Matthew Cooper: A confidence booster for the matches ahead

Justin Marshall and Andrew Mehrtens trampled on the reputations of their much-vaunted opposites on Saturday night.

George Gregan and Stephen Larkham are often touted as the world's best in their positions, but they were left trailing in the wake of Marshall and Mehrtens in the wet at Jade Stadium.

I'd go as far as to say Gregan and Larkham were poor; substandard. They had little impact on the game and were second-best to the New Zealanders in their option-taking.

Marshall, in particular, seems to bear the brunt of much criticism, often about the speed of his passing. There will always be debate about that, but I thought he did a reasonable job in clearing the ball.

His marshalling of the defence and his preparedness to do a lot of the aggressive tackling himself was superb. He also burrowed the ball up like a fourth loose forward in difficult conditions, and took the right kicking options.

Mehrtens' kicking game was excellent. Overall, New Zealand's kicking was more accurate and, when necessary, longer than the Australians', and often gave chasing players a chance to make a play.

Australia's kicks were more like hit and hope. Larkham and Chris Latham, renowned for their kicking ability, weren't on song in this match.

New Zealand won the battle at the tackle ball area, where they were more constructive, with Richard McCaw shading George Smith.

This is not to put Smith down. It's just a case of giving McCaw the credit due to him. His work rate was a standout.

The All Blacks were also superior in their clean out. And the New Zealand loose forwards held sway over their opposites.

In the tackled ball area, which is so vital in the modern game, New Zealand often made the right split-second decisions, whereas Australia were getting it wrong.

Latham was the main player at fault for the Wallabies in that area, taking the ball into tackles too front-on, and going for the gap and becoming isolated.

The All Blacks have obviously spent a lot of time working hard in this area and it paid off.

The overall game plan was conservative and that was typified by Christian Cullen's display.

He is known for the flamboyant, but played a safe and dependable game very well.

Likewise, the midfield was not flashy, but stood firm in defence.

This is obviously in keeping with the way John Mitchell is planning the All Blacks' future.

As usual, there will be comments about the lineout, but the trend in world rugby now is that some possession is won against the throw.

The All Blacks did lose a few and will want to improve, but they also put plenty of pressure on the Australian lineout.

Overall, it was a very encouraging night in what is an important match in a two-year programme building up to the next World Cup.

The All Blacks have been left with many positives to reflect and build on, and the match will have done this team a world of good.