All Blacks perform the haka before the start of the 2010 Tri-Nations Bledisloe Cup match between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks on July 31, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.
(July 30, 2010 - Photos by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images AsiaPac)
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Seven up for rampant All Blacks
New Zealand put one hand on both the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe silverware on Saturday as they crushed Australia 49-28 in a classic at Etihad Stadium.
It was simply an outstanding contest between two attack-minded sides. Five tries in the first-half and not a single scrum reset until the 75th minute as rugby was played how it always should be.
The fine result now puts the All Blacks on fifteen tournament points in 2010, with nearest rivals Australia and the pointless Springboks swiftly looking a distant second and third in the south.
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Brad Thorne of the All Blacks is tackled by Nathan Sharpe
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Shock and awe from All Blacks
By Gregor Paul
Wallaby legend John Eales reckons the All Blacks are on the verge of a great era. He needs to revise that view - the All Blacks are not on the verge, they are in the midst.
This was their 12th consecutive win and just about the most convincing of the run; they took just 44 minutes to score 39 points. They took just 35 minutes to secure the bonus point and leave the Wallabies seriously contemplating not coming out for the second half.
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The composure and patience was critical. So too was the speed at which the ball was moved away from the breakdown and the skill with which it was slipped out of the contact.
It can't be ignored that the scrum was rock steady, or that Tom Donnelly sucked in just about every kickoff or that the lineout, the odd wobble here and there, was reliable. Gone are the bad old days of last year where those basic skills couldn't be taken for granted.
But the key to their performance was continuity - perpetual motion, awareness and understanding.
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Jerome Kaino of the All Blacks is tackled by David Pocock
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Accurate, smart and using their brains
By Sean Fitzpatrick
This was another very good All Blacks performance. What was especially pleasing was that it was a continuation of what they did in the first two tests against the Springboks.
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People have been saying New Zealand are peaking too early again and we are going down the same road we do every time before a World Cup. But I don't buy into that at all. At the moment they are playing smarter, better rugby than anyone else.
This coaching team clearly identified problem areas after last season - the scrum, lineout, restarts, the aerial game that we were pretty average at - and they have worked hard on these areas.
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The team look fit and hungry, they are maintaining possession well and probably the key thing last night, especially in the first half, was that when the All Blacks got an opportunity they took it, which is something Australia didn't do.
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Mils Muliaina of the All Blacks is tackled by Anthony Faingaa
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next test:
New Zealand v Australia
August 7
AMI Stadium, Christchurch
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