The All Blacks should feel frustrated after their win over Georgia, but shouldn't dwell on it too much.
Handling errors ruined their 43-10 win over Georgia at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff and left their fans gasping.
All Blacks wing Juian Savea in action against Georgia RWC2015 Photo: PHOTOSPORT
New Zealanders want the All Blacks to run riot against the second-tier teams, however this tournament has shown that the days of 80-point margins are probably over.
I counted 10 handling errors in the first half and there were probably just as many after the break. There were more than a dozen turnovers.
When the All Blacks played up-tempo rugby they managed to get some phases going before errors stopped them in their tracks.
It appeared that they were looking further ahead than they needed to and weren't waiting for the ball to arrive, while the short passes were generally far too strong or were in highly-populated areas.
It is good that the All Blacks were trying to play at speed, but they need to have more patience.
The majority of the tries were scored out wide and that is where their greatest threats are, so it's obvious they'll continue to move the ball whenever possible. But the defences are fanning out so much that perhaps a bit more direct running in the middle of the park is required first.
Sam Cane of the All Blacks makes a break during their World Cup Pool C match against Georgia. Photo: Getty
With the number of quick taps the All Blacks took, the plan was obviously to keep the ball in hand and run at any cost.
However they'd previously shown a desire to kick for territory and put pressure on the opposition. Georgia didn't really offer anything with ball in hand so maybe that tactic should have been used a bit more.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw leaves the field in Georgia game at RWC2015 Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Georgia certainly played their part in a very physical clash that resulted in a number of All Backs leaving the field.
The Europeans defended extremely well and didn't give the All Blacks much space or many options.
The Georgians gave their all up front in the scrums, lineouts and breakdown. However they were unable to get much go-forward ball.
Honestly I don't think the All Blacks can train much more to make things better. In fact probably the best thing for them to do is to forget about the handling errors and just look at the bigger picture.
The coaches will learn from this, make a few adjustments and move on.
The opposition may feel they can see some chinks in the All Blacks' armour, but realistically they're continuing to build.
They're winning, they're scoring tries and they're into the playoffs.
One last hit-out in pool play against Tonga will confirm top spot in their pool.
They should start with their first XV again but make replacements a bit earlier to prevent any major injuries.
Onwards and upwards.
