All Blacks 24 France 19

Talking Points:

A hugely successful season wrapped up with another win. Coming out the victors in 13 of 14 games, the holiday break is arriving just in time for some tired and weary players. This end of year tour provided much more in terms of testing and learning opportunities than the entire Welsh series and Rugby Championship combined. Kiwi fans now seem almost as fatigued as the touring squad and the summer break will hopefully be just the tonic required for both parties to relax, recover, and hit the refresh button before launching into next years season. The likes of which only come around every 12 years.

The AB’s were often on the back foot yet again. Having to make do with scrappy ball (and not much of it) they were still clinical enough in a 3 try performance to tame a determined French team who, to be fair, squandered multiple opportunities throughout. The French made 34 offloads against Aussie last week and it seemed to be a major ploy in their gameplan for this week too, always looking to keep the ball alive with plenty of support runners. France played some glorious free-flowing rugby at times and often only came unstuck by some poor handling but the signs are all there that they are finally returning to their unique style of footy under new coach Guy Noves. The great strength of French rugby has always been it’s flair and that unpredictability paired with an immense physical approach and it was so pleasing to see them return to that blueprint.

The only win from a “big 4″ southern hemisphere side. When you consider the other results from the weekend - Aussie lost to a wounded but passionate Irish 24-27, Argentina were soundly beaten by a 14-man English side 14-27 and South Africa continued their horror season with a 13-27 loss at the hands of the Welsh - suddenly that hard fought win starts to look all the sweeter at the end of a long season.

Has the gap at the top closed in world rugby? Tough one to answer really. I still believe the AB’s are top dogs with some slight daylight behind them but recent results seem to indicate that they are slowly being worked out and maybe even out thought by some other top nations. Has northern hemisphere rugby improved that much? Or, in what was always described as a “rebuilding season”, have the All Blacks finally felt the sting of exceptional personnel loss after the World Cup? Will the AB’s be able to win the Lions series next year with only 30-40% possession and territory while giving up 10+ penalties per game? It all leads to Steve Hansen having some serious homework ahead over the summer. With his 60 win 4 loss record, I think we can all rest assured he’ll be plotting away on what direction he wants to take the worlds best team next.

Some interesting thoughts to ponder. The AB’s have now won 31 of their last 32 tests in Europe. This win also extends the winning streak over Les Bleus to 10 tests, dating back to Carisbrook, Dunedin, in 2009. France have actually won nearly twice as many games against the AB’s than any other northern hemisphere nation with 12 victories (England are next with 7). Dagg grabbed himself 10 meat pies for the season so how well is Milner-Skudder going to need to play to take that #14 jersey off him?

Key Match Stats:

Possession: AB’s 50% FRA 50%



Territory: AB’s 50% FRA 50%



Running Meters: AB’s 412 FRA 629



Penalties Conceded: AB’s 14 FRA 7



Tackles Made: AB’s 112 FRA 97



Tackles Missed: AB’s 22 FRA 7

Player Ratings:

Israel Dagg - Izzy showed he’s still got some wheels, burning off the covering defence for the opening try (his 10th of the season) and his booming boot was steady at the back. Made his tackles and was safe under the high ball without really excelling elsewhere in the game. 7.5/10

Waisake Naholo - Limited opportunities but looked to improve on his usual handling error rate. Ball didn’t really swing his way but made impact in other areas: a nice turnover and one try saver on Camille Lopez spring to mind. Will again rely on injuries for another chance in the black jersey. 6/10

Anton Lienert-Brown - Another with limited opportunities with ball in hand but a solid presence in the defensive line. Continues to show composure beyond his years. Finished a fantastic breakout year leading the tackle count in the backs. 7/10

Ryan Crotty - Mostly noticeable on defence and departed early due to a head knock around the 44th minute mark for Rieko Ioane. Fairly quiet game with ball in hand. 6.5/10

Julian Savea - Not a repeat of last years 3 try effort against Les Bleus, but the Bus got involved and provided a great assist for Daggs try with a superb leaping grab and perfectly timed pass. Up and down season for Savea, could potentially break the AB try record next year if he stays in shape during the off season for once. 7.5/10

