Wynne Gray's 50 greatest rugby moments: No.5

French player celebrates the side's quarter-final win over the All Blacks in 2007. Photo / Getty

The All Blacks whistled while they worked through their 2007 World Cup pool games.

Their smallest victory was 40-0 against Scotland and their other margins blew out against Italy, Portugal and Romania as they traversed the fields of Marseilles, Lyon, Toulouse and Murrayfield.

The tournament had been a doddle. All 30 players had got a run, including the three halfbacks and three hookers. Only Jerry Collins, Ali Williams and Sitiveni Sivivatu started three of the four pool matches as the staff tried to keep the players sharp.

It was some job in such a weak pool, especially after the insistence of the All Black coaches that the prospective test players be given rest and rotation throughout the Super Rugby calendar.

Nine who had not played the previous match were picked for the quarter-final against France at Cardiff, including first-five Daniel Carter, who was recovering from a calf strain.

Mils Muliaina began at centre ahead of Conrad Smith and Isaia Toeava, Luke McAlister was picked rather than Aaron Mauger at second five-eighths and Keith Robinson came off little match-play to lock the scrum rather than Chris Jack.

The All Blacks led 13-3 at the break and looked comfortable despite some glitches. McAlister was sin-binned, Carter left without making much impact and his replacement Nick Evans was injured.

France drew level, then Rodney So'oialo scored, but a countering French attack, including a forward transfer to Yannick Jauzion and conversion, gave France a shock lead they would not surrender.

"Obviously we are disappointed but that's sport, I guess," coach Graham Henry said. "We didn't play as well as we have done in the past and the French played particularly well in defence. I thought they were very astute in their game plan and they took their opportunities."

Everything, Henry said, was done to have the All Blacks peak for the playoffs. New Zealand Rugby agreed to those requests and the side departed from the World Cup at an earlier stage than ever before.

Subsequently, a stunned Henry urged an IRB investigation into the performance of referee Wayne Barnes and contemplated match-fixing as the only logical explanation.

His analysis suggested France deserved to be penalised 40 times in the match, while the All Blacks received just two penalties.