Match News and Current Form
A new dawn for international rugby punctuated by the formation of the Nations Championship aligns with a new era for New Zealand rugby as they make their first appearance at Christchurch’s new Te Kaha Stadium with a new head coach. Former Chiefs and Australia boss Dave Rennie takes over a side that has won 11 of their last 14 matches (L3), but as is the standard the All Blacks hold themselves to, losing their status as the world’s most feared side in recent years has left them needing a rebuild. They should be confident that said rebuild will begin in the best way considering they’ve won seven of their last eight matches on home soil (L1), with that lone defeat being a 43-10 mauling by South Africa, their heaviest ever defeat at home.
Rennie’s first team selection boasts a largely experienced squad with a smattering of youth. Centurion Codie Taylor leads an experienced front row packing down in front of an inexperienced lock pairing of Josh Lord and Sam Darry, but the loose forwards are where the All Black pack look exceptionally dangerous with Peter Lakai and Luke Jacobson flanking captain and talisman Ardie Savea. The electric Cameron Roigard and Ruben Love make up the halfback pairing, and they’ll be servicing a frightening looking arsenal of Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan on the wing, Jordie Barrett and Quinn Tupaea in the centres, and Damian McKenzie at fullback. On the bench, prop Xavier Numia and Fehi Fineanganofo await to make their debuts, the latter off the back of one of the great Super Rugby seasons of all time.
France arrived in the land of the long white cloud as Six Nations champions after ousting England 48-46 in the final round of the competition, in what many are calling the ‘Test match of the decade’. Their only loss in their last seven matches was a 50-40 at Murrayfield against the Scots which was the game before their tie with English, so 86 points conceded in their last two games is a worrying sign to say the least. Les Bleus travelled to New Zealand for a three-test series last year and lost all three matches, and similar to that tour, they’ve been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons again having left behind multiple regular starters. This may serve them well in the long-term though, as many teams will be using this Nations Championship competition to test the waters against potential opponents ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.
Fabien Galthié has, to his credit, brought over many more trademark names on this tour compared to last year, with his starting lineup boasting many stars of French rugby. His forward pack looks a little light on star power, with props Demba Bamba and Jefferson Poirot boasting the most caps with 31 caps and 36 respectively, although Poirot is coming off a six-year international hiatus. Flank Oscar Jégou is joined in the loose forwards by Pierre Bochaton and Marko Gazzotti , who only have three caps between them. Australian-born lock Tom Staniforth will make his debut, alongside the promising Hugo Auradou, and that pack will be in charge of giving scrumhalf and captain Maxime Lucu good service. The rest of the backline is where the French strut their stuff, with flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert, and wingers Théo Attissogbe and Damian Penaud all proven at the highest level. The centres are Yoram Moefana and Fabien Brau-Boirie, with Max Spring coming in at fullback.
Head-to-Head History
New Zealand have won 51 of the 67 previous H2Hs, including in all three tests when France visited them last year, while the French have won just one of their ten visits to Christchurch.
Hot Stats and Streaks
The closest margin of victory in New Zealand’s last seven matches was eight points.
A try was the first scoring play in each of New Zealand’s last four home matches.
France have scored 33+ points across their last seven matches.
A backline player has scored the first try in 14 of France’s last 15 away matches.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
All Black try-scoring machine Will Jordan will look to repeat his heroics from last year, when he scored four tries in the three tests against France. His opposite winger Théo Attissogbe started every game in that series without crossing the whitewash, something he recently corrected in the Six Nations by scoring five tries in the tournament.
Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa’i is missing for New Zealand as he recovers from a concussion, while the French outfit are without many players since Toulouse and Montpellier players are barred after making the Top 14 final, along with star names such Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Charles Ollivon, Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack not travelling for various reasons.
Betting Analysis
Les Bleus are far from full strength but may have enough firepower to keep things interesting come half-time against a New Zealand side under a new coach, meaning a bet on France to beat the first-half handicap of 4.5 points seems smart.