KEY POINTS:
A relieved All Black squad left Eden Park after staunching their losing sequence in a performance assistant coach Steve Hansen rated as up with the best during the coaching team's 55-test reign.
After squaring the Bledisloe Cup series with a 39-10 victory, the All Blacks' thoughts were on winning their next overseas assignment, against the Springboks in Cape Town to stay in the race for the defence of their Tri-Nations crown.
Hansen was optimistic after the weekend reversal against the Wallabies, a feat he compared with the All Blacks' opening win against the Boks in Wellington and the 2004 pounding of the French in Paris.
"It would be in the top three or four performances," Hansen declared of the latest victory.
It was high acclaim from the All Black forwards coach and an assessment which was probably also a reflection of the pressure the squad overcame on Saturday after successive defeats in Dunedin and Sydney.
The All Blacks and their staff were facing a hat-trick of defeats which last hurt an All Black side at the same Eden Park venue in 1994 when they fell to a final movement "try from the end of the earth" from the French.
This time the hosts conceded an early penalty lead but then drew level through a Daniel Carter kick.
Then they cantered off through try doubles to Tony Woodcock, Ma'a Nonu and 19 points kicked by Carter.
"We got things pretty spot on and probably the best thing was that it happened as we were under a lot of pressure and it was a group of young people involved," Hansen said.
It was a relief to staunch the run of defeats but playing the Boks in Cape Town would be a huge assignment.
"South Africa have three home games but we are in charge of our own destiny and if we win our remaining games we are in with a big show," Hansen said .
The selectors will take 26 players when they leave on Friday, with several decisions to be made this week about injured candidates Leon MacDonald and Rudi Wulf. MacDonald cried off this latest test because of continuing concussion problems while Wulf damaged a knee playing for Harbour in the national provincial championship.
Hansen confirmed the group would include halfbacks Jimmy Cowan, Piri Weepu and Andrew Ellis if they are all fit. Props Tony Woodcock and John Afoa would be used as backup for the hookers Andrew Hore and Keven Mealamu.
If MacDonald and Wulf do not travel, the selectors could include Otago's Paul Williams, who was included as cover for injuries earlier this season, in what would be a 14-12 forwards-backs split.
The All Blacks are restricted to their original squad selections unless they need to cover for injuries.
The Boks remain Tri-Nations favourites with their remaining tests all at home but they will face an All Black side with captain Richie McCaw back in action.
His return was remarkably influential for someone who had not played for six weeks. That impact was not lost on his former coach-turned Wallaby mentor.
"Richie was obviously an inspiration to the people around him. "He was at the front end of everything, not just physically but verbally and they responded to that," Deans said.
McCaw led the All Blacks tackling statistics, was strong at the breakdowns, his tackles dented Phil Waugh and then spilled the ball from Luke Burgess to set up Nonu's opening try while he was also influential in dealing with South African referee Mark Lawrence. The All Blacks' decision to go to lineouts gave them the multi-dimensional game they lacked last week in Sydney.
Hansen disputed the concept his side was gunshy about the area of the game, he said it was more a case of the All Blacks wanting to keep the ball in play to benefit from their fitness.
In the opening test against the Boks in Wellington, the All Blacks had avoided kicking the ball out and South Africa had no platform to work from.
At Carisbrook, the All Blacks kicked for touch in the first half and the visitors were able to get their game going.
Hansen did not like the idea of unrestricted numbers in the lineouts, he did not think that created a fair contest but those were some of the ELVs the game was trialling.
