The All Blacks managed to hold on for a narrow eight-point 31-23 win against a resurgent French team in their one-off Test at the Jade Stadium in Christchurch.
It was a match full of excitement and some really high quality rugby, which produced five sparkling tries. In the end it was a hat-trick by winger Joe Rokocoko that sealed the win for the Kiwis.
But it will be the French, far more so than the All Blacks, who will take most of the positives out of this match, with the Kiwis made to work very hard for the win.
In the end they showed good character to hold on, especially in the last 10 minutes, when they were reduced to 14 men after captain Reuben Thorne was yellow-carded for punching an opponent.
But the French showed that they should not be written off as World Cup prospects, after producing a spirited and sometimes very entertaining display against the highly-rated All Blacks.
What makes the French performance so noteworthy is that it follows their two-match series whitewash against Argentina, which ended in a heart-breaking 33-32 defeat in Buenos Aires last week.
But in Christchurch on Saturday they resembled the French one had come to expect over the years -- efficient and almost dominant up front, and very creative in the backline.
In fact they showed up some serious flaws in the Kiwi pack, often putting them under pressure in the scrums and stealing more than just a handful of line-outs on the All Blacks' throw.
As for the New Zealanders, they showed just how dangerous they can be when they get quick ball out wide. With flyers like fullback Mils Muliaina, wing Doug Howlett and in particular Rokocoko, they have one of fastest back threes in the world.
Unfortunately, and this was particularly true in the second half, the Kiwis did not always managed to get the ball out wide quickly enough. Maybe the French defenders also deserve some credit here, even if they did give away a number of goalable penalties after the break.
The game opened at a frenetic pace, with the first passage of play lasting all of three minutes as referee André Watson played advantage on several occasions. It ended with a penalty to the French, from an All Black hand in the ruck. But fly-half Frédérick Michalak fluffed his penalty shot from 25 metres out.
The next passage of play also last well over two minutes, with the Kiwis eventually getting their hands on the ball and taking the ball to within three metres of the French tryline -- through 11 phases -- before they lost control.
The first points came in the seventh minute, when the French worked their way up-field and Michalak made amends for his earlier miss by slotting a well-timed drop-goal.
The Kiwis, despite not seeing much of the ball in the early stages, kept their composure and managed to start putting some phases together again.
Their first points came after 15 minutes, when winger Joe Rokocoko went over in the left corner. It started with a break in the midfield, at a ruck, by No.8 Jerry Collins. At the next ruck the ball came quickly, with Carlos Spencer off-loading brilliantly to Rokocoko. Daniel Carter added the conversion for a 7-3 lead.
It was another seven minutes before the All Blacks scored again, with Rokocoko there to finish off another fine move. It started at a line-out, with first five-eighth Carlos Spencer timing his inside pass to Rokocoko brilliantly. The French cover defence could not get to the All Blacks' flying Fijian and he scored his second five-pointer.
Carter's conversion made it 14-3.
Rokocoko completed his hat-trick in the 27th minute, at a time when it seemed the All Blacks would run away with the game. Carter made the initial midfield break, the Kiwis took it through a number of phases and then it went wide quickly where Rokocoko went over. Carter missed the conversion, but the score had moved to 19-3.
The French slowly started to fight their way back into the game, with Michalak kicking a penalty in the 31st minute, before Sylvain Marconnet went over for France's first try in the 38th minute.
It proved to be a crucial score, as the French won a line-out deep inside All Black territory, took it to the midfield where the ball went quickly through the hands, before a well-timed inside pass to Marconnet saw the prop going over under the posts. Michalak added the conversion to narrow the gap to 19-13 at the break.
Some of the most interesting statistics that came out of the first half is the low penalty-count, with referee André Watson needing to award only six penalties (two against France and four against the All Blacks). The referee's control of the match seemed far superior to some other performances by match officials in internationals this year.
Also the All Blacks had conceded their first try of the year, despite dominating possession -- a great compliment to the French.
The second half was probably not as exciting as the first, with mistakes starting to creep in as the players tired. Also, the French conceded a few more penalties -- five in this half -- which allowed Carter to slot penalties in the 56th, 60th, 64th and 79th minutes.
The last of those was very crucial, with the French having narrowed the gap to just five points -- 28-23.
Following the first three of Carter's second-half penalties, it was French centre Yannick Jauzion who scored his team's second try in the 70th minute. It came from a scrum and a midfield break. Gérald Merceron, who had come on as replacement for Michalak, added the conversion.
A long-range Damien Traille penalty in the 76th minute narrowed the gap to just five points, before Carter's final strike.
Man of the match: There is only one candidate, and a runaway winner. Joe Rokocoko's hat-trick seals it for him.
Moment of the match: Obviously anyone of Rokocoko's three tries would qualify, they were certainly of a high enough quality. But French prop Sylvain Marconnet's try in the 38th minute gets our award. Not only was it a crucial score, which brought the French back into striking-distance, but it showed how forwards should play -- not trying to be centres or wings, but taking the ball up hard at close quarters from great passes by backline players who can create.
Villain of the match: Just one candidate and the winner -- All Black captain Reuben Thorne, who was shown a yellow card in the 69th minute for a silly punch when his team was on the attack. It almost cost his team the game, with the French scoring 10 points and almost stealing a win.
The scorers:
For New Zealand:
Tries: Rokocoko 3
Cons: Carter 2
Pens: Carter 4
For France:
Tries: Jauzion, Marconnet
Cons: Michalak, Merceron
Pens: Traille, Michalak
Drop: Michalak
The teams:
New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Tana Umaga, 12 Daniel Carter, 11 Doug Howlett, 10 Carlos Spencer, 9 Steve Devine, 8 Jerry Collins, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 6 Richie McCaw, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Anton Oliver, 1 David Hewett
Reserves: Keven Mealamu, Marty Holah, Brad Thorn, Byron Kelleher, Kees Meeuws
Unused: Aaron Mauger, Caleb Ralph
France: 15 Clement Poitreneaud, 14 Aurelien Rougerie, 13 Damien Traille, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Fabien Galthie (c), 8 Elvis Vermeulen, 7 Patrick Tabacco, 6 Imanol Harinordoquy, 5 Jerome Thion, 4 Lionel Nallet, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Yannick Bru, 1 Sylvain Marconnet
Reserves: David Auradou, Pieter De Villiers, Gerald Merceron, Sebastien Chabal, Christian Labit
Unused: Jean-Baptiste Rue, Pepito Elhorga
Attendance: 36500
Referee: Watson a.
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