Les Bleus, the only Six Nations team to win on the weekend, have Antoine Dupont back at the helm and the abiding memory of beating the All Blacks at the same venue in the World Cup opener in 2023.
The thing is, New Zealand now have wins against England and Ireland under their belt, so for France to stop them would top Australia beating England in terms of the greatest feat of this Autumn Nations Series so far.
Head to Head
The rivalry between France and New Zealand is fascinating. The All Blacks have gone into match as clear favourites before, only for the French to rise to the occasion, particularly in high-stakes matches.
Some of the most iconic moments in rugby history have come from this match-up, including France's shock quarter-final win in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and their thrilling semi-final victory in 1999.
The last time these two sides met, in the opening game of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, France claimed an historic 27-13 victory on home soil. It was a game that showcased Les Bleus' tactical precision and defensive resilience, marking the first-ever pool-stage defeat for the All Blacks in World Cup history.
France have won back-to-back games against the All Blacks (2021, 2023), and only once before have they won three on the bounce in this fixture (1994-95).
Team News
New Zealand have suffered a double injury blow: Sam Cane and try-scoring wizard Mark Tele’a are both ruled out of the clash.
Former captain Cane was concussed and suffered a deep cut to his head during the win over Ireland, while Tele’a is dealing with a hand injury. All Blacks XV captain Du’Plessis Kirifi and lock Fabian Holland have been called up as forward cover, with winger Chay Fihaki in for Tele’a.
Every cloud has a silver lining as fly-half Beauden Barrett and hooker Codie Taylor return, having missed out on the Ireland showdown through concussion.
The Les Bleus have also suffered two injury blows with flanker Francois Cros and winger Damian Penaud unavailable for the All Blacks clash on Saturday. Cros was replaced at half-time against Japan after suffering a head injury, whereas Penaud was originally set to start on the right wing against the Brave Blossoms, but withdrew on matchday due to illness and has failed to recover.
Form Guide
France head into this game off the back of a triumphant 52-12 victory over Japan. After their strong World Cup campaign in 2023, where they reached the semi-finals, they have had a mixed 2024, after a strong 2nd place finish in the Guinness Men's Six Nations, winning six of their last 10 test matches.
New Zealand, under the guidance of Scott Robertson, have had a mixed start to the new era of the All Blacks, winning three out of six games at The Rugby Championship. However, they have had a fine start to their Autumn Nations Series, winning a closely contested battle against England and, last week, beating a world number one Irish side by 10 points in a strong display.
New Zealand have lost just the one of their last eight Test matches against European sides in Europe (W6 D1), however that sole defeat came against France during last year’s World Cup.
