How they rated: the All Blacks

Paul Cully
October 17, 2011

Cory Jane was the official man of the match.
15. Israel Dagg The most dangerous runner on the field, he killed the Wallabies with his long-kicking game from fullback. Won the territorial battle. 8/10
14. Cory Jane Brilliance under the high ball was the feature of the first half, snuffing out Genia's kicking game. Bright on attack too. 8
13. Conrad Smith Hardly touched the ball as the All Blacks turned the game into a contest between the forwards. But solid in defence. 6

12. Ma'a Nonu A quieter than normal performance, which was to be expected in the absence of Dan Carter. 7
11. Richard Kahui Saw little ball but was solid when called upon. Would have enjoyed last act of game, driving an isolated, backpedalling Cooper over the touchline to the delight of the Eden Park fans. 6
10. Aaron Cruden Incredibly assured performance from the youngster. Ran with purpose and had the ball on a string with his kicking, including one composed drop goal. Opposite of Cooper.7
9. Piri Weepu Not his best game and he had an off night with the boot, missing some very kickable penalties. Pace caught up with him and he was replaced before the hour. 6
8. Kieran Read Running into some strong form after his injury lay-off. The man for the hard yards. 7
7. Richard McCaw Showed the world that he is still the boss, indisputably, even on one foot. One fantastic driving tackle on Genia highlighted his effort. 8
6. Jerome Kaino Used his immense strength to pick up and drive back Ioane when a try looked on the cards. 7
5. Sam Whitelock Busy rather than spectacular, although the lineout operated efficiently. Ali Williams made more of an impact from the bench with his powerful carries. 7
4. Brad Thorn Wallabies fans will find the image of a whooping Thorn after a dominant scrum hard to swallow, but he was a strongman all night. 7
3. Owen Franks Gave Kepu and Slipper real problems in the set pieces and smashed McCabe with one huge tackle that led to an All Blacks penalty. A hard nut from the old school. 8
2. Keven Mealamu His best performance of the tournament. Consistently made metres up the middle with his close-to-the-ground running style. 8
1. Tony Woodcock Part of the brutal forward effort that won the game. All Blacks won the scrum, the collisions and the breakdown. 7
RESERVES
Brainless no-arms tackle by Sonny Bill Williams on Cooper reduced his team to 14 men in the dying minutes and could have been costly at another stage. But Andy Ellis and Ali Williams made important contributions in the last half hour, as did Andrew Hore with his strength at the breakdown. 7