COMMENT: As far as starts go, this one was good enough.
Certainly, the All Blacks probably would have wanted to have scored a few more tries and been a tad tidier in some facets of the game, but overall the performance gets a thumbs-up.
It must be remembered the side was playing against a team which made it into the last eight of the past two World Cups and that the Pumas are no mugs.
If the match showed anything, the winning of this tournament in the big games is going to be about discipline and brains.
Brawn and sheer physical work will only get you so far - it is the top two inches which will get you across the line.
Keeping your discipline - as in not trying to cheat or push the envelope too far in front of the referee - is absolutely vital for the cause.
The Pumas started off conceding a raft of penalties and the All Blacks got on top through the boot of Dan Carter.
Carter, who had a game in which he did most things right but was not off-the-charts fantastic, knocked over the kicks.
But the Argentinians got back into the game, thanks to the All Blacks losing focus and earning the ire of referee Wayne Barnes.
Players just have to back their defensive systems and not go to the line of the law.
There are too many people looking for penalties now to have any chance of doing something that is borderline legal and getting away with it.
Teams should just back their defence, get off the defensive line quickly and tackle like demons.
Maintaining discipline and hitting hard in the tackle is going to be vitally important, especially in the games that really matter.
Defence always comes in front of attack in World Cups so discipline when sides do not have the ball will go a long way to victory.
It was encouraging to see the All Blacks pull away in the second half.
One wonders if there is a side which can go toe to toe with the men in black for 80 minutes.
Like Argentina yesterday, teams can battle away and put a few chips in the All Black wall.
But it will take a total game of perfection from any team to knock that wall over.
The next game against Namibia should be a lot more wide open than yesterday's game at Wembley.
Remember, too, Wembley is a football stadium.
The pitch is narrower, which undoubtedly has an impact on the game, while the dead ball area is smaller than some million-dollar sections for sale in Auckland.
Questions. -
• Is Peter Jackson involved in the running of the World Cup?
The length of these games is getting ridiculous.
Jackson, who could turn a Golden Book story into a 10-hour epic, must have his hand in there somewhere.
You could read a novel during the halftime break such is its length.
• Is it an even-money bet one of these tight games will be decided by the man in the stands? After looking at the amount of technology he has at his disposal, is he actually ruling on decisions on the field or landing the space shuttle?
• Do we really need the camera on the referee? Does it add anything?
