Sean Fitzpatrick: Great defence takes the day yet again

Anthony Faingaa of the Wallabies is tackled by Ma'a Nonu and Richie McCaw of the All Blacks. Photo / Getty Images

Well, there's an answer to all those people who keep carping on about the All Blacks peaking too soon.

World Cups of recent times have been won, as we know, by teams with the best defence. Well, what did we see in the second half of last weekend's test match and last night? We saw the best defence.

It was much more of a test match and the Australians came back harder at the All Blacks - as they knew they would. The key point is that they had prepared for that.

Robbie Deans was interviewed afterwards and mentioned the All Blacks slowing the ball down at the breakdown. My answer to that is that the All Blacks cleaned the ball out better than the Australians did.

To me there's no doubt about it - we are seeing an All Black team where the players are stepping up but the coaches are stepping up too. You have to take your hat off to Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith. They are changing the way this team play every week.

For me, the All Blacks almost played a little bit too much rugby in the first half - but they took their opportunities well. You could tell they had decided to play it differently in the second half - playing position and defending efficiently.

At one stage, the tackle count was 118-65 by the All Blacks, a huge effort.

Whoever is conditioning them is doing a great job and the defensive patterns were fantastic. The All Blacks were better at the breakdowns and had many more people there or with more purpose - whereas, for the Wallabies, David Pocock was a bit of a Lone Ranger and they didn't take their chances.

Deans is obviously under pressure but I would have to say he is just being out-coached and out-thought by his opposites right now.

Richie McCaw had another huge game, although very different from the previous weekend. He is now being allowed to express himself because his team have really developed.

If it's not Richie at the breakdowns, it's Kieran Read or Jerome Kaino or Conrad Smith or Brad Thorn or Mils Muliaina. They are allowing him to do so much. He had a great second half, working hard at the breakdowns and tackling all over the place; really frustrating the Aussies.

Pocock just didn't have the same kind of support system.

If I can relate that to my career, in 1992-93, the All Blacks were having a really difficult time. We weren't playing well, we didn't have many world-class players and we hadn't developed as a team.

But between 1994-97 we did - and I was able to play my game well. McCaw is in the same place. He's really comfortable as a captain and with what his team are doing - and he's got some great forwards around him.