After a dismal first half against Australia, New Zealand had just 40 minutes to prove their Rugby World Cup credentials. And coach Graham Henry made sure they did - with a 26-12 victory. There was strange feeling in the air as the half-time whistle blew on Saturday in Auckland with New Zealand struggling in their Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations showdown with Australia. All Blacks coach Graham Henry had walked onto the pitch prior to the end of the half, something never before seen in his four-year tenure in charge. The entire team had almost sprinted into the changing room at first sound of the whistle. The reason for this strange feeling was because only 40 minutes remained for the World Cup favourites to click against Australia - and finally show why they were regarded 12 months ago as certainties to take home their first World Cup in 20 years. In a scrappy first half, where the weather had played into the All Blacks' greatest strength, it was the Wallabies who had the game by the scruff of the neck. With over 60 per cent of possession and territory, they had the best in the world fighting for their lives against a team who were not even rated in their own country. This performance from the Kiwis was on the back of two last-gasp wins against the Springboks and an unfathomable loss to the Aussies in Melbourne. The only positive, in a season of failures for New Zealand, was that it was not going to the script, something that had happened in each of their previous unsuccessful World Cup years. But the Kiwis had learnt their lesson in Melbourne and this time they were ready to play rugby. They gritted their teeth and defended until half-time, somehow escaping the battlefield with a slender lead, thanks to the golden boot of Dan Carter. It was what happened in the next 10 minutes that could prove the difference come Paris in October. Whatever Henry said to his charges caused the penny to belatedly drop. They came out firing in the next 20 minutes as they began to adapt to the conditions. Plan B was in action as Henry learnt from his predecessor’s mistakes in 2003. Everything just fell the All Blacks' way and the team that dominated all of 2005 and 2006 began to show the form that had made them so intimidating. Carter controlled the backline like he does best, while Brendan Leonard and Keven Mealamu emerged form the bench fighting for a place in the starting line-up in France. The forwards drove and drove and then drove some more, until finally, Tony Woodcock drove himself over the try line and score his second try against the Wallabies in two matches. The All Blacks won a match under pressure, a match that four years ago they would have lost. What was said in the changing room at half time will possibly never be known. But what will be known is that this All Blacks team can play rugby - and will do so when it matters most.
