Dan Carter was understandably thrilled after putting in a man-of-the-match performance to help New Zealand to victory over Australia in his long-awaited first Rugby World Cup final appearance.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest fly-halves in the sport's history, Carter was forced to watch on from the sidelines due to injury when the All Blacks triumphed on home soil four years ago.

Saturday's match at Twickenham provided the 33-year-old with the opportunity to wipe away those memories and secure the crowning glory of his illustrious career - in his final international outing.

And Carter showed his class under pressure, kicking 19 points - including a crucial drop goal after Australia had roared back into the match in the second half - as the All Blacks won 34-17.

"I'm very grateful to be where I am after what happened four years ago - to watch my team-mates play in the final [was tough], and I was desperate to play in a World Cup at home," said Carter.

"I've been working extremely hard the last four years, and I'm just so proud of the team and the way they performed tonight and all this year.

"Winning back-to-back World Cups is a dream come true and to play in front of so many fans out here is so amazing."

Carter's impending departure from the international scene had been a major talking point in the build-up to the final.

And while All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw, another player expected to retire, hinted in a post-match interview that he may yet extend his career, Carter appears content to walk away.

"It's been an amazing career, so to finish it on this note - I can't quite believe it, to be honest," he told ITV Sport.

New Zealand are the first team to retain the Webb Ellis Cup and now boast three world titles - another record.

"We try to do things no other team has done before, and sometimes we look at things we want to achieve and think it's a bit too far out, but it's such special feeling to be part of such a great team," Carter added.