All Blacks - evolution of the fittest

Chris Masoe tackles Lee Byrne during the test against Wales at the Millennium Stadium yesterday in Cardiff, Wales. Ross Land / Getty Images

All Blacks 41 Wales 3

A century ago Wales hauled the All Blacks back, but yesterday they had no answer to the modern-day invaders.

They were devoid of any 1905 subterfuge and had no solution to the remorseless waves of All Black power as the latest group to wear the famous black jersey left the Millennium Stadium victorious. Victory contained a sinister message for Ireland, England and Scotland in the internationals to follow, a telling statement from the All Blacks as they began their quest for the Grand Slam.

Unless those nations can remodel their play to the latest levels of athleticism, power and aggression, they will go the same way as the Six Nations champions.

The margin and style of the win was ominous enough before All Black captain Tana Umaga warned that a number of his team had been mouldy after such a long layoff from rugby.

That blight showed early. Nine weeks after the finish of their Tri-Nations duty, the All Blacks took some time to deliver the first of their five tries to the caramel-smooth speedster Rico Gear.

In the previous 25 minutes, the All Blacks had controlled the test as they manipulated the lineout and scrum setpiece but found the Welsh defence difficult to pierce.

Byron Kelleher greedily spoiled his scorching break, while other errors and a lack of combination meant they had only two Daniel Carter penalties.

There had been one anxiety when Welsh captain Gareth Thomas burst past Umaga to set up a promising series of phases.

But if Thomas was able to sit in his underwear at a press conference last year at Cardiff and brood about the injustice of a solitary point defeat, he and his team were downtroued yesterday.

The All Blacks came to play, eventually the Welsh took another lesson.

The muscular aggression the All Blacks sought at the breakdown was so destructive they created double-digit turnovers. Chris Jack filched a handful of his opponents' lineout throws while new prop Neemia Tialata sacked his rival in the scrums.

Everything the All Blacks did was half a metre faster, half a kilo more powerful, half a decision ahead of their foes.

Wales could not get over the advantage line. Their backline was often left too deep as they rearranged themselves, and they were swamped by an unyielding offensive defence.

In this year's Six Nations championship, Wales produced a heady blend of attacking poise linked to forward solidarity gleaned from the All Black template.

It was good enough to give Wales the championship, the Grand Slam and put them on a seven-match winning streak, but yesterday they discovered how rapidly the game evolves.

Too few of them gained credence from Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward while the All Black squad worked even harder on amping up their power, finesse and continuity.

When the old foes resumed their jousting yesterday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of tests between the famous rugby rivals, the difference in quality was marked.

The All Blacks were able to play at a much higher tempo all game while they are blessed with a number of players who would easily sit in a current World XV and some who would make an All Black Great XV.

One, Richie McCaw, sat on the bench for most of the test. But another, Carter, showed the sort of five-eighths magic that has been far more the preserve of Wales than New Zealand.

For someone who has played only a couple of games in the three months since he fractured his leg against the Wallabies, his return to the international stage was extraordinary.

Carter was assisted by the quick delivery from his pack and an array of decoys and support players. But he was the rugby impresario - and how he ran the show.

He erased Fergie McCormick's 24-point record haul against Wales in 1969 with two graceful tries and his flawless goalkicking to set a new mark of 26 points.

But there was so much more. There was the timing of Carter's passes, his shimmy and speed to take the outside gap, his defence and his concentration.

He has remarkable balance, the precious instincts to make the right calls. When necessary, he propped and pounded the line with his marvellous punting.

In their day, Grant Fox and Andrew Mehrtens were top drawer, but in his limited life as an international first five-eighths, Carter already has claims to sit on top of the sideboard.

His first serious tilt at the job was against Wales on the end-of-year trip last year, after an opening romp against Italy.

There were flaws, but the All Black panel was looking for something else from a backline director as Mehrtens' and Spencer's talents faded. The selectors chose to move Carter in from midfield.

There was a touch of the gamble about it, but it was a choice made with an eye to the 2007 World Cup. Further dividends came in the series whitewash against the Lions and another yield yesterday.

Other returns were the ability to give all seven reserves a run, including a debut for Angus Macdonald, son of the locking All Black father Hamish.

The hard part will be explaining to those who played so well yesterday that they will miss the cut for this weekend's next test against Ireland at Lansdowne Rd.