LYNN MCCONNELL     25 JUL 2015     GETTY IMAGES

'A variation on an old song', was coach Steve Hansen's description of the lineout move that produced a match-winning try for captain Richie McCaw in the 27-20 Investec Rugby Championship win over South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The try, scored with seven minutes of the game remaining, had seen the All Blacks open up a gap in the middle of their lineout through which McCaw poured to score.

"We practised it all week…and it was good enough to get the job done," Hansen told SKYSport.

He had been proud of the 'ticker' the players showed, but he wasn't happy with parts of the game but mental fortitude in the second half got the side over the line.

South Africa were the No.2 team in the world, a good team, and for long periods of the game they dominated New Zealand, Hansen said.

The last few games between the sides had been massive and if they were both good enough to get past the quarter-finals they could meet in a World Cup semi-final which would be another big game, he said.

"Our blokes showed a lot of fortitude. At halftime at 10-10 we didn't deserve to be in the game. Frankly we played poorly, we got dominated but they came out in the second half and really showed a lot of character and started to put things together and scored some nice tries.

"That's what you get when you believe in yourself I guess," he said.

Hansen said the side were still a little rusty. Some new material had been introduced to the game plan but that wasn't quite right and was reflected in the first-half turnovers.

"We were worrying about the second job rather than the first. We'll tidy that up and improve a lot," he said.

Lima Sopoaga had rewarded the faith of the selectors, he had kicked goals when he needed to.

"He'll grow arms and legs out of the performance and we're in a tough situation – we've got four very good five-eighths and another one injured so we'll have to make some tough decisions," he said.

Captain Richie McCaw said he called rank when the winning lineout move was discussed earlier in the week.

But the side had struggled during the first half when beaten to the punch in the contact area. However, they worked their way back into the game and after some vital moments on defence they had survived and then secured points when they escaped South Africa's hold.

"We hadn't been down their end for a long time and you just have to feel what is happening during the game. We defended for a while then we got back down the other end and you put them under pressure that can be the turning so that was what happened," he said.

"What a wonderful place to play against the old foe in South Africa, that's the way Test footie is meant to be so [I'm] just pleased to have a good memory from today," he said.

McCaw was impressed with debutant Lima Sopoaga. He kept his cool under pressure, especially during the first half, and he looked like he had been playing for a while, he said.

Sopoaga said it had been unbelievable to run out onto such a great stadium amid a sea of green [supporters] and all there was in support was his team-mates.

"It was just so awesome and I can't be happier right now and yeah, pretty stoked for the lads," he said.

While he had been naturally nervous ahead of the game, he was also excited by the opportunity and all he had done was his job, and he had the support of the side all through the week ahead of the game.

"It's a tough place to come, but when you win you always remember these moments for the rest of your life," he said.

"We knew it was going to take an 80-minute performance and slowly we just had to break them down and break them down and eventually we got the win."

New Zealand All Blacks' depth envied the world over

Imposing: New Zealand's All Blacks perform the haka to Argentina before their Rugby Championship match at AMI Stadium in Christchurch. Photo: Reuters

I was asked recently whether back-to-back World Cup wins could be on the cards for the All Blacks. The follow-up question was a cracker. They have an ageing team, do you think they will have the legs through to the end of October?

My response drew immediate laughter, because  if you ever underestimate a champion team it will bite you where the sun don't shine. 

To answer the first question, yes, but then you throw in the variables. 

A back-to-back result has never been achieved. Then there are the anomalies on the way –  shock losses, pivotal injuries, even stage fright – that can all see dreams fade away.

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To answer the second question: old legs? Maybe, but what they do have  is an abundance of talent. 

Just look at the Test against the Pumas; a trio of Smiths didn't take the field on Friday night nor did Julian Savea. 

Now, I have to ask are any other teams going around in world rugby that strategically omit star players and still put an impressive outfit on the park. The answer to that is no. 

That coach would feel the wrath of the public and inevitably be making his own noose. 

Mind you, there are four players with more than 100 Test caps and one in the 90s. Now there is some direction. 

Yet the personnel that you bring in sometimes not only has parity with those before mentioned players but could well be perceived as a stronger combination, and sometimes a different skill set. Ma'a Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams in the centres scare off just about any opposition, but I'm sure Conrad Smith sits comfortably on the sideline watching these guys run around. 

