When All Blacks captain Richie McCaw hoisted the Hillary Shield aloft, the 2009 IRB Player of the Year medal should have been draped around his neck at the same time.

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Unlike Wallabies playmaker Matt Giteau, who made a mockery of his nomination with a poor and sub-standard presentation during Australia’s shock loss to Scotland at Murrayfield.

But it was yet another virtuoso performance from the inspirational New Zealand skipper that led to another comprehensive win over their most bitter rivals from north of the Equator.

The guy is pure class and there are just not enough descriptive words in either the Oxford or Webster’s dictionaries to confirm such superhuman status. It is above and beyond the level of a Test rugby union player.

McCaw is simply an absolutely phenomenal athlete. Had he not played at Twickenham, England’s chances would have been as straightforward as Robin Hood’s brave feats in Sherwood Forest - a likely victory for the huge underdogs.

England should otherwise be applauded for an improved display compared to their previous match against Argentina.

It was inevitable that they would be aiming for a reprieve considering the pressure from their own ranks, most notably the press, and especially towards their maligned but highly respected coach/manager Martin Johnson.

Then again, any nation would rise to the challenge when confronted by the best of the best.

With the All Blacks regaining their IRB No.1 ranking, they are arguably the best team in the world right now.

By the same token, South Africa have struggled on their European excursion and they know they have a battle on their hands, as New Zealand will be all the hungrier to maintain their dominance again.

Modern greats Dan Carter and Jonny Wilkinson were the major draw cards, although the admirable Twickenham stadium is usually packed to the rafters when the All Blacks are in town anyway.

But it was the magnificent McCaw who virtually stole the show, followed closely by his second-in-command Mils Muliaina and the dangerous Sitiveni Sivivatu.

The flying Fijian winger had one of his best games in the black jersey and once again it was his dynamic running and sharp stepping that created the only try of the match.

McCaw was on hand, as always, to supply the final pass to halfback Jimmy Cowan, who scored untouched in the corner.

Hard-man Brad Thorn also had a barnstorming game and the way he carries himself and leads the younger players is a tribute to his professionalism and experience .

Thorn is the unsung hero of the pack but relishes the notion of avoiding the attention, unlike his start-studded team-mates. He and Ali Williams are still the All Blacks' best lock combination as the other contenders have not really stepped up to the plate, let alone consolidated a regular spot.

Isaac Ross was thereabouts ... strangely, though, the musical chairs continue.

For the home team, I have to agree with Graham Henry in hardly recognising the line-up, but it was the familiar names who stood up to be counted.

Wilkinson, Lewis Moody, Simon Shaw and Steve Thompson tried as hard as they could and were well supported by genuine rising stars in Tom Croft and Shane Geraghty.

With both forward packs almost even at the set-pieces, McCaw stood alone at the breakdown - but then he also demonstrated his outstanding repertoire by producing a powerful running game.

He literally made more metres  than a nomad could cover every time he touched the ball and it certainly caught the English by surprise.

England won a rare tight head and could've had another but for the All Blacks illegally wheeling the scrum, which conceded the luxury of a much-needed penalty to the hosts.

When the All Blacks signalled their intentions to attack, it was often let down by some wayward passes, over-eagerness and uncharacteristic errors.

Along with some ill-disciplined and unnecessarily silly indiscretions, they will need to eradicate what is fast  becoming an unusual and ugly chink in their armour. Because the French will be only too happy to clean it up for them when they clash this weekend.

The All Blacks were hell bent on improving their game from the moment they arrived in Tokyo for the final Bledisloe clash.

Given the hyperactive kicking fiesta that rugby has endured of late, a conservative game-plan is undoubtedly still being carefully laid out.

Effectively, in an ideal world you either run the ball at your own peril or kick it to the dogs and hope for the best.

Fortunately (and thankfully from a public perception), the All Blacks  put on more of an expansive and running game. And for once, the kicking was kept minimal and as an utter necessity.

This strategy worked wonders and definitely played a big part in the impressive win.

There is a feast of Test rugby going on at the moment and it would do no harm for the other teams to take a leaf out of this particular match - and focus purely on playing an entertaining game, knowing when and when not to kick.

In spite of a dearth of tries, the elegance of constant passing and running rugby at full tilt is well worth the ticket.

A couple of milestones were also achieved in this game. Superboot Carter overtook the all-time All Blacks points scoring record of another sharpshooter, Andrew Mehrtens, while veteran custodian Muliaina became the second most-capped Test player in New Zealand history alongside Justin Marshall.

Injuries and form aside, both Carter and Muliaina could well achieve the pinnacle of their wonderful careers if they continue their march towards 2011.

The brilliant pivot stands at 980 points, sitting fourth behind Wilkinson (currently on 1125pts), former Welsh goalkicker Neil Jenkins (1090) and retired Italian/Argentine international star Diego Dominguez (1010).

Whereas the dazzling Muliaina (currently on 81 Tests) should account for 12 more Test matches to overtake former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick’s 92, and perhaps even pursue an amazingly first for a New Zealander, hitting the century-making jackpot.

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