All Blacks easily dispose of England (+pics)

Dan Carter has expertly guided the All Blacks to a 37-20 win over England at Eden Park in Auckland.

With Richie McCaw and Carter's futures now secured, perhaps the New Zealand Rugby Union's crack team of contract negotiators should turn their attentions to Ma'a Nonu. After a magnificent test against England, the second five-eighths who is uncommitted after year end, surely now enters the "must-have" category.

In case you haven't been paying attention it's been a while since the All Blacks have had a settled - not to mention sexy - midfield. They would appear to have just that right now in the form of Nonu and his sidekick from the capital, Conrad Smith.

The pair of them hinted at their class last week in the 21-11 win over Ireland in Wellington, but their opportunities on a dreadful night were so sparse that they warranted a second look against this supposedly useful England side.

Well, the second glance told us plenty. That Nonu has made some quite remarkable improvements to his now well-rounded game; that Smith, with his high workrate and cerebral play, is a class act when fully fit. Most importantly, that as a one-two midfield punch, they might just be the answer to an All Black fan's prayers.

Nonu and Smith were two of the bright lights on a night, in front of a sellout Eden Park crowd of 44,000, when the All Blacks of this new era took their most significant stride in the right direction. For England, talked up all week by an overly respectful Graham Henry, it was a disappointing opening to life under Martin Johnson.

This was a test dominated by the New Zealanders, apart from the opening quarter of an hour, when the All Blacks took a while to settle to their work, and a brief moment before halftime. The match did rather lose shape in the middle stages of the second spell, but by then it was long decided.

The All Blacks scored two tries in each spell, Smith getting the first of them with a classical finish and Nonu setting up the third (to Mils Muliaina) with a dazzling run where be brutally exposed the (lack of) defence of Charlie Hodgson. Dan Carter had the second touchdown and a personal haul of 22 points and Sitiveni Sivivatu, as he does, got in on the act with his 23rd try in as many tests.

Topsy Ojo, the fleet-footed wing, scored a try near the end of each spell to salvage something for an English side that was outplayed, but not disgraced. To their credit they ran till the very end.

After last week's rather attritional fare, the opening 40 minutes at a much warmer Eden Park were positively free-flowing. Freed of the threat of frostbite should they need to wave their hands around in the air, backs actually ran some ball, and for the most part did so effectively too.

Still, you had to figure the All Blacks would have been kicking themselves about taking only a 23-13 lead into the sheds. Really it could have been much more. Should have been.

At 23-6 up and with giant English loosehead Andy Sheridan despatched to the sinbin to cool his smoking heels for one too many breakdown offences, the last half-dozen minutes of the opening spell represented cash-in time for an All Black side in predatory mood.

And so it appeared when big Brad Thorn thundered upfield with a run that harked back to his prime in a Broncos jersey. The setup came, and when Carter slipped through a yawning gap in the bedraggled English defence, it looked a try for certain.

It was. Only to England at the other end. London Irish wing Ojo, on debut no less, decided he had no hope of defending three rampant All Blacks and went for the intercept instead. He got it, too, dashing 95m for a score that kept England in the game.

Earlier the All Blacks had shaken off a slow start, where the lineout misfired and they were outhustled at the breakdown, to break open the match with two tries in a seven-minute burst early in the second quarter.

Smith, making every post a winner at centre, had the first, and a 10-6 lead, when Andrew Hore forced a turnover from a restart and the English were punished when Carter put through a little chip for his centre to race in to.

Then Carter, who had an 18-point first-half haul, was over on the 30-minute mark to stretch the lead to 20-6, the dangerous first five finishing a slick scrum move that was notable for two things: first a superb set piece from Greg Somerville; then an outstanding set move that saw Sitiveni Sivivatu slice through on the bindside channel.

When Mils Muliaina finished Nonu's outstanding break three minutes into the second spell, and Sivivatu stretched the lead to 37-13 soon after, it was pretty much over.

Cue what they call in other sports garbage time. Ojo completed his brace, and a memorable debut, but really this was a night when the new All Blacks took another positive stride down the road to post-World Cup recovery.

The victory was the All Blacks' 23rd in 30 tests against England who will get another crack at the New Zealanders next Saturday night in Christchurch.

New Zealand 37: Tries: Conrad Smith, Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu. Cons: Carter (4). Pens: Carter (3).

England 20: Tries: Topsy Ojo (2). Cons: Ollie Barkley (2). Pens: Barkley (2).

 

 

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