their own World Cup.