5 TOM DONNELLY

He managed the first steal on the Irish throw but was replaced by Sam Whitelock who proved much more effective including scoring a try. 5/10

10 DAN CARTER

Outstanding: the fact he missed the final conversion was a miniscule aberration in a wonderful performance that encompassed kicking, punting, running, passing and tackling.

9/10

8 KIERAN READ

A colossal performance that was rewarded with a brace of tries. He was equally effective in attack and defence and is becoming an integral part of this All Black team.

8/10

11 HOSEA GEAR

There were three of four occasions when he had about three Irish defenders hanging on to him for dear life. Didn’t get ball in space but still made great yardage with his sheer power.

7/10

1 TONY WOODCOCK

He conceded a couple of penalties at scrum time and certainly didn’t have matters all his own way in that respect. Still got through a huge amount of work, especially in defence.

6/10

3 OWEN FRANKS

He will have enjoyed his battle with Cian Healy and while referee Marius Jonker decided he was more dominant at scrum time, the video analysis might not support that assertion. Good around the pitch.

6/10

2 HIKA ELLIOT

He is noted for his ability around the pitch and he certainly reinforced that notion with the number of times he carried ball: no problems out of touch with his delivery either.

6/10

15 MILS MULIAINA

He produced a brilliant performance to commemorate a special day, caps-wise. He made two glorious breaks and charged down Eoin Reddan’s chip ahead. His vision and speed of thought mark him as a special talent.

8/10

14 CORY JANE

He didn’t really have a great deal to do on the day. One knock-on while playing scrumhalf springs to mind, while he did just about enough to help deny Keith Earls a try.

6/10

6 JEROME KAINO

He made a huge number of tackles, forcing a number of turnovers in the process. Carried ball powerfully but also displayed his footballing skills, especially in the offload for Kieran Read’s first try.

7/10

12 MA’A NONU

One gorgeous sidestep took him away from Brian O’Driscoll only to be cut down by Gordon D’Arcy. He carried powerfully and directly, committing multiple tacklers but there were no real chinks.

7/10

4 ANTHONY BORIC

Took his try extremely well and was mobile and athletic in taking the game to Ireland. He held on to Seán Cronin very well to stop the hooker making a clean line break.

7/10

9 ANDY ELLIS

The great thing about being a scrumhalf for the All Blacks is the silver service received from the pack. His passing was crisp and accurate, while he worked hard in covering defensively.

6/10

13 CONRAD SMITH

A scourge of Ireland teams in the past he was afforded precious little space and effectively shut down with ball in hand. He did make one or two excellent tackles as the home side threatened out wide.

6/10

7 RICHIE McCAW

Might have received a yellow card for persistent infringing in the last quarter of the game. He was hugely effective in slowing down Irish ball and made an important tap tackle on Tommy Bowe.

6/10

THE BENCH

Sam Whitelock made a significant impact but for the remainder of those introduced, they didn’t really provide the impetus expected.

6/10