The French have left with a win and a loss, and that invites a few questions after the opening two tests of the All Black season.
Depth: mainly because of injuries, more players have worn the All Black jersey and that inevitably leads to coaches saying they have built depth for the future.
But, really, does building depth make the national side any better when the real pressure comes on?In sport, there is nothing better than having the best team, with the best players, performing week in, week out.
Come next year, any experiments with building depth should be abandoned.
Play the best team every match.
Top teams win from building confidence and combinations, not from having a well-oiled and experienced bench.
Rules: what other sport would have a major rule change imposed on sides a couple of weeks before its first international of the season? One match teams can pull down a maul; the next, that is a no-no.
Would it happen in football? One week you can tackle from behind; the next, keep those boots away.
The All Blacks were badly exposed in their driving play in the two tests - though they were better in Wellington - but there was no need to practise that art in the past two years as any maul was immediately pulled down.
It looks as if the spectacular sight of the rolling maul is about to return.
Remember those Waikato teams of the early '90s marching 50m to score tries? Priceless.
Donald: is Stephen Donald just not quite up to the mark for test rugby?
His kicking style is ungainly and his tactical nous was missing at times.
If anything, he was trying too hard at Wellington and that is not a good ingredient for a complete performance.
Perhaps it is also time to give John Afoa a run instead of Neemia Tialata, who has had a charmed run over the past couple of years.
Jimmy Cowan plays better with good players around him, and his kicking improved on Saturday, but maybe it is time for Piri Weepu to get a start.
And is Joe Rokocoko one of those guys who may be only 26 but is actually past his peak?Thank goodness Brad Thorn is not like that.
He is getting better with age.
Meaningless tests: how many times have northern hemisphere sides come down here in June with weak teams? Not this year, and the IRB may be due some rare recognition for getting everyone to agree to send the best sides to either hemisphere in their off-season.
Weather: does it always rain in Wellington when a test is on?Did you notice how little was made of the poor weather in Wellington by the two Wellington-based television commentators?If the same conditions were in Dunedin, Mex and his mates would have been harping on about the test future for the southern city, how close they are to the South Pole they are, etc, etc.
It has rained in Wellington for the past three tests.
It has been brilliantly fine in Dunedin for the past three tests.
Points differential: Graham Henry should have told his side they had to win by more than five points and then left it up to them.
But to win a trophy over a couple of rugby matches on points differential is wrong.
Did France go for more points near the end of the test in Dunedin? France should have to win both games to get the trophy.
Night rugby: playing games at night is not great if you live in the city that is hosting the test.
You have to sit in a cold stadium, but it is only one night a year.
And you don't have to be naked.
You can wear clothes.
For the vast majority of people, night rugby is fine.
If every test was played during the day, people would soon get sick and tired of having to interrupt their Saturday afternoon to watch the match.
And that is not to forget the harm it would do to rugby clubs.
Broadcasters want games at night because that is when most people watch.
After all, the likes of American Idol and Outrageous Fortune are not on at 2.30pm on Saturday.
The broadcasters pay the money so they decide when to play the games.
No television money means no games.
