KEY POINTS:
Last weekend in Sydney the All Blacks got their game plan and tactical approach completely wrong. Last night at Eden Park it was the exact reverse and their strategy was executed almost to perfection.
For that the players and the coaching staff, who I understand have been under
plenty of heat and media pressure all week, deserve congratulations.
It was refreshing to see that the side could turn it all round and show an ability to learn from the mistakes not only from last weekend but the previous game in Dunedin against the Springboks.
But at the same time we should also reflect, that while we made a marvellous recovery, it is in our long-term interests to keep the performances of Dunedin and Sydney firmly in our minds. Last weekend especially was not acceptable and, to everyone's credit, that's something the All Blacks themselves have acknowledged.
In many ways it was a similar scenario to 1993 when I captained the All Blacks against the Lions. At Athletic Park we got a hammering and took a critical pasting afterwards from the critics.
As it turned out, it didn't really do us all too much harm. No one was more critical of the Athletic Park performance than ourselves and at Eden Park a week later, like the All Blacks last night, we turned it around for a stunning win. It can be tough to take when on the receiving end but it's something that shouldn't be lost in New Zealand rugby.
Without a doubt the return of Richie McCaw to the loose forwards made a tremendous difference at the breakdown and the numbers the All Blacks were able to get there helped create a better momentum.
So many other things also improved. The work of the tight five in the scrums was solid and the lineouts were outstanding. And, unlike Sydney, the team's kicking was much more accurate and effective and we weren't just relying on Dan Carter.
As an old front-rower, who once scored two tries against the Wallabies, in Sydney in 1987, it was great to see Tony Woodcock get his double. This was a reflection of the patience the All Blacks showed.
I doubt whether Jimmy Cowan has played better at halfback for the All Blacks, and it's now obvious that in midfield Ma'a Nonu should always be partnered by Conrad Smith.
The other big plus for the All Blacks was the refereeing of Mark Lawrence at the scrum, with Al Baxter being found out.
The consistency of the refereeing in Tri Nations does remain a worry, though. In just about every game so far there has been a difference in style and interpretation, and it's imperative that the standard of the assistant refereeing starts to match that of the men in the middle.
Last night there did appear to be an error in touch-judging which told significantly against the Wallabies. Adam Ashley-Cooper clearly had a foot in touch fielding a kick while it was still in motion and thus the Wallabies should have had the lineout feed, not the All Blacks.
It also helped that Rocky Elsom was missing in the Wallaby back row and the early knock to Phil Waugh was also a factor.
