Date: Saturday, July 5
Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Kick-off: 19:05 local (08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley (England), Takehito Namekawa (Japan)
TMO: Damon Murphy (Australia)
FPRO: Brett Cronan (Australia)
When this tour was initially announced, there was feverish excitement at the prospect of two of the world’s best going head-to-head, but it is fair to say that the emotion has changed leading into the first All Blacks v France Test.
Quite frankly, the French do not care about the mid-year internationals, whoever the team are playing, and there has been no pretence on their part about what they have always intended to do heading to New Zealand.
It nevertheless does not make the severely understrength squad they have sent no less disappointing, particularly from the hosts’ perspective, who have ripped into their counterparts fiercely this week. Justin Marshall was especially critical of the squad they have assembled and, when the 23 was announced on Thursday, that would not have improved his mood.
For the first Test of the tour, a staggering eight players are set to make their Test debuts for the visitors, while just six of the 23 have won more than 10 caps. Only Gael Fickou and Mickael Guillard could really claim to be first choice, with Theo Attissogbe and Hugo Auradou in and around the Six Nations squad.
Nolann Le Garrec, Emilien Gailleton and Romain Taofifenua were on the fringes of that team for the northern hemisphere tournament but, other than that, it is a very raw and inexperienced outfit.
It is not too dissimilar to the side that edged an England XV last month at Twickenham but, considering the hosts were also shorn of their best players for that clash, the signs are not good for the next three All Blacks games.
New Zealand should therefore dispatch France with ease as they look for a big season under Scott Robertson. It proved to be a challenging first year in charge for the new head coach, who took over from Ian Foster after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but they certainly improved towards the end of the 2024 campaign.
That included a narrow 30-29 defeat to a fully-loaded Les Bleus in November, so logic would dictate that, at home against effectively a third-string French squad, they should be comfortably swatting aside their opponents over the next few weeks.
Thankfully sport does not work like that and France have been the leaders of producing top level talent over the past few years, but this looks like an impossible challenge for the visitors. It would be an embarrassment for the All Blacks should Fabien Galthie’s men emerge victorious in any of the three Tests.
Where the game will be won
For France, it is simply about getting the basics right, which will give them a shot of being competitive. That is defence, set-piece, gain line and kicking game. Against an England XV in June, the lineout and maul worked very well, which is a start, but they were put under pressure aerially and they will need to shore that up this weekend.
Galthie can call upon a talented backline, led by captain Fickou, which looks well balanced and contains a number of talented individuals, but the question will be if their pack can stand up to the rigours of Test rugby. It is very raw and the intensity of the highest level may just be too much of a shock for the visitors.
Granted, there are some big units who have performed consistently well domestically in what is arguably the toughest league in the world, but the challenge will be translating that onto the biggest stage and we struggle to see that happening against Robertson’s All Blacks.
Although the hosts have been hampered by a couple of injuries which has particularly disrupted the back-row, leading to, in our view, an odd call in switching Tupou Vaa’i to blindside, they are minor quarrels over a side which has too much firepower for their opponents. There are a few inexperienced players in the 23, including four rookies, but there is also plenty of class and quality, and we cannot see where France can really hurt New Zealand this weekend.
What they said
Robertson explained some of his selection calls, particularly at fly-half and in the back-row, where Ardie Savea has shifted from number eight to openside flanker.
“The good thing about Ardie is that he can play seven and eight extremely well,” he said.
“He’s had a great year and played the majority of that at seven. So the balance and mix of this week is that he can finish at eight if he needs to and he’s mature, he’s 31 and been around for a while.
“Whatever is best for the team, he is in.”
On selecting Beauden Barrett over Damian McKenzie, the head coach added: “They both had good seasons, but we just felt that Beauden deserved the opportunity.
“The good thing about it is that it’s one of those selections where you have got two genuine options.
“Beauden has led the group really, really well and D-Mac can come off the bench to change or finish games. So it’s a good combo.”
Meanwhile, France boss Galthie responded to the criticism and insisted that they’ve shown in the past that even an understrength Les Bleus side can be competitive against quality teams.
“I understand very well that on the international circuit, it’s hard to understand why we don’t present the team that won the Six Nations or the autumn tour,” he said.
“There are 45 players who stayed in France. But when I took the team, I knew it would be like this.
“However, we almost won at Twickenham in 2021, during the Autumn Cup, with a similar team. We also competed in Australia the following summer.
“In 2022, we beat Japan twice. Last year, we weren’t in the best condition to win the tour in Argentina, but we were more than competitive. We won the first Test and beat Uruguay, before narrowly losing in the third match.”
