Almost 18 months into the job and Steve Hansen has nailed this selection business. He hasn't fired a dud yet. He hasn't incensed the nation with any obvious oversights, or been hampered, like some of his predecessors, by a fear of players with big personalities.
It's impressive - 16 test teams selected and not a legitimate gripe to be had.
He's shrewd, analytical and precise - picks teams that make sense and seems to have that enviable instinct to know when to be bold, when to be conservative. Saturday's test is not the time to be bold - a point that was never difficult to grasp but a welcome relief that Hansen grasped it nonetheless by retaining the same starting XV.
The All Blacks need to lock up the series and demoralise a French side that will be different in New Plymouth if they have nothing left to play for.
That much is obvious. Maybe not so obvious is the need for Hansen to establish his credentials as a tactical mastermind. He can get the right players on the park; he has shown an equally astute ability to manage and motivate, to refine and advance the mental skill-sets and his team are stunningly fit.
