Another test gone, and another mediocre display from the All Blacks.  Sure, they are missing a pretty decent test XV of players to the physios bench, but hell, this was just the Italians, we beat them by, on average, 70 odd points to a handful, not 27-6, as it was on the weekend.  But this performance, and that in the two tests against France seem to point to the Bledisloe Cup and Tri Nations trophies heading the same way as the Gallagher trophy, offshore...

The Italian test, a hideous first half, with Luke McAlister making Stephen Donald's performance from last week look like Grant Foz at his best.  Missed tackles, kicks out on the full, just dropping the ball in contact even, he looked like a club first five after a Friday night on the booze.  He did though, on the upside, kick his goals - 100%, so at the moment, that, and that alone would give him the edge over Donald when it comes to the Tri Nations.

Lets be frank here, the Italians were not a good team, the offered next to nothing on attack, their much vaunted forward pack was disappointing, but they tackled themselves to a standstill, helped by an All Black back division that still looks rusty as hell and as penetrative as a flaccid you know what...

Which basically means even this third string All Black team should have given them a thrashing.  If the backs had shown some simple draw and pass skills, some accurate execution of their set piece moves, and just played like they knew each other, the tries would have come.

There were flashes in the second spell of what the All Blacks can do, some nice support play and inter-passing at pace, but too little and too late, and nothing really created, just feeding on loose pill and missed tackles.  Ugly, inaccurate rugby.

Despite three horrible tests though, there are some good points that have come out of the pre Tri Nations hit outs, the win and the loss to the Frogs, and the beating of the Pasta Cowboys, there are also some pretty bad points, but I'll pretend the glass is half full for a little while here, while we still hold the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations trophy...

Sooo, the good points.  Right, ahhh, ok, so I'll start from the back and work my way forward, there are some good points I tells ya, so read on, MacBeth.

1:  Right, Mils Muliaina continues to grow as a leader in the All Blacks.  Perhaps not captain material really, but a good rugby brain, and has a view from the back that McCaw doesn't have in the trenches up front, so his input will be vital during the rest of the season, and he won't be afriad to put it forward.  Also he did not get injured during the Iveco tests, so that is a great point!

2:  Joe Rokocoko.  I would now play him in the first Bledisole test on the 18th of July.  He at last started to look like the Joe of old in the Italian test, after looking like old Joe in the French matches.

3 & 4:  Leila Masaga and Corey Jane.  Both rookies, Jane getting the two French tests, and Masaga getting the Italian test, and neither looking out of place at this level, unlike last seasons batch of wing men, who has about as much impact as the proverbial wet bus ticket across the wrist.

5:  Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu, only had the one match together, the second Frog test, but they are by far and away the best midfield combination we have.

6:  Brendon Leonard played a game of rugby and did not get injured.  OK, I'm grasping at straws now, there was sod all good from the back division in 240 minutes of rugby.

In the forwards, well, not too much here really either, but more positives than from the blouses.

7:  It appears, from a 30 minute cameo at least, that we have found someone who can play openside flanker at test level.  George Whitelock, yet another Cantab, grabbed his chance in this test with both hands.  Appeared more dynamic with ball in hand and at the breakdown than both Latimer and Thomson.  Must have booked a place in the Tri Nations squad with this performace, meaning that one of the others will be left out.

8:  Kieran Read put his hand up to fill in the number eight jersey too when Rodney So'oilao is not available.  His performance in the second French test was superb, and his second spell against the Spaghetti's was pretty decent too.  Not bad for a chap who has played a bit of NPC rugby at 8, but that's about it.

9:  Jerome Kaino.  He had a shite Super 14, but has come back and repaid the Cartel's faith in him in spades, leading the loose forward effort against the French in the second test win, and again against the Italians.  He is starting to carry the ball very well too, a big man with plenty of poace, he is picking the right men to run against, and getting the ball away to support players well. 

