Richard Loe: It was heart-attack stuff but we'll take the win

I played under coaches who, if I'd done a delicate cross-field chip for the winger to score, would have amputated my leg. But for a lock forward, Ali Williams, to do that and for Doug Howlett to score a hat-trick so smoothly, well, that shows the difference between this All black team and others who have gone before.

I guess you have to accentuate the positives in a test like that but there were some negatives. The All Blacks seem to have borrowed the Waikato Manual of Tackling and they let in some very soft tries.

But they are a team who play an expansive game and, without making excuses for them, it is hard to keep up effective expansiveness when you are leading by a country mile.

However, everyone who has ever played test rugby knows that you have to keep the pressure on when you have the boot on the throat.

You put the boot down hard and you do not let up until the final whistle.

Aside from Ali Williams' kick across field for Howlett - I bet Zinzan Brooke watched that and laughed and remembered his own career. But Williams really stood up and was counted again and again it was Chris Jack who left the field first, although he was obviously injured.

It's good to see Williams playing so well, he really has brought an extra dimension to his game and it is benefitting the All Blacks a lot.

As for Howlett, well, what a player. He's been out of test match rugby since the first test against the Lions in June but he comes straight back and scores three.

The winning try was a beauty, too. He showed his smarts, I thought. He did well to hook the ball inside to James Ryan to take the hit and then Howlett made himself available when Keven Mealamu drove the ball up.

That's what you want from a winger - smart play and putting himself into the scoring position.

None of Howlett's tries were brilliant but they were very smooth from a polished finisher.

Sione Lauaki did a lot more hard work in the tight stuff and on the tackle last night - good to see - and he ran the ball up well, which is what he is there to do. One of his best games for the All Blacks.

The Wallabies had difficulty getting into the game because their forwards just didn't provide the base for them to do so. Matt Dunning came on and Carl Hayman and then Greg Somerville tied him up in knots. He gave away three silly penalties in five minutes and Lote Tuqiri came across and gave him a real bollocking. Silly stuff - but borne of frustration. The All Blacks played with some class. They let the Wallabies back into the game and still chucked it around in their own 22. Heart-attack stuff but they do it well and we'll take the win. We older stagers might talk about "test-match rugby" but if they'd closed it down and played the grinding stuff, we'd all be complaining about lack of flair.

I thought Leon MacDonald had an unhappy time after a good first half and he earns a black mark for two tries from two charge-downs in two tests. Luke McAlister was terrific and really settled the Blacks down with his goalkicking.

But, for me, Ali Williams kick and the Zinzan Brooke flavour it lent these All Blacks underlines the approach of this side. Not sure if Graham Henry agrees but, again, we'll take the win.