All Blacks: Tight five blitzkrieg too hot to handle

All Blacks hooker Dane Coles. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The All Black forwards got the team over the line against England in Dunedin, and gave fans a glimpse of what to handle will keep them ahead of the chasing pack

If 2014 is to be as successful for the All Blacks as 2013, it will be the tight five who take them there.

And the All Blacks look poised to do just that - to play with greater intensity, speed accuracy and awareness than they managed last year.

They look ready to play a new style of blitzkrieg football that wipes out everything in its path and it all starts with a dominant tight five who are now armed to dominate bigger packs in all facets.

The big men won the All Blacks the series in Dunedin with a performance that was genuinely beyond the abilities of any other tight unit in world rugby.

Once they got an ugly opening 10 minutes out of the way, the All Black pack set about giving a demonstration of devastating excellence - they outplayed a vaunted English pack in all the crunchy bits and then ran the legs clean off them.

"It was probably one of the better ones [performances] of recent times apart from the first 10-15 minutes where we seemed to be a little shell-shocked," All Black coach Steve Hansen said.

"I think we dominated the game and that all started up front. We scrummed really well. We did the lineout well - got a couple of theirs - but just around the park we did some nice things too. So all the things you expect them to do they did well and that was very pleasing."

It was modern rugby the way no one else can play. It was as beautiful at times as it was brutal and what mystified England was that after Tony Woodcock and Owen Franks tickled them up in the scrum, they still had the lungs, legs and skills to contribute with ball in hand. They could still tackle like they were loose forwards.

England were shocked because their props still looked like props and played like props and while they have aspirations to play fast and wide, they won't be able to do it as well as the All Blacks until they find tight forwards with the same mobility and comfort on the ball.

Sam Whitelock showed why many rate him now as the premier lineout forward in the world game while Brodie Retallick was all grunt and power in the tight, range and energy in the loose.

And then there was Dane Coles who came of age on Saturday night with the quality he delivered at set piece and the presence he showed elsewhere.

"I think the situation we were in it was a huge test and a big moment for him and he passed with flying colours," fellow hooker Keven Mealamu said of Coles.

"They are a young forward pack but a few of them have been around for a little while now so we are in pretty good hands."

The way the All Blacks defended England's driving maul and the quality of their own work in that area gave Hansen the most satisfaction.

New Zealand have been vulnerable in the past to driving mauls and haven't been much chop at launching their own.

But for all the promise shown, Hansen and his troops were considering Dunedin very much as a starting point. They have to back it up in Hamilton with a performance of equal quality and intensity to ensure England return home disillusioned at the size of the gap between the respective teams. They want England to doubt their ability - to feel that the All Blacks are as big as the myth.

All of which is why there is likely to be minimal personnel changes despite the fact the series has been won.

"I think it is important that we win the next test first and foremost and that we play well," Hansen said. "We will try to pick the team that will do that."

Kieran Read is almost certain to return at No8 while Hansen confirmed that Israel Dagg will not be considered for selection.