Henry delighted as All Blacks set record straight

All Black v France

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LAWRENCE SMITH/Fairfax Media Zoom

Richie McCaw walks out to take on France at the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille.

Video: All Blacks v France

LAWRENCE SMITH/Fairfax Media

HAPPY: Graham Henry was proud as punch as his All Blacks finally delivered the performance they've been threatening for a while now.

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Graham Henry was proud as punch as his All Blacks finally delivered the performance they've been threatening for a while now, dishing out the plaudits to all and sundry for a performance he rated one of the finest in his time.

"It's right up there," said the veteran coach of the All Blacks' five tries to nil, 39-12 dismantling of a France team that had made the Springboks look second-rate just a fortnight ago.

"There have been some remarkable wins over the years, and that one was very special. We've had a challenging year - and everyone realises that.

"We've won our last six games, after being 4-4 at one stage. I'm just delighted for the guys that they've put that record straight and that they can feel good about the season and enjoy the summer."

But more than anything it was the nature of the All Black victory that would have pleased all Kiwis and most rugby people, with the possible exception of those who reside in this country. At a time when rugby has been struggling as a spectacle, the New Zealanders broke out with the full package of offensive skills, while at the same time keeping their line intact.

The win, which featured some sparking individual tries and one grunty one off a scrum, continues a couple of quite remarkable All Black records in these northern autumn internationals.

They have never lost one since Henry took charge in 2004, and they have now gone two full tours without conceding a try. The coach called those twin marks "remarkable" and as much as the All Blacks did go off the boil in the middle stages of their season, there's no doubt they can feel incredibly proud of how they ended it.

Henry was clearly in the mood to pay tribute after a match in which Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mils Muliaina, Jerome Kaino, Cory Jane and Conrad Smith all ran in tries.

Top of that list was his two assistants Wayne Smith (defence) and Steve Hansen (backs). Smith brought up his 100th win as an All Black, which Henry broke down for the media as part of a long opening statement that covered a wide terrain.

"Their coaching on this tour has been superb," said Henry. "I said to Wayne before the tour there's a high standard set here - you're not allowed to have any tries scored against us. He just said 'I'll take that up Ted'. Look what happened. I should have shut up really.

"And I thought the attack today was outstanding. It's the best display by an international side for some time and it's a real feather in Steve's cap to put that together, obviously with the aid of some pretty talented young guys.

"So, well done to those two coaches."

Henry startled a big contingent of media when he ran through, without notes, Smith's catalogue of success as an All Black.

It went something like this: as a player he played 17 and won 12 tests; as technical adviser he won 11 of 19; as head coach he won 12 of 17; and now on this panel there have been 65 victories from 77 attempts.

"That's obviously remarkable," added Henry as Smith sat on impressed with his boss' recollection.

Henry also rated his side's performance as "significant" given the inhibiting nature of the modern rules. "It takes two teams to want to play. The French wanted to play, the All Blacks wanted to play, therefore we got a superb game of football."

He also conceded that there was some truth in one suggestion that the French were a team that brought out the best, as well as the worst, in the All Blacks.

"We've had a bit of an up-and-down contest over the years. I think the guys really enjoy playing the French and it certainly got the edge on the team today. Some of that is a result of what's happened in the past, some is trying to finish the tour on a high note, and some of it's about an indifferent season and wanting to finish it on a high note."

But he strongly denied there had been any element of "teaching the French a lesson" to his team's performance. "We just wanted to play some good football, and we did that tonight."

Henry also put in a special word for fullback Mils Muliaina who became, with his 82nd test appearance, the second most capped All Black of all time. The veteran fullback obliged with one of his very best displays.

"He's the most capped All Black back now and that's a very special achievement," added the coach. "He played superbly. He's back to his old form."

But everyone got the coach's vote of approval, from forwards who were "catching and passing like backs" to a scrum that improved considerably after a shaky start through to a backline that took their chances with brutal efficiency.

Skipper Richie McCaw also spoke about the effort that had gone into getting up mentally and physically for one last big test in this long year.

"From Thursday we stopped talking about it (tiredness), because if you start thinking about it you end up being tired. From Thursday on it was all about making sure we were ready and digging deep.

"When you know you've only got one more left you can dig pretty deep. We'd been close most of the game to putting a performance together and the guys were pretty keen to do that. All that together made it pretty easy to get up for the game."