A day after the All Blacks squeezed past England by the narrowest of margins, new head coach Scott Robertson has a list of issues he will raise with the match officials, including how his side can better take advantage of their dominant scrum and, more to the point, how the game can be sped up.

With England prop Joe Marler limping off with a foot injury in the first half which will likely rule him out of the second Test at Eden Park next Saturday, the All Blacks targeted the tourist’s set piece in Dunedin.

It was a big factor in allowing them to get across the line 16-15 after they were down 10-15 just after halftime.

But while virtually everyone in the stadium could see the All Blacks were dominant there and deserved more penalties, referee Nika Amashukeli was a dissenting voice.

One of his more controversial decisions – apart from “timing out” Damian McKenzie’s late penalty kick for goal – was to penalise the All Blacks’ scrum just after the break for “not staying straight” despite the fact they had the English pack in reverse.

Fortunately for the home side, Marcus Smith missed the straightforward kick. He missed three in total.

Just as noticeable was the All Blacks’ superior fitness in comparison with England, despite the English having played Japan in Tokyo recently.

The number of players struggling to get back onside was staggering, along with the apparently convenient injury breaks that allowed them to catch their collective breath.

It's not a new tactic or complaint; the All Blacks have traditionally been at their best when they play quickly and stretch their opponents, many of whom seek to slow things down through fair means or foul.

“All of those things around officiating we’ll do privately,” Robertson said of his thoughts about the match officials.

“It’s a game of respect, rugby.”

However, he did give an indication about where his concerns lay. “We’ve got some questions,” he said. “We’d like to have a look at timing, speed, ball in play [time] and getting along for the next lineout or whatever it is.

“Our game wants to be sped up doesn’t it? We’re in the entertainment game but also in the safety game so we have to get the balance right. We want to keep moving.”

Minutes after Robertson’s address to the media at the team hotel, the large All Blacks’ roadshow was on the move to Auckland where they will attempt to protect an extraordinary record which stands at 30 years without defeat at Eden Park.

The man known as Razor said his team’s preparation would dictate how they would perform next Saturday – rather than any apparent hoodoo for opposition teams.

And there is little doubt they will be better for the run.

“I’m really proud of the group and how they thought on their feet and made good decisions. They found a way to win that. We’ll be better for it. A lot of players got some time under their belts. A lot of guys hadn’t played for a while. We embedded a lot during the week and now we can just get into it.

Halfback TJ Perenara may be a casualty after his left knee was hyper-extended in a breakdown late in the first half. Perenara, back from a bad Achilles injury which has kept him out of Tests since late 2022, battled on but was replaced by Finlay Christie at halftime.

“If you ask TJ, he’s great, he’s woken up in awesome condition but we’ll scan him this afternoon. I hope it’s one of those that looks worse than it actually is. We’ll know more tomorrow morning but we’ve got plans in place if he’s not right.”

Those plans will include potentially bringing in another halfback to cover for Christie, who was tidy and efficient, and back-up Cortez Ratima.

The All Blacks had no other injury concerns.

Apart from the scrum, and the All Blacks’ discipline – which was far better than England’s especially in the second half – the home side enjoyed highlights via the performances of fullback Stephen Perofeta, wing Sevu Reece and loose forward Ardie Savea.

Savea, back from a Japan sabbatical, won several crucial turnovers in the big moments. The world player of the year continues to impress with his consistency and resilience.

“His professionalism has been incredible – around the vice captaincy too,” Robertson said of Savea. “He stood up and got a couple of great turnovers and did a couple of tough carries off slow ball. He stood up.”

What else did Robertson learn about Test rugby?

“It can swing pretty quickly. We played some great football. I thought the opportunities that we created in the first have we didn’t convert to put scoreboard pressure on. They started the second half really well and, bang, the game changes really quickly.

“They kept us on the back fence and we were playing in our garden for a long time and then when we had a couple of opportunities the leaders stood up so I was really pleased that they found a way.

“We’ll be Test match aware. We’ve got to refine a few things. Our job as coaches is to simplify things to allow everyone to think fast – that’s where we are at our best.”

As for McKenzie’s disallowed kick, Robertson said: “There were some fine margins. We’ll give that one to the ref.”