I think the incredible legacy this team has is that no player is bigger than the jumper, so that when the coach rotates positions, it is taken with a grain of salt. There seems to be a bigger picture of what will benefit the group.

It shows that these players are by no means expendable but more so invaluable to the team because of their belief in the system and within themselves. 

That is a luxury that the Wallabies don't have right now and  so too just about every other team in world rugby. Everyone is striving to find their best XV. 

So what do you take out of the AllBlacks victory on Friday night. 

Patience would have to be the first point. The score was 11-6 just before half-time and I bet Argentina would have thought if they can just get into the sheds five points down that would be great. But a Nonu try dashed those hopes. 

Then there is the old call of points before half-time and just after and why they are so crucial. 

The 42nd minute saw Charles Piutau dot down and six minutes later veteran Keiran Read crosses the strip ... game over for the Pumas.  With that patience comes experience. 

As I said, there were four centurions in this side and every bit of their nous gets drawn on at crucial moments.

 Yet it's about getting opportunities for those who are racking up the numbers, remembering that here is a team littered with World Cup  winners. 

So in theory the opening game of the Rugby Championship  was in fact just a tough hitout rather than the edge-of-your-seat thriller. 

The All Blacks, however, were pushed at times especially in the scrum, but we knew that. Argentina crossed the line twice, so it does show that their defence is penetrable.  You just have to find the way to get there as there are no easy options. 

The second point is their  ability to increase the tempo of the game. It has long been a trait of the men in black.  I experienced it, as did teams before me and this current crop will cop the same pressure. Sometimes there is no way of stopping the beast.

What the game did show with the omission of Aaron Smith and  Savea is their importance to the team. Smith is the power button. He ignites the attack and drives the forwards. 

His passing speed gets the momentum going. He is the key to this team. If you have any chance of shutting down the All Blacks, limiting the impact of his game is paramount. Easier said than done.

The other is Savea. His running ability is setting new standards inrugby. 

His carries are so effective, dominating the contact area and he has an innate ability to get across the chalk. Combine this with Aaron Smith and there are strong influences close to the ruck and on the width. He is formidable in every way.

New Zealand All Blacks cruise to victory over Argentina Pumas

New Zealand 39 Argentina 18

All Blacks record 37th straight victory on home soil

The All Blacks have sent a message in the first round of the Rugby Championship with a comfortable 39-18 win over Argentina in Christchurch.

Given the circumstances, no one's jaw sagged when the All Blacks overwhelmed Argentina 39-18 in Christchurch on Friday night.

The All Blacks weren't perfect – they are sure to look over their defensive structures after Argentina captain and hooker Agustin Creevy scored two tries from lineout drives in the second half – but there would have been a high-level of satisfaction about the way they allowed Richie McCaw and Dan Carter to farewell AMI Stadium as winners.

Try time: Charles Piutau scores a try against Argentina in Christchurch. Photo: Reuter

The New Zealanders collected five tries, one to McCaw himself, and even replacement hooker Codie Taylor – having minutes earlier had a try disallowed – got into celebration mode by scoring a five-pointer on Test debut

But with all due respect to Taylor, or anyone else on the park, this wasn't about them. It was all about sending McCaw and Carter out on a top note.

No, it wasn't that but for long periods it was pretty close. A messy period mid-way through the second half resulted in the All Blacks losing their momentum, and that was when Creevy scored his tries, yet they regathered their thoughts and dominated the final 17 minutes to wrap up the result.

One of the major highlights was the way rookie wing Waisake Naholo, before he limped off in the second half, proved he could look so comfortable at this level; he went close to scoring a try, took the high ball well and ran with supreme confidence.

Fullback Israel Dagg, especially in the first spell, showed glimpses of his raw talent too – a warning he shouldn't be wiped out from World Cup contention.

The scrum was OK but All Blacks forwards boss Mike Cron will seek improvements before his pack meet the Springboks in Johannesburg next weekend.

A script writer penning a storyline about McCaw's final outing in the Garden City would have wanted to avoid making it too corny, but the man himself was determined to make that task as difficult as possible.

