KEY POINTS:
The French child with Tana Umaga embroidered across his All Black jersey sat on his father's shoulders, clutching a rugby ball and roaring his approval for the World Cup favourites as they left a ferry at Marseille Town Hall.
It was a scene that encapsulated the French admiration for the All Blacks and the uncertainty about how the team will cope without former skipper Umaga.
Listen to any Frenchman with a passion for rugby and he will assure you that if the Tricolores cannot win the tournament then he wants the All Blacks to succeed.
That sort of fervour was evident yesterday as the All Blacks reached the mainland after several days in Corsica.
Dressed in their Sunday best, they needed all their powers of recovery to wade through several hours of civic receptions, World Cup capping ceremonies and conferences in near-30C heat.
They arrived straight from their flight from Corsica to be put on a ferry for the ride across the Marseille Harbour to the official welcome from Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin.
Captain Richie McCaw, coach Graham Henry and French rugby president Bernard Lapasset led the squad to the public stadium as a taped version of Pokarekare Ana broke through the applause.
There were some interesting pronunciations as the MC introduced the entire squad, and the wives of some city officials took the chance to embrace and kiss their favourite players during the presentation of medals.
Toulouse-bound Byron Kelleher managed a "merci beaucoup to the people" line to the crowd, and McCaw delivered a short speech in his own French dialect, which was also appreciated.
Later, at a private ceremony, the team were presented with commemorative World Cup caps.
