After tries from Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard, the All Blacks led 17–10 at the break. However, early in the second half, France equalised with a shift maul score.
After an offload went to ground, France took the lead with a kick-break try to winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and they were now tied at 17. Despite penalty exchanges between the two teams, New Zealand never took the lead again.
France’s defence held firm for a one-point victory despite New Zealand’s heroic efforts to run the entire length of the pitch while stuck in front of their own goal posts.
The All Blacks’ rating is as follows:
1. Williams, Tamaiti – 4
Williams’ performance tonight was simply lacking in polish. was contacted in order to close off a departure phase. made a fantastic steal to get New Zealand’s first breakdown penalty. broke open France in the middle, but Roigard was on the left, so he veered right. He butchered the pass despite having a half break with a line outside McKenzie. The huge man missed his chances.
2. Codie Taylor – 6. Off at 62.
In the first half, the All Blacks’ own lineout performed admirably, scoring 5/5. Taylor produced a vital strip to defend the goal line in the first key maul defence. As usual, the defence had a strong motor, scoring seven goals in the first half. In the second half, an All Blacks penalty goal was followed immediately by a penalty for access obstruction.
3. Tyrel Lomax, off at 62.
The scrum was a back-and-forth penalty war. France took the first three points after they lost their first scrum due to a penalty. used a penalty to turn it around the next time. The first half seemed to be dominated by the All Blacks. At 62, off.
4. Scott Barrett- 6
performs numerous pullback passes while carrying off No. 9 for the captain. He completed his job with nine carries and eight tackles. a few occasions put pressure on France’s lineup, but no steals were made.
5. Tupou Vaa’i – 6.
One poor play ruined Vaa’i’s otherwise strong night. had an early read on France’s lineout. A steal early in the evening, followed by another soon after. He threw an offload in the second half, which allowed France to counterattack and cost the All Blacks. nine tackles in the end. 55 and off.
6. N/A Samipeni Finau
took the first two minutes off for an HIA.
7. Ardie Savea- 6
saw a lot of ball even though he was playing openside. After thirty-five minutes, I had ten carries. Flyhalf Ramos was on his backside after the first run down the left side. Lakai scored the first try after his second in a similar position outran three French defenders and found an offload. was reprimanded for sealing off, which caused the All Blacks to struggle in the first half. had a ruck steal and was immediately punished for remaining in isolation. had a calm second half despite a heavy attack. Four tackles were made in total.
8. Wallace Sititi- 5
Wallace had a more difficult night because he had to carry in tight quarters and found it hard to go. He was properly managed by the French pack. He had an off throw from the top to Ratima after making a huge breakdown penalty in the 69th minute, which was his best play of the evening.
9. Cam Roigard – 8 Possibly the night’s most significant All Black. Use a looping cutout pass to get Savea free down the left side early. Targeted France in the 15s by frequently playing the blindside. sprinting away for a well-executed solo intercept try after pinching Dupont’s pocket during a France scrum. got his offload game going and sniped well. By halftime, he had eight carries. left for the last thirty minutes.
10. 6.5 for Beauden Barrett
acted more as a distributor off-set, with Ardie Savea serving as the launch plays’ focal point. His first three kicks were at goal. missed a long-range drop attempt at halftime. In the second half, I ran more, questioned the line and became more direct. France performed a good job of containing; they didn’t really do anything wrong.
11. Caleb Clarke- 7
Combining with Savea on New Zealand’s first attempt was a lovely touch. had a few hard ball carries that consistently took in many defenders before cutting back inside, far from the sideline. He was frequently one in from the left flank, and strangely, Lienert-Brown was outside. Always carried well and had a menacing appearance.
12. Jordie Barrett: Not available
took a few blows from France’s ferocious defence while holding the ball. He won 60 meters with a huge touch finder on his first exit kick. Prior to leaving after 36, he played strong defence and made a few crucial spot tackles.
13. Rieko Ioane- 4
had nine carries in the first half and nine more in the second, but overran the first launch play with a touch that resulted in Savea dropping the ball. With three minutes left, there was a significant drop that almost cost the game as France’s counterattack failed.
14. 7 Sevu Reece
In the first half, he made a pivotal intercept. cleaned up well in the backfield and had some good pick-and-gos. didn’t make any mistakes.
15. Will Jordan, 6
both good and terrible in one bag. The first touch resulted in a turnover. Tupou Vaa’i had a fantastic round-the-corner offload after an early touch. Bielle-Biarrey’s second kick was saved by a foot after Dupont found the space over the top. Always ran back kicks with ferocity. went for an over-the-top ball to Clarke after a protracted attack buildup, but it was unsuccessful. With France trying to score, a tremendous intercept was made on the wing. failed to execute a late All Blacks break after pushing a pass. disappointed with the passing game.
Stockpiles
16. 4 – On at 62 Asafo Aumua. penalised for giving France a four-point advantage through a cleanout. A couple of strong blows.
17. 5 – On at 62 Ofa Tu’ungafasi. For the reserve front rowers, there are no scrums. When the All Blacks had the ball on attack, Ofa made one tackle.
18. 5 – On at 62 Pasilio Tosi. Tosi gets two tackles.
19. Patrick Tuipulotu: By keeping the bench forwards on, the All Blacks’ formidable defence prevented France from scoring.
20. 7 Peter Lakai Lakai, who came on extremely early after two minutes, had a huge night. scored the first try inside Savea while on a support line. handled well. lost possession after being isolated on a crucial possession inside France’s 22. As the game went on, he had some solid carries and a very strong leg drive. finished as the best tackler on the team.
21. At 52, Cortez Ratima is on. On midway, he grabbed a crucial breakdown penalty. had a difficult lineout off the top after a nasty spill from Sititi.
22. Lienert-Brown, Anton replaced Jordie Barrett late in the first half.
23. At 52, Damian McKenzie got in. With a fullback effect, he entered the game right away and placed Williams through a half space. scrambled and cleaned up a kick near the end of the game to save it.
