#387 ... An English Omlette

I spotted these outside the New World Supermarket at Chaffers St ... someone must have had one of those "Oh ph**k" moments and the eggs must obviously have been those English ones ... going by the rugby test last night ... the All Blacks beat the English 'eggs' 44-12

GAME REPORT by Marc Hinton
So this is why we now have the Dan Carter Rule. As the All Black first five continues to roll out the virtuoso performances - he scored another 22 points in the second test blitz of England that finished 44-12 - the NZRU's great sabbatical ploy is looking more and more like an inspired piece of thinking.

And the million-dollar pricetag Toulon are said to be paying for his services for a season more and more a bargain. He's that good. That talented. Just ask England who for the second straight week powerless to stop him weaving his magic all over this match as the All Blacks completed a two-test sweep of an England side that had been under siege in the media all week and spent the better part of 80 minutes last night being swamped by a black wave.

It was one that Carter rode superbly too, the maestro on top of his game, whether as a creator or a finisher. He set up his side's first try in Christchurch, scored the second, and was at the forefront of the buildup for the third. Heavens, his mere presence probably created the fourth too, even if it was a trademark No 8 finish from the back of a scrum. And, to be fair, he was off the field for the fifth at the finish. The All Blacks led 20-0 at halftime. They ran in two first-half tries and - with more than a little help from the tourists - kept the English scoreless for 40 minutes. Coach Rob Andrew will no doubt note vociferously that his down-on-their-luck boys should actually have had two touchdowns themselves through the opening spell.

But it was the All Blacks who were clinical; and the English just comical as they twice spurned easy try-scoring chances.

Then, seven minutes before the break, fullback Mathew Tait had done all the hard work when he raced on to his own kick that bounced perfectly for him, but then spilt the ball like a piece of soap in the shower. Oh dear.

It had been a dream start for one of the two All Black debutants, centre Richard Kahui racing in for the game's opening try after just 11 minutes. With the New Zealanders making a much more effective start at the breakdowns over the opening skirmishes, good ball-retention eventually saw Carter - in princely form once again - slip through Jamie Noon's ineffective tackle and find Kahui beautifully on the cutback. But the All Blacks kept their own score ticking over, Ma'a Nonu, continuing to make every post a winner in the No 12 jersey, grabbing his fifth test try when Carter and Sivivatu combined to carve the opening; and Lauaki strolling over from a scrum to put the issue beyond doubt early in the final quarter.

But it was Carter who was very much the star of the best All Black performance of the new season. His mark was all over everything positive the New Zealanders did all night. And there was plenty of that.

New Zealand 44: Tries: Richard Kahui, Daniel Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Sione Lauaki, Jimmy Cowan. Cons: Carter (4), Stephen Donald. Pens: Carter (3).

England 12: Tries: Danny Care, Tom Varndell. Cons: Olly Barkley.