Arguably the most dramatic match statistic in Brisbane on Saturday was that on this rare occasion, New Zealand were not dominant – effectively being outplayed by Australia for the majority of the contest. But the All Blacks stared down the challenge and unleashed a 21-point burst midway into the second half to defeat their old foes 28-24.

Most pleasing for All Black supporters was the unveiling of an attribute many have thought to be lacking in the New Zealand game – mental fortitude. To avoid an overused cliché, rugby is won and lost by the space between the ears!

It has been this lack of mental character that has cost the All Blacks in the last three World Cup tournaments. But while the Springboks have the privilege of calling themselves world champions for four years for displaying the necessary “grey matter”, the men in black have now atoned for the disappointment of Cardiff and the World Cup.

For the fourth consecutive time, the All Blacks have earned the right to call themselves Tri-Nations champions – the most difficult rugby tournament in the world played between the three strongest nations on the planet. More astonishing is the fact that they have now won this championship nine times in the 13 years that the Tri-Nations has been in place.

With their 28-24 victory over their trans-Tasman neighbours, they also clinched the Bledisloe Cup for the sixth year in a row. Officially the Bledisloe Cup has since 1932 been contested 49 times - the All Blacks holding an incredible 37 titles over a team who are the New Zealanders' modern-day nemesis.

The All Blacks' dramatic return to form in the Tri-Nations has also seen them cement their place at the summit of the IRB’s world rankings – and is another cap to what has been a golden year for New Zealand rugby with the winning of the Sevens championship, the Super 14 and now the Tri-Nations and the Bledisloe Cup.

With a Grand Slam tour taking place at the end of the year, completion of the elusive Northern sweep would cap a remarkable turnaround for a team and rugby nation which were in crisis less than a year ago.

This is all the more impressive when considering New Zealand rugby's loss of playing personnel – first-choice All Blacks Carl Hayman, Anton Oliver, Chris Jack, Jerry Collins, Byron Kelleher, Nick Evans, Aaron Mauger, Luke McAlister and Doug Howlett. These and many others represented over 500 international Test caps for New Zealand rugby, signalling that 2008 would be a year of rebuilding for the All Black team. 

But as new faces have been ushered into the famous black jersey, it has been the emergence of the senior players that has carried the team. Mils Muliaina, Rodney So’oialo, Tony Woodcock and Ali Williams have all had a stellar year and are certainties to be the best players in their position in world rugby.

However, two men are in a different class to any other - untouchable not only as the finest players in their positions currently, but arguably of all time. Dan Carter and Richie McCaw are a tandem combination of brilliance which few teams in history have ever wielded.  

It is no surprise that the NZRU bent backwards to accommodate a sabbatical for Carter – and if McCaw was to wish the same, New Zealand will (or should) shift the heavens and the earth to accommodate him. 

But for all the praise owing to Carter, it is the All Black captain who cannot be described in a few words. McCaw has clearly grown from the heartache of 2007, and if both players are fit, it will be a formidable All Black team hosting its tilt at World Cup glory.

Credit must also go to the holy trinity of Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen. It does now seem apparent that the NZRU was not remiss in reappointing these men, but it has been the increased accountability of the coaching team that has impressed.

They clearly learned from their early Tri-Nations defeats, and mistakes have quickly been corrected – such as the So’oialo and Jerome Kaino positional switching. The victory in Brisbane was the 50th win (86% winning record) since Henry took the reins. Since 2004 they have tasted defeat just eight times, and only once have lost to Northern Hemisphere opposition.

A final Bledisloe Cup match is to be played before they embark to the home unions for an opportunity to win a Grand Slam. But this is some way off – and it is still time to savour a fantastic Tri-Nations triumph.

              Final Tri-Nations table
 
P
 W
 D
 L
   F
   A
 B
 Pts
1.
 New Zealand
 6
 4
 0
 2
 152
 106
 3
 19
2.
 Australia
 6
 3
 0
 3
 119
 143
 2
 14
3.
 South Africa
 6
 2
 0
 4
 115
 117
 2
 10