The iconic flanker burst over in the first half when a sweetly timed lineout move off a Jerome Kaino delivery empowered him to charge over – with some assistance by Kieran Read – for his 27th Test try.

Not surprisingly the 17,500-strong crowd had no hesitation in jumping to their feet – and to hell with any spilled beers or split pies – to shout their approval.

The midfield combination of Sonny Bill Williams and Ma'a Nonu was reasonably slick in the first half, yet it was their individual touches that made them stand-out. The giant SBW was something of a slow-burner for the Chiefs this year, no doubt a byproduct of a back injury, but he sparked up in the Canterbury chill by galloping hard at the line and issuing those trademark one-handed offloads.

Nonu spilled an early ball, and maybe that was a reflection of the dew, before slowly ratcheting up his game to the point where he was unstoppable during a short burst to the line.

That summed-up the tourists' night. They huffed and puffed for the first 30 minutes, but being forced to defend for such lengthy periods eventually took a terrible toll as they simply looked like they were trying to play out the clock.

Flankers Juan Manuel Leguizamon and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe kept chipping away at the coal face, and hooker Creevy threw himself about but eventually they had few answers on attack.

All Blacks 39 (Richie McCaw, Ma'a Nonu, Charles Piutau, Kieran Read, Codie Taylor tries; Dan Carter 4 con, 2 pen) Argentina 18 (Agustin Creevy 2 tries; Nicolas Sanchez con, 2 pen). HT: 18-6.

First Take: The great escape

Wynne Gray

Wynne Gray is a Herald columnist

11:55 PM Sunday Oct 19, 2014

Dane Coles scores a try. Bledisloe Cup. Australian Wallabies v New Zealand All Blacks. Photo / Andrew Cornaga.

All Blacks 29
Australia 28

The All Blacks travelled early to Brisbane to give themselves every chance of being ready for last night's test.

They wanted to deal with the three hour time difference and get acclimatized to the humid conditions in that city which have numbed their performances in the last few visits.

The plan looked to be working in the first 10 minutes as the All Blacks pounded through an array of attacks and it seemed just a matter of time before the Wallaby resistance would crumble.

However they were up for this Breathless in Brisbane rumble and when they got some possession they had no thoughts of kicking for territory, they attacked across the park.

That ambition gave them the opening try to Nick Phipps and the last of the half to Bernard Foley as both players nipped over from short range when the All Black defences fell away. It was not the only time the tourists lost their shape on defence with too many individuals dropping off tackles.

Pressure also got them at the breakdown where referee Craig Joubert warned Richie McCaw that the next team foul would have someone in the bin.

Sandwiched between two try concessions, the All Blacks worked their moves to squeeze Cory Jane in at the corner and Dane Coles across on the other flank.

They had the Wallabies measure at the scrum and were making them work extra hard at the lineout but the Wallabies, who had been under immense pressure all week after successive defeats and team unity ructions, were in an irrepressible attacking mindset across the park.

Those attacks were giving the All Black defenders some serious problems and they were lagging 12-15 at the break. Not long after the Wallabies extended that margin through some marvellous teamwork.

James Slipper, Tevita Kurinfrani and Israel Folau broke tackles and made the metres to create a huge overlap on the blindside for Adam Ashley-Cooper to score in his 100th test.

The halftime hillock for the All Blacks was morphing into a mountain.

Would they be able to lift the pace and trample the Wallabies in the last 30 minutes or were the Wallabies the equal of their trans-Tasman rivals in this frenetic test of endurance and skills under pressure?

The All Blacks blinked under the pressure when replacement lock Patrick Tuipulotu took out his opposite in the air at a restart and went to the bin. Steve Hansen rolled the dice and brought Sam Cane on to help the energy levels.

They stayed in the scrap, Aaron Smith danced to a try from a quick tap, Malakai Fekitoa muscled across in the last minute with Colin Slade's conversion to decide the test. It was straight and true: a great escape once again.

- NZ Herald

Last minute win for All Blacks

Gregor Paul

Gregor Paul is the Herald on Sunday's rugby writer

11:55 PM Saturday Oct 18, 2014

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Cory Jane scores a try. Photo: Andrew Cornaga.

