How the All Blacks can stop the bleeding

Spinner, the ABs don't have a particularly tall third option in the line so Smith and Palu were definitely viable there. I'd actually be intrigued to see Elsom's lineout stats over the past few years because, and it may just be me, but I have never seen him take that much ball. I don't think he would have made a difference anyhow because the lineout was clearly misfunctioning on various levels. Polata-Nau isn't the greatest option vecause his throwing has been hit and miss since his debut. I would just take it as a bad day at the office, it's unlikely to happen again.

Oh yeah, called home yesterday, apparently a lot of Cantabrians wanted the AB's to lose.......not sure how much of that is a press beat up & how much is for real, but my normally level headed setp-dad (level headed = dribbles out both sides of his mouth) was barracking for Australia !!! Reckoned that since they got rid of Deans the NZRU deserved to lose. Funny part was he's from Otago & the Canterbury/Otago rivalry is similar to Qld/NSW, also his own son (who lives in Canterbury) called him a traitor ! Seems there's more than enough bangoes to go round back home. LAS - given SA normally produces fast hard grounds (as does Brisbane) the last 4 TN games should be great....

ohtani, i think you underestimate your bethren. I would like to think that they can see further than the AB's winning and turned out to see what promised to be a great game of rugby. they were not disappointed. The result is only one part of the event. Benjamin, a third line out option is of significant value as it is harder to defend against and elsom is good at exactly that. Mark, I agree with your analysis. Its just great. a close comp, and great rugby played throughout. physical, fast, skillful and passionate. Individual contests, coaching contests, contests of tactics, all good. no wonder the crowds are up, TV and Spectators alike.

jerry & benjamin - Waugh should've been benched as he was clearly concussed, both dangerous for the player & when they're playing at this level, operating at 95% is not good enough. That being said I agree with OJ, watched the second half again last night & ref missed a heap from both sides including some serious gap closing in the lineout from both sides 'gap - what gap', but was fairly consistent. I loved that he told the Wallaby tighthead to bind on the body not the arm, forced him to stay up. Nonu played well, Giteau & Carter both had some shocking kicks but mostly good. Major difference for us was Cowan got better ball due to a better performance from the loosies & was able to play a lot better with it. Although agree with Peter K, thought it was a Wallaby lineout when the FB caught the ball with one foot in touch. Now (discounting HK game), AB's have won 2-4 with no home games left. SA - 1-3 with 3 home games left Aus - 2-3 with 1 home game left What's the odds of all 3 teams finishing on 3 wins ? Boks should get 2 from 3 on home soil, AB's should be able to win one of their last 2, & Wallabies should get at least one game. Don't know who said this could be one of the losest 3N ever but it looks like bonus points will be the key.

Jerry, mistake by the Australian bench to keep him on the field then. It was obvious that he was all over the shop. Also I don't buy into this - 'the lineout struggled because Smith and Waugh played'. Elsom is hardly a lineout giant.

It's a bit hard to judge the merits of the two breakaways for the Wallabies as Waugh was quite clearly knocked silly by a stray elbow from McCaw early on. I imagine that affected his play for the rest of the time he was on the pitch.

The NZ Herald ran the question "Is it time to lay off Graham Henry?" Judging by the answers, the Test has done little to change people's opinions. I guess the capacity crowd at Eden Park showed that people are coming out to support the All Blacks regardless of how they feel about Henry.

rangi, false dawn last week? Nope. Just an example that there is not much between these three excellent teams, that home advantage is significant and that there is lots more great rugby to come this year. Well done AB's.

Benjamin Peter de Villiers is one out of the box isn't he. His post match interviews are worth the price of admission and very entertaining, Clive Woodward used to befuddle me at times as well with some of his comments. Maybe there is a method to his madness but can the Boks achieve what no other side has been able to do in the Tri Nations and win 3 consecutive tests to take the title? History suggests that they should be favourites playing at home but each side has an opportunity to create their own history and I can't wait.

Sam, I'm just happy I can have a break without a Test defeat gnawing away at me.

Sam, just a little bit of info., I'm not sure if a lot of people know this, but during the WC, the AB lineout was the best. I agree with Peter, regarding Waugh. NZ did to Australia what Australia did to NZ last week. No front foot in the ruck situation, no room for pilfering. Also he was quite clearly concussed. The AB lineout basically won the match too and I don't think that was due to Elsom not being there. The lineout success illustrates how much the ABs lost by not challenging in the air last week. PS. I thought that Brad Thorn was excellent. Richie McCaw too. He really is a man apart. Sam, a lot of people seemed to miss the interview from De Villiers where he blamed his wingers for SA not winning their games. I know you're not saying he's a great coach but he seems to get away with a lot compared with Henry and Deans. I can't see him getting anyone humming frankly.

