Rob Andrew's belief is that the attritional, one-dimensional rugby largely played in the Premiership is restricting the national side but, if England resemble their clubs, New Zealand add up to more than the sum of their five Super 14 teams.

When the All Blacks failed to win the 2003 World Cup, they identified deficiencies in the set pieces as a key reason. They appointed a new three-man coaching team, all of whom had worked in Britain, and it is the willingness of New Zealand to absorb ideas from outside that has helped them to the top of the world rankings: if they defeat Scotland on Saturday, they will have beaten every one of the seven foundation unions in the past 13 months and all bar South Africa away from home.

Graham Henry and the forwards coach Steve Hansen had unhappy memories of Twickenham when they were in charge of Wales, enduring heavy defeats after being blown away at forward, but the All Blacks attacked England's strength on Saturday, winning the scrum battle, even when they played the last 25 minutes with 14 men, and having the better of the lineout until the final quarter.

One compelling statistic is that New Zealand were not awarded one penalty in the final 30 minutes while they conceded seven, but their defensive line never looked like being fractured.

"Working in Europe undoubtedly helped us," said Hansen. "It made us better coaches and broadened our horizons."

With the former Northampton head coach Wayne Smith making up the New Zealand coaching triumvirate, the All Blacks have an unrivalled breadth of experience.

"The forward battle is a key area in every match and we have worked very hard on the set pieces, but the game is a balancing act. Daniel Carter is a pretty special player for us, but he is still learning his trade."

England contested the breakdown effectively and generally stopped the All Blacks offloading in contact, which meant they largely controlled the pace of the game, but they lacked Carter's opportunism and speed of thought.

"Daniel Carter's best is still to come," said Hansen, who was the outhalf's mentor at Canterbury at the end of 1990s.

"He has the ability to take advantage of the pressure put on him by putting others in space, and despite all he has achieved his feet are on the floor."

Eight England players finished the match with face wounds, including Charlie Hodgson, who caught a stray boot from Tony Woodcock at a ruck.

"We have to build from this," said the England number 10. "We did not break their defensive line, which was disappointing, but if we are to retain the World Cup, we have to learn how to unlock the tightest defences."

Andrew maintains the leading clubs need to show more enterprise and throw off their shackles to help England, but though the Super 14 remains a tournament where more emphasis is placed on skill than set pieces, the All Blacks' decision to absorb ideas from Europe has helped them complete the whole and take them well ahead of the pack.

Guardian Service