An All Blacks fan is a spoiled thing. It lives in a saturated rugby culture, where no bigger event can come to a city than an international rugby Test. Despite claims from other nations, All Blacks supporters are lucky enough to have their team win more often than any other.

But a loss, no matter what the circumstances and player absences, or the strength or credentials of their opposition? Quite simply, a loss is a crisis.

When New Zealand crashed out of the 2007 World Cup – despite the furore of another failed campaign, the nation bandied around their team with a realistic reflection that despite the loss, their All Blacks had all but been world champions from late 2004.

This Test year has so far, realistically been a success for the All Black team. They lost more players than any other nation in modern history. They accounted for a very good Irish team, and then disposed in consecutive weeks of World Cup runners-up England. They then banished many of their nightmares from France by impressively handing new world champions South Africa the first defeat of their reign. And while the loss to the Springboks in the House of Pain was hard to fathom, the men in black were not disgraced.

But in Sydney, it all came crashing down. The 15-point loss to the Wallabies was the third biggest margin of defeat ever suffered by the All Blacks. And while rugby teams clad in the fearsome black do indeed lose occasionally, never had they been so comprehensively outplayed.

Many had predicted – this sports writer included - that we were on the cusp of witnessing the fall of an empire, where for the first time, New Zealand would have been relegated to the third-ranked nation of the world.

Beyond anything else, it was the lack of wisdom exhibited by the unholy trinity of New Zealand rugby – their coaches led by Graham Henry – that appeared to be causing the woes for the All Blacks. So the appropriate kudos must be given to a triumvirate that had before Saturday recorded 46 Test wins – more than any other coaching staff in history.

But it's the mistakes that had had many incredulous. Rotation, lack of game plans and playing men out of position ranked as the key errors of the All Black management team. As the fallout from Sydney continued, another New Zealand team was named with a first-choice centre – Richard Kahui – on the wing!

However, while punters and purists were predicting the ushering of a new golden era for Australia,  few noticed that beyond that curious selection of Kahui, this was genuinely the strongest team the All Blacks had fielded for some years. Chief amongst this was the restoration of Rodney So’oialo and Jerome Kaino to their natural positions. There was also the selection of a specialist, combination-orientated outside centre (something recent All Black teams have avoided) in Conrad Smith. The elevation of an aggressive typically “ninth forward” halfback in Jimmy Cowan.

For the first time in the Henry era, every member of the starting pack was undoubtedly the form player for his position in the country - with fit-again captain Richie McCaw the finest blindside flanker on the planet and the single greatest winning All Black in history (he individually holds a 89% winning record in Tests).

As the Test coverage commenced, former Wallaby Phil Kearns remarked that he was unnerved by the intensity of the All Blacks warm-up drills. This was then followed by a ferocious rendition of “Kapo O Hanga”, the modern New Zealand haka, unseen in nearly 12 months.

The game opened with traded penalties between Daniel Carter and Matt Giteau – but aside from a well-worked set-piece try, that was effectively the end of the contest.

The All Blacks looked a different beast, aggressive, tactically brilliant and bereft of weakness. The loose forwards, invigorated by McCaw, completed outplayed Australia in the tackle area. The All Black kicking, so inept in Sydney, was commanding in Auckland, with Carter having the ball on a string. The midfield, exposed in Australia, looked purposeful and direct – with Ma’a Nonu being a far more imposing player with Smith outside him.  

Some reporters have remarked that Nonu is a one-trick pony. But when he continually performs that one trick, he is all but unstoppable.

But it was the might of the New Zealand pack in the Garden of Eden that will shake up the rugby world. This is a rugby nation in rebuilding, and to commit the level of performance that was seen in all aspects of the set piece was startling. The ruck and the scrum played to their normal elite standards. But it was the dismantling of the Wallaby lineout – arguably their strongest weapon – that was most impressive. Not one All Black throw was lost, whereas the Wallabies lost nearly 50% of their own line. From the first Australian lineout, two black interceptors launched their attack.

This game proved a simple horrifying fact – for both New Zealand support and passionate haters of the All Black team – that confidence is the most awesome weapon of a rugby team. It is lack of self-assurance that defines the All Blacks' poor record at World Cups. But a wounded New Zealand team, with poise and control, is a truly fearsome beast.  

No team in world rugby would have beaten New Zealand in the mood that they were in at Eden Park – the 39-10 result was the fourth-biggest defeat ever inflicted on the Australians.

It sets up a mouth-watering second half of the Tri Nations, with the world champions awaiting in the daunting coliseums. But even the confident Springboks will be under no illusions as to the challenges arriving on their shores in the next weeks.

Remaining fixtures: Aug 17 - South Africa v New Zealand (Cape Town); Aug 24 - South Africa v Australia(Durban); Aug 31 - South Africa v Australia (Johannesburg); Sept 13 - Australia v New Zealand (Brisbane).