All Blacks: The great escape - seniors show way

Captain Richie McCaw gave several curt orders. Photo / Getty Images

The giant Sydney scoreboard glowed 22-9 to the Wallabies with just 13 minutes to run.

But as the Wallabies and the bulk of the 70,288 crowd dared to consider breaking their losing streak against the All Blacks, captain Richie McCaw gave several curt orders.

It was all about keeping an ice-cold brain in the red-hot atmosphere.

McCaw scored, fortuitously, from the subsequent scrum move, Kieran Read soon after and with Piri Weepu's flawless kicking, the side squeaked home 23-22. Job done, as the Wallabies left the ground in despair and disbelief.

Learning from last year's troubles, said McCaw, had given the All Blacks the knowledge to improve and win this season.

"The senior player group learned a hell of a lot from that, things we did not do so well," he said. "When you get in situations like that out there, you have got to be composed and believe in what you are doing."

It had been a rough night for the All Blacks. Their new combinations misfired, rookie Aaron Cruden could not find the right tempo and direction while Victor Vito's defensive slip conceded a try. But then the All Blacks' power of mind and self-belief took over.

Saturday's 10th straight win over the Wallabies brought a comeback to match the one in Soweto last month.

"We were behind on the scoreboard, but if you start worrying about the score you're not going to do what you plan anyway," McCaw said. "When it came down to getting things right, the guys you expect to do that were the ones that did."

The senior players showed the way and the others soaked it all up.

The All Black understudies missed some tricks in the game, but coach Graham Henry has taken the view they need to be introduced in case, come World Cup next year, they are needed to front again because of injury.

If the All Blacks can maintain their surge they may break the world record 17-test winning run, but they will have to do it with a blend of seasoned and promising talent. The selectors have to find out this year, not next, about some more World Cup contenders.

With few injuries, Henry and Co have had the luxury of playing their favoured XV throughout the Tri-Nations. But with that trophy won, they had to offer some alternative choices some test experience.

In the current squad, Cruden was a natural fit for the injured Daniel Carter in Sydney while Colin Slade did not look out of place in the final quarter.

With Mike Delany returning to fitness with Bay of Plenty, finding the end-of-year tour backup for Carter may send the All Black panel to the selection bunker for many hours yet.

The other headaches will be in sifting the backline talent, deciding whom to leave at home and which of the senior men coming out of the casualty ward, such as Andrew Hore, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Isaia Toeava, should go to Hong Kong and Britain.

That selection congestion will increase if Sonny Bill Williams continues to stay fit and make progress.

Some key questions remain, given the errors in Sydney: Do they worry that Kurtley Beale could skin Conrad Smith twice on the outside? Does Anthony Boric fit the fourth lock role? Can John Afoa be a backup hooker and will Keven Mealamu recover from his calf injury?