New Zealand 44
England 12
View photos: All Blacks v England, second testKEY POINTS:
There is nothing quite like seeing Richie McCaw hobble to the sideline in agony to spoil a good night at the rugby. The fact Ali Williams was already on the bench when the skipper got there, nursing his own throbbing ankle, hardly lightened the mood.
But strangely, as
much as everyone wants to see these two critical figures back in black against South Africa, there was almost reason to feel that their absence would not be catastrophic.
Again, there was a clinical edge to the All Blacks last night and they emanated a hunger as if, 1 to 15, they had vowed to put things right.
It was the backs in particular who were in no mood to muck around. The handling was crisp, the lines of running direct and the timing perfect.
There was no better example of that than early in the second half when Dan Carter tossed the ball inside without a glance, Sitiveni Sivivatu came through precisely on time and Ma'a Nonu finished it off when he charged up the middle with a run that scared the English half to death.
As is rugby's code of etiquette, the backs will say they could only do what they did because the big units provided the platform.
Which they did. Without McCaw and Williams for most of the game, the All Blacks were well down on experience and leadership and that was from a low base as it was.
But everything still managed to flow pretty much as it should. The forwards knuckled down, scrummed and rucked like they should and there was the usual gulf in class between them and their opponents when it came to playing with the ball.
England were much improved in that regard in both attitude and execution but you can't spend 10 months of the year with the blinkers on and then expect to turn all Zinzan Brooke just because you are having a go for once.
The lineout was their only source of superiority and it could have been a real weapon but for Brad Thorn assuming responsibility and directing operations.
Adam Thomson chipped in, too, with a performance that was willing and eager if a little loose, no more so than in the closing minutes when he did all the hard work supporting the backs, only to throw a poor pass to Thorn.
But so much of the All Blacks' dominance was down to Dan Carter who continued to ... well, he continued to be Dan Carter. Which was rather helpful, as England didn't have a clue how to deal with him or if they did, they just weren't good enough to execute the strategy.
And, to be fair, they shouldn't necessarily be entirely ashamed about that. Carter, presumably now he has cleared the mental decks in regards to his long-term future, has rediscovered the art of dissection.
There were three England players who were certain they were going to clobber the All Black golden boy 10 minutes into the game, yet somehow Carter emerged in the clear, held his nerve and invited Richard Kahui to cut back and score a debut try with his first touch of the ball.
The danger is that New Zealanders start to take Carter's genius for granted, rather than savour it for the blessing it is.
Never mind that it was only England, a half-baked side who were desperate to be on a plane out of New Zealand, there was more than just the work of Carter to feel good about.
It can be hard to evaluate All Black performances when the dynamic has shifted away from whether they will win to focus more on the eventual size of the victory.
Test victories don't come easy and to score almost 40 points, you have to be doing a lot of things right.
Perhaps the thing that has been most prevalent and effective these last few weeks has been the attitude and urgency.
Kahui, Rudi Wulf, Thomson and Boric, off the bench early, all came into the side last night and looked at home.
Kahui followed his try with a bone crunching tackle on Mike Tindall and Wulf didn't get the number of opportunities he would have liked but looked sharp and composed when he popped up.
Momentum is building. New players are settling and maybe now a little confidence will be brewing.
