The 21-year-old Kiwi second row struggled to contain his emotions as champagne corks and empty beer cans continued to fly around a jubilant New Zealand dressing room at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Australia, the kings of the rugby league world for much of the last 40 years, had just been toppled from their throne in a riveting World Cup final and Eastwood was a young man in wonderland.

"It's unbelieveable, just unbelievable," said the Brisbane Broncos second row who will join Super League champions Leeds in four weeks time.

"We knew we could do, we had the belief we could do it and we never doubted that we would do it but the feeling now is just amazing.

"This will be one to look back on and tell my kids and grandkids that I played in a World Cup winning team when I was only 21. Hopefully it's the first of many."

It was a night of many firsts in front of a crowd of 50,559: the first time New Zealand had won a World Cup tie against Australia in 14 attempts, the first time the Kiwis had lifted a trophy that was first contested in 1954, the first time New Zealand had beaten Australia since the Tri Nations final at Leeds in 2005.

Then, as now, New Zealand had the air of a group of men on a mission, a team that was fated to endure and finally prevail against the most formidable side in the world.

Brian McClennan, the Leeds coach who gave Auckland-born and raised Eastwood his first cap, was in charge on that memorable night at Elland Road and spoke to his young protégé on Saturday night.

"'Bluey' sent me a text earlier in the week to wish me well and we had a little chat on the phone in the dressing room afterwards," said Eastwood. "He's a proud Kiwi, we're all proud Kiwis and I think we did our nation proud tonight."

New Zealand's success was all the more remarkable in that it came 12 months after they had suffered a crushing 3-0 Test series defeat by Great Britain and just five weeks after they had been beaten 30-6 by Australia in their opening fixture of the tournament.

The Kiwis had also put together an error-strewn display in reaching the final with a 32-22 semi-final defeat of England a week earlier.

"We only made two mistakes in the second half and our completion rate in the first was excellent too. We knew it would take a top performance to get the goods and we knew we had a good performance in us and I'm glad for all the team that they got the cream," said New Zealand's coach Stephen Kearney, the former Hull second row who did a remarkable job in taking the Kiwis from the depths of despair to the top of the world.

New Zealand's resurrection offers some hope for England after their dismal World Cup campaign although whether they have the physical presence to do what the Kiwis did is another matter.

Australia threatened to run away with the final by scoring early tries through David Williams and captain Darren Lockyer, who almost added a second only to have it ruled out by video referee Steve Ganson for bouncing the ball down.

New Zealand steadily grew in confidence from thereonin and after loose forward Jeremy Smith barged his way over for their opening try they capitalised on a tough call against Australia by referee Ashley Klein, who ruled that Anthony Laffranchi had stripped the ball from the clutches of Benji Marshall as the stand-off broke clear on halfway.

David Fa'alogo played to the whistle and picked up the loose ball and raced clear before sending Jerome Ropati away to the posts past a helpless Billy Slater.

Lockyer did score a second try six minutes before the interval, a scintillating effort which saw him handle three times in a dazzling move which helped take Australia to the break leading
16-12.

The Kiwis remained calm and after going close in the opening minutes of the second half when Manu Vatuvei was denied by a try-saving tackle from Williams they re-took the lead with a try by Lance Hohaia.

The final swung decisively their way in the 61st minute when Billy Slater, the Australian full-back, had a sudden rush of blood and threw a crazy interception to Marshall who had the simplest of tasks in scoring his side's fourth try.

Greg Inglis narrowed the gap to just two points for a third time with a try from a pass by Lockyer but New Zealand would not be denied, although there was a hint of controversy about the next score, a penalty try awarded to Hohaia after he was obstructed by Joel Monaghan as the two men contested a tricky kick by Nathan Fien.

The last word went to New Zealand prop Adam Blair, who capitalised on some confusion among a distraught Australian defence to steal in five minutes from the end of a truly memorable final.

Australia: Slater; Monaghan, Inglis, Folau, Williams; Lockyer, Thurston; Kite, Smith, Civoniceva, Laffranchi, Stewart, Gallen. Substitutes: Hunt, Tupou, Fitzgibbon, Watmough.

New Zealand: Hohaia; Perrett, Mannering, Ropati, Vatuvei; Marshall, Fien; Cayless, Leuluai, Blair, Fa'alogo, Harrison, Smith. Substitutes: Luke, Eastwood, Rapira, Manu.

Referee: A Klein (England).