All Blacks captain Sam Cane and coach Ian Foster have sent a warning to the rugby world after claiming a record-breaking win over the Wallabies to retain the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday night.
Cane's side romped to a 43-5 win at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, and the 38-point losing margin made it the Wallabies' worst loss to New Zealand in the Bledisloe Cup's 117-year history.
The win also saw the All Blacks lock away the Bledisloe Cup for the 18th straight season, as New Zealand got off to a perfect start in what was also the Tri-Nations opener.
Just three weeks ago, the All Blacks were heavily criticised after drawing the opening Bledisloe test in Wellington, and while they went on to win the second match in Auckland, people were still not convinced.
But Saturday's win has silenced the critics, and Cane is confident the All Blacks are only going to get better.
"It's a pretty happy changing-room in there at the moment," says Cane. "We'll enjoy tonight, and all the hard work that's gone into getting us here, then decompress tomorrow, and we go again for next week.
"I'm pretty excited about where this team can go because I think we've improved steadily every week.
"It feels like we've improved every single week."
Coach Ian Foster agreed with the captain's assessment.
"Sometimes when you get out early you can loosen up a lot but I thought in that second quarter we stuck to what was working," says Foster. "We saw space and we took it.
"We're building something here."
Foster added that he was very "satisfied" with the All Blacks' win and despite the one-sided scoreline, he is adamant the Wallabies are still tough opponents.
"We're ecstatic and they'll be dejected. It's a mark of respect.
"We saw in Wellington a really, really tough Wallabies team; we saw that at Eden Park too, and we saw it again today but it probably wasn't long enough for their liking.
"The only reason you really enjoy winning a trophy like this is if you've got the fear factor for the opposition, and we legitimately have that."
The final Bledisloe Cup test takes place next weekend at Suncorp Stadium and the All Blacks will likely welcome back Ardie Savea, who missed the match on parental leave after his wife gave birth to the couple's second child late last month.
Join us net Saturday for live updates of the fourth Bledisloe Cup test between the All Blacks and Wallabies
