New Zealand beats France 29-19 to complete sweep of Test series
France's bigger forward pack and greater physical commitment helped them dominate the first half. The visitors led 10-0 early and then 19-10 on the stroke of half-time as a New Zealand side featuring 10 starting changes was forced into mistakes.
The hosts played with greater energy to largely dominate the second half, creating tries for forwards Du'Plessis Kirifi and Brodie McAlister, who were both making their first Test starts. It sealed the series 3-0 against a touring team who were under-strength after coach Fabian Galthié chose to leave most of his first-choice players at home.
The French were highly competitive in the first Test, which they lost 31-27, but they were well beaten 41-17 in the second Test in Wellington. New Zealand has swept all five three-match series between the sides, also winning 3-0 in 1961, 1968, 2013 and 2018.
France scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec crossed early for the first of his 16 points, darting down the blind side from a lineout drive. His conversion and a penalty goal put the visitors 10 points clear before All Blacks wing Will Jordan struck against the run of play, chasing down a clever kick from scrum-half Cortez Ratima to score his 42 nd try in 44 Tests.
France scored in threes for the remainder of the half, through two more Le Garrec penalties and a drop-goal to fly-half Antoine Hastoy. New Zealand closed to 19-17 when center Anton Lienert-Brown slid across nearly three minutes after the half-time hooter had sounded, finishing a long phase of pressure. Le Garrec missed a penalty and Hastoy a drop-goal attempt during a tense, scoreless third quarter of the match.
The home side pushed ahead when France failed to control a Damian McKenzie cross-kick and flanker Kirifi crossed for his first Test try. Kirifi was promoted to the starting side just before kick-off when Luke Jacobson was ruled out with injury. Hooker McAlister had a moment to savour on debut off the bench when he supported a break by Jordie Barrett and ran 15 meters to score in the dying minutes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
5 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Tour de France: Cycling's showcase remains heavily sponsored by fossil fuels
On the winding roads of the Tour de France, the bicycle embodies the ideal of low-impact mobility. But behind the celebration and athletic endeavor, another mechanism is at work: the symbolic reconquering of environmental issues by champions of the fossil fuel industry. At the end of June, the French oil giant TotalEnergies announced it had signed an official three-year partnership with the Tour de France, starting in 2026. The company is also the main sponsor of one of the participating teams, which bears its name. Within the Tour's peloton, six other teams (out of 23) are directly or indirectly connected to the fossil fuel industry: UAE Team Emirates-XRG, backed by the United Arab Emirates, one of the world's leading oil producers; Ineos Grenadiers, named after the British petrochemical giant Ineos and an off-road vehicle, the Grenadier, made by its automotive division; Bahrain Victorious, backed by Bahrain, a country whose economy is heavily dependent on oil production; Jayco-AlUla, whose name refers to the Saudi city of Al-Ula that is at the heart of a major tourism initiative by one of the world's top oil producers; XDS-Astana, funded by a sovereign wealth fund supporting Kazakhstan's oil and gas company; and Uno-X Mobility, a chain of gas stations present in Norway and Denmark.
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
In Toulon, a dive into modernism
Many residents of the southern French city of Toulon who were children in the 1970s have personal anecdotes about the Port-Marchand swimming pool's construction. One recalled living with their family in the Sainte-Elisabeth residence, a tower overlooking the railway station, from which they could perfectly follow the progress of the works. Another, who lived with his parents at La Corvette, an apartment block facing the site, remembered treasure hunts and cardboard sliding competitions organized in the enormous hole of the construction site. Frédéric Auban, for his part, had the privilege of swimming the 100-meter breaststroke with his club on inauguration day. "There were international swimmers and members of the French national swimming team," recalled the lifeguard, now close to retirement. "Champions Michel Rousseau and Alain Mosconi were there. The place was beautiful and very well designed, with plenty of space, large changing rooms and quality materials…" As journalist Jean-Paul Jacob noted in an article devoted to the opening of the facility in the regional daily Var-Matin on Sunday, May 28, 1972, the previous day in Toulon had been marked by a triple inauguration. But the openings of the new sports medicine and medical-social centers neither had the importance nor the resonance of the opening ceremony reserved for the remarkable aquatic complex. Presided over by the prefect of the Var region, Louis Lalanne, and Toulon's mayor, Maurice Arreckx, the pool's inauguration was attended by a crowd of public figures and two days of festivities featuring competitions, water polo matches and aquatic ballets.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Wellens wins stage as Pogacar maintains Tour de France stranglehold
Overall leader Tadej Pogacar held on to the overall lead with a 4min 13sec advantage on Jonas Vingegaard, who had to fight to catch up when caught behind an early mass fall. Wellens had been part of an early break which only really got away once the fall sent a shockwave though the race. It was a large and mixed group that was whittled down to five before the Belgian champion suddenly accelerated and caught the others napping. This was a fifth win for Team UAE with Pogacar previously having won four stages on a thoroughly dominant Tour for the team. Wellens was so far ahead at the finish line he had time to high five dozens of Belgian fans on the run in on the eve of Belgium's national holiday. "This makes me happier than winning a stage myself," said Pogacar. "He helps me keep this thing every day," he said pointing to the jersey. Having previously won stages on the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana this triumph completes the set of stage wins on the three big tours for Wellens. Alaphilippe red faced The remaining 167 of 184 riders embarked towards Carcassonne on yet another nervy stage. After a mass fall early on with Florian Lipowitz and Vingegaard involved, the Pogacar group raced on, leaving two-time winner Vingegaard and a pack of 30 riders to exhaust themselves catching up. There was embarrassment for Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who celebrated at the line thinking he had won when in fact he was third. Sprinting for third place long after Wellens and Victor Campenaerts took the top two spots, Alaphilippe pipped Wout van Aert at the line. Poor Alaphilippe hung his head when his horrified compatriots told him. He had been part of the early fall, losing his race radio, and had no idea the stage had already been won, he explained. 'I don't want to think about it' Pogacar entered the Pyrenees on Thursday trailing in second behind surprise yellow jersey Ben Healy but emerged with two more stage wins and a four-minute advantage at the top of the overall standings in his bid for a fourth Tour de France title. The defending champion said he had been ill. "Half the peloton is coughing. I've got this red nose. It's because of all the ice packs and air conditioning I think, but I'm better now," said Pogacar. Monday is a the final rest day before the 2025 edition soars into the Alps on Tuesday's stage 16 with the 15.8km ascent of Mont Ventoux at 7.9 percent gradient to its 1901m high summit. "Mont Ventoux is for after the day off, so I don't want to talk about it now," Pogacar said after the podium ceremony at Carcassonne.
