New Zealand coach Graham Henry said his side's 76-14 destruction of Italy in their opening World Cup Pool C match on Saturday vindicated his decision not to schedule any warmup matches after the Tri-Nations.

"We got a lot out of the game, more than the scoreline indicated and it proved that we were right not to overdo it before coming here," Henry (pictured) told a news conference.

The All Blacks lived up to their tag as tournament favourites with a whirlwind start at a sun-drenched Stade Velodrome, racing into a 38-0 lead after just 19 minutes against an overawed Italian side.

"The decision making in the first 30 minutes was precise and the guys played pretty well," said Henry. "We got a little untidy in the set-piece as the game wore on, but in general we were very pleased.

"We had a lot of respect for Italy because they've improved immensely since joining the Six Nations. Our guys had a purple patch at the start, but they came back well, hung on in and got a couple of tries, they could have got another one too."

Henry agreed that with straightforward-looking pool games against Portugal, Scotland and Romania to come there was a danger that his team might not be fully stretched before the quarter-finals.

"It's something we need to consider. I hope the Scots will field a strong team against us and will give us a pretty good game.

"Portugal and Romania will want to play the All Blacks and it will be a good experience for them. We'll think through what is our best policy for those games and we will show some sensitivity, but not a huge amount."

STEP UP

Skipper Richie McCaw, who weighed in with two of his side's 11 tries, said the performance was a step up from their game when they won the Tri-Nations in July.

"Early in the game we were pretty precise and accurate and took every opportunity and perhaps we didn't do that in the Tri-Nations," he said. "The first half was one of the better halves we've played this year."

Italy coach Pierre Berbizier said there had been a gulf in class between the two teams.

"There was a difference between a great All Black team that knew how to get straight into the competition and an Italy team that discovered the level needed to play here," he said.

"At no point were we really in the game. They exploited our weaknesses and that's how good teams play. It was a great experience but it showed our shortcomings."

Italy skipper Marco Bortolami agreed and said his side had been overawed by their opponents.

"It was clear there was a mental problem," he said. "Our play was too passive. You are never afraid on a rugby pitch, but maybe we showed New Zealand too much respect."

Reuters