All Blacks 29
Wallabies 28

These All Blacks simply don't know when they are beaten. This was Dublin all over again. Maybe it was even braver because the opposition were better and had given them nothing all night.

They had to pull the rabbit out of the hat when it looked like they surely couldn't. And then, fourth-choice first-five, Colin Slade had to nail a tough conversation. What a kick.

What a game and the All Blacks can wake up this morning and be proud of their courage and commitment. They can look at themselves in the mirror and smile because they know they have once again dodged a bullet.

First Take: The great escape

They will know they inflicted the cruellest blow on a Wallaby team that was probably the better side over the piece. They will know they didn't play anywhere near well enough.

Their skill execution was again poor. They didn't dominate up front and were cleaned up at the tackled ball... and yet they won.

The uplift in skill execution they were after never materialised and, if they are honest, they will know they played with a level of predictability that failed to cause the Wallabies defence enough problems.

The All Blacks talk endlessly, and rightly, about trusting and encouraging their skills. The ambition is beyond fault but there is a balance to strike.

When they carved up the Wallabies at Eden Park, they didn't do it from running deep inside their own territory.

There was more patience and structure to their work. They took the time to blunt the Wallabies first - let them know they didn't have it physically, before then showing them they didn't have it aerobically either.

The modern parlance is to say the All Blacks earned the right to play their wide-wide game and somehow that notion of paying dues has gotten a little lost in the last two tests.

It was the same at Ellis Park, where the All Blacks' preferred exit strategy from kick receipts was to recycle off a forward hitting up and then shifting wide.

That composure and control has gone missing from their game. They have sacrificed accuracy for speed and paid the price. Their execution was largely poor in most facets.

Their biggest worry is the breakdown, where they were again dominated. They couldn't get that quick ball, couldn't wipe out the Wallabies and clean that space for Aaron Smith to whip the ball away.

Without that fast ball, they are not the same team and needed to adapt quicker than they did to play more to their strengths and less to the Wallabies'. It was only in the final 10 minutes that they worked a lineout drive - a tactic that was so effective for them the last time they met the Wallabies.

Still, they got there in the end and they got there against an Australian team that bore no resemblance to the shambles they appeared to be during the week.

It didn't take long to get the answer as to whether the week from hell had split or galvanised the Wallabies. Being under siege suited them rather well, as it happened, and stiffened their resolve to play with what once upon a time, in a more innocent age, would have been known as gay abandon.

The frenetic pace of the game was as much to do with their adventure as it was the All Blacks' and, for the first 60 minutes at least, they looked the more comfortable.

They had obviously watched the way the Springboks had managed to attack the All Blacks at the tackled ball and did pretty well either halting momentum, winning possession or earning a penalty.

They must wonder why they can't deliver that sort of aggression more often, why can't they play with such fervour and purpose every time.

Australia 28 (N. Phipps, B. Foley, A. Ashley-Cooper tries; B. Foley 2 cons, pen, White pen) New Zealand 29 (C. Jane, D. Coles, A. Smith, M. Fekitoa tries; B. Barrett pen, 2 cons; C. Slade con). Halftime: 15-12.

10 things the All Blacks need to do to win World Cup

Gregor Paul

Gregor Paul is the Herald on Sunday's rugby writer

12:45 PM Saturday Oct 18, 2014

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The coaching staff don't doubt he'll come right physically and be the player he's always been. Photo / Getty Images

The All Blacks have 10 tests before they head to England to defend the World Cup. Gregor Paul of the Herald on Sunday looks at what they need to achieve.

1 Get Carter

The options at first-five are building for the All Blacks. They have a world class operator in Aaron Cruden, an emerging force in Beauden Barrett and a handy enough emergency choice in Colin Slade. But the one they want most is a fully fit Daniel Carter and the clock is ticking on that front.

Carter is only a maybe to actually play on the tour and that's a concern - not for his individual form. The coaching staff don't doubt he'll come right physically and be the player he's always been.

But they want him to be back in the groove of running the All Black game plan. They need him to be familiar with the overall strategies and comfortable calling the shots.
If he can't play on the tour, he'll be down to five tests next year to familiarise himself and to a lesser extent, have his teammates get used to him.

