All Blacks Vs England.

The All Blacks played the first test against England on Saturday night (NZ time). The All Blacks won with a very convincing scoreline of 37 - 20 at Eden park in Auckland in front of a packed crowd of 44,000 people. This win was New Zealand's 23rd win in 30 tests against the English since 1905 and leaves the 2003 English team as the most recent visiting team to win on New Zealand soil.
The game saw the midfield duo of Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu play an integral role in the game and first five Daniel Carter surpass 700 points in Test match rugby.

With Richie McCaw and Carter's futures now secured, perhaps the New Zealand Rugby Union's crack team of contract negotiators should turn their attentions to Ma'a Nonu. After a magnificent test against England, the second five-eighths who is uncommitted after year end, surely now enters the "must-have" category.

This was a test dominated by the All Blacks, apart from the opening quarter of an hour, when the All Blacks took a while to settle to their work, and a brief moment before halftime. The match did rather lose shape in the middle stages of the second half, but by then it was long decided.

The All Blacks scored two tries in each half, Smith getting the first of them with a classical finish and Nonu setting up the third with a great run where he exposed the lack of defence of Charlie Hodgson. Dan Carter had the second touchdown and a personal haul of 22 points and Sitiveni Sivivatu, got in on the act with his 23rd try in as many tests.

Topsy Ojo scored a try near the end of each spell to salvage something for an English side that was outplayed, but not disgraced. To their credit they ran till the very end.

Still, you had to figure the All Blacks would have been kicking themselves about taking only a 23-13 lead into the changing rooms at half time. Really it could have been much more and it probably should have been.

When Mils Muliaina finished Nonu's outstanding break three minutes into the second spell, and Sivivatu stretched the lead to 37-13 soon after, it was pretty much over.

The victory was the All Blacks' 23rd in 30 tests against England who will get another crack at the New Zealanders next Saturday night in Christchurch.

New Zealand 37: Tries: Conrad Smith, Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu. Cons: Carter (4). Pens: Carter (3).

England 20: Tries: Topsy Ojo (2). Cons: Ollie Barkley (2). Pens: Barkley (2).