Cheers and tears: 2023 World Cup moments that replay in Kiwi minds

A World Cup in any sport is something to look forward to, whether you're an athlete, coach or a fan, but it's not very often that so many fall in the same year.

Football, rugby, netball, cricket, basketball - they all had World Cups last year and at every one, New Zealand was chasing a spot in the history books.

Whether that piece of history was simply a first tournament win, or lifting the trophy for a record fourth time, each campaign presented moments that Kiwi fans have replayed in their minds again and again since they happened - for better or worse.

Here's five of those moments that still live in our head as we bid farewell to 2023.

The Football Ferns entered the women's FIFA World Cup looking to make history on home soil with the co-hosts chasing their first victory at the tournament after five winless campaigns previously.

It had all the makings of staging a historic result - the women's FIFA World Cup curtain-raiser, a big Eden Park crowd and the underdog hosts against a former world champion led by one of the game's best.

But form suggested the moment may not come.

The Ferns were on a 10-game winless streak before they took down Vietnam in a World Cup warm-up match but that result instead served as the springboard for one of their greatest results.

New Zealand faced 1995 world champions Norway and former Ballon d'Or Feminin recipient Ada Hegerberg in their opening match in Auckland and despite their heavy outsiders status, came out firing with the home crowd behind them.

Plenty of chances went begging in the first half but then just three minutes after the break, Hannah Wilkinson got her chance and delivered.

It was a move most certainly straight from the training pitch - a play started from their own goal kick that moved down the right edge and put Jacqui Hand on the attack down the right wing looking to the middle.

There she saw Wilkinson, well clear of her two defenders and so the cross came in. A tap from the right foot into the right-bottom corner and Eden Park - all record-breaking 42,000 of them - erupted.

It was just five passes in all from start to finish and barely 30 seconds but it goes down as one of the most important plays in New Zealand football history with the Ferns going on to win the match 1-0.

While later results didn't go their way and their second goal of reaching the knockout stages remains unchecked, it was still a moment that delighted Kiwi fans and showed what this team can do when they play to their full potential.

World Cups can make even the best crumble under pressure but for others, it can be the perfect stage to propel them into stardom.

Enter, Rachin Ravindra.

Ravindra's incredible performances at the Cricket World Cup had an extra tidbit to them - he may not have even been playing.

He made the 15-man squad effectively as an injury replacement for Michael Bracewell before stepping in to cover for an injured Kane Williamson early in the tournament while the skipper was in the late stages of his recovery from knee surgery.

But the 24-year-old got his shot and he took it with both hands emphatically.

Ravindra broke multiple records with his performances as he scored 550 runs in his World Cup debut, including a record three centuries against England, Australia and Pakistan.

The personal campaign made him a fan favourite in India and left many questioning how he could be left out of their first Test series after the World Cup.

But there has been some benefits already with the batting allrounder recently picked up in the IPL auction for $350,000 to play for the Chennai Super Kings.

With the T20 Cricket World Cup taking place next year, plenty of eyes will no doubt be on Ravindra and whether he can replicate his form in the game's shortest format.

To say the All Blacks' recent World Cup cycle was a rollercoaster would be an understatement.

There was star players, sacked coaches, retained coaches, red cards, judiciary reviews, TMOs... there was a lot.

And yet somehow more often than not, a certain new rival was in the thick of it all - Ireland.

So who better for the All Blacks to find themselves up against than an Irish side riding high on confidence as the No.1 team in the world who had beaten New Zealand in three of their last four clashes?

Chuck in the small caveat that Ireland have never won a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in seven previous visits and suddenly there was an air of history descending on Stade de France.

Instead, what unfolded was a Rugby World Cup classic with the All Blacks coming out on top 28-24.

There were signs of it happening even before kickoff when Ireland formed a figure-eight in response to the All Blacks' haka while fans tried to drown out the challenge with The Fields of Athenry.

Despite two yellow cards and some incredible individual performances, the match boiled down to the final play of the game in which the All Blacks were asked to defend for an astounding 37 phases to earn their win.

They did just that and with Sam Whitelock, the most-capped All Black of all time and off the bench for his 151st Test, getting his hands on the ball and earning a penalty, the incredible contest came to an end.

While the All Blacks finished runners-up in the end, they still managed to show the world the black jersey should never be counted out.

For Ireland though, another four painful years await them before they get a chance to break that ever-growing curse.

While World Cup campaigns are all about the moments that happen, there are also the cruel "what if" thoughts that can creep in when things don't go to plan.

For the Silver Ferns, the World Cup finished in a disappointing fourth-place - their worst finish in history - and while they've since done a review of the tournament to address issues that arose, one such what if they'll be left to think about will be of Grace Nweke's knee injury.

Nweke had played herself into being the first-choice goal shoot for New Zealand with her impressive shooting and physicality in the shooter's circle.

But a partial tear of her patella tendon in her right knee against Singapore threw the Silver Ferns' campaign off.

Nweke was devastated by the injury, saying on social media she felt robbed of her World Cup opportunity.

"The fact that this will not happen for me anymore hurts so much, there is this lump in my throat that won’t go away. One second I’m in denial and the next I’m angry and then really upset," she said.

"I’ve never been the player that’s missed out on much and I’ve never experienced this level of adversity in sport."

While Maia Wilson was a solid replacement, Nweke's absence - and poor discipline - hurt them in the latter stages of the tournament where they came up short 46-40 to England in their semifinal and then 45-52 to Jamaica in the bronze medal match.

Coach Noeline Taurua said she wants the team to remember the pain of their defeats to propel them forward.

"Hopefully, there’s a lot of reflection and a lot of learning comes out of this experience for people moving forward and for people who won’t be on the court ever again," she said.

"It’s an experience and I think you’ve got to go back and reflect and see what you can do better and see where that next stage will lead us."

Finally, World Cups also present a chance for worlds to collide - for players to square up against some of the game's best when they otherwise wouldn't.

That's usually the case for the Tall Blacks when they head to the FIBA World Cup, looking to replicate their heroic campaign from 2002 each time when they come up against NBA stars and other basketball giants.

But in among the action at the World Cup in Pasay in the Philippines, there was a movement blossoming back in Aotearoa in a completely different sport.

"Up the Wahs" had taken a life of its own behind the stunning success of the Warriors in the NRL and thanks to a cheeky request from 1News, it even made its way to a Warrior of another kind.

Ahead of the Tall Blacks' clash with Team USA, head coach of the star-studded American outfit Steve Kerr, who also happens to be coach of the Golden State Warriors, was asked by 1News if he could muster a cheeky "Up the Wahs" for the movement back home.

The nine-time NBA champion obliged, becoming an instant viral hit in New Zealand.

The Tall Blacks eventually finished third in their pool and 22nd overall in the tournament with their results [with their own "what if" haunting them following Steven Adams' injury earlier this year] but they gave the US a scare with their efforts and were one overtime result away from progressing further.

Regardless, they won plenty of fans with their play - as did Steve Kerr.