KEY POINTS:
PARIS - Warnings about the third-week wobbles have surfaced again for the All Blacks.
Research into that trend on last year's Grand Slam tour against England had been noted, assistant coach Wayne Smith said, and adjustments made to the way the side was prepared for yesterday's repeat test
against France.
The outcome was not dissimilar to the struggle the All Blacks had at Twickenham a year ago to subdue England. Coincidence or not, every World Cup opponent next year will note that tendency and try hard to link it to a slump in the third week of play-offs if the All Blacks are at that stage of the tournament. It may seem a little harsh to be picking at a 23-11 winning margin for the All Blacks against the Six Nations champions and second-best side in the world.
But you can be sure that is what the All Black staff will be doing this week as they target the international against Wales and the end of this season's 13-test programme.
The final test in Cardiff will bring a different style. Wales have an attacking intent and less forward firepower than the French, who wanted to reduce the tempo yesterday, kick or keep the ball in narrow channels to sustain pressure on the All Black forwards.
The hosts cut down the space for the All Blacks and the visitors did not always react securely. All those issues and details will be swirling through the collective coaching skills of the All Black staff.
They will be asking why the All Blacks could not get a rhythm into their game, whether they tried too much or how they would attack similar problems next time.
In easing the workload on the players this week did they allow them to be too distracted by promotional activities in the wondrous city of Paris? Was the spluttering victory an unwitting response to the 47-3 win the week before?
Those are the sorts of questions, ideas and information which will go down in the dress-rehearsal dossier for the sixth World Cup.
"Every game is helpful and it just means we dissect what we are doing and try and improve those things but, in a big test match like this, when you have got 30 quality players, there is going to be some disruption," coach Graham Henry said.
There was not a lot of opportunity for the new midfield combination of Ma'a Nonu and Mils Muliaina to attack because there was not the same continuity to the game as in Lyon.
But there were enough hints about their explosive danger, even with the French up on them most of the match.
On defence, the pair looked in harmony until something went awry in the final move of the game and the French stormed 55m downfield through a huge gap.
French coach Bernard Laporte spoke of his respect for the All Blacks and the danger of their counterattack.
He said they were the only team in the world with such high quality and it was difficult to find methods to go forward without bringing the threat of that counterattack into play. "We have to be realistic not to play too much risky rugby."
French manager and former midfield star Jo Maso was unsure whether France could beat the All Blacks at the World Cup.
"They are above and beyond all at the moment. But the preparation next year will be different, we will all be in the same season and - who knows?"
Henry wondered whether his side had caught France cold in Lyon; they had not played together for a while and they were much more competitive yesterday. "This was a real test match and I think it will help us more for the future than last week's game," he said.
For the more immediate focus of the test against Wales, Henry expected a willing match full of offensive intent. "We will play our best team next week and there will be some changes."
