France restored some pride with a muscular defensive display at a packed but strangely subdued Stade de France. That they conceded just two tries, compared with seven last week, says something of their work-rate, especially that of their back-five forwards, who ran themselves into the ground. Yet the whole experience left you cold.

For starters, the All Blacks were off colour — perhaps inevitable after last week’s pyrotechnics. Also, the rugby France played was in some ways an affront to their grand traditions. They turned up wearing vintage kit — the game acted as a centenary celebration of the first Test France played against New Zealand. But their performance was far from vintage. We had the sorry sight of a French eight trying to get away with messing at the scrum, with reset after reset, and getting away with it. We were well into the final quarter before their backs strung more than three passes together.

For the most part, they were content to get Damien Traille to leather the ball downfield, chase like madmen and hope for the best. The French playing damage limitation rugby? Afraid so.

Nothing summed it up better than the decision to go for goal in the dying minutes, rather than chase the game. The bands were playing in the stands but France refused to dance.

French teams have generally done best against the All Blacks when they get “old-fashioned” with them and with Raphael Ibanez restored to the captaincy in the absence of Fabien Pelous, it seemed safe to assume we would get an explosive start.

It never happened. This was partly because the scrum was a mess, and also because both sides played cagily.Traille could not even get his kicking right to begin with, with Carter blocking his first attempt and then forcing Pepito Elhorga to cede the 5m scrum. After some nervy defending around the fringes, France must have been content to get away with conceding just a penalty from Carter.

They then got a considerable slice of luck as an unpromising Traille bomb swung away from Leon MacDonald at the last minute. The ball sat up kindly for Florian Fritz, who sent Cedric Heymans over for a soft five points.

The way New Zealand responded was ominous. From Ali Williams’s lineout take, they mauled slowly forward. When France eventually managed to haul it down, Carter nodded towards the posts and put his side back in front.

The sense of the All Blacks’ potential energy was unmistakable but they failed to ignite for a couple of reasons. MacDonald continued to have a stinker, slicing kicks and spilling one regulation pass from Mils Muliaina. The number of stoppages did not help either, but the main reason the All Blacks remained shackled was France’s outstanding defence. It is hard to recall a sequence of play in New Zealand’s third of the pitch, but in the remaining two-thirds France hit everything that moved and did some marvellous snaffling on the ground.

There was an irresistible passage around the half-hour when New Zealand took the ball through around 10 phases, only for Pascal Pape to pull off a brilliant steal in his own right corner, from which Jean-Baptiste Elissalde hoofed the ball to safety. The scrum-half was replaced almost immediately by Dimitri Yachvili, but France’s resilience was not affected.

Yet you felt it was only a matter of time before the French line gave way. The first fissure came with a penalty after one of many darting breaks by Carter. Then, in injury time, the score that had been coming for a while arrived. MacDonald started it off with a burst down the middle. From there, New Zealand’s off-loading was sensational. McCaw kept the ball alive off MacDonald, then Carter somehow got it away to Sitiveni Sivivatu in contact. Elhorga did well to halt Joe Rokocoko momentarily, but not so well in his attempt to trip the winger. Neither attempt mattered as Smokin’ Joe dotted down. Carter converted and New Zealand led 16-5 at the break.

What had France in response? A measure of their lack of ambition was Traille’s long-range drop-goal attempt after his forwards had kept the ball through several phases. Once back in their own territory, it was finger-in-the-dyke-stuff again. And it was only a matter of time before another try came, with Ma’a Nonu skipping under the posts off Carter’s delivery.

Bernard Laporte brought three forwards off the bench and the new legs earned a penalty for Yachvili. Through the determination of their forwards, the French then spent the next 15 minutes in the All Blacks’ half and it required a brilliant cover tackle by McCaw to stop Aurelien Rougerie in injury time, which was just as well — for the score might have given people the impression this was more of a contest than it was.

Star Man: Dan Carter (New Zealand)

France: P Elhorga (C Dominici 68min); A Rougerie, F Fritz, Y Jauzion, C Heymans; D Traille, J-B Elissalde (D Yachvili 29min); O Milloud, R Ibanez (capt, D Szarzewski 56min), P de Villiers (S Marconnet 56min), L Nallet, P Pape, J Bonnaire, R Martin (S Betsen 56min), E Vermeulen.

New Zealand: L MacDonald; S Sivivatu, M Muliaina, M Nonu, J Rokocoko; D Carter (N Evans 77min), B Kelleher (A Ellis 77min); T Woodcock (N Tialata 60min), K Mealamu (A Hore 77min), C Hayman, C Jack (J Eaton 62min), A Williams, J Collins, R McCaw (capt), R So’oialo (C Masoe 68min).

Try: Heymans 8

Pens: Yachvili (2)

Tries: Rokocoko 40, Nonu 50

Cons: Carter (2). Pens: Carter (3)

Referee: C White (England). Attendance: 82,000