Justin Marshall: All Blacks' ability to recover is a cup-winning quality

The All Blacks stepped up a gear after Dane Coles was sin-binned. Photo / Getty Images

Two things stuck out for me about yesterday's test: first, the All Blacks are the best side in the world at getting themselves out of deep holes, and secondly, Stuart Lancaster's England revolution is only half complete.

True, the home side weren't at full strength, but nobody should doubt this was a real test for the All Blacks. England's blistering start and halftime lead were clear evidence of that.

One of the core features of Steve Hansen's All Blacks is that, no matter how tricky the situation, the players believe they'll be able to get the job done. It was this quiet confidence that got them home against Ireland, the Springboks, and Australia at various points in the past year.

So when Dane Coles was binned in the 56th minute, with the game still very much in the balance, there was every reason to remain confident the All Blacks would still prevail. As it turned out, they actually stepped up a gear and won the game convincingly, despite the close scoreline.

But here's my point: the relative ease of the victory should not detract from the challenge that had been laid down. I can't think of another side in world rugby that could go down to 14 men in the second half of a Twickenham test, holding only a two-point lead, and still close out the game with such assurance.

Faced with that situation, most sides would have hunkered down and played for time. The All Blacks did the opposite - they went on the offensive and England ended up lost in a daze of aimless kicking.

Charlie Faumuina's try, which effectively ended the game as a contest, was a textbook example of how to grind down an opponent. The All Blacks strung together over 20 phases in the lead-up, throwing waves of runners at the English until the inevitable crack appeared.

While Hansen will be satisfied with his side's ability to wriggle out of tight spaces, he'll be conscious they are putting themselves under more pressure than they need to. Since the demolition of Australia at Eden Park in August - and with the exception of last week's exhibition against the United States - the All Blacks have struggled to put together 80-minute performances.

Recently it has been slow starts that have been the problem, but more generally there is a lack of rhythm to their play that is allowing lesser sides to get closer than they probably deserve. But what's important for now is that, come whatever, they invariably find a way to win. It's that quality that wins World Cups.

And it's that quality that Stuart Lancaster needs to breed into England.

What will have concerned Lancaster is that when the heat went on the final quarter of the match, his players seemed to lose faith in their ability to play an expansive game, and reverted to the kind of 10-man drudgery this new regime has done its level best to avoid.

What this says to me is Lancaster's reinvention of England's game is only skin deep at the moment.

Time will tell whether his bold new philosophy will truly sink in.