New Zealand coach Graham Henry offered demoralising news to the rest of the rugby world when he said the All Blacks, who have started their European tour in devastating fashion, were still improving.

"We're just trying to get better all the time and there was an indication in this match that we are getting better," Henry said after his team thrashed France on Saturday, just six days after destroying England at Twickenham.

"That gives the guys confidence and is a good springboard for next year," added Henry, who can only be pleased with what he has seen during his side's final European visit before next year's World Cup in France.

After outclassing England, the All Blacks confirmed their quality by embarrassing the European champions with a deadly mix of power and skill.

France, who were hoping to live up to their reputation for troubling the All Blacks over the years, instead went down to their biggest home defeat, the 44-point margin surpassing the 42 of South Africa's 52-10 rout at Parc des Princes in 1997.

"We ran into a wall and it hurt," said France scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili. "They were in a different league physically, and on top of that we were not very disciplined, which made things even more difficult."

France captain Fabien Pelous, one of the most seasoned warriors in the game, admitted he was lost for words.

"What do you want me to tell the guys after a defeat of such magnitude?" he asked. "They are two classes above us."

The All Blacks surpassed their opponents even in areas where France have often given them a hard time, such as the scrums, but it was a watertight defence that was the main key to a spectacular victory.

"It's hard to single out anything really, because it was great overall performance, but I think our defence was the best it has been for a long time," said New Zealand captain Richie McCaw.

"Most of our tries came from our defence. We really wanted to use the ball and we scored some great tries from that."

Henry, aware that the All Blacks, chasing their first World Cup win since 1987, have often peaked too soon and failed to deliver when it mattered most, is not taking anything for granted but said his team were exactly where they should be.

"We came over here to road test the World Cup and we're delighted with the way things are going," he said. "There's a lot of competition for places which is another very positive thing. Everybody's playing the best they can."

France will have a chance to restore pride in a second meeting at Stade de France next Saturday, but can only be worried that the All Blacks promised to field their best possible side.

McCaw, however, is not expecting such an easy ride.

"It's going to be a challenge," he said. "They'll be hurting. What happened in this match does not make them bad players or a bad team. Things can reverse very quick.

"What we have keep in mind is that we will need to play as well as we did here."