All Blacks v France: ABs player ratings
Will Jordan
8 — Had to make an early switch to the wing. Should have had a hat-trick. All class.
Sevu Reece
1 — Lasted 57 seconds. Poor tackling technique led to head injury.
Billy Proctor
5 — Tidy enough but did not do much to suggest he is going to be the answer.
Jordie Barrett
8 — Made a seamless return to New Zealand rugby. Always looked dangerous.
Rieko Ioane
6 — A real mixed bag. Couple of nice breaks but also made errors and drifted out of the game.
Beauden Barrett
7 — Calm and steady hand on the tiller. Perfect off the tee.
Cameron Roigard
9 — Terrified the French with his speed off the mark. Passed swiftly and true. Kicking also effective.
Cam Roigard - terrifying.
7 — Took a while to get into the game. But did some good things when play came his way.
Ardie Savea
7 — An average Ardie game is like a 9.5 for others. Did what he had to do.
Tupou Vaa'i
6 — Strong physical presence. Needs more time in the saddle at blindside flank.
Fabian Holland
8 — Excellent debut from the Highlanders hero. Led the All Blacks with 17 tackles. First of 100 tests.
Scott Barrett
7 — A bit like Sam Cane in that he does a lot of the hard graft that does not get noticed.
Fletcher Newell
6 — Solid shift, nothing more.
Codie Taylor
8 — Vigorous around the field and showed a keenness to get the ball in his hand.
Ethan de Groot
7 — Nothing fancy but worked hard and clocked up the tackles.
RESERVES
Samisoni Taukei'aho
6 — Added some oomph.
Ollie Norris
5 — Did his job on debut.
Pasilio Tosi
7 — Strong in scrum and at the breakdown.
Samipeni Finau
5 — Grafted away quietly.
Du'Plessis Kirifi
7 — Brought a lot of energy. Might start next test.
Cortez Ratima
6 — Safe pair of hands in the final quarter.
Quinn Tupaea
4 — Only really a cameo. Nice to see him back.
Damian McKenzie
8 — Played 79 minutes. Led the way with 90 attacking metres and six defenders beaten. Just has a touch of magic.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
5 hours ago
- 1News
'We found a way' - Barrett injury blow as All Blacks mull French lessons
The All Blacks have travelled to Wellington to prepare for the second Test against France in the knowledge they will have to make significant improvements and probably without their skipper Scott Barrett, who has an Achilles injury. Barrett left the field just before the hour mark during last night's hard-fought 31-27 victory in Dunedin and was limping today as he boarded the plane for the trip to the capital ahead of next Saturday's clash. 1News' Michelle Prendiville and Pat McKendry examine the performances in the All Blacks' uncomfortable opening victory — watch now on TVNZ+ Barrett, 31, will be a big doubt for that match and will likely to be touch-and-go to feature in the third and final Test in Hamilton the following weekend. It will bring Patrick Tuipulotu into the second-row starting mix, and the Blues man will probably start alongside Fabian Holland, who distinguished himself on debut over the full 80 minutes. Ardie Savea will likely step up as captain. ADVERTISEMENT The performance of Holland, only 22, will be a highlight for the coaches, who were also pleased with the contributions of the other three newcomers loose forwards Christian Lio-Willie and Du'Plessis Kirifi and prop Ollie Norris. But any hope of a smooth progression of combinations throughout the series was dashed almost from the start. France wing Gabin Villière scores against the All Blacks in Dunedin. (Source: Getty) Right wing Sevu Reece, who left the field with a head injury following a collision with only 57 seconds on the clock, will also almost certainly miss the Test at the Cake Tin, with Caleb Clarke coming into the frame for a start. After a night when every All Black was reminded of the realities of Test rugby against a big, committed and wildly under-rated opposition, there will likely be mixed feelings in the camp. On the one hand the All Blacks appeared on the brink of breaking away from an occasionally tired looking France, with Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie in particular looking dangerous, but a combination of errors and three disallowed tries kept the visitors in it. The longer the French, who scored three tries and troubled the All Blacks with their own attack, stayed in the game, the more energised they became, but while the home side's defensive lapses will disappoint the coaches, their team's discipline and accuracy in the final quarter will please them. ADVERTISEMENT If France knocking the ball on when attempting a last attack gave the All Blacks a boost, it was nothing on their scrum penalty to close the game out. The All Blacks' poor discipline and a lack of impact in the final quarter of last year's four defeats was a major concern for Scott Robertson and company, so in some ways the team's method of victory came from an unlikely source. Ardie Savea breaks away for the All Blacks against France. (Source: Getty) 'There's an old saying – sometimes you've got to win in the mud,' forwards coach Jason Ryan said this morning. 'There was no mud out there we just found a way. There was grit and there was a lot of blood in the shed. 'Talking about discipline can make you a bit passive sometimes but we were really accurate when the game was tight and that's the most pleasing thing.' Beauden Barrett's penalty with six minutes remaining, and Jordan's second try after the fullback-turned-right wing opened the scoring for the home side in the first half, was the All Blacks' lot as they were outscored two tries to one after the break. While television match official Damon Murphy's regular contributions to rule out tries for Jordan, Jordie Barrett and Billy Proctor were unwelcome for the All Blacks, France's resilience was impressive. ADVERTISEMENT Asked whether the commentary about France during the week from some places was unhelpful for his team, Ryan replied succinctly: "Probably from all places, to be fair." It remains to be seen whether the lessons were learned, but they were certainly taught in an uncompromising way by an opposition determined to prove a few people wrong. "The boys all said in the shed that nothing prepares them," Ryan said of the uniqueness of Test rugby. "It's just a totally different contest. There's different pressures, the margins – you just can't get away with anything. "Now we know. We got the win, we found the way. It wasn't pretty and it's good for us. "We showed some composure at the right time."
