All Blacks coach Graham Henry and captain Richie McCaw reflect on their opening Tri-Nations victory © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Robbie Deans | Steve Hansen | Sir Graham Henry

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Teams: Australia | New Zealand

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Graham Henry had genuine cause for his smug demeanour but rugby rival Robbie Deans' brave face barely disguised his dismay at witnessing another Bledisloe Cup capitulation by the mentally fragile Wallabies.

Henry lauded the All Blacks' character and composure after they recovered from a 10-point deficit to claim the Tri-Nations opener 22-16 at Eden Park last night. In contrast, Deans was again left pondering his players' gradual decline from a position of dominance.

The All Blacks left for South Africa early today for their Bloemfontein clash with the Springboks next weekend, leaving the Wallabies to mull over how to address a pathological tendency to surrender momentum before their own tournament-defining test in Cape Town on August 8.

The All Blacks' stubborn refusal to bow to Australian pressure mirrored the Bledisloe tests in Brisbane and Hong Kong last season, and should delight Henry after three uninspiring internationals against France and Italy.

The outcome also presented vindication for the New Zealand Rugby Union board. Henry's fourth consecutive victory over Deans lends credence to the reappointment of the head coach, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith through to the 2011 World Cup.

The trio's detractors remain but now, for the first time since he switched allegiance last year, Deans' messiah-like status might be under revision.

Deans argued the Wallabies had progressed since the All Blacks' 39-10 victory on Eden Park last August, but a loss of composure continues to blight the Australians and has all but guaranteed the Bledisloe Cup will spend a seventh winter in New Zealand.

The All Blacks were missing the class of Daniel Carter and had a trio of experienced, though underdone, personnel playing their first test of the season. The Wallabies probably never had a finer opportunity to achieve their first victory on Auckland soil since 1986.

Instead the failure to capitalise on an excellent start means the Wallabies need to win the remaining trans-Tasman clashes in Sydney, Wellington and Tokyo to reclaim the Cup.

The evidence suggests that seems unlikely as mental toughness remains elusive.

"It's a work in progress and we'll just keep going," Deans lamented.

"We were much better than this time a year ago but we are frustrated to still be short."

Berrick Barnes' contribution summed up the Wallabies malaise -- a smartly engineered fifth minute try contrasting with his tardy execution when the Wallabies should have built a 17-3 lead midway through the half.

His indecision was put in context when captain Richie McCaw rumbled over to signal an All Black resurgence six minutes later.

Stephen Donald was also crucial in coordinating the All Blacks recovery. The under-pressure pivot controlled play and booted 17 points, including four second half penalties as the Wallabies' discipline wavered.

Rodney So'oialo was also impressive in his season debut before he was replaced by Kieran Read for the final quarter -- an example of Henry's canny use of the bench.

Keven Mealamu, Owen Franks and Piri Weepu also added impetus while Australia's policy to select three openside flankers failed to curb McCaw.

It was far from a fluid performance by the All Blacks -- the lineout was vulnerable early -- but the response to adversity impressed Henry.

"We were down by 10 and there are two ways you can go -- the guys got back to the backbone they've had over recent times and played with huge character," he said.

That quality prompted Henry to declare the team would continue to improve in South Africa -- where a minimum of one victory will be required against the world champions on either the high veld or the following week in Durban.

"We should get better now, we have a good foundation to build on. Some of the players haven't played for a number of weeks and they should get better as the Tri-Nations goes on."

McCaw, out of action with a knee injury since the Super 14 semifinals, felt the pinch but still logged 80 solid minutes.

"I was a bit rusty really, it wasn't one of my better games but I'm reasonably happy," he said.

Like Henry, the skipper was pleased with the All Blacks' tenacity.

"When we reflect on it, the courage and composure we had from 10-0 is pretty encouraging. In that last 20 minutes we pretty much squeezed them."