Henry calls All Blacks win 'best game on tour'

BY MARC HINTON IN LONDON

Last updated 10:25 22/11/2009

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Highlights: All Blacks beat England

LAWRENCE SMITH/Fairfax Media

SHIELD: Richie McCaw with the HilLary Shield.

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It may have been another grind on attack, but Graham Henry has labelled the All Blacks' 19-6 victory over England at Twickenham today as his side's best of its northern tour.

That's probably paying a heck of a lot more respect to Martin Johnson's England side than their own press did all week, but Henry felt his All Blacks did well to come through a difficult encounter and score the test's only try as they achieved a few notable marks.

The victory takes to eight the All Blacks' winning streak over the English, and it also keeps intact their perfect record in these autumn internationals under Henry. By keeping their opponents tryless again today, the New Zealanders are now within one match of going through a second straight tour in the north without having their line crossed.

The match also raised a couple of significant individual milestones, with Mils Muliaina joining Justin Marshall as the second most capped All Black of all time, with his 81st appearances, and Daniel Carter's 14-point haul taking him past Andrew Mehrtens as the highest points-scorer in New Zealand history.

"I thought the guys played their best game on tour, and we're delighted about that," said Henry, after his team had shaken off an unconvincing first half to take control of the match on the back of Jimmy Cowan's key third-quarter try.

"I thought we played some quality rugby and I'm delighted with the guys," added the All Blacks coach. "They played very well. You always get opportunities you would like to finish, and maybe there was one or two we couldn't quite finish.

"But I was pretty impressed with the way the guys played. We opened them up a bit but just didn't quite score tries in those situations. It would be nice to get the rub of the green and do that. Maybe it will happen next week, though I'm sure the French will have something to say about that."

As Henry mentioned the All Blacks left one or two tries out on the Twickenham sward they would have scored when their attacking game was flowing a bit better. The scrum also had a few shaky moments, including one tighthead and another that was severely disrupted by the English.

"We can improve on many aspects of the game and the scrum is one of them," noted Henry. "We weren't as potent as normal at scrum time and the French will be licking their lips, won't they."

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But if the All Blacks continue to defend as they are, they are going to be tough to beat for the simple matter that teams are struggling to put points pressure on them.

New defence coach Wayne Smith felt the All Blacks stepped their defence up after halftime, and that was a big part of the game swinging their way.

"We stopped them getting over the gain-line and that made it difficult for them to play," he said. "In general defence is a reflection of your attitude and ours was good today."

Skipper Richie McCaw, who was named man of the match for another sterling display at the breakdown, said defence was becoming a badge of honour with these All Blacks.

"Defence sums up your character," said McCaw. "What it means is guys are prepared to work hard when they haven't got the ball and it shows what they're made of. It's nice to keep them tryless and each one that goes on you want to carry that on. It's something to be proud of.

"And if they don't score tries it makes it a lot easier to win matches, especially in test rugby because there are not a lot of opportunities."

The All Blacks picked up no serious injuries out of the match which will also please Henry as he eyes a massive test finale against France in Marseille next weekend.

But he refused to label the Twickenham test a "dress-rehearsal" for the French, saying Johnson's England side deserved more respect than many in this country were giving them.

"Every time we play England here it's a huge game," said Henry. "They're a big physical side and they played well. I was very impressed with the way they played. We weren't thinking about France next week, though we might start thinking about France tomorrow."

Well they might. The All Blacks will jump on the plane at Gatwick tomorrow heading for what shapes as a mighty clash between the two most impressive sides of these autumn internationals.

- © Fairfax NZ News