All Blacks Defeat France 14-10

(Photo by Hannah Johnston/Getty Images)

That side from mid 1990 to 1996 only lost one Southern test match, beating the Wallabies, Springboks, All Blacks twice, and the Puma’s on four occasions.

Since then, they have won only seven of 27 matches.

We ask the North, why would you not want to send a full strength team to the most taxing battlegrounds of world rugby?

One hopes, for the sake of early season All Black and Wallaby comparisons, that the same intense Les Bleus arrive at Stadium Australia. If they do, Robbie Deans convalescing Australian test team will receive a concentrated exam on their new abilities.

The All Blacks went into half time 8-0 ahead, courtesy of a well built try from Ma’a Nonu.

One felt they could have been further ahead, but these were conditions where the scores were only built by a moment of brilliance.

Unfortunately for the All Blacks, that genius would occur after the break.

The required patience seemed to temporarily desert the home team; with a magical try from Cedric Heymans, bringing the French back into the match, and in one move of sorcery, undid almost all of the hard work that the All Blacks had done for 40 minutes prior.

The Toulouse veteran danced his way down the touchline, and despite the cover defence of Mils Muliaina, Jimmy Cowan and Joe Rokocoko, he scored in the corner, easily the try of the midyear internationals so far.

The All Blacks came back into the match though, but despite the improved performance, there were still struggles in their tactical control of the match.

While Stephen Donald had a stellar season with the Chiefs, there is still much it seems to be learnt by the young Waikato No. 10.

One wonders, are the weaknesses in his game only so apparent for the stunning heights that Dan Carter had set before him?

As the match wore on, the close score line belied the supremacy of the All Blacks team, much as the reverse had applied in Carisbrook for the French.

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