Graham Henry's fine tuning to New Zealand's World Cup squad seems to be nearing perfection.
The All Black volcano that slowly bubbled earlier in the season, suddenly erupted to stunning effect - and softened the pride and arrogance of the French with a devastating 39-12 win.
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In a somewhat forgetful trip down memory lane, France did all in their power to agitate the New Zealanders in an unashamed attempt at a ‘Part II’ synopsis of the fateful grey World Cup 2007 strip saga.
Unfortunately for the Paris faithful, and the fact that Les Bleus cheekily reverted to their original lighter shade at the last minute, this time their act of desperation didn’t work.
The All Blacks jogged out in their white jerseys feeling 10ft tall - and it was plain for all to see that a ruthless ‘spirit’ lurking beneath was ready to rumble.
Once again, two-time IRB Player of the Year Richie McCaw led irresistibly from the front as he so often does.
He started by leading another typically passionate rendition of the Haka and with the alternate strip standing out like powerful white tigers, the French knew they were inescapably in for fiery treatment.
They bravely took on the strength of the New Zealand scrum and from the very first engagement took the honours – being awarded a remarkable penalty from the All Blacks scrum feed.
You could understand the pure excitement of burly props Fabien Barcella and Sylvain Marconnet clashing their own heads to celebrate the miracle of a personal victory over the much-vaunted pairing of Tony Woodcock and Neemia Tialata.
Little did they know that Woodcock and Tialata were merely warming up and quietly had a chuckle with a wink of the eye in the background.
The beasts of the All Blacks scrum machine suddenly came alive as the sorry Les Tricolores were taken back to school and had no idea what had hit them.
Blindside flanker Jerome Kaino, who had a sensational game, ignited the demolition with an All Blacks try just before half-time.
It was like a rampaging herd of elephants scattering startled roosters and continued as the renowned natural flair of the New Zealand game finally arrived with exceptionally pleasing results.
Yet, as much as the French are renowned for their flamboyance, they often squandered possession and inexplicably wasted golden opportunities to crack the white line code. Not to mention some big hits that were felt in the stands.
On top of the All Black scrum dominance, France also had no answer to the brilliance of the multi-talented New Zealand backline, standing back in awe as an unbelievable exhibition unfolded before their eyes.
Dan Carter had an excellent game and Conrad Smith, Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu were all heavily involved with able support from Ma’a Nonu and Jimmy Cowan.
Cory Jane could be excused for not seeing much ball, but with limited chances he made the most of an awkward pass and set sail for the line and a spectacular individual try.
The ‘fine-tuning’ of the All Blacks’ all-round display was an understatement, as this polished performance will go down as one of the best during Graham Henry’s tenure.
Unfortunately, when tempers boil and frustrations become apparent, France - along with South Africa - are the worst teams in terms of sportsmanship and restraint on the field.
When things don’t go their way, they will bring out the ugliness and thuggery of their game in order to get their own back if they cannot match the scoreboard and that is very disappointing.
Dirty tactics have no place in the game and it is so not surprising that an alleged eye-gouging committed from a French player marred a fantastic physical contest.
It is a brutal reminder that when the All Blacks are on song, no other team can produce the same sublime razzle-dazzle, helter-skelter rugby that we have seen so many times from the world’s most famous sports team.
There are at least half a dozen All Blacks who could arguably be rated as the best in the world in their given positions - openside McCaw and five-eighths Carter, loosehead prop Woodcock, fullback Muliaina, winger Sivivatu, and also perhaps injured lock Ali Williams and hooker Keven Mealamu.
A further frightening aspect for any opponent is the potentially world-class credentials of other players such as centre Conrad Smith, Cowan, Nonu, Luke McAlister, Andrew Hore, veteran lock Brad Thorn, prop Tialata, impressive No.6 Kaino and even forgotten halfback Piri Weepu and another injured player, Richard Kahui.
I still rate powerhouse Sione Lauaki and hope he finds his rhythm to be considered again for the top squad.
Then you have a scary collection of future stars reigned in by future captain Kieran Read, the explosive Jane, excitement machine Zac Guildford, strong-man Owen Franks, sniping Brendon Leonard, elusive Tamati Ellison, the fearless Liam Messam and workaholic Tanerau Latimer.
Most, if not all of these players are in the reckoning for Graham Henry’s World Cup camp, given the fact he had already declared that this was a crucial tour to find out who has what it takes to handle the cauldron of the main event in two years’ time.
For their efforts against England, my own 3-2-1 points system gave the honours to McCaw, Muliaina and Sivivatu respectively
It’s a close call this time after a great team performance, with the points going to Carter (3), McCaw (2), Smith and Muliaina (1 each).
Bring on the Barbarians!
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