Another win, they will say, and this one in the lair of a major competitor. What’s more, these All Blacks demonstrate once again the priceless advantage of insight and precision – in short a natural affinity for the finer arts of a sport with such a premium on power.
But the wider rugby world may feel that another fleck of paint has been chipped off the black sheen. Not so much by England – although they were plenty responsible for roughing up their visitors – but by the way the All Blacks could outscore them three tries to one and still have to rely on opposition inaccuracy to hold on for the win.