10:  Brad Thorn.  An All Black great?  Maybe not a great yet, but certainly the rock around which this All Black pack is being built around at the moment with so many other players out injured.  His general play continues to make Krupp armour plating look soft, and he has bought his lineout play up to scratch for international rugby too.  Was great to see it was Thorn who took two lineout balls five metres from the All Black line on must win occasions.

11:  Isaac Ross.  I thought after the French test that he was going to be another O'Neil, and not up to international rugby.  He has proven me wrong though, in spades.  His second hit out against the French showed a lot more composure and confidence, and in the latest match against the Spaghettis, he looked every inch a test match lock.  Showed great ball running skills, and was rewarded for an 80 minute game with a fine supporting try. 

12:  Kevin Mealamu.  Again, like Kaino, had a shitter of a Super 14, and looked set to be sitting on the bench behind Hore for the season again.  However, yet another injury to a frontline All Black, and Hore was gone, and Mealamu got his chance, and took it with both hands.  Superb match in the French win, and again led from the front against the Italians as the All Blacks struggled for direction.

13:  Tony Woodcock.  Again, again.  Like Kaino and Mealamu, not a Super 14 to remember.  Thanks more to his ear infection that saw him miss a month of rugby as much as a lack of form.  However, after a rusty hit out against the French in the first test, he was back to near his best in the second, and off the bench against the Italians showed his class again.

14:  Owen Franks.  Only got 20 minutes on the paddock against the Italians, but that 20 minutes conincided with the All Black scrum getting on top of the Spaghettis.  He and Woodcock looking better than the Afoa / Crockett combination.

That is the good then, not a bloody lot really, now for the bad...

1:  Stephen Donald and the continued search for a first five to replace Dan Carter.  Donald was bad in the first French test, before doing what many thought was impossible, and being even worse in the second test.  His goal kicking for the two tests would have been about 40%, or less, just not good enough.

2:  Luke McAlister.  He's just not up to speed, yet, for international rugby.  It is unfortunate that he got called up from the Juniors for these matches.  A few games against the likes of Fiji and Japan at ten might have been a good stepping stone for the All Blacks.  However, that didn't happen, he was called in, and has played pretty poorly.  If we thought we had seen the lowest level of first five play, but Luke's first half against the Italians managed to plumb new depths...

3:  Isaia Toeava.  Do not hand this lad a 13 jersey again.  On the end of year tour last season he found his niche, and that was fullback.  Against the Convicts in Hong Kong many were saying, Mils who?  He then followed up with another top fullback match against Scotland.  But as a centre, he has, basically, sucked.  Stick him on the wing or at the back methinks, not in one of the most importnat positinos on the field, the thirteen jersey.

4 & 5:  Adam Thomson, Tanerau Latimer.  The first two cabs off the rank to try and fill the injured McCaw's boots.  Thomson failed horribly, despite being the anointed one from All Black forward coach Hansen.  Then Latimer failed, not so horribly, more so in the Italian test than in the second French one, where he was pretty good.  Just too anonymous though for an open side flanker.

6:  Jimmy Cowan.  Not in the form he was in last season, got better from the first to the second tests, but still not at his bolshie best.

7 & 8:  Neemia Tialata and John Afoa.  Tialata was awful in the first French test, before playing bloody well in the second, and being injured and missing the Italian test.  Just his inconsistency though is galling.  He has the physical size to be a world beater, just his top two inches let him down.  Afoa, well, he looked for all the world last season to be almost surpassing Tialata as the starting prop.  This season though, he has backslid though, and does not look international quality at the moment.

9:  Scrum.  From a weapon to a weakness in just 12 short months.  Sad.

10:  Injuries.  I think the Cartel should take up religion, and pray for their players strength.  I have never seen a run of injury to an All Black side like this, ever.  At one stage or another the following players have been down this season...  Hore, Tialata, Williams, Boric, McCaw, So'oialo, Carter, Kahui, Sivivatu, Smith, Wulf, and no doubt a few others that have slipped my mind.  I mean, try removing four front line test players from any international pack and see what happens to their performance!

So there you have it, the ugly, the good and the bad.  Perhaps it is not as bad as many are making out, but it sure ain't pretty either!