Predictably, a stunning start for the All Blacks, who brushed aside a spirited but comparatively limited Italian team.

In the past, the All Blacks have been vulnerable up front. But coach Graham Henry has worked hard to put that right over the last four years and the fruit of his labour was evident today. Forward power is very much an Italian strength and they were simply brushed aside with contemptuous ease in the opening half an hour.

As ever, once the New Zealanders started to spread the ball wide, there was no stopping them as their platform allowed the likes of Doug Howlett all the space a predator like him needs to clinically take a hat-trick of tries.

One cautionary note for the All Blacks though. If all their group phase matches are this easy, they could come unstuck in the quarter-finals. Whoever comes out of Pool D will have had to play at full intensity to get there, which could be a shock for Henry's troops. who could struggle to up their game in such a short space of time.