Funny, isn't it? In a tour all about perfection, the All Blacks are now fresh off arguably their most imperfect performance of the year.



As is the way with these things, much hand-wringing and navel-gazing has ensued after a distinctly fallible display at Stade de France. We like it that our All Blacks win with almost indecent frequency, but we're never that happy when there isn't a dash of verve and style about the performance. We like to have our cake and eat it too.



Of course that's our right as inhabitants of the foremost rugby nation on the planet. Like the Brazilians in football and the Americans in basketball, it's never enough just to win. There has to be elegance with the dominance. Some beauty to go with the beastly.



There was very little of that on Saturday night in the glorious city of Paris, as the All Blacks were far more artisans than artistes, dispatching the French 26-19 with, really, not a lot to spare. It was a ragged performance - rusty, patchy, scratchy ... in short, pretty bloody ordinary.



So eyebrows are raised around New Zealand. Sure, young Charles Piutau was spectacular. But Richie McCaw was not dominant. Neither was Dan Carter, though his 52 minutes were tidy enough, all things considered. His goalkicking alone is worth his inclusion in a tight contest like this was.



Others we expect more from found it a difficult night. Owen Franks appeared off the mark at scrum time, Sam Whitelock failed to impact the game as he does so often, Aaron Smith's kicking was a little awry and Ma'a Nonu, after his early scything run, found his avenues as crowded as the Metro that carried me to the stadium. Even Ben Smith, who seemingly can do no wrong in 2013, could not summon the magic this night, though his kick for Piutau's try was a decisive touch of class.



In any other country these shortcomings would be glossed over for the simple reason that the team won. In test rugby, as Vince Lombardi would attest, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.



But in New Zealand we measure the All Blacks with a pretty tough marker. We have to, really, otherwise there would be little to pore over given that these guys win around 90 per cent of their matches these days.



Since Steve Hansen assumed control, the world champions have lost just once in 25 test matches. Inhale that for a second, it's some high.



Of course they've won all 12 tests for the year, and are now a tantalising two away from professional rugby's first perfect year. Since the end of the 20111 Tri Nations they have now won 31 of their 33 internationals, with a draw in that run.



I accept that these guys have to be held to high standards. After covering close to 200 tests, I do it myself. It's never enough just to win when you're an All Black, with the obvious exception of a World Cup final when it's perfectly fine, as we all discovered a couple of years back.



Don't worry, the All Blacks are their own harshest critics. They were joyous in Johannesburg when they won the test of the millennium; but there were no cartwheels being turned in Paris. They knew it was a performance that will not cut the English mustard this week.



One other thing: Sometimes the other team has to be factored into the equation, which is not a strength of most New Zealanders' post-test evaluation.



The French turned up to play big time. They still lack the skill and execution to nail the big wins, but not the strength, athleticism or commitment. They played a pretty good test, and still weren't good enough.



Besides, maybe it was just the result the All Blacks needed heading to London. The revenge factor is pretty serious motivation this week, after they were so spectacularly defeated at Twickenham last year, but there's nothing like a flat performance to help fine-tune the game.



You could say the All Blacks are perfectly placed.