The setting was historic: it was the first international match played under the roof of “Te Kaha,” the indoor stadium that replaced the legendary Lancaster Park, which was destroyed after the 2011 earthquake. And the game lived up to the occasion.
Les Bleus, with a reshuffled roster and a grueling season under their belts, struck first: Damian Penaud scored his 41st try for the French national team—in his 60th cap—just two minutes into the game after a fine break. New Zealand’s response was swift, courtesy of Will Jordan (8th minute), who scored twice (8th, 70th) to bring his total to 47 tries. The tone was set: every French surge was met with a New Zealand response, in a match with no lulls whatsoever.
Maxime Lucu, accurate with the boot and captaining the team for the first time, kept his side in the game, but the All Blacks regained the lead just before halftime thanks to their scrum-half Cam Roigard. After the break, Antoine Hastoy, who had come on as a substitute—Penaud having been substituted at halftime due to a calf injury—restored the lead for Les Bleus following a fine team effort, before Théo Attissogbe kept French hopes alive.
In the end, the small details proved decisive: a missed conversion, a try disallowed for a knock-on after a video review. On the other side, fly-half Ruben Love, unstoppable in his first start at the position, justified the presence of Beauden Barrett—with his 145 caps—on the bench.
Having closed the gap to two points thanks to a try by Matthieu Jalibert in the final minutes, the French had one last chance. But Nolann Le Garrec’s kick after the lineout was easily caught, and the New Zealanders retained possession until the final whistle, securing a first victory for their new head coach Dave Rennie, who was appointed following Scott Robertson’s dismissal in March.
France has not beaten the All Blacks on their home turf since June 13, 2009, in Dunedin (27–22)—this marks their 13th consecutive loss on New Zealand soil. But the double bonus points brought back from Christchurch are significant with an eye toward the final scheduled for November 29 at Twickenham. Their next match is this coming Saturday against Australia in Brisbane, before a final summer tour to Japan on July 18. Defeated, but far from embarrassing: Les Bleus kicked off their tournament with a powerful statement.