All Blacks thrash inept France

All Blacks thrash inept France

New Zealand wrapped up the series and retained the Dave Gallaher Trophy with a tactically efficient 30-0 thrashing of France at AMI Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday night.

Scoring three tries, the All Blacks dealt to a French team that was indifferent, clumsy and tactically inefficient in most that they did, completely lacking the intensity of their first Steinlager Test effort a week earlier.

If there was no greater statement from the match it was the clear message that first five-eighths Aaron Cruden has moved out of the shadow of Dan Carter and has created his own image in the role.

His performance, kicking especially, was out of the top tactical drawer while he supplemented that with some outstanding tackling, especially close to rucks and mauls, and controlling the play around the field.

Around the three-quarter mark he demonstrated to the more experienced French pivot Frederic Michalak what a penalty touch finder should do. With only a metre or two to play with he sent the ball into touch downfield, courtesy of a Michalak touch. The Frenchman had earlier failed to find his touch from a penalty.

Once New Zealand demonstrated their defensive intent with a brilliant display of defiance in the first nine minutes of the second half it was clear the Test series was going to be sewn up with a Test still to play.

France mounted wave after wave of drives at the All Blacks line within five metres of the line, but there was no way through. Then, almost predictably, the frustration resulted in a dropped goal attempt being charged down. New Zealand surged with second five-eighths Nonu leading the way before wing Julian Savea charged onto the ball at full speed to break the defence and feed Ben Smith in for the try.

The dose was repeated four minutes from the end of the game when another sustained period of pressure from France saw turnover ball moved from their own goal-line by the All Blacks. A long pass from Cruden, almost impossibly, found replacement wing Rene Ranger. He bumped off a defender then linked with Conrad Smith, who kicked ahead and the ball bounced for Cruden, who else? and he flicked a backhand pass to replacement Beauden Barrett who raced in for the try.

It spoke volumes of the difference in class between the sides on the night. France could do nothing right.

At one stage France attempted to clear the line only to have Cruden take the high ball untroubled by the big Frenchmen charging at him. His response was a 50m kick down the sideline which leg-spun into touch just out from the line.

New Zealand utilised their kicking game to perfection while nearly every French downfield kick was matched by a failure to follow up, handing control back to the home team.

By comparison, the French failed to achieve pressure through their kicking, several times finding New Zealand's back three of Dagg, wings Ben Smith and Julian Savea perfectly placed to take the ball.

Even Nonu got into the act with two perfectly-placed grubber kicks threading the legs of the defenders to produce one first half try and nearly another.

New Zealand scored after only three minutes.

After a well-placed Cruden bomb was knocked back by Dagg in pursuit, New Zealand had Nonu kick to the corner. From the lineout, lock Sam Whitelock, who was superb in the tight quarter, disrupted the French lineout sufficiently for prop Wyatt Crockett to secure the ball behind him.

The forwards moved the ball right, and then Aaron Smith switched the play left and Nonu slipped a left-footed kick through to the corner where Savea was untroubled to touch down.

When they did get an opportunity to test New Zealand, Michalak attempted a dropped goal which missed.

In the 19th minute, Michalak had his first attempt at a penalty goal from 42m after New Zealand infringed in a lineout.

But the kick hit the upright and was run back at the French by centre Conrad Smith. He found captain and No.8 Kieran Read who ran 40m downfield and never looked like kicking ahead when in space. Aaron Smith was taken out at a ruck, but Whitelock was into a halfback like a flash and fed prop Crockett who got over the advantage line.

Aaron Smith kicked into the corner and fullback Maxime Medard was caught ball and all and the penalty was conceded for Cruden to land the goal.

More kicks deep into French territory provided a chance for Nonu and he made the most of a gap in the 27th minute to break through. Ben Smith was across from the right in support but was held back by Wesley Fofana. However, Nonu found Dagg who was dragged down just short of the line. France were penalised at the five-metre scrum but Cruden's kick was just wide.

France failed to make best use of their clearing kick and Dagg launched a high ball which the French couldn't control, Aaron Smith moved the ball right where Conrad Smith put the kick through forcing Maxime Machenaud to run the ball into touch five metres from the French line.

Just to compound French frustrations, they lost control of a driving maul short of the All Blacks goal-line and the scrum feed was given to New Zealand.

