Moody's one regret after standout performance

It was a match in which just about everything went right for the All Blacks and the recently arrived Joe Moody, but the loosehead prop, who was surprised to find himself on the field in the first half as an injury replacement, had cause for one regret.

And that was the decision by his parents to cancel their flights to the World Cup after he failed to make the initial squad of 31. As a late call-up for Tony Woodcock after the former Blues' player's hamstring tear, Moody only arrived in Wales six days before the quarter-final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

His whirlwind week was topped by his replacing Wyatt Crockett 28 minutes into this magnificent 62-13 victory, after his Crusaders' teammate suffered a groin injury which must put a question mark over his involvement in next Sunday's semifinal against the Springboks at Twickenham.

The good news for Moody and the All Blacks is that his performance showed he is more than capable of starting if Crockett is ruled out, but the bad news is his North Canterbury-based family weren't here to see what must be considered Moody's best performance in a black jersey.

"My family had booked tickets to come over but when I didn't make that initial squad they cancelled all their flights," he said. "There isn't anyone here at the moment but they're all watching back home.

"I haven't spoken to anyone yet but I've just checked my phone and I've got quite a few text messages."

This was the 28-year-old Moody's ninth test and, after watching replacement tighthead Charlie Faumuina lay on a try for Kieran Read with a run and a pass Sonny Bill Williams would have been proud of, he did exactly the same for Tawera Kerr-Barlow - the icing on the cake of a memorable effort which had him excelling all over the field.

"It was a highlight for me. Some of the boys have said it was straight out of the Sonny Bill playbook.

"Mate it was awesome because normally I don't get to touch the ball too much. I'm normally cleaning out rucks or have my head in the scrum or lifting in a lineout. A little bit of ball play, I was pretty happy with it."

Asked how he was feeling after his recent long-haul travel and a limited build-up in Wales, Moody said: "Coming into the game I was feeling top notch, but after it I'm feeling battered and bruised. I'm a bit buggered to be honest. It was a tough game out there. Despite the scoreboard, it was still a test match.

"It was a massive surprise for me to come on so early. I was sitting on the bench fairly relaxed because I wasn't expecting to come on until later in the game. When I got the call through saying Crocky was a bit lame and to get ready, it was a big surprise. I was nervous before I went out there but as soon as I did I was fine."

This was a funny old match - not only for the way the All Blacks completely dominated France in the second half to blow away the so-called ghosts of 2007, but also the lack of scrums. Crockett didn't compete in one scrum during his 28 minutes on the field - the first one occurring in the 33rd minute. There were only seven in total, with the All Blacks competing well after a few wobbles in pool play.

"It was definitely different because we'd prepared for a big [scrum] battle with the French today," Moody said.

"It was a bit of a one-off in terms of how few scrums there were. We'll definitely expect more next weekend."