Justin Marshall: Unruffled ABs pour water on Wales' fire

Leigh Halfpenny is unable to stop Jerome Kaino scoring the All Blacks’ second try at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Photo / Getty Images

If you want to understand the outcome of yesterday's test and the All Blacks' ability to eke out difficult wins, I suggest you consult a dictionary.

On page 1030 of the Oxford Concise English, the word "panic" appears. Its definition: "sudden or uncontrollable fear or anxiety; frenzied hurry to do something".

I point this out because panic seems to have absolutely no place within this All Blacks setup. It's as if they're immune to it.

If you want evidence of this, all you need to do is look at the last three test matches. At Twickenham, they found a way to win in one of the most hostile environments in world rugby, and they did so with only 14 men late in the match. At Murrayfield, they overcame a spirited Scottish performance despite having an entirely different run-on 15 to the team that beat England. And yesterday, they denied the Welsh a piece of history by doing something teams given to panic don't do - trusting their game plan.

If you want further evidence, go back and listen to Ian Foster's halftime interview. Despite the game being locked at 3-all, and being outplayed in the first stanza, Foster was a study in composure. He calmly said the All Blacks had known the Welsh would come at them with a rushing defensive line - that they knew the game would be a torrid battle.

When asked how the team would respond, Foster's response was brilliantly simple: play the full 80 minutes.

And that's how they won this test match - by going right to the end. Steve Hansen rang the personnel changes in the second half, but the tactics didn't alter. Knowing they were in for rush defence, Beauden Barrett employed a strategy of kicking in behind the defensive line throughout the game.

Admittedly, his execution wasn't quite there in the first half, but he stuck to his guns. When Colin Slade slotted into the pivot role, he did the same. In the end, three tries came from kicks in behind the line.

In the cauldron of test rugby, you can't just decide you won't panic. You have to earn confidence. You have to live it and work on it every day you're together as a team.

In the final of the 2011 World Cup, the All Blacks learnt they could go deep into the most fraught of contests and prevail. That built confidence, and with time, composure. Those twin virtues now define the team.

And it was those virtues - the having them and the lacking them - that separated the two sides yesterday. Wales brought so much to the game - an attacking spirit, fierce defence and a huge amount of tenacity.

But an interesting thing happened when Leigh Halfpenny kicked them into the lead with 12 minutes to go. They sniffed something special in the air. They let themselves think that this could be their time.

Instead of inspiring them, these thoughts made them vulnerable. From the resulting kickoff they lost their shape, kicked aimlessly, and opened the door just enough to allow Barrett to sneak through with a moment of magic. In other words, they did what the All Blacks don't do. They panicked.

Wales will learn from this. Their strategy was spot on, and it was only psychological frailty that let them down.

They've shown they've got enough skill and astuteness to compete with the best, and if they can work on closing out games over the course of the Six Nations, they'll be a genuine prospect at next year's World Cup.