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Debutant Topsy Ojo's pair of opportunistic tries was trumpeted as a rare positive as England's rugby press lamented an almost ritualistic test defeat against the All Blacks at Eden Park here last night.
Often strident critics of the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby in general, visiting correspondents could not help but praise the home side's comfortable 37-20 win in the first of two tests, and feared for what lay in store for England in Christchurch next Saturday.
"The priceless ability of any combination of New Zealanders handed the famous black jersey to play with pace, wit, efficiency and passion suggests that even if they lost 100 of their top players (and it may happen), they would still put out a wonderfully competitive team," Stephen Jones wrote in The Times newspaper.
"England were disappointing: they were beaten by more than the scoreline suggests and conceded horrible, reckless easy points.
"There are crumbs of comfort because there will be as many as 11 different faces in the team come the true start of the (coach, Martin) Johnson era in the autumn.
"Meanwhile, the New Zealand squad at Twickenham in November will be largely that which trooped happily from Eden Park last night, surely on its way to a thumping 2-0 series win.
"And on the subject of crumbs, Topsy Ojo swept up his quite beautifully.
"Near halftime he intercepted a scoring pass from Dan Carter only yards from his own line and ran 90 lithe and lightning metres to score .... in the final quarter, again at pace, he ran on to a chip from Danny Care for another try.
"In between, however, England's attacking edges were non-existent; the back row worked magnificently at the breakdown but could not make enough yards in attack and Charlie Hodgson and the England midfield struggled badly.
"Another summer tour threatens to slip by without England contending seriously for victory, and another All Blacks team could be surfacing from wreckage and gloom," Jones concluded.
Writing in The Guardian, former Wales captain Eddie Butler said "had it not been for Ojo's brace out of very little we might have been marking a new entry in the record book, because there was a huge gulf between the sides".
The performance of Andrew Sheridan, England's supposed front row colossus, summed up their experience.
"Sheridan, for preventing release at a ruck, was sinbinned just after the half hour, just after the All Blacks had recovered from their sticky start and begun to purr.
"He returned, only to go off again, this time for good with blood smeared all over his cheeks. Determined but doomed, he was the emblem of the night."
The Telegraph's rugby writer Mick Cleary took solace in the fact England prevented a rout in the second half.
"They can take some credit for a robust first quarter, and for denying the All Blacks a fifth try during a shambolic last half hour for both teams, but that was about it.
"To win test matches in this part of the world, you need more substance and England did not have it and do not look like finding it soon.
"When New Zealand had the ball they tried things. Yet when England were in possession there was nothing. No pace, no intelligence, no ideas.
"England hope to announce a new backs coach on their return home. The bloke better be good because he has an awful lot of work to do."
- NZPA
