TWICKENHAM, London -- When a team enjoys a 67% territorial advantage, holds the ball for well over 50 minutes of the game, keeps the other side well away from their own line and poaches four opposition lineout throws, victory would assume to be a breeze.

Not so for the All Blacks, who suffered endless tense moments before being allowed to advance to the Rugby World Cup final at the expense of the most trenchant of Springboks line-ups. But that's the way it has been for New Zealand for most of this tournament- being involved in a succession of stutters and stumbles during the pool stage, and only getting it together against France in the quarterfinals.

In the end it was the All Blacks' sheer professionalism and overwhelming self-belief that enabled them to progress to defend their world title in next weekend's final with a 20-18 victory over South Africa.

Their hard approach to everything rugby was there for all to see during the half-time break when, to the surprise of many, they appeared back on the Twickenham turf almost four minutes before the Springboks re-emerged.

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The All Blacks were clearly irked at what had occurred during the first half, after which they trailed by five points despite controlling territory (72%) and possession (65%) primarily because their discipline at the breakdown was dreadful and their ability to recycle ball was stifled by the Springboks' swamping defence while they were victims of kicking too much. The Springboks were winning the tackle encounter and the French referee Jerome Garces was sympathetic to their work at the breakdown, which involved several turnovers and nine first-half penalties to the Springboks.

And so the assured goal-kicking of Springboks No.10 Handre Pollard came into play and put them ahead. At half-time, there were many New Zealand fans wondering if this was going to be another doomed United Kingdom campaign because the All Blacks were far from being on top of their game.

Instead of mulling over it in the dressing room, the All Blacks headed back out onto the field early to go through some set drills and opposed work.

This would not have been the most appealing of options, as just before the break it had begun to rain heavily. By the time, the All Blacks were back on the field, it was pouring. They were soon drenched. But that didn't deter the New Zealanders, who, realising that ball-handling would be so crucial in the second half, spent several minutes getting used to passing and holding a wet, slippery sphere by opting for some ball-in-hand work that involved all players.

This is a team that has always been so obsessed with the basics, making certain that yet again the players had everything covered - especially as this World Cup tournament had until this moment been marked by good weather and firm pitches. Now how the teams handled the wet would be imperative, and the All Blacks, even if brought up in such murky conditions, wanted to make sure they held some sort of edge or at least were ready. It also showed they were focused.

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Not surprisingly, the All Blacks' play picked up dramatically during the second half. Admittedly there was the occasional fumble, but, considering the damp conditions, the level of handling they showed in the second half was outstanding.

A Daniel Carter field goal in the 45th minute settled the team, and then the players opted to stretch the boundaries, with Ma'a Nonu drawing two South African defenders in the middle of the field before putting replacement utility back Beauden Barrett away for a try the Springboks were unable to counter.

The All Blacks also succeeded in hemming the Springboks in their own half following the break, and it would have been an injustice had South Africa won via a seventh penalty goal. As crucially, the Springboks never looked like getting anywhere near the All Blacks tryline. The right team has advanced.

And for a change the tournament organisers gave the man-of-the-match award to the right person. The All Blacks' full-back, Ben Smith, was a class above everyone else. His defence under the high ball was exceptional. He made innumerable breaks. As others hesitated, he stood firm.

Smith proved once again why he is the world's best No.15. That type of player, who is not perplexed by pressure and instead revels in it, comes in very, very handy during World Cup semifinals ... and also World Cup finals.