All Blacks player ratings vs France: Nations Championship

Saturday, 04 July 2026 at 09:59

byCharlie Elliott

All Blacks player ratings vs France: Dave Rennie’s first game in charge sees New Zealand make perfect Nations Championship start.

Scroll down for the All Blacks player ratings.

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New Zealand edged out a resilient France side in the Nations Championship opener, securing victory to give Dave Rennie a winning start in his first game as All Blacks head coach.

The match in Christchurch provided an ideal showcase for fast, attacking rugby, setting the tone for the new competition in an entertaining, high-tempo first-ever Test at One NZ Stadium.

France made a dream start, stunning the All Blacks after just over a minute when Damian Penaud crossed following a series of quick phases.

New Zealand were then disrupted by a yellow card for Ruben Love after a high tackle, but responded well as Will Jordan finished brilliantly in the corner.

The hosts soon took control, slicing through the French defence before Caleb Clarke set up Peter Lakai to score.

Sustained pressure was then rewarded when Cam Roigard darted over from close range to extend the advantage just before the break, but a couple of Maxime Lucu penalties kept the visitors close.

France struck just seven minutes into the second half as quick hands from Matthieu Jalibert and Theo Attissogbe set up Antoine Hastoy to restore their lead.

Cam Roigard replied after strong centre play, with his try and conversion securing a bonus-point advantage. France hit back through Theo Attissogbe after a disallowed score for Fabien Brau-Boirie.

Late scores from a penalty and Will Jordan extended New Zealand’s lead, before Matthieu Jalibert’s 78th-minute effort set up a tense finish, but the All Blacks held firm to get their first win under Rennie.

All Blacks: 34

Tries: Jordan (7’, 71’), Lakai (21’), Roigard (40’, 50’)
Cons: Love (21’, 40’)
Pens: Love (66’)

France: 32

Tries: Penaud (1’), Hastoy (47’), Attissogbe (59’), Jalibert (78')
Cons: Lucu (2’, 48’), Hastoy (79')
Pens: Lucu (14’, 29’)

All Blacks player ratings vs France:

15 Damian McKenzie — 7.5

Thrown into the fly-half role while Ruben Love served a yellow card, he adapted seamlessly and helped keep the attack ticking.

A sharp line break and skilful behind-the-back offload highlighted his attacking threat, while his playmaking and distribution were consistently influential.

14 Will Jordan — 8

Produced a superb diving finish in the corner for New Zealand’s opening try, taking his international tally to 46 tries in 55 appearances before adding the match-winning score to make it 47.

With limited opportunities coming his way, was not heavily involved outside of his try-scoring contributions, but two scores from a winger cannot be scoffed at.

13 Quinn Tupaea — 7.5

A constant carrying threat throughout, he repeatedly took the ball into heavy traffic and helped generate momentum. His quick hands played a key role in the build-up to the second try, while a clever behind-the-back offload highlighted his skill.

He produced another outstanding offload to Beauden Barrett in the move that led to New Zealand’s fourth try before departing after 61 minutes.

12 Jordie Barrett — 8

A key creative influence throughout, he linked play well with sharp distribution and quick hands.

Despite conceding a penalty that handed France three points, he created opportunities with a strong break and offload, set up Will Jordan’s try, and was unfortunate not to get a favourable bounce from a clever chip kick.

Capped an impressive display with a perfectly timed pass to send Cam Roigard over for the bonus-point score.

11 Caleb Clarke — 7

Clarke endured a mixed outing, making an early knock-on but responding with a well-timed pass to set up Peter Lakai’s try. He also contributed with several strong carries out wide.

10 Ruben Love — 8

It was a difficult start at fly-half for the recent Super Rugby winner with the Hurricanes, as a high tackle in the opening minute led to a yellow card and preceded France's first try.

However, he responded well, showcasing his attacking threat with a lovely step past Oscar Jegou and a series of dangerous carries whenever space appeared.

He also relieved pressure effectively from deep, although he was fortunate after losing a contestable ball that led to France's fourth try and was unable to prevent Theo Attissogbe from scoring late on.

9 Cam Roigard — 8.5

Provided quick, sharp service at halfback and kept the attack flowing with limited kicking, helping maintain a fast tempo alongside his Hurricanes partner Ruben Love.

He showed strong support play with a show-and-go finish close to the line just before half-time, and later backed it up with a second try after excellent work from his centres.

With plenty of touches throughout, the scrum-half also caused damage in the second half through sniping runs, repeatedly finding space and keeping France’s defence under pressure.

1 Ethan de Groot — 7.5

Conceded a needless penalty for a high tackle deep inside his own 22 and was unable to capitalise on two promising opportunities near the line, including a knock-on from a difficult pass.

Despite those errors, he battled through a visible injury to his face sustained during one of his chances, while the scrum contest remained evenly balanced.

2 Codie Taylor — 7

Taylor recovered from an early wayward lineout throw to make a solid impact, contributing defensively and showing good mobility around the field. He peeled away effectively from a maul in the build-up to the third try before being substituted after 59 minutes.

3 Fletcher Newell — 7.5

Although the scrum battle was evenly matched and neither front row gained a significant advantage, Newell stood out around the field, making a strong impact defensively with 13 tackles.

4 Josh Lord — 6

Made a solid carry around the half-hour mark but otherwise had limited involvement in the game. While he worked hard throughout, he struggled to make a significant impact on proceedings.

5 Sam Darry — 7.5

Involved early with a steady stream of carries and tackles, making a strong defensive contribution with double-digit tackles inside the first half hour.

He even stepped in as a makeshift scrum-half in the build-up to the All Blacks’ second try, handling the moment well. However, his work was slightly undermined by a needless penalty conceded.

Made a game-leading 23 tackles overall.

6 Peter Lakai — 7

In his first professional outing at blindside flanker, he showed good work rate and a willingness to get involved, popping up across the field in both attack and defence.

He marked his involvement with a finish out wide for his side’s second try, but overall was not heavily influential, despite a steady and committed performance.

7 Luke Jacobson — 7.5

Did really well to win a penalty on the ground just before the All Blacks’ first try, although he was also guilty of a couple of breakdown infringements.

Worked hard and got his reward a couple of times, with most of his influence coming at the breakdown, even if it was tough to slow the French down.

It was his well-weighted offload that assisted Jordan’s match-winning try. Close behind Darry with 22 tackles made.

8 Ardie Savea — 7

Quickly tapped and carried to launch the move for the All Blacks’ opening try, showing sharp intent early on. He made a handful of tackles and contributed physically, but overall his involvement was more limited than he would have liked in his first outing as captain under Dave Rennie.