New Zealand coach Graham Henry lauded his side after their 45-7 demolition of Ireland at Lansdowne Road. "The guys played superbly. The game fulfilled our strategy of as many guys as possible getting a game," said the All Blacks chief.
Henry's only disappointment during the game was Ma'a Nonu's tackle on Gordon D'Arcy which brought back memories of Brian O'Driscoll's Lions tour injury.
"I'm sure it wasn't intentional but we need to talk about it," said Henry.
The All Blacks coach acknowledged that the performance leaves him with a few selection headaches for next weekend's game against England.
"But the strategy for this tour is to develop players and this opportunity is great," he said.
 |  Preparation is everything and they showed that on the field today |
"This group of players prepared superbly for this game over the last two weeks.
"Their preparation was as good as I've ever seen from an international side. Preparation is everything and they showed that on the field today."
Henry added that he had sympathy for the outclassed Irish.
"They hung in there, showed a lot of tenacity and scored a try at the end," he said. "They were back in defence very often and we feel for them."
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw insisted his side were made to work hard by Ireland despite the scoreline.
| We will rest up tonight and then focus on England |
"It wasn't easy out there," said the All Blacks skipper. "It was a tough battle and there was a lot of passion from both teams.
"Our team played pretty well, we put them under pressure and scored points when we needed to.
"The boys are coming off feel like they've been in a game."
McCaw was reluctant to comment on Nonu's second half tackle on D'Arcy - preferring instead to look ahead to next Saturday's game against England.
"We will rest up tonight and then focus on England," he added. "It's going to be another tough one.
"It will be a big challenge, Twickenham always is, but we're looking forward to it."
MMIX
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