On any given day, whichever 15 men happen to be wearing the jersey of the New Zealand All Blacks can be the most fearsome outfit known to rugby. The problems begin when there are only 14 of them. 

New Zealand learned that lesson the hard way on Saturday inside the Stade de France, where the first ever red card in a Rugby World Cup final left the All Blacks a man short for nearly three-quarters of the match against South Africa, the No. 1 rugby union team in the world. The Springboks are a grueling enough machine to face when things go right. But when things go wrong against them from the opening minutes, you end up losing the World Cup.