I wouldn't get sucked into the hype about France. This post may sound like I am a New Zealand fan, I'm not, don't really like them at all. I just think that France weren't as impressive in analysis as emotion perhaps made people feel on the night.
They were dysfunctional for a lot of the game without N'Tamack. No fluidity at all, resorting to their standard kicking game a lot, but without the intelligence of N'Tamack. Jailibert is a genius player but didn't impose himself for most of the game bevuase he doesn't play the way France play, DuPont was clearly in charge and that limited French attack because it is either long kicks or short inside passes. Their defence was extremally Narrow and exposed easily by Telea when New Zealand had the sense to release him.
France were dominant and deserved to win, the better team yes, but look at the opposition. New Zealand stuttered because of Mo'Unga, if Barrett was 10 I think he would have controlled their possession better. But the biggest thing was discipline. New Zealand gave away 7 kickable penalties and France took 5 of them. If you give away 15 points to the opposition you are not gong to have an easy night. France didn't create a lot for the first 50 minutes of the game, New Zealand's appalling discipline handed them the authority.
Incidentally the last try should never have stood. France turned the ball over before Jalibert's kick. In the turnover Vincent crystal-clear knocks the ball forward on the ground. It literally goes round his body before he gathers it and offers it back to his team. Even the Try itself - Jaminet does not have control of the ball in the air and it brushes off Mo'Unga's head before gathering it. That's a knock on and it should have been checked.
Now that try aside, France already had the game won. France deserved to win and are a really good team but I think the All-Blacks made them look better by poor discipline threw the game away. Take away the penalties and France aren't in a position to open up for the Final flourish.
They were dysfunctional for a lot of the game without N'Tamack. No fluidity at all, resorting to their standard kicking game a lot, but without the intelligence of N'Tamack. Jailibert is a genius player but didn't impose himself for most of the game bevuase he doesn't play the way France play, DuPont was clearly in charge and that limited French attack because it is either long kicks or short inside passes. Their defence was extremally Narrow and exposed easily by Telea when New Zealand had the sense to release him.
France were dominant and deserved to win, the better team yes, but look at the opposition. New Zealand stuttered because of Mo'Unga, if Barrett was 10 I think he would have controlled their possession better. But the biggest thing was discipline. New Zealand gave away 7 kickable penalties and France took 5 of them. If you give away 15 points to the opposition you are not gong to have an easy night. France didn't create a lot for the first 50 minutes of the game, New Zealand's appalling discipline handed them the authority.
Incidentally the last try should never have stood. France turned the ball over before Jalibert's kick. In the turnover Vincent crystal-clear knocks the ball forward on the ground. It literally goes round his body before he gathers it and offers it back to his team. Even the Try itself - Jaminet does not have control of the ball in the air and it brushes off Mo'Unga's head before gathering it. That's a knock on and it should have been checked.
Now that try aside, France already had the game won. France deserved to win and are a really good team but I think the All-Blacks made them look better by poor discipline threw the game away. Take away the penalties and France aren't in a position to open up for the Final flourish.