It was by no means a perfect game by the All Blacks, but last nights win against the Wallabies was a step back in the right direction. It was a game riddled with handling errors and penalties by both sides, but the All Blacks came out in the second half (down 12-3 at that point), and fought hard to win by the narrowest of margins - 19-18.

Both sides were trying to play open rugby, but with good defence by both teams it was hard to get the game flowing into a try scoring affair. The only try came by way of Ma’a Nonu, who was on the end of some good work from Sivivatu and Kieran Read. The All Blacks came close to scoring two more trys, but they were disallowed by the referee - one for a forward pass and the other for obstruction. The Wallabies on the other hand never looked like scoring a try, and had to rely on the All Blacks giving away too many stupid penalties. Oh, and Matt Giteau’s kicking certainly helped them stay in the contest…

It was hard to watch at times - the All Blacks would get themselves in a good position only to knock the ball on, and once again the passing looked amateurish. It’s clear they still have a lot of work to do on their basic skills, although they were slightly better than when they played the Springboks.

The lineout was a lot better, and it seems keeping things simple - i.e throwing to the front of the lineout - is working well for them. They even attacked the Wallabies throws, and while they had limited success it did create a bit of pressure for the Wallabies, preventing them from getting clean ball on their throws. I was disappointed Alan de Malmanche didn’t get a run, as I think he would have had a good impact off the bench. It would seem Henry doesn’t have a lot of faith in him at this stage, and I don’t know why - the guy is a beast with the ball in hand, and would have put a lot of pressure on the Wallabies defensive line.

The scrum was another area of dominance for the All Blacks. They had the Wallabies front-row in all kinds of trouble, and after only 30 minutes into the game Al Baxter was pulled from the field by Deans. I don’t know why Deans doesn’t put Baxter out of his misery, and just drop him. The guy is rated by the Aussies as one of their best, but all I see is a guy who can’t handle the pressure of scrummaging at Test level. Woodcock certainly made him look like the amateur that he is.

Speaking of players out of their depth, I think Luke McAlister got shown up last night…again. Granted, he looked more comfortable at second-five than he did in the number 10 jersey, but we all saw how much of a difference Nonu made when he finally got on the field. It seemed McAlister was determined to get himself knocked out after rushing up to make two spot tackles, only to wind up on his back in a pool of blood. With Carter back (and what a huge difference that made) I can’t see McAlister playing too many more games for the All Blacks - at least not this year anyway.

Carter was absolutely brilliant. He stayed calm and composed throughout the game, and his kicking game was excellent. He kicked for territory rather than putting the ball up in the air, and it paid off. The Wallabies were forced to kick from their territory, and more often than not it didn’t work for them. There were several kicks that sliced off the boot, or went out on the full. It was definitely a victory for Carter in the kicking department.

The Wallabies had their moment’s, and their defence was an improvement from what I’ve seen in recent years, but without Mortlock in their backline they looked flat. And I’ve said this before - I don’t think Giteau is as good as people make out. He never really looks like he’s going to spark any great movement, unlike Berrick Barnes who I think should be playing first-five. They have a lot to work on if they hope to compete with the Springboks next week, and it’s going to be a tough couple of weeks ahead for Deans’ boys.

I expect to see a couple more changes next time the All Blacks line up. I don’t think Rokocoko did enough to warrant another Test, and should be replaced with either Cory Jane or Hosea Gear. At this stage I’d rather see Tamati Ellison get a game in place of Joe. He was good under the high ball but found wanting on attack, which is his main role in the team. He’s going to need to find some good form in the NPC over the next few weeks if he is to retain his place in the side.

The Tri-Nations should be all but over, with the Springboks taking on the Wallabies in the next two games. If they win only one of them they should have the Cup in the bag. Hopefully, the Wallabies can do us a huge favour and knock off the ‘Boks, but at this stage I think the South Africans will be too good.
For now, I’m just happy we’ve retained the Bledisloe Cup. I would rather keep that in the trophy cabinet, although having both Cups would be good, wouldn’t it…