OPINION: Anytime you take on international opponents without a handful of key players, the big question becomes 'can your replacements step up to fill the void?'
After the All Blacks' resounding 49-14 victory over France in Dunedin, you'd have to give them a pass mark on that.
Forget the refereeing vagaries across the three encounters - and we saw that yet again on Saturday night - this series has been about developing front-line depth in key positions.
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Without captain Kieran Read, lock Brodie Rettalick, hooker Dane Coles for the campaign, coach Steve Hansen also missed second-five Sonny Bill Williams for two games and then lost first-five Beauden Barrett for the last.
That's a pretty impressive nucleus of your starting line-up that had dominated their positions to the exclusion of others, but suddenly needed replacing.
That not only affected the starting positions, but also a bench that had so often been the deciding factor in the closing stages of close matches. As reserves moved into starting spots, a third wave needed to take up the role of 'super subs' to lift the tempo against tiring opposition.
Probably no player ran out onto Forsyth Barr Stadium with more expectation upon him than stand-in first-five Damian McKenzie.
His development in the 10 jersey has been well chronicled and many are still unconvinced that his undoubted talents are suited to that position. The first 10 minutes would have done nothing to ease those doubts.
In quick succession, he seemed to be out of position to receive his first pass, threw a 50-50 ball that was intercepted by the French and then kicked long over the dead-ball line to concede an attacking scrum.
As the game went on, he found his feet to finish with two tries - one that should not have been awarded, and one that showcased his unique skill and speed.
If you're looking for someone to control the game, McKenzie probably isn't your first choice, but that's not why the All Blacks have moved him to first-five. They simply want to put the ball in his hands as often as possible to maximise his talents - it's pure risk and reward, and Saturday night provided both.
We'd be wrong to pigeon-hole McKenzie as some kind of impact player off the bench. Remember, we did that with Barrett, before he got the chance to show his true worth.
The others to show their readiness for bigger things were hooker Codie Taylor and lock Scott Barrett.
Taylor was the star of the opening test and consolidated that performance over the next two, showing Coles-like skill at times.
Last night, Barrett tackled his heart out, threatened with the ball in hand and stripped possession to create Rieko Ioane's second try. He was probably the best Barrett on display over the past month.
Even when complete newbies arrived on the stage, they seemed to benefit from good planning or good fortune. Rookie prop Karl Tu'inukuafe walked onto Eden Park, straight into a scrum, which he duly demolished, and never looked back.
On Saturday, Jackson Hemopo made a brief first-half cameo as an injury replacement for Highlanders mate Shannon Frizell. He walked straight into a lineout, snared the short throw and laid off for Matt Todd to score.
Even Richie Mo'unga reeled off a 50-metre touch-finder with his first touch of the ball at test level.
When you first enter any new environment, the best you can hope for is early success to establish confidence. Those three, in particular, certainly achieved that.
While frustrations with referees and rules will remain the overarching memory of this series, Hansen can afford to reflect with some satisfaction over the depth created, with bigger challenges to follow.
Grant Chapman is Newshub online sports editor.
