Gregor Paul: Grand Slam thank you ma'am

John Afoa of the All blacks runs through the Wales defence to score the last try. Photo / Getty Images

Herald on Sunday rugby writer Gregor Paul is providing post-match analysis after every All Blacks' match during their Grand Slam tour.

It was Grand Slam thank you ma'am, but not so much of the wham bam from the All Blacks.

Not until the last five minutes anyway when they capitalised on heaving Welsh lungs to fire the scoreboard out to a place that was ultimately a mis-reading of the nature of the contest.

It took an enormous shift from Jerome Kaino to keep the All Blacks' dream alive and it was only when Anthony Boric pounded through a huge gap on 73 minutes to set Isaia Toeava free in the corner that the All Blacks could start to feel they were safe.

This was proper test football and the All Blacks had to work much harder than the score might suggest. There were periods where they were loose, unable to get their hands on the ball and scrambling to stop the Welsh. There were other periods where the All Blacks were magnificent - so accurate, so clinical, so fast that Wales didn't know what had hit them. That was the difference really - the All Blacks made everything pay - they converted their opportunities. And how they needed to.

If the Welsh are a team in disarray, at war with their coach, then they hid it superbly well. Like Ireland the week before, they had passion, enterprise and width.

Unlike Ireland the week before, they didn't find a second wind - their first lasting for long enough to kindle hopes 57 years of misery could end.

But like so many Welsh teams before them, they just couldn't keep the pressure on. Just couldn't make their presence felt in the critical junctures.

And they had the All Blacks under plenty of pressure. Looking tired and sloppy, the All Blacks were reduced to 14 men when Daniel braid - on for Kieran Read whose knee gave-way towards the end of the first half - was yellow carded for not releasing the tackler. Stephen Jones knocked the penalty over it was 13-12 - a nation believed. But the thing about this All Black team is they also believe.

They believe they can scrape out of any hole. They knew that in the end, their skill, their fitness and their composure on the ball will see them through. They were right.

Even with 14 men they were able to capitalise on Lee Byrne missing touch from a penalty. The All Blacks attacked right, hammered over the half way line and then came back left, using the timing of the pass to make the space.

Gear dived in sparking memories of his brother's hat-trick at this ground in 2005. The All Blacks needed that score because Wales weren't finished. Jones kicked two more penalties and it was edgy. It was only going to take one mistake for the Welsh to get in front and who knows what might have happened then.

That the All Blacks stayed firm, stayed confident and secure will have been of great comfort. Who can forget that it was on this very ground, three years ago, that they turned into ghosts when the French refused to give up.

All Blacks Grand Slam
All Blacks 37 - Wales 25
All Blacks 38 - Ireland 18
All Blacks 49 - Scotland 3
All Blacks 26 - England 16

- Herald on Sunday