Beauden Barrett - Another high-quality performance. Perfectly judged cross-field kick to Savea set up Dagg’s try. His own intercept try early in the 2nd half reminded us all of his pace and gave the AB’s some breathing room. Was frustrating to watch mostly ineffective kicking throughout the game which seemed to be a clear game plan. Either way, finished another match as one of the best on the pitch and rounded out a memorable year nicely. 8.5/10

T.J. Perenara - Stepped up to the physical French approach and made the most of a well deserved start in the #9 jersey. Not a complete performance but solid for the 59 minutes he was out on the paddock. Extra half point for a great Haka. 7.5/10

Kieran Read - Back to dominating the lineout and chasing kickoffs with the ears pinned right back. Still absent from ranging out wide on attack this season. Played a role in Faumuina’s try. Minus half a point again for lack of drop goal attempt. 7/10

Matt Todd - Early turnover showed signs of a big ball-pilfering game ahead but the physicality of the French kept him fairly quiet after that. Put in some big tackles and reminded us all of the great talent/depth we have in the #7 jersey. Topped the tackle count by any player with 14 all up. Seamless transition to Ardie Savea at the 57th minute mark. 8/10

Jerome Kaino - Somehow pulled off a massive try-saver on the French skipper which proved crucial given the final scoreline. Shades of his efforts against Digby Ioane in the RWC 2011 semi-final against Australia. Has had a big season and looked tired in places during the final run. Deserves a relaxing summer to come back refreshed and ready to place his role as the enforcer against the Lions. 7/10

Sam Whitelock - Made 13 tackles, 2nd equal-highest (with Dane Coles) from any player on the park. Some early lineout steals and typically high work rate. The All Black’s are clearly level up when he’s on the park. 8/10

Brodie Retallick - Went off earlier than expected at the 44th minute mark with a calf injury. Still up there in the tackles made leaderboard but otherwise unusually quiet game from the BFG. 6.5/10

Owen Franks - Seemed to enjoy a close scrummaging contest. A couple of big hits made but gains with ball in hand missing. Went off for Faumuina at the 48th minute mark so missed opportunities to shine. 6/10

Dane Coles - Back to his best at lineout time. Found the jumpers perfectly in a huge set piece battle with a physical French team. Found on the wing once but moderate on attack otherwise. 7.5/10

Joe Moody - Zero carries with the ball in hand on attack. Scrum held up well and up there with most tackles made. Mainly got about his business and notched up another Test cap. 6/10

Reserves

Codie Taylor - Nothing too memorable. Kept the lineout flow together and managed to sneak through on a few bursts with ball in hand. Typical 18 minute run around. 6/10

Wyatt Crockett - Came on for Moody after 44 minutes. Dominated at scrum leading to French try. Gave up 2 penalties at frustrating moments. Very few ball carries. Forgettable finish to the season. 5.5/10

Charlie Faumuina - Got over for a meat pie which proved crucial given the final scoreline. Fairly quiet otherwise. Also struggled at the scrum leading to the French try. Will be better off for finishing the season with the 32nd minute run around. 7/10

Scott Barrett - Came on early for Retallick and put together another strong contribution. Has probably snuck ahead of the others in the locking reserves behind Retallick & Whitelock. A brilliant northern tour for another talented Barrett. 7.5/10

Ardie Savea - On for 23 minutes but didn’t show the impact we’ve come to expect based on his performances earlier in the year. Defended well late in the game to hold back the French. Expecting big things in 2017. 6.5/10

Aaron Smith - Looked sharp coming off the bench for a well performed Perenara. Will still have to work extra hard in the early rounds of Super Rugby to make the starting 9 jersey his again. 7/10

Aaron Cruden - Great to see out there running around. Sadly almost forgotten in the last few months amongst the Beauden Barrett hype. Came on for Dagg and showed composure and some good decision making late in the game. Fairly quiet end to 2016 otherwise. 6.5/10

Reiko Ioane - Fantastic match for the rookie. Seemed to soak it all up nicely and didn’t put a foot wrong. 36 valuable minutes as the AB coaches look to build depth in the backline. Carried the ball with confidence and made some solid meters. Can’t wait to see what 2017 holds for this future superstar. 7/10