Second-half responses that wither the opposition have now become the most prominent weapon in the All Blacks' tactical arsenal.

In their last three matches on tour New Zealand have prevented the opposition from breaching their line and are showing that no matter how good a half of rugby you throw at them, they only need a sublime 40 minutes to beat any team in the world.

Here were the All Blacks returning to Cardiff, a site of some horror for them. While they had never lost to Wales on the grand stage of the Millennium Stadium, it was here some 13 months ago that France beat them in the 2007 World Cup, a tournament New Zealand had been anointed to win.

But since then the All Blacks have only lost twice - in the dying minutes against South Africa at Dunedin and in Sydney to the Wallabies - their only comprehensive defeat in many years. But since then New Zealand have conquered all before them, the 29-9 victory over Wales taking their 2008 ledger to a 13-2 win-loss record.

To inspire his Welsh charges during the week, coach Warren Gatland did his upmost to convince his players of the All Blacks' vulnerabilities. Essentially, the Welsh and the world knew that this was a New Zealand team superior in all departments to their opposition – but if the Red Dragons got in the All Blacks' faces and stayed there, the painful memories of last year’s Cardiff terror could resurface.

At the beginning of the match, it appeared as if this would be the case, with the new Kapo O Hanga haka being performed to a Welsh side that stood fast in silent vigil at the conclusion of the traditional war dance. For minutes both teams stood unflinching – even ignoring referee Jonathan Kaplan’s firm calls to begin the match. An awesome sight!

In the first half it was very much the Grand Slamming dragons who roared their fury down the valleys as they tore into the black invaders. It would have made the Welsh legends proud.  Wales were brutal at the breakdown, and gave little compromise at the tackle. 

Even more than the Springboks and Wallabies had done, the Welsh put New Zealand under real pressure.

But if Gatland's men had played their best rugby of the year to shut out the world’s best team, then the All Blacks decided in the second half to truly exhibit what it is to take a game by the scruff of the neck.

It seemed at half time that 2008 would go down alongside 1953, 1935 or 1905 as a year the Welsh managed to beat the mythical All Blacks, courtesy of sublime performances by Stephen Jones and Martyn Williams. But while they have grown as one of the only world teams to effectively shut down New Zealand for 40 minutes,  the second half showed they still have far to evolve if they are to challenge the marker that the All Blacks lay down every year between World Cups.

In the second half, it was all New Zealand.  They completely dominated possession and territory, holding nearly an 80% advantage.  The All Black pack, matched for the first half, found another gear in the second led by the superb Richie McCaw, who must be wondering  why he has not been shortlisted to be the IRB’s World Player of the Year. 

This is a further travesty when considering that two Welsh players, Ryan Jones and Shane Williams, have been selected for the award. But while we can avoid the cliché of a game of two halves, we cannot shun the greatest truism of any sport; all details are irrelevant except for the scoreboard.

For the fourth straight game, the All Blacks kept their opposition scoreless in the second half, amassing a 23-0 scoreline in what coach Graham Henry regarded as the best half of rugby New Zealand have put together all year.

Welsh supremo Gatland had remarked that Wales had two goals - to bring the best out of New Zealand and of course, defeat them.  While the second of those targets will indeed be a while coming, there's no doubt that the former achievement was ticked.

For as good as the first half was from the Red Dragons, it ultimately fuelled the All Blacks to hit top gear for the first time on their European tour. This was their 13th win of the season - now only England stand between them and a third Grand Slam and a champagne 2008.