This is not a tragedy, a crisis, a disaster. There are neither villains nor scapegoats. No lengthy inquiries or inquests are required. It is not the signal for a period of national mourning.
But it is still all right to feel upset, let down, sad, confused - or a combination of all four - following the All Blacks' crushing loss to England in the Rugby World Cup semifinal in Japan on Saturday night.
It is still permissible to feel your Labour Weekend has been just a little spoiled.
You can accept that rugby no longer has the power to hold the entire nation transfixed as it once did and, at the same time, acknowledge the fortunes of the All Blacks can still dictate the mood of a sizeable chunk of the country.
That mood seems to be largely magnanimous - England simply dominated the All Blacks, and deserved to win the game, end of story. That suggests a couple of things, namely we have matured in our ability to cope with defeat, and that we remain grateful for the long winning run the All Blacks have achieved, a run that included two World Cup titles.
Does it also indicate people's expectations have softened? That they no longer expect the All Blacks to win every game?
Some might say that is actually slightly worrying. They could make a very sound case that it is that overwhelming expectation of success that helped make the All Blacks arguably the most successful team in international sport.
Others will have plenty of ammunition for the argument that coping with defeat is just as important as relishing success.
Whatever the case, this feels like the end of an era, largely because it brings to a close (with the national team, at least) one of the great coaching careers.
Steve Hansen has long emerged out of the shadow of Sir Graham Henry and Wayne Smith, the other two members of a remarkable coaching trio that dragged the All Blacks out of a barren period, by their high standards, and into a highly successful 15-year stretch.
Hansen has morphed from the grumpy sidekick to the boss with the human touch, and done a sterling job balancing the demands of professional rugby with the need to look after the young men in his care.
His record - 93 wins, four draws and 10 losses from his 107 tests in charge of the All Blacks - may never be surpassed.
Has the meltdown in Japan tarnished his legacy? Perhaps, especially as he appeared to be outcoached by his great rival, English coach Eddie Jones, but only slightly.
Hansen will leave with almost unanimous praise for the job he did over eight successful years.
As his era ends, so perhaps does an era of utter All Black dominance.
It feels like this is an almighty shake-up for world rugby - it always does when the All Blacks fail at a World Cup.
The All Blacks have been dethroned as world champions, their coach is going, veteran captain Kieran Read and long-serving sidekicks like Highlanders favourite Ben Smith are departing, and a new king will be crowned on Saturday.
The rest of the world says it gets boring watching the All Blacks dominate. We might not like hearing that, but rugby could possibly use the shot in the arm provided by someone different rising to the top.
