Analysis - The All Blacks have cleared their first hurdle of the season, sweeping France in three tests. But how much can be taken out a series that didn't feature any the top French players? A bit, considering how many new test players we have and that we now know how deep the French talent pool runs.
We also now have an unusually long break till the All Blacks are back in action, with The Rugby Championship almost a month away. There's plenty to talk about between now and then, though:
The big flex
All Blacks v France at Sky Stadium, Wellington. Photo: Elias Rodriguez / www.photosport.nz
Not only did the All Blacks win, but this was a pretty big victory for rugby in general considering how poor this French team had been made out to be. All three tests were sold out, including the problematic Wellington market, with a World Cup-sized media contingent in attendance as well. While there are some legitimate conversations to be had about attendance and coverage at other levels of the game, this once again proved how big a deal the All Blacks are compared to everything else.
They're big on the big man
Fabian Holland. Photo: Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
It was no surprise at all that Fabian Holland was selected as soon as he became eligible, but it's been surprisingly impressive just how ready he's been to rip into his work. The 2.04m lock started all three tests and… something that's very rare for an inexperienced tight forward in the professional era. Even Samuel Whitelock and Brodie Retallick can't claim that feat, and with Retallick the most common comparison for Holland, it appears the young Dutchman has a massive future ahead of him.
Daylight between Roigard and the rest
Cam Roigard. Photo: Masanori Udagawa/Photosport
Cam Roigard's importance to the Scott Robertson era hasn't been highlighted more than when he hasn't been on the field, with the kicking and defensive game he possesses obviously missing in the third test. This is somewhat of a heartwarming return to the days of when Aaron Smith's name was the first to go on the team sheet.
Beauden edges out
Beauden Barrett. Photo: Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
What was shaping up to be a season-long debate was somewhat settled with a couple of very assured performances by the 136-test veteran Barrett in the first two tests. A flawless goal kicking record was crucial in Dunedin, then a masterful pulling of the strings in Wellington led the All Blacks out to an insurmountable 29-3 halftime lead.
Changing shapes
It was notable that the All Black attack pattern switched up considerably in between the first two tests. Once the ball had been successfully moved into the French 22 in Dunedin, they employed a split set of forwards to give Roigard plenty of options and often moved a big body in between each line to confuse the defence. In Wellington it was more of a grouping around the ruck using both wingers as extra ball runners, giving plenty of options for offloading.
However, in Hamilton they didn't really do anything that worked for the first hour, relying on three big bits of luck to score tries. They still won though, which shows that they can problem-solve on the fly.
The start that Robertson needed
This series was the one that Scott Robertson was probably hoping he'd had this time last year, instead of a full strength and in form England that pushed the All Blacks right to the wire. While the first test certainly went that way, there was still enough breathing room to change things up both in gameplay and selections in the remaining test matches. With a tough trip to Argentina coming up, there's not any room to experiment further, so it was a well taken opportunity.
Squad makeup
Will Jordan of New Zealand celebrates a try. Photo: Masanori Udagawa
The tight forwards take care of themselves, there's plenty of loose forward talent, inside back cover and midfielders. That just leaves the outside backs with a question mark over them, which is a unit the All Blacks should never have any doubt over. One thing is for sure: Will Jordan starts. So with Caleb Clarke out, it's really open season on who joins Jordan in the two remaining spots.
Depth perception
The obvious goal for Robertson now is to offset the inevitable attrition rate of a test season by stocking several options in each position that can effectively be interchangeable. There are exceptions - Ardie Savea and Jordan are one of a kind - but Holland and Patrick Tuipulotu stand as the shining examples of being able to deal with key injuries and subsequent reshuffles. Last year losing Scott Barrett and Tupou Vaa'i in consecutive weeks would've been a crisis, this time it was simply entrusting the starting locking jerseys to the next men available.
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