New Zealand's Scott Barrett and Beauden Barrett dejected after the loss to France. Photo: ©INPHO/Dave Winter
Analysis - Out of all the post-match reviews after their losses this season, this one is going to probably be the most frustrating for the All Blacks. Mainly because they don't even really need to do one, what went wrong and ultimately cost them was obvious as soon as they found themselves trudging off the Stade de France turf.
Really, the ultimate 30-29 French win should've been settled by halftime. There were enough opportunities to rack up a three-score lead going into the break, ultimately spoiled by handing errors and dumb penalties.
Even then, the All Blacks had played pretty much all the rugby, so the feeling that they'd just come back and iron out the mistakes in the second half was strong.
The problem was that didn't happen. Right until the final couple of minutes, the mistakes crept in, capped off by an unfortunate Rieko Ioane knock that sealed their fate as they strived to maintain possession and drive for a match-winning play.
France's Thomas Ramos and New Zealand's Damian McKenzie talk after the match. Photo: ©INPHO/Dave Winter
Questions too need to be asked of the wisdom of shooting for goal when it wasn't to take the lead, twice Scott Barrett instructed Damian McKenzie to take the three points and handed back territory when France had been masterful off their own kick-offs.
It said a lot that Scott Robertson did not endorse his captain Scott Barrett's choices straight after the game, saying that he'd "talk to [him] about it, but you know it was his call".
Robertson did very much make the call to sub Cam Roigard for Cortez Ratima after only 50 minutes, though, despite Roigard being one of the best on the park.
Ratima did have a few nice moments, but ultimately his contribution will be remembered for a bit of bad time management at the back of the ruck that handed France the ball in the All Black 22.
All Black Cam Roigard scores. Photo: Bob Martin/ActionPress
A quick scan of social media showed about as much dissatisfaction with the refereeing as the extremely surly real-time assessment by the TV commentators, but to be fair, the biggest call Nika Amashukeli made was at least consistent with what we've seen lately.
His obstruction call off a kick-off that led to Thomas Ramos adding another three French points was a carbon copy of Nic Berry's interpretation last weekend in Dublin, the debate around whether that specifically is actually adding anything to test rugby is the one that should be loudest.
However, Amashukeli's interpretation of the neck roll certainly can't be described as consistent. Or, at least his TMO's view of it, because that's where a lot of the calls seemed to be coming from at the business end of the game.
It certainly wasn't the officials' fault the All Blacks lost - they weren't the ones dropping the ball - but it didn't do the confused perception of exactly who is in charge any good.
New Zealand's Peter Lakai scores a try against France, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
It seems rather harsh to be so down on a one-point loss to a very good French team in Paris, but this one does feel more like a massive missed opportunity.
There was an awful lot of good.
Peter Lakai's 77-minute shift was mostly excellent, Ardie Savea had his best test of the year, the scrum and lineout continue to be excellent, Antoine Dupont was mostly neutralised and the thunderous crowd was taken out of the equation temporarily with the two All Black tries.
All these things should've added up to a win, though. That's the feeling the All Blacks will carry with them to Turin for their last week in Europe, a tour that was looking like a real watershed moment but instead is leaving us with plenty to ponder over summer.
