They looked like a group who had been caged up too long, a group who had spent too much time waiting for the test, writes Wynne Gray.

The rugby referee remains sacrosanct - protected from the players while on the field and held back from media scrutiny while off it - but they can still have bad games.

Few New Zealanders bear comparison with Sir Edmund Hillary for their place in their country's regard but Sir Wilson Whineray is one of them.