All Black flanker Chris Masoe crosses for a first half five pointer against Romania.
The phoney war is finally over. The All Blacks mercifully played their final Rugby World Cup pool match beating a plucky Romania 85-8 in Toulouse this morning.

And now, at long last, after four years of prologue, a cup quarterfinal, probably against France, beckons.

Cardiff's Millennium Stadium will be the scene of their hour of reckoning.

What the All Blacks needed was a tough hit out before the sudden death phase of the tournament arrives.

Several All Blacks in line to play next week's match came off the bench gaining some precious game time.

Richie McCaw made a solid impact and more importantly walked of Stadium Toulouse with all his limbs intact.

But Romania was an unsatisfying sort of preamble to France to end a week like no other in recent All Black history.

Just a few days before taking on Romania the All Blacks went on holiday in exotic locales like Monaco and brushed up for the match with just a couple of training runs. The team's vacation was designed to revitalise the squad ? all 53 of them.

So when Chris Masoe dropped the kick-off (backwards) inevitably there were a few raised eyebrows on the press benches.

However, just 40 seconds later Sitiveni Sivivatu scored the opening try.

Chris Masoe and Joe Rokocoko added their names to the score sheet within the quarter hour and by half time Nick Evans, Sivivatu and Aaron Mauger had done the same.

If France had sent along any spies to watch the All Blacks in the flesh, as they inevitably would have, they would have learned little and may have even been tempted to leave at halftime. Romania was physically up to the challenge but the All Blacks were on a different plane in terms of skill level.

It was tempting to let the mind wonder to next week and consider whether any performance would make Henry pause for thought when he meets with his fellow selectors to pick his team to play in their first playoff.

Rokocoko chalked up a hat-trick in the second spell muddying the waters on exactly which of the two Fijian speedsters will join Doug Howlett on the wing.

Keith Robinson came through the match unscathed and turned in a tidy display but nothing of the sort to cause Henry to rethink his locking selections for next week. The inform Ali Williams and Chris Jack have the four and five jerseys stitched up.

Richie McCaw, Jerry Collins and Rodney So'oialo have done the same in the loose forwards. The front row is less conclusive. Tony Woodcock and Carl Hayman will bookend either Anton Oliver or Keven Mealamu. The Auckland hooker was in good touch against the Romanian and will have done his chances of making a late grab for a starting position absolutely no harm.

Andrew Ellis was in good attacking form this morning but Byron Kelleher and Dan Carter will play in the halves. Interestingly, Carter strolled on Stadium Toulouse before kick-off while his team-mate warmed up and looked fit enough.

Aaron Mauger probably had the most out of anyone to play for. He and Luke McAlister are locked in a fascinating battle for the No 12 jersey. Ironically, McAlister played inside him this morning leading one journalist to note he'd be loath to pass Mauger the ball. However, the pair formed a reasonably partnership meaning there is hope if Carter's injury is more serious than we have been led to believe.

Either Mils Muliaina or Conrad Smith will wear the 13 jersey with Leon MacDonald slotting into a back three of Doug Howlett, Sivivatu or Rokocoko. Sivivatu had a much improved match against Romania while Rokocoko was also in good nick. Henry still has much to muse.

While the All Blacks need to make improvements before they can claim to be nearing peak form, the same can't be said of their off-the-field performance. The team has run a flawless public relations campaign while in France which has won the locals over.

They have included a smattering of local players at training sessions, attended endless promotional campaigns to satisfy the needs of their sponsors and have set an unofficial record for the number of autographs signed. Everywhere the team goes the fans are sure to follow, and despite all the suffocating attention they have conducted themselves as models of decorum which was illustrated again in a small but typical gesture in the aftermath of this morning's match.

Each match at the cup is effectively run by an army of volunteers who do all the humdrum jobs such as helping ticket holders to their seats to searching bags as fans enter the ground.

There's a small army of them and they congregate together after the match in what's called the volunteer centre. The All Blacks sent three members of the team to the centre after playing Romania and thanked them for making the matches they have played in run smoothly.

It was a small gesture, one that won't win them a world cup, but has won the team many fans here in France and symbolic of their attention to detail while at this tournament. No stone has been left unturned. The team even mucks out their own dressing shed before hopping on the team bus back to their hotel. Class.

New Zealand 85 (Joe Rokocoko 3, Sitiveni Sivivatu 2, Nick Evans 2, Isaia Toeava 2, Chris Masoe, Aaron Mauger, Andrew Hore, Doug Howlett tries; Luke McAlister 4 con, Evans 6 con).

Romania 8 (Marius Tincu try; Florin Vlaicu).

Halftime: 36-5.
NZPA