The All Blacks haven't turned the corner just yet after the Eden Park show

You shouldn’t read too much into New Zealand’s 50-19 win over Australia.

Try as they might, the Wallabies simply didn’t pose a test anywhere near as stern South Africa did to the All Blacks. That’s not a criticism of them, simply a statement of fact.

The Springboks are bigger, stronger and better than everyone at the moment and the All Blacks revelled in the comparative freedom afforded them at Eden Park.

In winning so convincingly, New Zealand can’t be said to have proven anything or turned any corners. We won’t properly know if the The Greatest Rivalry Tour has benefitted them until they meet the Springboks again.

What I will give the All Blacks some credit for is their method of play in the second 40 minutes against Australia. I thought the first half approach was loose, to say the least, as the players sought to throw miracle passes at every opportunity.

There was little respect shown for possession, as guys declined the option of going to ground and setting up the next wave of attack in favour of another speculative offload.

Among the many words you would use to describe the Springboks, would be clinical. The All Blacks aren’t that yet. They have a bad habit of squandering possession and taking soft options.

The half-time score of 17-14 told its own story, in that regard. For a team that was dominating, the All Blacks did a great job of keeping the Wallabies in the match.

It’s easy to look at the full-time score and assume New Zealand played magnificently and that any number of individuals shone. In truth, I liked Tupou Vaa’i’s overall contribution and was impressed with Jordie Barrett’s tackling and then I don’t have much to say about anyone else.

It’s hard to play outside Damian McKenzie. At fullback, his contribution is complementary. When he’s first five-eighth everything revolves around him and his eagerness to run, which kind of made Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Will Jordan, Leroy Carter and Beauden Barrett interested spectators in the All Blacks’ attack, but not actual participants.

You throw someone such as Rieko Ioane on for impact off the bench and he’s then not put in a position to contribute at all.

If McKenzie isn’t the most consistently-brilliant Super Rugby player of all time, he’s definitely in the conversation. But, as I’ve written many times, that is his level as a first five-eighth.

I want to reiterate that the Wallabies tried their best at Eden Park, but the Bledisloe Cup opener was played at an intensity below what we saw when the All Blacks met the Springboks.

So, if the scrum was more stable or guys who couldn’t catch a cold in South Africa were suddenly plucking punts from the sky, I don’t think it’s because any of them have improved. It’s more that they were under significantly less pressure.

And that’s my worry with these All Blacks, as we head into Saturday’s rematch with Australia in Sydney.

I don’t think this team is hard enough on itself. I think their natural inclination is to try and win easily, rather than grind away for 79 minutes in the hope of ultimately prevailing in the 80th.

When you win as comfortably as the All Blacks did at Eden Park, it’s natural to think that talent will be enough to do the same thing next time.

Only their lineout throwing is still wonky, they still miss first-up tackles and they are still vulnerable under the high ball. Sure, there’s been plenty of pats on the back for McKenzie since Saturday’s victory, but let’s not forget why he’s been shunted to fullback for the last couple of seasons.

I’m definitely not writing off Australia’s chances this weekend. Not so much because of their ability, more because of what we saw from New Zealand in the opening 40 at Eden Park.

When the All Blacks think they can finesse the ball around the park and win without paying a physical toll, that’s when I get most worried about them.

The Springboks just gave us all a thorough tutorial in what winning Test rugby looks like, but there’s no immediate evidence to suggest the All Blacks have heeded that lesson.