New Zealand 30 (Julian Savea, Ben Smith, Beauden Barrett tries; Aaron Cruden 3 con, 3 pen) France 0. HT: 10-0

OMG what a performance from the boys, meke stuff gentlemen, very meke indeed, All Blacks are making a fantastic habbit of keeping the opposition scorless, we did it to the irish and wallabies last year and now the french in 2013, never easy keeping teams like the wallabies and french down to zero, so hats of to the boys, :o)

i thought the All Blacks as a whole all preformed, even thrush was effective for the 12mins he was on, lolz.
great to see dagg hitting his straps, its one reason why his selection never bothered me, must be a litle worrying for the saffa boys that daggs starting to find his form, cos hes been one player the Boks dont know how to stop.

savea had a good game too, very strong ball carrier whose workrate was top notch. everytime he was involved in a breakdown, he was like another forward, very strong and hard to move, that physicality will come in handy against he wallabies and Boks.still dont think he should be there, but if hes going to get selected, its good news from a rugby prespective, correction, an All Blacks rugby presepective.

my two favourite moments in the game would have to be the build up which led to ben smiths try. it started in the 44th minute when the french from a lkineout on the ABs 22 attacked the All Blacks for all they were worth for almost 5minutes straight in the ABs 22 , but the ABs were not only up for the challenge, but forced the french to panic with a drop goal only for cane to charge down &the All Blacks to counter attack like the boss that they are, awesome stuff.

and my other fave moment was barrets try, i mean damn the skill level involved in that try was top shelf stuff.
first ranger getting tackled passes brilliantly to snake who catches it at pace and smoothly kicks it in the one fluid snakelike moment,cruden gathers the ball and then gets tackled but offloads the ball brilliantly to barret who is supporting with a ton of speed.

i mean WTF, and to think that started from barret who was a meter from his own tryline, o_O
with a clean slate at stake, theres no team in the world who would have run it from that position, only the All Blacks and it comes from the attacking instinct that NZ rugby have cultivated and nurtured into our rugby identity.

thanks for the win All Blacks, cos the win is all that matters, but the finesse in how we win is much appreciated, :o)

French get thrashed often and usually pull out their best in games that is really important like a WC. Last time we thrashed them at home we had a awful Tri Nations  

As for no team in the world? If its on we just shift it wide and give it to the Jet shoes to finish it off/ 3 passes going goin gone 

 This game was decided by French frustration and AB punishing of turnovers. Awesome accuracy by the men in black. That said those Michalak drops and the failure to chip the flat AB  defence.....plus their fumbling off perfectly ordinary AB long kicks, contributed hugely.

The Barritt try followed a clear forward pass.....by 5 metres....how could your NZ TMO not call that? The mind boggles.

Messam going offside for the ball referee ordering him back no penalty. That slowed delivery down. 

Then Michelkak going wrong way with a 4 man overlap. 

That summed it up

@mozter
NZ TMO??? o_O
george ayoub the TMO for the match is an aussie.

i agree that try was a forward pass, but under the IRB rulings, if its propelled backwards thats all that matters. i think this is BS though, IMO line bals are ok, but if a player passes it and teammate catches it in front of wgere he passed it, its a forward pass.
saffas and aussies wont complain too much though, half their trys both domestic and international come from those dodgy pases.

@spoony,
yeah that sums it all up, if it wasnt for that and those 30 points and global warming and the prisoner from azakaban, it could have been a different story altogether. Lord knows the All Blacks didnt do anything to earn the victory.

Good god Sasuke you are so easy. 

Can't believe you actually replied to that tease. 

That ball was 5 metres forward....minimum. The try Lambie "scored"  in the RWC called back by Bryce, wasa off a genuine drift pass, with hands going back, and the pass drifting at most a metre. It was a travesty given passes, like the one in the Barritt try, that have been called good. 

This rule needs better definition.

Mozart TMO can't judge by meters forward only by hands. The rule is fine. You are going to have to change to whole rule book if you want to make it Bryce Lawrence friendly.  

@mozter,

yup the TMO WAS an aussie, -_o

the rule does need to be better deifned, but right now it comes down to interpetation. IMO if a player passes a ball and teammate catches it in front of where it was passed, its a forward pass, end of story.
drift passes smiff passes, theyre allf orwad to me, but under the rules and the way the IRB covern itm, it was a fair try and saffas should really be the last to complain considering its a rule that benefits them more then anyone else.

Sasuke no. The referee judge by the hands. You can't judge by by a ball going forward as players do not stand still in pass. So when you pass before you get tackled the ball will look forward but it is where the passer would have ended. Throw the ball over your head and see what I am referring to 

30 points is convincing but not quite a thrashing and i'm sure we can do better against this very ordinary French team lacking the flair we associate with the Frogs.

For me 50 points + is a thrashing and hoperfully the ABs will deliver this weekend.

Samoa / Bok game could be the game of the weekend though with both sides more evenly matched.

And Bweeno after that fat Samoan teasing they'll be looking to headhunt a few palagis for their umu. Nice cooked in coconut cream with a bit of soya sauce they tell me.