2 Drive through

You don't need to be Nostradamus to see that on the softer grounds of England and with the pressure of knock-out rugby, the driving maul is going to be a big part of next year's World Cup.

The English, French and South Africans love a bit of mauling and would back themselves to score nine times out 10 from a short-range attacking lineout.

That's where the All Blacks need to get to. When they played Australia at Eden Park, they scored two identical tries from driving mauls. But that was against Australia. They need to become that effective against top quality packs.

3 Clash of the titans

On one level the All Blacks will relish having access to Sonny Bill Williams and Ma'a Nonu. But they are big personalities and it may not be easy to balance their game time and keep them both happy. Nonu has been an All Black regular since 2008 and given his soul to the team.

He was hurt in 2010 when he was dropped for the final game of the year. He'd done so much while Williams had barely been around for five minutes. How would Nonu feel if history repeats?Or, what if Williams can't force his way into the No 12 jersey and spends another World Cup on the periphery as he did in 2011? Can they play as a combination?

And how are expectations going to be managed? Both players need to fully understand and be happy with their role by the time the World Cup starts.

4 Hooked in

Third choice hooker Nathan Harris needs to be nudged along his development path. The All Blacks can't afford to go to England next year with Harris having played just eight minutes of test football. Not when Mealamu is turning 36 and his calf has such a recent chequered history. The games against USA, Scotland and Samoa are ideal to get Harris back on the track and used to throwing into a test lineout.

5 Can they kick it?

The All Black kicking game is in need of a major rejuvenation. From being such a strength in 2013, it has been relatively poor in 2014. Some of that may be fixed with the return of Carter but across the backline, a general improvement in execution and imagination are required.

6 Polish the rough diamond

The All Blacks are one team when Aaron Smith plays - and probably another when he doesn't. We can't be certain because Smith tends to play almost 80 minutes every test.
The next option is TJ Perenara and while he's a superb athlete, he's loose and erratic.

Perenara has 10 games to lose the rough edges and become the sort of player everyone would trust to play out the last 20 minutes of a knock out World Cup game.

7 The dominators

It doesn't always follow that a team coming into the tournament on the back of impressive form will win. The All Blacks proved that in 2011 when they opened the event on the back of consecutive losses. Still, it would be preferable if the All Blacks can win their next 10 and establish they are absolutely the most dominant side in world rugby.

Most of the serious contenders to have an inferiority complex when it comes to the All Blacks. The All Blacks will be keen to beat England in a few weeks at Twickenham and then South Africa in July next year. These two are the respective biggest threat.

8 Champagne Charlie

There's no question in comparison with Owen Franks, Charlie Faumuina is the more natural athlete and ball player. But he has to be fit. He has to be capable of getting the best out of himself.

The All Black game plan needs the props to be contributing beyond the set-piece. Franks has stagnated a little in that regard and wins his jersey mostly on account of his experience and scrummaging prowess. If Faumuina can improve his conditioning in November, throughout summer and Super Rugby, he could become the better option.

9 Big calls

The team has a core of senior players, many if not most of whom are not going to be All Blacks in 2016. On that list are most likely Mealamu, Richie McCaw, Carter, Nonu and Conrad Smith and maybe a couple of others. Whether they are planning to retire, shift overseas or even, unlikely, hang on in New Zealand for more - they need to sort their plans out declare their intentions long before the All Blacks play their first test next year against Samoa on July 8.

10 Keep something back

The big picture for the All Blacks won't change over the next 10 tests. Hansen's vision has been to create a triple threat game so as the All Blacks have the option of running, passing or kicking to exploit the space. Where they can add an element of surprise is in the detail. They should hold some specific set plays back for the World Cup. It was, after all, a rehearsed lineout move that created their only try in the 2011 World Cup final.

THE BIG 10

• October 18 v Australia (Brisbane)
• November 1 v USA (Chicago)
• November 8 v England (London)
• November 15 v Scotland (Edinburgh)
• November 22 v Wales (Cardiff)
• July 8 v Samoa (Apia)
• July 17 v Argentina (Christchurch)
• July 25 v South Africa (South Africa [TBD])
• August 8 v Australia (Sydney)
• August 15 v Australia (Auckland)

- NZ Herald