New Zealand, All Blacks, Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Israel Dagg, Jerome Kaino, Andy Ellis© (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Main issues

Are there any? Saturday night's hammering of the Wallabies consigned their short-comings from seven days earlier to the scrapheap; and wiped away any lingering doubt as to whether their ageing superstars can still get the job done when it matters most. While they weren't subjected to the twin breakdown threat of Australia's Michael Hooper and David Pocock until the second half, the All Blacks' work around the breakdown was greatly improved from Sydney while there were no signs of the inexcusably missed one-on-one tackles that cost them two five-pointers in that defeat a week previous. 

However there is one great question mark hanging over the world champions' heads: history. The All Blacks two World Cup triumphs came on home soil and the easy nature with which they should negotiate their pool has raised concerns as to whether they'll be ready for 'knockout rugby'. They deserve to be clear favourites, though the aura probably isn't the same from four years ago.

Squad strength

The All Blacks had no shortage of standout performers at the weekend with the three replacements made from Sydney all crucial in securing such a turnaround in fortunes. Veteran centre Ma'a Nonu confirmed his place as the first-choice No.12 while Victor Vito put plenty of pressure on Jerome Kaino at No.6; Sam Whitelock was similarly impressive at lock. Meanwhile, the world champions are blessed with an array of talent in the halves and outside backs.

The one area of concern looks to be hooker where there is a significant gap between the robust Dane Coles, and those expected to make the squad behind him. Keven Mealamu offers experience but is nowhere near the player he was a few years ago while Crusaders rake Codie Taylor is at the opposite end of his career. It looks a minor concern, providing Coles avoids injury. There are those in New Zealand with concerns around veteran prop Tony Woodcock, too.

Injury concerns

We are often left to marvel at the wonders of modern medicine yet, occasionally, the old ways turn out to be just as effective. That is certainly the case for one-Test winger Waisake Naholo who has rocketed back into World Cup contention after seeking out some "alternative" healing from his uncle in Fiji. Naholo will have an X-ray this week to determine the progress of his recovery from a broken leg; a diagnosis fellow winger Cory Jane will likely watch with interest. Jane has battled a leg injury of his own of late, with that coming on the back of sparing involvement in the Hurricanes' Super Rugby season. Coach Steve Hansen is unlikely to take both men, so the final call could well come down to whose recovery is progressing the quicker. It could also end up that neither player heads to England; but that could rely on what Hansen decides to do with Israel Dagg.

What the locals are saying

"Timely. Terrific. And triumphant. Dan Carter is back in the groove and back on track to complete the World Cup mission of redemption that has fuelled him for the past four years. Was it ever in doubt? Certainly the form has taken a while to assert itself in 2015, but lost in some rather amplified criticism of the master five-eighth has been the fact he hasn't exactly had the best of platforms to work off as the All Blacks have been slow to find their stride as a team." Marc Hinton - Fairfax Media