The All Blacks blanked Scotland to brutal effect in a one-sided, exhausting match, confirming themselves as Pool C winners.

With both sides picking a weak starting 15, the meaning of this game was difficult to assess.

Scotland would have won Pool C and faced Pool D's second best team if they had picked up the five points. Instead they made 13 changes, hanging the white flag out of the dressing room before a ball had been kicked.

The fact is that a full strength Scottish side would have made this game decidedly tight. New Zealand, who have the squad to make 12 changes without looking much weaker, were beatable.

This game will thrill players and fans of the other top nations as, for the first time in months if not years, the best team in the World Cup were found out.

Their kicking was poor, the passing and handling average, while their awareness of players and opportunities was limited at best.

Thanks to the weak Scottish side these shortcomings didn't matter. Their scrum was heavier and better than Scotland's, while the lineout was almost perfect.

These two traits alone were more than good enough to walk through the Scots at their home in Murrayfield, Edinburgh.

Exactly 20 points in each half suggests a consistently dominant game, but in fact the difference between the two halves was stark.

New Zealand were 12 points up after 15 minutes, Richie McCaw powering and Doug Howlett flying over for two tries.

With the replacement of the disappointing Chris Paterson by Dan Parks, Scotland began some moments of pressure themselves. Just as a home try began to loom large, the All Blacks scored a third.

Chris Masoe combined pace with his obvious power to draw three defenders in before laying a pass off for Byron Kelleher to score.

It was all about the scrum for the first 20 minutes of the second half, as New Zealand looked to plough the Scots into submission.

This tactic, which gave them a monopoly on possession, also revealed their problems.

A scrum in itself doesn't score points yet time and again the All Blacks turned to the tactic without any success in the post-scrum action.

There was apparently no alternative until, in the last 20 minutes, the Scots tired and gaps appeared.

Ali Williams and Carter both produced quality tries of power and pace, though both were a result of Scottish errors.

Howlett rounded off the scoring five minutes from time but, despite their domination, it only added a pretty face to an ugly performance.