It has been perfectly clear what the All Blacks have set out to do in the first three matches of the 2008 southern hemisphere Test match season.

They have set out to build a new team around the twin poles of Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. One forward, one back. Two leaders. It is extraordinary how comprehensive the change in players has been since that dark day in Cardiff. Aside from McCaw and Carter, Kevan Mealamu, Ali Williams and Rodney So'aialo are the only forwards remaining in the starting team; in the backs only Mils Muliaiana and Leon MacDonald remain. It is of course testament to the great depth of New Zealand rugby that a new team of such quality can emerge so quickly, but it is also a testament to the quality of the twin poles around which the new team has been built.

It is easy for other countries to look at New Zealand and make excuses for their poor record against the All Blacks. We hear it all the time: "Its the only sport that matters in New Zealand", "New Zealand steals the best players from the Pacific Islands", "New Zealand has the haka" Yes, there is some truth in this but instead of moaning about unfair advantage, how about taking advantage of the opportunities you do have?

Just compare what has been achieved by the two teams in the two Tests just played. The All Blacks recognised they needed more power and physical presence in the lineout and at the breakdown  England taught them this at the World Cup  and they have introduced Brad Thorn and three new props all of whom have shown enough to be a part of a dynamic new forward pack. And in the backs they have looked for more punch at inside centre and outside centres who can make a break on the outside and time the pass. Up stepped Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Richard Kahui. The list of 'finds' sounds almost banal, but it all fits a plan. A plan to develop a style of play and a depth of playing talent that is best adapted to the game as it will be played in 2008 and beyond.

Compare this to what England has done since their over-achieving second place at the 2007 World Cup. The Six Nations came too quickly to do much more than compete as best as possible so the tour to New Zealand became the place to start the rebuilding, to find new quality players and to establish a style which suited the new players. The England rugby team that flies home has comprehensively wasted the opportunity they had in New Zealand to begin the rebuilding process.

On this tour England have achieved pretty much exactly nothing. It may be that, absent a few injured, the best players in the game in England came to New Zealand. Supporters of the men in white should hope not. There wasn't much genuine talent on show. The inside backs are pedestrian, the midfield can't tackle and outside backs don't do much thinking. The forwards continue to have a powerful physical approach at the lineout and at the breakdown  if they are going forward. They are hopelessly lost when they have to regroup going backwards.

England were only ever in the game if it was played at their pace, which is slow. Lumbering from set piece to close-in tackle to a weak drive one-off the ruck is the limit of their effectiveness. Being big has its advantages in rugby-life but even that can be wasted. And sadly none of this is any different from the England we have seen for many years. It hasn't been enough to win in the past and it won't be in the future. Same old wallowing hippo. Same result: lost the latest Test series 2-0; never looked like it.

In the second Test, surrendered meekly 44-12, England lacked intensity and conviction. They gave it a go for 15 minutes in the first Test in Auckland and then it all got a bit hard. From the first minute in this Test they looked lost. No clear game plan and no ability to counterpunch.

So let's not get carried away with beating England.

The list of positives for New Zealand from this series is long: two good wins and the emergence of a new front row, Brad Thorn and two new promising backrowers, Adam Thomson and Jerome Kaino, a new midfield and more depth virtually everywhere. However, perhaps because England didn't provide any real competition, the lack of concentration and killer-instinct, remains troubling. This team clearly does not revel in putting other teams to the sword. Rather they enjoy playing with a little more looseness and less pressure. They like to try a few things and take a few risks. It often results in unstructured periods of play and gift points to the opposition.

I wonder what this tells us about the mental strength of the team? Do they relax and loosen up out of relief that they can afford to? If so this is a worry. The best teams know that when the going gets easy  when the opposition are caving  that is the time to show your mental toughness and concentration and go harder still. Truly, when the going gets easy, the tough get going.

* David Kirk was captain of the 1987 World Cup-winning All Blacks and is the CEO of Farifax Media