Young French side rattles All Blacks

The French are a lot like Auckland weather - you can research recent patterns all you like, but you won't know what you are getting until the day.

The All Blacks managed to take control and claim a 23-13 victory in their first test of 2013, but at times that victory looked very uncertain.

An inexperienced French side was named for the opening test of the series, so the All Black camp naturally oozed confidence during the build-up.

When French second five-eighth Wesley Fofana scored the opening try in the tenth minute after the All Black line was broken, the Eden Park faithful went very quiet, and we had a battle on our hands.

Had the All Blacks' false sense of security caused them to make the ultimate mistake, wheeling a blue, red and white Trojan horse into their hallowed fortress?

This question went unanswered for 20 agonising minutes while a young French side reminded New Zealand why they are such a dangerous opponent, until some Highlander power reared its head ten minutes before the break.

The in-form Ben Smith and the ‘out-of-form' Ma'a Nonu exposed the French line and set up two tries through Aaron Smith and Sam Cane, giving the All Blacks a 17-10 lead at half-time.

Handling errors and the countless scrum resets which followed made this an ugly encounter, and although the All Blacks held on to the lead, the margin remained within striking distance, giving the French a potential window of opportunity.

When the wrecking ball that is Rene Ranger collided into French fullback Yoann Huget, Les Bleus were finally rattled, allowing Cruden to land the final blow through a penalty to take the lead out of reach for the French.

The All Blacks may have won the Battle of Eden, but the war is far from over in the three-test series.

A McCaw-less All Blacks side still have two more tests against a French side who will be hungry for revenge, after last leaving New Zealand soil without the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

Here is what was hot, what was not during the All Blacks' opening test of 2013.

Hot

Highlanders Power: The boys from the deep south may have fallen short in blue and gold, but put a black jersey on them and it acts as a superhero cape. Maybe if we allow them to wear the jersey when Super Rugby resumes we might see similar results.

Not

Ugly Rugby: It was by no means a pretty test match, at times it was downright ugly, but a win is a win and the opening test match of the year is often riddled with errors, leaving things to work on and improve in the weeks to come.

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