"Below par again" - Four All Blacks flop despite win against France

It was far from a polished performance, with the All Blacks looking off the pace at times, but they battled through to secure the series win.

The team will now enjoy a short break before the Rugby Championship kicks off in mid-August. Notably, three players had a tough outing in this final Test.

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The Post 5/10: "Showed great skill to set up the All Blacks’ first try with a kick over the top for Jordan, although his running game was limited and his overall tactical kicking was below-par." 

Planet Rugby 4/10: "He and McKenzie do need to take some of the responsibility for the poor clearances from the 22 that created opportunities for the French. Ratima’s kicking game was not nearly as effective as Cam Roigard’s has been this series.

"Too often, his passes were misplaced, meaning that the carrier had to check their run, disrupting the attack, and allowing the French defence to fly up in their faces. Some bright moments like his kick for Jordan’s try, but he was outplayed by Nolann Le Garrec today and comfortably."

The Post 5/10: "Carried with his usual vigour but ran away from his support at times. Replaced after 54 minutes."

Rugby Pass 6.5/10: "Starting for the All Blacks for the first time in 1106 days, Tupaea didn’t quite hit high gear. With that being said, his industrious style of play doesn’t demand momentum.

|The 26-year-old hit half-gaps hard and made himself enough of a threat to draw attention as a decoy runner."

RUCK 6.5/10: "Not his best first half, with some poor judgment and tactical kicking, but he grew into the game in the second. His kick-through forced the mistake that gave the All Blacks a 22–19 lead, which they never relinquished. A mixed bag, but McKenzie will be happy with his second half."

The Post 4/10: " A tough evening. All Blacks attack struggled to click and they lost the kicking battle at times, while the Chiefs pivot also put his side under pressure with a loose pass. Some of his kicks in behind the defence were well judged but more was expected. "

Rugby Pass 6.5/10: "Surrounding McKenzie with his Chiefs running mates should have given him the best chance to succeed at 10, but the Kiwi attack wasn’t quite the well-oiled machine fans would’ve hoped for it to be.

"Up against a superb French defence, some of that McKenzie magic would have gone down a treat and really pushed Beauden Barrett’s claim on the 10 shirt. The breaks just didn’t come, though.

"On the positive side, some kicks found grass, and there was a try assist that saw the 10 provide the service his team needed."