Hey OJ that's it for rugby until the second week of the Olympics, after the flurry of comments about this test dissipates in a few days what will we all be writing about until then? PS - I hope that this ends all the Deans v Henry rivalry hype which is getting tired and very tedious. Both men have put one over each other and they are both excellent coaches. If Peter de Villiers gets the Boks humming as well it will make for a truly contestable Tri Nations competition for the next three years and that will be manna from rugby heaven.

Peter K After reviewing the match again, the lack of impact by Smith and Waugh for Australia doesn't necessarily mean that the idea doesn't have merits. Unlike last week there wasn't a lot of loose ball to pounce on as the All Blacks played differently, cut down their handling errors and this time the entire team contested the breakdowns. NZ had greater numbers and better body positions and because Cowan and Carter were keeping the ball in front of the forwards it was more difficult for the Wallaby tight five to get into the game and allow them to roam. Palu also wasn't as prominent this week and he's critical for Australia to get them over the advantage line in the same way that Jerry Collins and Keven Mealamu did for NZ, part of that was because of the improved defence from NZ and part of it was that the game for the most part was taken away from him with better tactical kicking from NZ. He needed to get in tight and help out his tight five more rather than wait for the running opportunities. The All Blacks were on the front foot for most of the match and it's hard to play positive rugby when you are constantly defending and chasing back kicks, the poor lineout throwing from Polota-Nau didn't help either. Would Elsom have made a difference? perhaps but he wouldn't have affected the final result and he can only play as well as his tight five and the opposition tight five allow him. Such is the lot for any loose forward.

I thought it was awesome how they brought back their haka. Great to see a capacity crowd on hand at Eden Park too.

Delighted for the players particularly those that were roundly criticised (and justifiably so) for last weeks performance. The All Blacks played controlled rugby and as I asked for earlier in this thread were much more aggressive and assertive at the breakdown and not just by the forwards but by everyone. It was intelligent rugby and much more physical than last week. It's not often that the Wallabies go scoreless in an entire half or that they are pressured so consistently in the lineouts by the All Blacks and this was probably the most outstanding lineout display from these All Blacks since the first Lions test in 2005. I was so delighted to see 3 and 4 NZ jumpers up in the air contesting the Wallaby throws and it was a triumph for Steve Hansen's coaching - fantastic to see well executed moves from the lineout as they are so unexpected and difficult to defend. Why we don't compete in the air more often at all levels in NZ rugby I don't understand. Henry's job is safe - and to be perfectly honest I don't know if it was ever in danger as it would also have been an indictment of the current NZRU board if he was sacked - and not just because of the victory but also because it was an emphatic performance that proved that Henry still has his coaching mojo. He was under intense pressure this week - something that Deans has still yet to experience in the top job - and it's a true measure of any person how they respond to pressure. There were many players who excelled tonight for NZ but Daniel Carter earns special mention - no searing line breaks from him but his control, his physicality at the breakdown, tactical kicking and goalkicking reaffirms his ranking as the best flyhalf in the world. Australia still have two opportunities to improve their Tri Nations record away from home in SA, and SA will need to win 3 consecutive tests with probably a couple of bonus points to add the 3N trophy to their cabinet which has already been demonstrated so far could be one game too many for them. So after two Bledisloe matches were the Wallabies really that good last week or were the All Blacks that poor and are the All Blacks really that good or were the Wallabies that poor? Stay tuned for Bledisloe 3.

Anyhow, without wishing to debate the virtues of NH v SH, is is not valid to suggest that NZ won simply because they employed 10 man rugby. NZ won because they learnt from their previous mistakes, Australia could not control their own lineouts and because Matt Giteau is still on a fly-half test-level learning curve. If 10 man rugby is so dull then why were the various pundits exclaiming the virtues of SA when they beat NZ playing that very style of rugby? The SH cannot have it both ways.

That's very glib sledgehammer. I don't see how today's game was any less entertaining than previous efforts. Btw, when Ireland played Australia I do recall that it was the Ireland team that played all the rugby, and when Wales played SA... it was the Welsh team who were attempting to play all the rugby.

one point of note was coopers try... has to be one of the best trys from a set piece I have ever seen.

Well done to the All Blacks and Henry - first coach to prove that you can still play 10 man rugby under the ELVs. Hopefully NH critics should be pleased to see that a strong forward pack playing percentage rugby still wins matches. Personally I was bored shitless.

Sluggy, I've never seen Henry look so happy in the coach's box. The way this Tri-Nations is going I wouldn't be surprised if the All Blacks get a hiding at Newlands, but I think Henry pretty much saved his bacon. I'm not convinced the NZRU would've asked Henry to step down, but he got the Deans monkey off his back and I reckon he can ride out the rest of this unpredictable Tri-Nations. He'd be immensely satisfied that his tactics and selections worked out and that all of the criticisms amounted to naught. You couldn't have dreamed of a better result. I thought it was interesting how we won by pretty much avoiding the ELVs. We can't expect to repeat that sort of performance. Still plenty of work to do.