But so, too, were there many instances, particularly on defence, that could prove costly if they are not addressed in the coming weeks.
That’s why Rennie was pleased and circumspect in his assessment after watching the All Blacks close out a tense and at times fraught victory against a French side missing eight Top 14 finalists.
“It’s probably more relief than joy but it’s always nice to build on getting better after a win,” the new coach said. “We certainly weren’t high-fiving and jumping for joy afterwards. We’re happy to win. We’ve got a game under our belt now and we’ll build on that.
“You did a pretty good job of talking the French side down but we were well aware of their quality. They’re good enough to take opportunities and we gifted them possession in key spots. We’ve got to be better there.
“When it got close and there were a couple of minutes left our boys did a good job of running down the clock.”
Rennie’s All Blacks played as promised – with pace and optimism at their core.
While they created space, chased width, made line breaks and scored five tries, the skill execution and option-taking fell well short of expected standards at times.
To some degree, that can be attributed to typical first test rust as new and old combinations bed in amid a fresh management team and game plan after assembling 10 days ago.
But behind closed doors, Rennie will demand rapid improvements.
“We’ve talked a lot about optimism and the type of game we want to play and you saw a lot of evidence of that,” he said. “We were probably a bit loose at times but it’s easier to haul things back in so really happy with the attitude.
“I love the effort. We were able to play with a really high tempo, lightning-quick ball at almost 85% which is outrageous. We did a lot of really good things with the ball but we needed to play through them a little bit more. Their big men were tiring and they were able to play high on the edge and we made a few errors there.
“I love the mindset but we’ve got to be a lot more accurate. It was an arm-wrestle. We couldn’t shake them.”
Defensively, the All Blacks were poor at times, conceding four tries, some of those far too easily which is why they could never put France away. Even after establishing a nine-point lead late in the match, France hit back again to spark an anxious finish.
Improving defensive systems, demanding more line speed and tackle accuracy will be high on the agenda as the All Blacks quickly switch focus to their second Nations Championship match against Italy in Wellington next week.
“We just need more time, more reps, more combinations,” Rennie said. “There was a lot of guts. We scrambled well at times. We’ve got to get off the line and apply a lot more pressure and get two in the tackle more often so we can give them slow ball and reset and get off the line and do it again.
“We spent a bit of time on it the last few days but we need a lot more. It will make a massive difference because you can give them slow ball.
“Yep, we’ve got to be a bit better, but I like the mindset. If we tidy up a few things we would’ve created a lot more opportunities tonight.”
Rennie praised his three new caps – Jamie Hannah, a late call up to the bench for Patrick Tuipulotu, Xavier Numia and Fehi Fineanganofo, the latter confessing to being sick at halftime with nerves – and Ruben Love in his maiden start at No 10, after overcoming his early yellow card.
“I’m pleased for him. He’s an impressive young man, very confident. He’s taken control, doesn’t mind bossing around some of the old fellas. We’ll assess. Another seven days together leading into Italy will be great.”
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.
