Ollie Ritchie: All Blacks' Melbourne victory best this year, so what does Ian Foster do now?

OPINION: No one must be sleeping better than Ian Foster right now. 

His team couldn't be riding higher, and everything the All Blacks touch is turning to gold. 

They have the perfect blend of physical, bruising forwards and electric, ambitious backs. 

In a year where it's more important than ever that things click early, everything is falling into place for the All Blacks. 

The All Blacks celebrate against the Wallabies in Melbourne.
The All Blacks celebrate against the Wallabies in Melbourne. Photo credit: Getty Images

They delivered a Bledisloe clinic in Melbourne, but not in the way they pounded the Pumas and scorched the Springboks.  

The All Blacks met their match in the first half hour, as the Wallabies matched them for effort and starved them of opportunities.

They were tested, shut down when they got inside the Wallabies 22, forced to go to plans B and C, and then back to Plan A. 

But there was no sign of panic from the All Blacks, merely composure and patience. Their leaders stepped up. Ardie Savea knew the way to eventually break the Wallabies down. 

Even Foster admitted by the time they regrouped in the sheds at half time, his pep talk was somewhat unnecessary. His leadership group had figured it out.

And once they did, they piled on the pain. 

Codie Taylor finally broke through to get the All Blacks clicking. They were soaring when Will Jordan went over on halftime.

You got the feeling that was game over, even though the All Blacks were only ahead by 12 at halftime.

They'd withstood the Wallabies' pressure, overcome their spirited defence, and finally wrenched the floodgates open. And boy did they open. 

Ian Foster.
Ian Foster. Photo credit: Getty Images

Their attacking ambition came to the fore and they sunk the Wallabies in front of nearly 84 thousand at the MCG. 

How to get the most out of his bench has been an area of concern through the first two tests. Not in Melbourne though. 

Withstanding the first-half pressure allowed the All Blacks to break the game open in the second. Their bench was brilliant, at long last Foster got the impact he badly wanted.

Foster appears to have settled on about 95 percent of his strongest 23. There remain questions to be answered, but they're good questions to have. 

What form does his locking trio take? Who will provide the loose forward cover? Who is backing up Aaron Smith? What shape does his other two reserve backs take?

All good questions to be asking with just two tests before the World Cup kicks off in Paris, because Foster has players leaping at those chances left right and centre.

After two weeks at tackle school, Anton Lienert-Brown returned with one of the best bench performances of the year. 

Cam Roigard showed he can have a major influence on the game from halfback, Caleb Clarke was just as destructive. 

Damian McKenzie is almost certain to play in Dunedin, and Foster's first choice 23 must have his name on the team sheet somewhere. 

Foster can experiment as much as he likes now, his final test on home soil. He's earned the right to after three comprehensive victories.

There'd likely be nothing sweeter than closing the New Zealand chapter on his All Blacks tenure with one final, dominant win at home before the ultimate test in France in just over a month. 

Boy, do the All Blacks look ready for that.  

Ollie Ritchie is Newshub's rugby reporter