Ironically, the 32-6 victory at Twickenhamwas probably – outside of their two Test losses this year – the weakest performance by the All Blacks this year. 

It was poignant that England were smashed to the canvas by a rampant Springbok team a week earlier, and also in the fact that for the first time in his coaching reign, Graham Henry had stuck to his elite starting 15 for the final match of the Grand Slam tilt.

This was not an all-conquering performance by New Zealand, who were clearly surprised at the ferocity and passion the Rose of England served to the world’s No.1 team on the hallowed turf. 

In some respects, the All Blacks looked tired. Despite senior players proudly refuting Henry’s claims that five consecutive Test matches was too much, stalwarts such as Ali Williams, Richie McCaw and Dan Carter – who uncharacteristically missed five goal attempts - looked tired. For once it may have been wiser had Henry implemented his famed rotation policy. 

This was a team playing its 15th Test match of the season, and it showed. But on that very point, the investment of constant game time has fast-tracked the development of players such as Mils Muliaina, Ma’a Nonu and Jimmy Cowan, all three of them arguably the best players on field with a mortgage on their positions. 

As wise as it may have been to rotate, the emergence of All Blacks outside the premier players of McCaw and Carter has had a significant impact on New Zealand’s ability to remain on top of world rugby.

This was their biggest win over England in their backyard – and marks the seventh consecutive victory over the menin white, the best sequence in their century-old enmity.

It was only the third Grand Slam achieved in 103 years of touring the United Kingdom. No doubt it is also the finest, as the impenetrable black wall that descended upon Europe was not breached once by international opposition. The combined might of the home unions scored not a single try between them.

Furthermore, Dylan Armitage’s second-half penalty for England was the only points conceded by the All Blacks in the back 40 minutes in all four Tests – five if you include the Bledisloe in Hong Kong.

This was a different England to the impotent force smashed by the world-champion Springboks the previous week. Clearly they took heart from their faithful drowning out the Haka with Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

They responded by tearing into the All Blacks, keeping in the faces of the Grand Slammers elect, which recent history has proved is the only way to disrupt the pattern of this outstanding operation.

But for all the ardour that England bought to the field, they lacked the class and finish to ever cause the All Blacks real problems. 

As against Australia, England showed a lack of technical polish and referee Alain Rowland punished them with real ferocity, sometimes unjustly – but there was no doubting the mechanical naivety of the English (a poor reflection on their coaching team).

While Martin Johnson would have been pleased his team are beginning to show the grit that was the trademark under his iron-fisted reign, their overall game plan and approach never adjusted when put under the pressure of both Rowland and the All Blacks.

England remarkably spent 33 minutes of the match down to 14 men,  though the All Blacks were never focused enough to cash in on their numerical advantages. But, as they have shown throughout this tour, they have learnt to grind down their opposition and if rugby is won over 80 minutes, it is the All Blacks’ ability to turn on the fire in the last quarter that has seen them conquer 2008.

Indeed, the performance against England showed that this is still very much an All Black team still in transition. There are aspects that they can improve upon; they are far from being a mirror of the Tana Umaga led 2005 outfit that effectively looked unstoppable.

However, while all vintages of All Black teams have occasionally shown this character, McCaw’s men have shown an ability to play the game as it comes, playing the rules and officials with far greater nous than their opposition.

The capability to adapt the game plan when required is a developing asset that if continuously honed, may soon end the only blemish on this proud team’s record - the absence of multiple World Cups. 

 For 60 minutes they tried to physically impose themselves on an abrasive England pack and found little yield, but in the last quarter began playing the edges of the ruck and changing the running channels that eventually led to the scoring of three excellent tries.

As coach Henry remarked at the end of the match, the All Blacks showed a huge amount of character and backbone, which has enabled them to collect every trophy available to them this year.