Mitchell watches his side crash out (Getty Images).

By Alex Lowe, PA Sport, Sydney

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Former New Zealand coach John Hart has pleaded for "common sense" to prevail and backed John Mitchell to remain as All Black coach despite Saturday's World Cup semi-final defeat by Australia.

New Zealanders do not take to kindly to their side being beaten, particularly by Australia, particularly in the World Cup.

Four years ago, Hart was in the exact same position Mitchell sat on Sunday.

His All Blacks had also gone into their semi-final as favourites. Their opponents that Twickenham day were France, a side never to be written off but one whose form had been patchy during the pool stages.

Then came the big performance, a stunning 30 minutes and New Zealand was left shell-shocked.

Hart stood down after the third-place play-off defeat to South Africa because of the "intense public scrutiny".

He returned home to New Zealand a hated man and was spat on when he turned up to watch his horse, Holmes DG, run in Christchurch.

Incredibly, even the horse was booed.

This is what Mitchell could have to face when the All Blacks return home after this year's third-place play-off.

The Sunday News declared: "The End Of The World" on its front page.

"World Chumps - Cup journey over for bumbling, stumbling ABs", screamed the Sunday Star Times.

But Mitchell, the former England assistant, is not shying away from that and vowed to stay on board for as long as he is wanted - and Hart urged the selectors to show loyalty.

"People just don't understand what that team will be feeling. You are absolutely shattered," he said.

"I think there is far too much pressure on winning in terms of measurement of success for coaches.

"Improvement is what you have got to look at and if you look at the All Blacks they have improved throughout this year.

"They have played pretty well along the Tri-Nations and the Bledisloe Cup - mind you, we won the Tri-Nations in 1999 too.

"But I was at the end of a four year cycle. It was time for me to go anyhow. John has had two years in the role and I think he has improved the situation.

"I have a personal view that the life cycle for coaches should go through a World Cup, two years before and two years after.

"If you are looking at four year cycles it shouldn't be just after a World Cup, it would be better if we had a process where you come in the middle.

"here is too much focus on the World Cup. Everyone thinks the World Cup is all that counts."

That was how the Australians timed it, with Eddie Jones replacing Rod MacQueen in 2001, following the series victory over the British Lions.

All this year, Jones had promised his side were improving, that it would all be in place come the business end of the World Cup.

Patience was beginning to run thin in Australia - until on Saturday night, when the Wallabies unveiled their true potential and shut down the All Blacks' revered attack.

Ironically, Hart believes Australia's victory was born of their group tussles against Argentina and Ireland followed by a Scotland side that tested them for over 40 minutes.

"I think we underestimate what they did through the preliminary rounds," said Hart.

"They beat three of the top eight sides in the world so they have been subjected to more intensity.

"The All Blacks only had one game of intensity and that was Wales.

"In 1999 we performed better than them for the large part of the game and then the French played that magic 30 minutes.

"Tonight the Australians really dominated form the start and made it very difficult for the All Blacks."

Hart also called for the dreaded third-place play-off game to be scrapped in favour of a festival match to celebrate the tournament as a whole.

"As a losing coach in the semi-final, three v four is a hard ask," he said, from bitter experience.

"I believe you should have a a Barbarians style game, a best of the rest where you could play the Georgian prop and some of those other players and make it a festival to mark the occasion of the World Cup.

"It is a very difficult ask - what does it mean?"

Mitchell would not be drawn on the merits of the play-off - "it's part of the tournament" - but did admit refocusing his players after such a disappointment would be tough.

For the record, Justin Marshall is out of the game with rib cartilage damage suffered in a late tackle from George Smith.