Players to watch
Where to start with these two teams? While everyone knew the French would be selecting a number of new faces, we weren’t quite expecting this much change from the All Blacks. Injury and retirement has played a part in that, particularly in the back-row, as Ardie Savea and Tupou Vaa’i combine at flanker with debutant Christian Lio-Willie at number eight due to absence of Wallace Sititi and the departure of Sam Cane.
Savea’s shift from the base of the scrum has long been suggested but the decision to pick Vaa’i at blindside is rather left-field. Not that he hasn’t played that role before for the All Blacks but that he had finally displayed his potential at lock in what was an excellent 2024 on a personal note. However, the emergence of the Netherlands-born Fabian Holland has forced a reshuffle with the Highlanders star combining with captain Scott Barrett in the engine room.
Holland has all the qualities necessary to be an outstanding operator at the highest level and Robertson evidently feels the same. He is a hefty unit and throws his weight around superbly in the closer exchanges but he also has an excellent skill set and is a real presence in the lineout.
Behind the scrum, there have also been some interesting decisions, starting with Beauden Barrett being selected ahead of McKenzie. The Chiefs man has once again been the better player domestically but Barrett ended 2024 as the All Blacks’ first choice 10 and it is not a surprise that he has got the nod for the opening international of 2025.
A midfield axis of Jordie Barrett and Billy Proctor sits outside the playmaker, with the decision to bring in the Hurricanes outside centre the most significant. It signals a changing of the guard in that position, with Proctor having better skills than the man he replaced, although it is not the end of Rieko Ioane‘s Test career. The 28-year-old has been moved to the wing and it will be interesting to see how Ioane does back in the position where he made his name.
As for the French, they have picked a very inexperienced line-up but watch out for the immensely talented Theo Attissogbe and Emilien Gailleton. The former, not long out of the U20s, made a real impact in the Six Nations when given a chance and is a livewire with ball in hand, so if the All Blacks kick poorly then Attissogbe will be a huge threat.
Gailleton, meanwhile, is a very classy centre who seems to have all the time in the world with ball in hand. The Pau star is defensively sound and a beautifully balanced runner but he also has an excellent rugby brain. There are elements of Conrad Smith and Brian O’Driscoll in there, which makes him an exciting prospect for Les Bleus.
The French backs need that platform, however, if they are to stand any chance of putting the All Blacks under pressure and the onus is on the forwards to provide that. Alexandre Fischer has been on the radar for several years but injuries have hampered his career. However, a fully fit and firing Fischer could make a real mess of the hosts’ breakdown.
He is joined in the back-row by Mickael Guillard, a player that has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2024/25. The lock, who is at number eight for this encounter, cemented himself in the French starting line-up during the Six Nations and was their best player in their victory over an England XV in June.
Main head-to-head
There is only one position where France have a first choice option and that is Gael Fickou at centre. Injury deprived him of too much game time in the Six Nations but, as a result, that has made him available to go on this tour. Fickou will also captain the French and he goes up against Jordie Barrett in what should be a fun battle.
Barrett has returned to New Zealand following a hugely successful stint at Leinster and he will bring both ballast and a playmaking capability to this All Blacks side. Fickou is also dextrous and, equally, has a good passing game, but he is renowned for his defensive expertise and balance and pace with ball in hand. There are not many positions where the French match up well to their opposite number but this is possibly one of them.
Previous results
2024: France won 30-29 in Saint-Denis
2023: France won 27-13 in Saint-Denis
2021: France won 40-25 in Saint-Denis
2018: New Zealand won 49-14 in Dunedin
2018: New Zealand won 26-13 in Wellington
2018: New Zealand won 52-11 in Auckland
2017: New Zealand won 38-18 in Saint-Denis
2016: New Zealand won 24-19 in Saint-Denis
2015: New Zealand won 62-13 in Cardiff
2013: New Zealand won 26-19 in Saint-Denis
The teams
All Blacks: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Samipeni Finau, 20 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Damian McKenzie
France: 15 Theo Attissogbe, 14 Tom Spring, 13 Emilien Gailleton, 12 Gael Fickou (c), 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Joris Segonds, 9 Nolann Le Garrec, 8 Mickael Guillard, 7 Killian Tixeront, 6 Alexandre Fischer, 5 Tyler Duguid, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Gaetan Barlot, 1 Giorgi Beria
Replacements: 16 Pierre Bourgarit, 17 Paul Mallez, 18 Regis Montagne, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Cameron Woki, 21 Jacobus van Tonder, 22 Baptiste Jauneau, 23 Antoine Hastoy
