No hope for French

The All Blacks “overwhelmed” France 39–12 at Stade Velodrome in Marseille completing their four-test campaign in Europe without conceding a try. A rampant All Blacks wearing white jerseys to avoid a color clash scored five – shared by Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mils Muliaina, Jerome Kaino, Cory Jane and Conrad Smith – in their best display of a mediocre year, and shut out the French in the second half. “It was a great game with two teams wanting to attack,” All Blacks coach Graham Henry said. “It was really good to see two teams wanting to play attacking rugby football. That victory is a special one. We’ve had a challenging year and we won the last six games. I’m delighted by the players’ performance, they can now enjoy the summer.” Dan Carter tallied 14 points and the man of the match award, and Richie McCaw afterwards received the IRB Player of the Year, becoming the first person to earn it twice since the award began in 2001.