All Blacks: French lessons repeated

France's Julien Depuy was calm and efficient on debut. Photo / Getty Images

Defeat in Dunedin on Saturday night was the first time in 15 years that the All Blacks lost at home to the French.

The disturbing trend, for those interested in such patterns, is that the All Blacks also lost the next week when the French completed a double-slaying with their try from the end of the earth at Eden Park.

There were some similarities 15 years apart in the All Black selections.

In 1994, they had a maturity in the front row and at the back but there was a rawness through the middle with Mark Cooksley, Arran Pene, Stu Forster, Matthew Cooper and debutants Simon Mannix and Jonah Lomu short on test match experience.

It was a similar case on Saturday when the All Blacks were dispatched 27-22 at Carisbrook, although blame for the soggy defeat should not be sheeted home at all of the new brigade. The loose forwards struggled to make any impact but their ineffectiveness started with the lack of clout from the tight five. From there the inefficiency, ineptitude and inability to combat the Tricolores seeped through the side.

The hosts failed to cope with the driving mauls of the French, they were buffeted in the collisions, bounced at the breakdowns, shunted off their ball at the scrums and snotted well behind the advantage line. It was a shabby start with little evidence they had a controlled plan to start the season.

Everything was skittery, there was a frantic edge to the play rather than any signs of working into the match. Either that or they accepted, early, that their pack was no match for the power, cohesion and force of the French, and they tried to skate through with ad-lib footy.

Somehow they recovered to square the game at 17-all with the last quarter to run. Part-timer Luke McAlister was whistled off the bench and minutes later probably wished he had stayed there after throwing the pass which Maxime Medard intercepted for a converted try.

The All Blacks retaliated with a Ma'a Nonu touchdown but then botched a lineout and the game was gone.

For the three survivors from the last World Cup quarterfinal anguish - skipper Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko and Tony Woodcock - it was a grisly reminder and for their colleagues, a rude awakening to the standards needed if they are to be regular test players.

There were those who emerged with credit, Muliaina, Cory Jane, Isaac Ross, Brad Thorn, some who gave curate's egg performances like Isaia Toeava, Stephen Donald, Jimmy Cowan, Liam Messam, Keven Mealamu and Woodcock but the jury would still be out on the rest.

The stats were ugly. The All Blacks had nearly 60 per cent of the territory and possession, Ross and Thorn ruled the lineouts, they had a 98-38 ruck advantage, made 83 tackles while the French were forced into 152 tackles.

However the All Blacks missed 17 tackles and France failed with only 13, while the All Blacks conceded 23 turnovers to the visitors' 17.

"We were [the] second-best side out there today and did not deserve to win," Graham Henry stated.

"They were more physical than us and after 30 minutes it did not look good. At 17-3 there was a big question on our ability to play the game."

The greatest shock to his side was the physical edge which France brought to the test. There was no lack of effort from the All Blacks but they needed to ramp up their production severely if they were do do better this week in Wellington.

For delighted French captain Thierry Dusautoir it was his second straight win against the All Blacks after his prominent part in the 2007 World Cup victory.

"We tried harder because we did not have a complex about New Zealand," he said.

"We were preoccupied about our game, not the All Blacks, so we created problems for them and put doubt into their games. Defence made the game for us tonight."