All Blacks edge France 34-32 in Nations Championship opener

Tight opener in Christchurch

New Zealand opened the inaugural Nations Championship with a 34-32 victory over France at a sold-out venue in Christchurch on Saturday, July 4, holding on through the closing minutes after France cut the lead to two points with a try in the 78th minute. The match produced nine tries in total — five for the All Blacks and four for France — and was settled only when the New Zealand forward pack retained possession from the restart to run down the clock, according to match reports from BBC Sport, The Guardian and Le Monde.

The fixture was the All Blacks’ first Test under new head coach Dave Rennie, who took over from Scott Robertson in January after most recently coaching Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers in Japan. The Guardian reported that France fielded a line-up without any players from top French clubs Toulouse and Montpellier, and that star scrum-half Antoine Dupont and wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey were not in the touring squad, making the scoreline closer than some pre-match forecasts.

A frantic opening exchanges

France struck inside the opening two minutes through Damian Penaud, extending his national record to 41 Test tries. The try came during a passage of play in which New Zealand fly-half Ruben Love was sin-binned for a high tackle on French full-back Max Spring, putting the hosts a man down almost from the start. The Guardian and Le Monde both described the opening minutes as a “horror” start for the Rennie era.

New Zealand responded in the eighth minute through Will Jordan, who finished in the corner despite a last-ditch attempt by French wing Theo Attissogbe to push him into touch. The try was set up by a turnover won by captain Ardie Savea, described by The Guardian as a rare breakdown success for the home side in a phase of the match where France consistently won quick ball.

France edged ahead through two penalties from stand-in captain and scrum-half Maxime Lucu, but New Zealand reclaimed the lead in the 21st minute when flanker Peter Lakai scored after a break by Damian McKenzie and an inside pass from Caleb Clarke. Lucu’s second penalty nudged France back in front before half-time, but Cam Roigard darted over from the back of a ruck to give New Zealand a 19-13 lead at the break, BBC Sport reported.

Second-half swings

France started the second half the faster of the two sides, with replacement Antoine Hastoy scoring in the 47th minute after Attissogbe delivered what The Guardian described as a “basketball-style pass over three markers.” Roigard replied almost immediately with his second try, putting New Zealand ahead again before Attissogbe crossed in the corner to bring France back within a point at 26-25 after Lucu missed the conversion.

BBC Sport noted that France had a second-half try ruled out for a knock-on from Max Spring before Fabien Brau-Boirie grounded the ball, with the television match official intervening to disallow the score. Attissogbe’s subsequent effort, which stood, came just before the hour mark.

Love’s penalty extended New Zealand’s lead to four points before Jordan crossed for his second try in the 71st minute, finishing off a Luke Jacobson offload. According to The Guardian, the score moved Jordan to 47 Test tries, joint-second on New Zealand’s all-time list, two short of Doug Howlett’s record of 49. The try gave New Zealand their first breathing space at 34-25 with nine minutes remaining.

French fightback and final moments

France refused to concede the contest, and Matthieu Jalibert bundled over the line in the 78th minute to set up a tense finish. The Guardian reported that New Zealand’s forwards retained possession from the restart to deny France a chance to steal the match in the closing phases. According to BBC Sport, a win on New Zealand soil would have given France only their fifth-ever Test victory in the country.

What Rennie said

Rennie told reporters he was pleased with his team’s attacking intent but identified accuracy and defensive line speed as priorities. “I love the effort. I love the optimism,” he was quoted as saying by The Guardian. “We were able to play with a really high tempo, a lot of quick ball, almost 85%, which is just outrageous. We did a lot of really good things with the ball.” He added: “I can’t fault the effort, I love the mindset, but we’ve got to be a lot more accurate. We just need more time, more reps, more work around the combinations.”

Savea, speaking to ITV Sport and quoted by BBC Sport and Le Monde, said: “It was tough. The French were quality tonight, when we had the ball in our hands, we were dangerous. A Test match is always going to bring its challenges. France came to play and put us under pressure. I am proud of the boys for what they put in.” Roigard added, according to Le Monde: “France are very unpredictable and like to play what is in front of them and there was a lot of French flair, so credit to them. I am proud of the boys for hanging in there.”

Rennie’s philosophy and squad context

The Guardian reported that Rennie, 62, had promised “optimistic” rugby from his team before the match, with an emphasis on limiting kicking and encouraging players to run and attack when opportunities presented themselves. The match-day squad for New Zealand included McKenzie at full-back, Jordan and Clarke on the wings, and a forward pack led by Savea, with Love wearing the number 10 jersey in his first Test start at fly-half. For France, Jalibert started at fly-half and Penaud on the wing, with Lucu captaining the side from scrum-half.

What to watch next

BBC Sport reported that New Zealand host Italy next weekend, while France travel to Australia for their second fixture. Rennie indicated that combinations and defensive pressure would be the focus before the Italy Test. Le Monde’s report was filed in conjunction with Agence France-Presse. The match was refereed by Luke Pearce of the Rugby Football Union, according to BBC Sport’s published team line-ups.