Don?t worry, the first test was just one of those games

The All Blacks should win the current Tri Nations series.
A brave statement, you might say, after the ABs deservedly lost to the Springboks at Cape Town over the weekend.
Well, it was actually that result which makes me confident the ABs will be holding aloft the trophy at the series' end.
Consider this. The ABs played well below par, yet were beaten by just six points by a Springboks side which has been lauded for its performance.
So doesn't it follow that if the ABs reach anywhere near the standards of which they are capable they will not only deal to the 'Boks big time but also a Wallabies side which will rue the absence of gun playmaker Stephen Larkham.
And which doesn't seem to have the firepower up front to match either of the other two teams anyway.
Why were the ABs so poor at Cape Town?
There has been some speculation that coming in fresh put them at a disadvantage but there is another side to that coin
Weren't the Boks even worse off preparation-wise as they were facing up to their third international in as many weeks and therefore had to be feeling the effects of the knocks and bruises suffered in the previous two?
There has been speculation too that the Boks out-smarted the ABs with their tactical approach
But from what was seen courtesy of television you could argue that about the only game plan adopted by the home team was to throw themselves into their defensive work as if their lives depended on it
Certainly there wasn't a lot of apparent structure in their back play and while the forwards were impressive with their rolling mauls you could hardly say they were dominant in any area, could you?
To me the ABs loss was simply a case of them having "one of those games".
Except for the last 20 minutes of the first half they seemed to be struggling to get out of first gear and it was ironic that the player so justifiably praised after his wonderful one-man act in the second test against the Lions, first-five Daniel Carter was probably their poorest performer on this occasion.
Just why the usually reliable Carter was so out of sorts with his option taking and tactical kicking is hard to say but you can wager with some confidence it won't happen again.
In fact, you still had to admire his fortitude at Cape Town for despite his struggles in general play he managed to keep banging the goals over, which in itself speaks volumes for his mental hardness.
Carter is one of three truly world class players in the ABs line-up and it was interesting that the other two, lock Chris Jack and lock Ritchie McCaw, were also somewhat off the pace in this particular game.
Jack remained good value in the lineouts but seemed almost lethargic in the broken play situations where he usually shines while McCaw noticeably lacked his normal intensity in his pursuit of the loose ball.
It is very much in the ABs favour for their remaining Tri Nations matches that you can guarantee now that Carter, Jack, McCaw and company will have a far greater influence in the remaining games.
Players of their ilk are entitled to an off day every now and again and that they should all choose to have theirs in Cape Town might not necessarily be a bad thing in the long run.
Indeed it could be just the opposite, couldn't it?