Joe Rokocoko's try came after a 60m run of play that left the French players lying like skittles on the turf. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

Joe Rokocoko's try came after a 60m run of play that left the French players lying like skittles on the turf. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

All Blacks 23 France 11

PARIS - If New Zealand was ecstatic a week ago, that feeling should be more muted after a troubled second test win for the All Blacks against France.

Not that they looked in any danger of losing the Stade de France international but they made hard work of this victory because of their deficiencies.

France brought all the energy and abrasion missing in Lyon but were still gun-shy on attack; their concern about losing possession to the All Black loose trio and exposing themselves to counter attack negating much ambition with the ball.

Their intent was to slow down the game and they did it to some effect with their powerful forward drives, scrabbling on the floor at the breakdown and folding in at scrums where referee Chris White had little idea.

The All Black response was patchy, although coach Graham Henry tried to explain that away by saying it was a tough, difficult test of enormous pressure - the sort of match that often happened at the highest level.

As a dress-rehearsal for a possible World Cup semifinal at the same arena, there was not the same surety about the All Blacks; they fluffed their lines too many times on the big stage.

All sorts of gags flowed after the test, but one with some resonance was that Hayley Westenra was the best-performing Kiwi on the night singing the national anthem.

However, the lineout was in sync again. Ali Williams largely in the first half, then Chris Jack and Jason Eaton in the second, dialled in superbly to Keven Mealamu's throws.

Had the scrum been allowed to function by the match officials, the All Blacks would have dealt to the French by more than their two tries to one margin. More than 35 scrums were awarded or reset, two-thirds of them with the All Blacks delivery as the French caved in, wheeled or dropped to disrupt the visitors' supremacy. The officials' vigilance was minimal even with repeated questions from All Black skipper Richie McCaw.

Too often, the final delivery from the back of the scrum or when a drive was slowed was sloppy, the protection for halfback Byron Kelleher was inconsistent and that flowed through the backline.

The way the French were able to crack the defence with their lineout drives will also be put in the dossier for more attention next year.

As a game to celebrate 100 years of test rugby between France and New Zealand, it was an anti-climax and many spectators could not get any match programmes because of a delivery hiccup.