Graham Henry made the comment before Saturday's Tri-Nations decider that victory would only mean the knives wouldn't be as sharp on his return to New Zealand. But the reality is it's pats, not sharp instruments, that will be peppering the back of the All Blacks coach this week.

Credit where it's due. Henry got it right - even if it took him a little while - in 2008, and his new-look All Blacks stepped up to the mark when they had to and won their ninth Tri-Nations title in resounding fashion. Those of us who were lucky enough to be at Suncorp on Saturday night will long remember the occasion as the New Zealanders produced a withering second-half scoring burst in as good a rugby atmosphere as this writer has experienced.

At 7-17 early in the second spell, the Wallabies seemingly with an iron grip on the game, and the Dingo on the verge of stealing our trophies, it was gut-check time for these All Blacks.

Just how would they respond, this band of men who are a mix of the tried and trusted and the new wave of talent? Well, bloody well, it turned out. They manned up, finally, to take back ownership of the breakdown, blitzed the Wallabies with three crisply taken tries and before you could say, "Make mine a XXXX, mate", the All Blacks had it in the bag.

It was heartening stuff, indeed. The big gamers, like McCaw, Carter, So'oialo and Muliaina, all stepped up, but so too did the role players, the subs and the greenhorns. For a half-hour it was the sort of quality rugby that wins defining matches on the road.

The conundrum is how much to credit the coaches, and how much the players who after all were the ones who went out and got the job done? Bit of both, I reckon.

First the coaches. What were the big changes Henry made in 2008?

Well, he ditched rotation, for starters, something his critics have been demanding for some time. It was probably done out of necessity, for depth is not one of the attributes of this All Blacks squad, but nevertheless Henry was smart enough to know that, for whatever reason, it was a selection policy best shelved. For good, hopefully.

(Just as an aside let's not confuse rotation with judicious resting of key. Over the next few seasons McCaw, for example, should not be required to play every. To do so would be madness. For example, why play him against Scotland on the Grand Slam tour? There must be some thought given to preservation of certain valuable resources.)

Plus Henry didn't go for the "less is best" principle this year. Another lesson he seems to have learned. Gone was the cotton wool that he wrapped his players in for much of 2007, and instead we had the glorious proposition of the All Blacks coach actually adding a match into the fixture list because he wanted his men playing more, not less, rugby.

On the selection front there was some improvement too from the three "wise" men in '08.

For starters they finally showed an ability, albeit reluctantly, to admit when they got things wrong. Steve Hansen seemed smitten with the concept that switching Rodney So'oialo and Jerome Kaino from their specialist positions would be a master stroke. It was not.

But at least he was big enough to finally admit defeat on that one and return So'oialo to 8 and Kaino to 6. From then on it was the All Black trio operating as we know they can.

Likewise with the lead-in to the Sydney test when the All Blacks only flew in on the Thursday and played like spectators. For the finale they set up camp on Sunday and had the whole week to get into 'Battle of Brisbane' mode.

It was also an inspired call to move Richard Kahui to the right wing, and a gutsy one to pick Andrew Hore for starting duty over the more explosive Keven Mealamu.

There were also helped in a couple of their key selections. When Andy Ellis went down injured in the Sydney defeat it opened the way for Jimmy Cowan and Piri Weepu to step in at halfback, and though some will claim it should be the other way round, these two demonstrated palpably they're the two best No 9s in the Kiwi game right now.

Leon MacDonald's possible career-ending head problems also meant Mils Muliaina was left alone at fullback. Again, possibly only through injury, but it's no coincidence that the guy produces his best rugby when he's let be in the No 15 jersey.

The problem midfield was settled, and this too paid dividends for the All Blacks through the Tri-Nations.

Then there were the coaching adjustments made. By their own admission the coaches were off the pace through the first three rounds when they lost twice and were embarrassed by the Wallabies in Sydney.

The excuse was they'd never coached under the ELVs, but to their credit they copped it on the chin and made the necessary adjustments. It was a different All Blacks team for the last three tests of the season, though the return of Richie McCaw also played no small part in that.

But adjustments continued to be made. The All Black lineout went to another level over the second half of the competition; the tactical game had some major corrections made post-Sydney; and at halftime on Saturday night a serious tune-up from the coaches saw the All Blacks rediscover the physical fury they needed to quell the Wallabies.

To the players. Most can reflect on pretty satisfactory campaigns, though at this juncture it's worth contemplating the lack of depth at lock, No 7, and at second five. And a certain rawness on the wing.

Finding a backup for McCaw should be a priority, plus bringing through another legitimate test quality lock. Someone beefy and tough like Brad Thorn would be good.

McCaw and Carter remain the backbone of this team, their ability to influence matches nonpareil. They are national treasures, make no mistake, and arguably the best two players in the world. (Ranking one above the other is a whole other debate.)

But these All Blacks are far from a two-man band. So'oialo, Tony Woodcock, Ali Williams and Mils Muliaina are now cornerstone All Blacks as well. The prop, with those three dazzling tries against Australia, has taken his game to another level in '08.

The role players know their stuff too. Hore, Greg Somerville, Brad Thorn, Jerome Kaino and Kahui all did what was required. Efficiently. Impressively.

Cowan finally got a run, and didn't disappoint, though Weepu still appeals as a more heady option, while Ma'a Nonu, one of four ever-presents through '08, made a decent fist of the problem second-five spot and, more importantly, settled into a strong combination with the much under-rated Conrad Smith.

All told, much to be enthused about. There are still improvements to be made, but given that half Henry's squad were new to this stuff, it's been a season to appease even the staunchest critic.

As a result All Blacks dominate my competition All-Star lineup. I had problems coming up with a standout on the right wing, so gave Kahui the nod over Peter Hynes, and Cowan gets halfback pretty much by default. Nonu and Smith also pushed hard in midfield, but the class of de Villiers and Nortlock told for me. Up front Matfield is my second lock, just shading Thorn, while Bok powerhouse CJ van der Linde breaks the NZ front-row dominance, as does Elsom in the back row.