RUGBY: The largest crowd in Twickenham's history, 82,076, witnessed England's biggest defeat in 16 games by the All Blacks here - and to be honest, the 41-20 scoreline scarcely did New Zealand any favours.

The truly stupefying aspect of yesterday's game, especially for England, was that the All Blacks looked to be in cruise control.

Led by the bravura of Daniel Carter, a 26-point haul earning him yet another man of the match award, and the bravery of Richie McCaw - assuredly the two best players on the planet pound for pound - New Zealand controlled the pace of the game from the outset. Blowing hard by the end, McCaw simply allowed Carter close it out with penalties.

Even their derided lineout, buttressed by the return of Waikato lock Keith Robinson, looked slicker than of late, and helped by the ever-improving Byron Kelleher hounding the life out of debutant Shaun Perry, they tormented England's scrum.

"We're very pleased," admitted coach Graham Henry, wearing one of those winning smirks we've grown used to.

"The setpiece was outstanding. That was the key. The lineout was the best it's been for a long time. The scrum was dominant, on our ball and their ball, and that gave us a foundation."

There was one notable blemish - the concession of three tries, which was hard to fathom.

"The defence was a bit suspect and I'll have a talk with our defence coach (himself) but it was apparently a record (All Blacks) score at Twickenham, so that was nice," said Henry.

If ever there was a good time to face these almighty All Blacks it should have been yesterday. Not alone were England at home in their expensively increased new stadium, albeit without a completed roof, but many of the All Blacks were decidedly rusty; mainly because of Canterbury's early exit from the New Zealand Provincial Championship.

England had their own problems, of course, but it was to be the start of a new era, albeit with a revamped team, and though the All Blacks had won on 10 of their previous 15 visits to Twickenham, most had been close and none had been by a bigger margin than the pre-match points spread of 14.

The sensitivities of the Twickenham faithful having perhaps been pricked by the comments of Anton Oliver and Aaron Mauger about "arrogance" and "racism" at the old venue, the haka was disrespectfully drowned out by Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

That pre-match pageant was about as good as it got for England. Admittedly, they were denied what seemed a legitimate early try by the video referee, and inevitably Andy Robinson - and the English media - made a big play of that, as well as lamenting the All Blacks' "streetwise" tendency to "lie on the wrong side or come in from the side to slow down our ball".

He also praised the new caps in the back line, Perry, Anthony Allen and Paul Sackey, while repeatedly maintaining, as if advised by some spin doctor, that "the last 10 minutes of the first-half cost us the match".

In truth, much of their back play and general handling betrayed all the hallmarks of their over-hyped, overrated domestic league, and they are reaping what they sow from the Premiership, where the emphasis is on going through the man rather than locating space. Even at that lark, Ma'a Nonu was way ahead of them.

Brian Ashton is a revered backs coach but on this evidence he faces a loaves-and-fishes job, and in the aftermath he looked quite dumbstruck.

This was the world champions' sixth defeat in a row, while for the All Blacks it was a 21st win in a row against Northern Hemisphere teams.

They are revising the boundaries of the game, whereas England seem caught in a time warp. France, in Lyon next weekend, and again the following week in the Stade de France, when Henry again confirmed their intention to pick "their strongest 22" in what seems like years, will provide sterner tests.

Henry maintained the gap between the top sides was relatively close and on a given day anyone could beat anyone.

There's not much evidence of that when this lot take to the pitch.