Just what the doctor ordered.
After a stuttering start to their season, the All Blacks delivered when it really mattered at Eden Park on Saturday night, taking the first bragging rights in the Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations.
It was not a pretty match, but very intense, and at times it looked as though the team without the ball had the advantage.
But the All Blacks came good as the game went on and made better use of the wind in the second half, after being down 13-10 at the break.
It really was an arm-wrestle of the highest order with teams fighting for territory and no quarter given at the breakdown.
The home side kept the pressure on in the second half and showed enough composure at the right time.
The All Blacks ground away at the Wallabies and limited the visiting team's chances in the second half, as they slowly gained the ascendancy.
The Wallabies could score from one penalty in the second stanza, as they failed to gather any momentum, while Stephen Donald knocked over four penalties in the final 40 minutes, finishing with six goals from eight attempts.
In swirling wind, the All Blacks' kicking game was much improved from the last effort against Italy - how could it not be? - as halfback Jimmy Cowan and his replacement Piri Weepu took the better options, and kept the ball in front of their forwards.
Cowan must like Eden Park in the black jersey, for the Highlanders skipper backed up his super effort last year against the Wallabies, by doing much the same on Saturday night.
Rodney So'oialo looked like he had never been away, showing he has lost none of his appetite for hitting rucks, while Jerome Kaino was not far behind.
Although it was not a classic Richie McCaw effort - too many obvious errors for that - he did the right things when it mattered.
Stephen Donald answered his critics, although there was the odd wonky kick.
Outside him, Ma'a Nonu was back to his hard-running best, though room in the backs was rarer than a free parking space in Dunedin.
Statistics said there was just one line break by each side in the match.
Centre Conrad Smith was rock solid and shaded his opposite Stirling Mortlock.
Best for the Wallabies was centurion openside flanker George Smith, while Nathan Sharpe won plenty of line-out ball.
But their backs threw a few poor passes, and were guilty of running across field too much.
They had started so well, but it was a case of peaking too soon.
The All Blacks took a while to find their feet and quickly found themselves10 points behind.
A couple of poor tackles got Wallabies fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper on the front foot and the ball was then moved to Berrick Barnes, who glided past two All Black defenders to score, with not even five minutes gone.
Matt Giteau then banged over a penalty, after the All Blacks were caught holding on to the ball in a ruck.
The home side was misfiring, throwing poor passes, not finding jumpers at line-out time, and failing to secure territory.
But it finally put some points on the board after 14 minutes, when Donald knocked over a penalty.
He was almost the criminal three minutes later when an ill-judged chip kick was pounced on by the Wallabies.
The ball ended up with Barnes but he made a botch of in-passing to Smith, who dropped the ball with the line at his mercy.
Giteau then knocked over a second penalty.
But the home side finally strung some phases together and started to press.
So'oialo nearly went over and Donald was dumped after a gap very quickly closed.
But eventually the defence broke.
Centre Smith smoked through a couple of Wallaby tackles and freed his arms to pass to his skipper, who went across.
Donald made a break right on the half-time hooter, but his in-pass to Cory Jane was intercepted with no-one in front of the Wellington flier.
