The All Blacks could be excused for their stuttering final quarter against England last weekend. However, in terms of fine-tuning, achieving match fitness and becoming battle-hardened for the fast-approaching rigours of the Tri-Nations, this would have been a profitable moment to gain the ascendancy and not to take their foot off the throttle.

Especially when they were bound for a scoreline of massacre proportions.

But in saying that, England can thank their lucky stars how that didn’t eventuate and the fact that the scoreboard was made to look a wee bit respectable, which can be credited largely towards their Martin ‘Chariots’ Offiah-like wing Topsy Ojo, who won’t be forgotten in a hurry, that’s for sure.

Ojo's made his try double look more ‘simplistic’ than ‘opportunistic’. The fact he was there at all and made the most of his chances will be forever etched in his memory bank, especially against a team like the All Blacks.

On the Test match performance meter, the New Zealanders once again dominated proceedings and can be satisfied with certain areas of their overall plan. But a chink of their armour continues to be exposed and if it’s not the achilles heel (and I ain’t talking about the lineout) then I’m not sure what is.

The kick-offs and re-starts are a blight in their game and unless they fix this vital aspect they can expect a torrid time from more heavyweight opposition such as the South Africans and Australians, who will take full advantage of this glaring weakness. Forwards coach Steve Hansen said during a post-game conference pre-World Cup that they will rectify this problem but as yet, I still haven’t seen even one per cent improvement.

The scrum hasn’t missed a beat despite the huge loss of the old guard working in tandem, namely Carl ‘Hercules’ Hayman and the injured Tony Woodcock. Make no mistake, Neemia Tialata and Greg Somerville are on the verge of similar dominance up front, providing they maintain their rock-solid impact that had first the Irish and now the English wincing in pain. So much for their Goliath of a prop. Andrew who ?

Likewise with the back-row, but Richie McCaw’s forever masterful act overshadows Rodney So’oialo’s and Jerome Kaino’s presence altogether even though the latter two still played exceptionally well.

Ali Williams keeps on keeping on, while Brad Thorn is a breath of fresh air who is improving out of sight. You gotta give it to the bloke. Not many players can boast what this guy’s done, representing two different countries dominating their respective sports. He should be a proud man indeed, with the distinction of having worn both the All Blacks rugby union and Kangaroo rugby league jerseys.

His powerful surge up the middle led to another break by Dan Carter, who in turn wasted the efforts when his pass was intercepted by the namesake of the topsy-turvy affair that unfolded in the latter stages of the game. And I’m pretty sure Mr Ojo was willing to shout a round of Kiwi favourite Topsy ice-blocks at fulltime for his deeds – just to rub it in.

Carter’s confidence is rapidly rising to the point when the 2005 British Lions came and went and never quite knew what had hit them. Brian O’Driscoll was there at the time, but he forgot to remind his boys during the recent one-off stoush; and then England veteran Mike Tindall didn’t bother to warn his troops last week, either. When will these Pommies ever learn?

Ma’a Nonu has found a new home at second-five and he should be grateful that Graham Henry persisted with this from the 2006 European tour. Henry if fortunate that he has finally unleashed this powerful son of a beast and allowed him to familiarise and accustom himself at Test level. Nonu was all class and in attack, he’s in a league of his own - I would love for him to demomnstrate that against the Springboks and Wallabies, the true foes he has yet to prove himself against.

Nonu's excellent break running onto the angle Carter had set him up was smooth and crisp and the soft-as-marshmallow defence England pretty boys Olly Barkley and Charlie Hodgson put up was nothing short of embarrassment. It almost looked like they would rather grab hold of each other for a quick waltz just to mask their fear; Nonu waltzed past them and set up a straightforward try for ever-in-support Mils Muliaina. Not surprisingly, the two ‘Dancing with the Stars’ candidates were promptly dropped by England for the second clash this weekend.

Anthony Tuitavake was menacing in defence and had limited opportunities to run the ball more due to his unselfish play. Sitiveni Sivivatu continues to score tries and you wonder if anyone remembers his cousin’s name these days.

Andrew Hore and Andy Ellis are enjoying their stints as starters and Keven Mealamu knows he’s got some work to do if he wants to be back in the first XV. Apparently he struggled with his throws, so that puts him about two rungs down now. Jimmy Cowan is tough but Ellis can do no wrong at the moment.

Sione Lauaki (along with Nonu), is currently one of my favourite players but he played like an amateur and is lucky indeed to get a reprieve this weekend. I sure hope he gets his act together otherwise it will be a long wait for a recall if he fails to deliver.

This weekend’s selection is still a very strong team. Richard Kahui’s long-awaited introduction at No.13 is well-deserved and I strongly believe he could be the answer to this still contentious spot if all goes well for him. Conrad Smith has always lacked size but I don’t doubt his smart plays (but who isn’t a smart player?).

Rudi Wulf gets an opportunity and he’s an exciting prospect. Kaino and Tuitavake are also excluded and Highlander Adam Thomson will start in his customary role at blindside.

All in all, a well-balanced outfit and unfortunately, England are in for another long night. I take the All Blacks to win by by 30 points.