The San Siro was deserving of a better showing © Getty Images

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Matches: Italy 6 - 20 New Zealand

Players/Officials: Martin Castrogiovanni | Nick Mallett

Tournaments/Tours: New Zealand tour

Teams: Italy | New Zealand

The San Siro is a magnificent arena, used to hosting the great and good of football. Its storied history made today's meeting between Italy and the All Blacks one of the highlights of the November calendar and 77,000 fans duly turned out to roar Italy on.

It's a shame then, that the game was laboured, kick heavy and everything that the sports' 'entertainment police' are continually crowing about.

The All Blacks predictably made 12 changes from the side that defeated Wales, with Bay of Plenty fly-half Mike Delany filling in for the suspended Dan Carter.

Tamati Ellison and Ben Smith also made their international bows, while Italy boss Nick Mallett's previous assertions that he was hopeful of keeping the score down hardly pointed to a classic. Shorn of the precision and guile of Carter, it was apparent exactly how much the All Blacks put boot to ball.

In the hoops of the Steamers Delany has a fabulous running game and is one of the few pivots playing with ball in hand. In Milan, his halfback partner Andy Ellis box-kicked mercilessly the keep Italy out of range. Cory Jane, who was superb at fullback, also used his greater tactical awareness to keep Italy out of striking distance. The fact that Italy's only attacking weapon is the maul made these astute tactical decisions, but it was hardly thrilling for fans who had come to the game for the first time.

The All Blacks were booed by away fans for their decisions to make the game safe with penalties in the second-half - there has to be something wrong in that.

Mallett has spoken at length about the lack of options available to him in the backs and in all honesty Italy offer so very little with ball in hand. Their best forward is skipper Sergio Parisse, he unfortunately is also their best back. His chip and chase in the dying moments showed wonderful vision and skills and set up the Italians' final charge to the Kiwi line, where referee Stuart Dickinson was the main obstacle to them coming away with a try.

The All Blacks will have left the field pleased with their clean-sheet, but Dickinson should have signalled a penalty try as their scrum was battered, mauled and crushed on their own line. With the seconds ebbing away the game turned in to a cynical slog, with the fans inside the ground jeering as Italy's greater strength and technique was denied by constant collapses from the visitors. The last eight, yes eight, minutes of the game saw the scrum re-set on the All Blacks' five-metre line. The IRB has some work to do - the clock must be stopped.

For the uninitiated, this was an example of one of the peculiarities of the sport. They won't have enjoyed it and will likely have little appreciation of the hammering meted out to Wyatt Crockett by Martin Castrogiovanni. The All Blacks knew what they were doing and it worked - but the real worry for them will be when they think about putting this front-row up against France at the Stade Velodrome in two weeks time. Crockett will need more than a few reassuring words this week.

The ELVs were widely loathed and also extremely naïve in places - but even the purists would have struggled to explain away the lack of attacking verve on display in a stadium that deserved far better.

At least the All Blacks will be able to call back their dynamic skipper, fly-half, centres and fullback next weekend against Martin Johnson's limp England. For Italy the introduction of two sides in to the Magners League cannot come soon enough.

Tito Tebaldi did well at scrum-half, Gonzalo Garcia is a capable centre and Luke McLean has enough about him at fullback. Following the end of the autumn series these players will play barely a handful of games at anything approaching elite level before the Six Nations. They have a long way to go and will hope that after today at least a few new faces stick along for the ride.