All Blacks: Joy as general gets tactics dead right

Graham Henry. Photo / Getty Images

Normally stoic, wary of even smiling, All Black coach Graham Henry erupted in spontaneous joy several times last night.

His hands shot up to the air when Conrad Smith scored and it was easy to understand - tactically, he'd struck gold.

Rugby is a game he again understands. It suits the All Blacks again; a game that rewards those who want the ball and who can do something more inspiring than hoist it to the heavens and hare after it.

The All Blacks have evolved. The Springboks haven't, or at least not noticeably, and one side looks to be full of ideas, the other seems a little lost.

The point when it became apparent the All Blacks are now the side to beat, came midway through the first half when Mils Muliaina ripped apart the Boks after taking Ricky Januarie's high kick.

It wasn't just that the All Blacks could catch and compete in the air, it was the fact they were able to mount effective and on occasion deadly counter-attacks.

Januarie's kick was turned into seven points and the All Blacks had turned the gun and inflicted serious wounds.

"I couldn't believe how far I got," said Muliaina. "It just opened for me and all I could see was black jerseys. I have to give the credit to Joe Rokocoko. I was going to pass but I got a great call from him to hold on to it and come back the other way."

The players were heroic - their execution, commitment and passion absorbing. It was their night. But all would acknowledge that the general had delivered the right plan.

Henry spent the Super 14 absorbed in statistics, scrutinising every game for trends, for information. That's why the All Blacks didn't kick the ball out. They never let the South Africans build their confidence through the lineout.

That's why Ma'a Nonu was at second five - there has to be a direct runner in the midfield to get the ball over the gain line for the quick recycle.

That's why the All Black loose trio hunted as a unit - always available to take the ball that extra yard. With that extra yard, the recycling was unbelievably quick - the backs loved it.

They were clever, too, in the first half when they threw their first lineout underarm to the front. "When you are playing the best defensive lineout side in the world, if you do what you normally do, you might run into trouble," said forwards coach Steve Hansen.

His contribution was acknowledged with a giant cuddle from Henry after the game. It was a man-love moment the once beleaguered Hansen deserved.

The foundation of this victory was the set piece and forward power and cohesion. "I thought our set piece was outstanding," said Henry. "The backbone of this performance was attitude and I thought the forwards dominated."

That's where the All Blacks got it so wrong last year - they didn't say boo at the scrum and lineout. It's all changed now. The Boks will spend this week soul searching. They will have to dig deep if they want a different outcome in Wellington.

Once their greatest weapon, kick and chase is now their greatest weakness.