France and the All Blacks met in the final of the inaugural Rugby World Cup. The tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia and the final was held at Eden Park. The All Blacks were captained by David Kirk and went on to win their first World Cup 29–9. According to the All Blacks' coach at the time, Brian Lochore, the previous year's loss in Nantes was the catalyst for their World Cup victory. Shelford said of the match "We wanted to play them in the final because we wanted revenge". The match also helped improve the diplomatic and political rift between France and New Zealand caused by the 1985 bombing of the "Rainbow Warrior" by French Secret Service agents.