by Brendan Bradford – An under fire French team pushed the All Blacks to the limit, but ultimately came up short as the World Cup holders held on for a 26-19 win in Paris on Sunday morning to retain the Dave Gallaher trophy. After finishing equal last in the Six Nations and getting white-washed by the same opposition in June, France made a contest of it in front of a raucous crowd but couldn’t account for the brilliance of winger Charles Piutau who scored one try and set up another in the second half. Incredibly physical, played with pace, power and plenty of daring, it rated second only to the Ellis Park showdown against the Springboks in the Rugby Championship as the sternest test the All Blacks faced this season. "It was a good old tussle and that's why they're called Test matches, they tested our resolve and I'm