Forget the House of Pain. Carisbrook should from now be called the Cabin of Collapse.
Dunedin's ageing ground has lost its fortress reputation after the All Blacks were beaten for the second consecutive test there on Saturday night.
France's 27-22 win followed the Springboks' 30-28 win last year in a game that marked 100 years of test rugby at the ground.
In the first 99 years, the All Blacks played 34 tests for just three losses, to the Lions (twice) and Australia.
Now, that aura of invincibility has been shattered, first by the 'Boks and now by a French side that was simply much better in all areas than a cobbled-together All Black team missing a host of its best players.
This all rather plays into the hands of the supporters of Dunedin's new roofed stadium in Awatea St, set to replace Carisbrook by 2011.
Perhaps they were right after all - it is time to knock Carisbrook down and start a new legacy.
Still, what a pleasant change to be at Carisbrook when it was bulging at the seams, not home to just a few thousand hardy fans.
The terrace was full about an hour before kick-off and the cheers grew louder and louder as the rippa rugby kids were followed by the delicate-limbed chaps of the Selwyn Ballet.
Then a group of former All Blacks, proudly sporting the new caps they had been awarded in an emotional ceremony on Friday night, formed the guard of honour for the two teams as they ran out.
Emma Fraser performed a flawless Le Marseillaise and then Peter Chin, surely the only mayor to double as a national anthem singer in world rugby, belted out our bilingual ballad, and it was game on.
The mood of the crowd matched the on-field action, with grim silence accompanying France's early 17-3 lead.
Then there was bullish excitement and chants of "All Blacks, All Blacks" as the home side got back into the game, but the atmosphere at the final whistle was a mix of frustration, despondency and resignation.
There was no World Cup at stake.
But Carisbrook's reputation as a ground visiting teams dread has taken another big dent.
