KEY POINTS:
Sir Edmund Hillary beat the big freeze to scale Everest and the All Blacks overcame polar conditions to claim the inaugural trophy in his memory today and a third Grand Slam triumph.
The 32-6 victory at Twickenham came in viciously cold conditions which were more suited to the
grunt and grind merchants in the pack than the entertainers which inhabited the All Black backline.
But a three try second half burst allowed the All Blacks to break clear and cement their second Slam under coach Graham Henry as they finished their tour with the remarkable record of not conceding a try against any of the Home Unions.
England did all they could to disrupt the All Blacks' rhythm and were more combative than they had been last week in conceding a record Twickenham score against the Springboks.
However their play bordered throughout on being cynical and illegal and referee Alain Rolland of Ireland lost his patience with those tactics and sinbinned four England players-Lee Mears, James Haskell, Toby Flood and Tom Rees for a range of professional fouls.
England needed a full complement throughout if they were going to challenge the All Blacks and destroy the dream of a second Slam in Henry's era. The regular departures destroyed that goal, interrupted their flow and tested Rolland's patience as he warned England several more times about losing players.
Five years ago, they were able to soak up that sort of disadvantage in similar conditions in Wellington as they beat the All Blacks 15-13 as a prelude to their World Cup success. That England side though were a far more proficient, far more talented version than the one which tried to muscle their way round Twickenham.
They had some grunt in the pack and a feisty halfback Danny Care who escaped with several reprimands from Rolland, but once the ball went to the men with the larger numbers on their jerseys, particularly in midfield, there was confusion, uncertainty and standard tackling practice for the All Blacks.
Like much of their play on this tour, the All Blacks soaked up the pressure, dealt with that sort of inquisition by halftime and then eased away in the second half. Had Daniel Carter not had so much trouble with the blustery wind, the victory margin could have challenged that set by the Boks last week.
As the All Blacks ascendancy grew and their scrum started to chew in their rivals, Mils Muliaina scored twice then Ma'a Nonu to confirm the pre-tour suspicion that the tourists were of far better calibre than any of the Home Nations with the only impediments to a winning schedule being some refereeing tragedy or travel-weary final week negligence.
Henry and Co made sure there were no dress-rehearsal hiccups while skipper Richie McCaw delivered the repeat on-field instructions.
It was a bludgeoning arm-wrestle, a huge physical scrap as expected from an England side who were determined to make some amends for their blowout this autumn. They aimed up but overcooked their enthusiasm and Rolland punished them though it seemed he had lost a little perspective at stages.
The All Blacks just kept their foot on England's throat. There was only one minute of real alarm after halftime when the All Blacks fluffed their kickoff, Delon Armitage raced up field to put No 8 Nick Easter in the clear.
He chugged on but had his heels clipped by a diving Muliaina and the chance was lost. There was no other England onslaught of any significance, as the All Blacks lifted their levels and farewelled their final rival.