1News
8 hours ago
- 1News
'Fine margins' - Will Jordan's late injury scare ahead of All Blacks' win
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson called it 'a hell of a Test match'. Fullback-turned-wing Will Jordan, meanwhile, described it as this: 'There are fine margins in Test footy'. Ain't that the truth. 1News understands that Jordan, who scored two tries in the All Blacks' 31-27 victory over France under the roof in Dunedin and was awarded a third before Nic Berry was convinced otherwise by an extremely busy television match official, was a doubt to play in this Test even after the captain's run on the eve of it. An upper hamstring issue was said to be causing Jordan difficulties in reaching full pace and so Damian McKenzie was being lined up to start at fullback in his place. As it was, Jordan recovered just in time to start at fullback, only to shift to the right wing after Sevu Reece's head injury 57 seconds in, with McKenzie running on in the No.23 jersey. ADVERTISEMENT Who's to say how the All Blacks may have fared had Jordan not played. The Crusader, fresh from a championship win with the red and blacks, is a try scorer like none other in All Black history. He now has 40 tries in 42 Tests and is closing in on Doug Howlett's record of 49, which Howlett achieved in 62 appearances. No else has scored tries for New Zealand at the rate Jordan is. Touch judge Christophe Ridley and acting captain Ardie Savea look at a replay of Will Jordan's disallowed try against France.. (Source: Photosport) Teammate Beauden Barrett remains ahead of him with 45 tries (in 134 Tests) and, for all the talk of the All Blacks first-five breaking Howlett's record this year, it may be that Jordan overtakes them both before 2025 is out. Jordan, 27, can score them any which way; from long range and from close. And he should have had a third in the second half but for a marginal obstruction offence spotted by the eagle eyes of Damon Murphy from Australia. 'There are fine margins in Test footy… a bit of a tough call potentially,' was Jordan's description. 'There were a few of those we'll have to look at… we've just got to be clean around what we do in that area.' The All Blacks, generally in charge of the Test despite going 10-0 down, just could not get two scores ahead of the French and, while the three disallowed tries made a huge difference, the home side's defensive lapses against what is effectively a 'B' or 'C' team, will have disappointed the coaches. ADVERTISEMENT Every time the All Blacks got a lead, the French responded. That, and the constant interruptions by the match officials, made for a frustrating experience for the majority of the crowd and no doubt those watching in the All Blacks' coaches' box. 'It was a typical game against the French from my experience,' Jordan said. 'It felt like we did enough to have a bit of a lead but we let in a couple of soft ones, they kicked a couple of long-range goals and it was a bit of a fight the whole night. I thought we played at the right end of the field in that second half so we were sort of in control for most of it and then we had a good defensive set at the finish.' Of the way the All Blacks let in three tries, he said: 'If you score 31 points you want to be winning games. Ultimately we did that – but 27 is a number that's probably too high. We let in a couple of soft ones. When we got deep in phases we defended reasonably well, there were just a couple of ones where they went through a bit easily around the edges or through the middle. We'll have a good look at that. 'We knew they were coming here with a point to prove… there was certainly no complacency our end. First Test of the year - we were a wee bit clunky.' The relieved All Blacks celebrate the win over France in Dunedin. (Source: Photosport) Fortunately, Jordan's Super Rugby form has continued into the Test arena – as has hooker Codie Taylor's. Both were very good. Ardie Savea was excellent as usual, with halfback Cam Roigard a near constant threat. McKenzie was mostly good too after some early high ball issues, and debutant lock Fabian Holland, who played the full 80 minutes after skipper Scott Barrett surprisingly departed just before the hour mark, was very good indeed. He was a bright future. ADVERTISEMENT But Jordan was right to say the overall performance was clunky and disjointed, and the disappointment for Robertson and company will be that it wasn't too dissimilar to this time last year under the roof against England. That was Robertson's first Test in charge and the assumption was that the All Blacks will be much further ahead. 'It was Test footy,' Robertson said. 'We knew any French team, especially one on tour that is written off, is going to put up a scrap. 'It was a hell of a Test match.' 'We wanted to get two scores ahead so they had to play a bit more. I thought the territory and possession was in our hands, we just didn't do enough to put pressure on them… it just shows how much steel they've got in their group.' For skipper Barrett there was only one thing he could say after seeing three tries ruled out for the most marginal of infringements – two knock-ons only visible after a series of slow-motion replays and one touch-and-go obstruction. 'Words of reassurance really that we were creating opportunities… we could have potentially been frustrated at three opportunities that were turned down after being awarded,' Barrett said. ADVERTISEMENT 'That's a mental trap you can fall into, but I was pleased with the way the boys hung in there.' The All Blacks will now travel to Wellington and the second of three Tests knowing that they have some big improvements to make. As for Jordan and Howlett's tantalising record? 'It's something I've thought of... It's about fulfilling my role and I guess as a back-three player scoring tries is part of that. I'm just trying to fill my role and pop up and create opportunities for the team," he said. "Ultimately that would be something that would be pretty cool to do.'
NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- NZ Herald
All Blacks show promise in narrow victory against France
The big takeaway from last year was a need to become more adept at putting teams away – to become better, sharper, at finishing the half chances. Test rugby is a game of inches and micro precision, and for some of the time it was there. But not all the time. And until it is the pervading theme of the All Blacks – the defining element of their 80 minutes– then they are going to continue to find themselves in these knife-edge contests where the outcome remains in the balance until the death. France were hanging on for most of the second half, obviously tired, unable to hold the ball or get out of their own half, and somehow with five minutes to go, they were still looking like the potential winner. Coach Scott Robertson with captain Scott Barrett speaks after the match in Dunedin. Photo / Photosport There was no death blow struck by the All Blacks. They didn't have one in them – or at least not one that Murphy was prepared to say was legal and two of the three tries he denied were contentious – and for 40 minutes the All Blacks had energy, commitment, occasional nice running lines, some slick passing, but not the prolonged accuracy to string it all together for long enough to put themselves out of reach. They looked like a team that was trying to play test football, but that they were stuck in Super Rugby mode. They kicked plenty of possession, but their ability to retrieve it was almost non-existent. No one was able to get under the offensive contestable kicks and given what lies ahead for the All Blacks, that's a state of affairs that can't continue if they want to keep winning. They have to win the battle in the air, and they have to be more accurate – brutal even – around the breakdown area to ensure that their possession is not picked off as often as it was by France managed to do so in the second half. But it's early to be fretting about what might lie ahead, especially when there were undeniable encouraging elements to the All Blacks' game. Their set-piece was rock solid and the way they managed to win a scrum penalty in the last minute. 'We stayed brave which was the key,' head coach Scott Robertson said, confirming as he did, that he was largely content with what he saw from his team. Gabin Villiere scores in last night's test. Photo / Getty Images He admitted that the defence will need to improve in the coming weeks, but there were four strong performances from the debutantes, plenty of fight and desire to keep coming at the French and the necessary calm and leadership to get the job done. And most importantly, he felt that the All Blacks had the intent to play at the breakneck pace he wants his team to play at. The micro analysts will be able to pick apart the nuances of the new look All Blacks, but for the layman, it was obvious enough that there was greater certainty and more alignment in purpose when the All Blacks had the ball. The All Blacks, mostly, knew that they knew their main objective was to play fast – to keep the French moving and their tacklers guessing. There were 18 handling errors – but that figure of itself doesn't diminish the potential of the All Blacks. They seemed to have greater cohesion, awareness and confidence when they were in their purple patches. The key new trick was seemingly borrowing from the playbook of the Irish team of 2022, who so cleverly and expertly worked consecutive back door plays with runners coming round the corner stacked one behind the other. It's a ploy that suited the All Blacks well, as it enabled them to use Jordie Barrett as a first receiver, with Beauden Barrett able to influence the attack further from the set-piece. It also enabled the All Blacks to bring Rieko Ioane off his wing and aim himself at attacking that vulnerable place outside the centre to force the French openside wing and fullback into making split decisions about whose responsibility he was to tackle. For game one, it was encouraging if at times frustrating to see so much possession spilled, but the attacking shapes looked right and the All Blacks looked mostly comfortable playing at a tempo that had the French huffing and puffing at times. The All Blacks may not have shown themselves to be definitively different to their 2024 selves, but there were at least good signs that the foundation is there for the changes to come. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.
