'Suddenly indispensable': Five takeaways from the All Blacks' win over Scotland

A test of ups (a seven-try victory, a 121-year unbeaten streak against Scotland kept intact, a remarkable scrum performance) and downs (two first-half yellow cards, too many missed tackles) for the All Blacks in Edinburgh revealed several things about Dave Rennie's men.Patrick McKendry ticks off five takeaways.AdaptabilityA year ago at Murrayfield the All Blacks were in control against Scotland (with a 17-0 lead) but gave up three yellow cards through their serial ill-discipline and nearly imploded.It was symptomatic of many of their performances under former head coach Scott Robertson; for whatever reason, they just could not change their approach to counter what their opponents were doing or how the officials were ruling.This All Blacks team under Dave Rennie and his fellow coaches is different. They were remarkably disciplined in the first quarter on Sunday but quickly fell foul of referee Andrew Brace because of the way they attacked the breakdown when under pressure.First, Peter Lakai, and then fellow loose forward Wallace Sititi were sent to the sinbin. Funnily enough, the All Blacks conceded the first penalty after the break but were far more disciplined from then on.They were also far better defensively after several wobbles in the first half. Rennie said defence coach Tana Umaga gave a message to his players at halftime. It clearly resonated.The All Blacks also changed their kicking tactics - from long clearances to high "contestables". It was another key adaptation.Halfback Cam Roigard prepares to feed an All Blacks scrum at Murrayfield.Matt Impey/www.photosport.nzScrum powerThe scrummaging blowtorch applied by the Springboks in South Africa has benefited the All Blacks by forcing them into a little introspection.They were far too strong in this area for the Scots and the picture of almost complete dominance was an ideal one to paint in the first of four tests in the United Kingdom on this tour.Strangely, there was only one scrum in the first half at Murrayfield - and it was beyond the half hour mark when Lakai was in the bin.Only metres from their tryline and with midfielder Quinn Tupaea packing down on the side to make up numbers, the All Blacks demolished the Scots and won a penalty - a near perfect result for the pack and their coach Jason Ryan.Fabian Holland leaps to claim a lineout against Scotland.Matt Impey/www.photosport.nzPack mentality (first quarter and second half, anyway)It's a big call but the argument can be made that there are now more demands on the All Blacks forwards than ever before.Beyond all of their core set piece ball-winning roles they must also shift opposition bodies at the breakdown and these days provide key attacking links for the backline.In the first quarter against Scotland all eight members of the pack provided the right mix of brutality and attacking beauty which helped set the tone for the test. It's difficult to remember them making a handling error in that time - another reason for the lack of scrums.They got it wrong towards the end of the half, and Lakai and Sititi paid the price. There is also the matter of Scotland's driving maul success, with opposition hooker Ewan Ashman scoring two of his three tries in this area.It's a difficult one to analyse, though, because the modern-day lineout drive is so difficult to counter legally the attacking team holds virtually all the cards.The All Blacks also had success here. There is no doubt defending it more consistently remains an area of improvement, however.Scott Barrett, right, with brother Jordie, after the All Blacks' win over Australia in Sydney recently.David Neilson / www.photosport.nz'Prince of Darkness' Scott BarrettBarrett's form over the past three tests, including his 80-minute performance against Scotland, was a reminder of what the All Blacks missed in South Africa.Since his return from back surgery and unencumbered by the captaincy, Rennie's pack suddenly looks a little more ruthless. Barrett's power and will to win every contest is also a big reason why the scrum suddenly looks better.Rennie likes his forwards to have a "dark side". In Barrett he has the Prince of Darkness and a very capable offsider in the form of Fabian Holland.Fullback Beauden Barrett kicks to a teammate during the All Blacks' win against Scotland.Matt Impey/www.photosport.nzBB is still a gunHe couldn't win a place in the match-day squad for the first six tests of the year and appeared to be sliding out of contention for next year's World Cup squad but suddenly Beauden Barrett is back and as good as ever.He played his 148th test on Sunday - drawing level with the great Richie McCaw with only Sam Whitelock (153 tests) ahead of him.He also scored his 49th and 50th test tries, pulled the strings at the back with calm authority and afterwards spoke movingly about the difficulty of preparing for the match in the days after security chief Logan Cadwallader's passing.Barrett suddenly appears indispensable again.Rennie: "I know there are people out there who think he's past it but he's in an environment here where we really value his experience. He's a true professional."Everyone wants to play but even when he's not playing and he's hurting he's doing everything he can to help others and prepare the team well."What we were confident of was when he got his opportunity he'd front."