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France 18 New Zealand 38: All Blacks survive second-half fightback as young French halfbacks light up the stage
FULL-TIME France 18 New Zealand 38
What a terrifically-entertaining match! All credit to the French who were outclassed by the All Blacks in the first half but came out in the second - led by their outstanding young half-backs, Anthony Belleau and Antoine Dupont - and put real pressure on the world champions.
79 min - TRY NEW ZEALAND
France are pegged back inside their own 22 by a wonderful kick from Aaron Smith that fails to bobble into touch but puts all sorts of pressure on the French. NZ line-out 20 metres out which is messy but reclaimed eventually by the visitors. Scott Barrett takes two French defenders to bring him down before Lima Sopoaga flings the ball to Rieko Ioane and the giant wing is hauled down narrowly short. NZ recycle and spin the ball quickly the other way... there's a huge overlap as Anton Lienert-Brown feeds Waisake Naholo and it's an easy run in.
76 min
And that's surely a match-winning scrum from the All Blacks as they shunt the French backwards.
75 min
Advantage being played with New Zealand offside... but the All Blacks' defence holds firm. Another penalty for France. Nans Ducuing goes off and Francois Trinh-Duc comes on. This time the French opt to scrum.
74 min
They go for the corner.
73 min
Penalty to France as New Zealand go in off their feet. Seven minutes to go. Do they go for touch or take the three points?
72 min
The magnificent Antoine Dupont is being substituted to a standing ovation as Baptiste Serin comes on.
71 min
This is a fine attacking position for Les Bleus but the ball is spilled forward and another opportunity goes begging.
69 min
Great scrum by the French as they shunt New Zealand off the ball. Penalty! And Anthony Belleau kicks for touch. France are winning this half of rugby 13-0 but they need to score a try soon.
66 min
High up-and-under from Anthony Belleau and it's been dropped backwards by New Zealand under pressure from Teddy Thomas. Rieko Ioane scoops the ball up and takes contact before offloading as the All Blacks counter-attack, but a basketball-style pass misses the mark and bobbles into touch. And now we have some handbags on the touchline... this is getting nicely heated.
64 min
Penalty to France as Ofa Tu'ungafasi dives in on the ground using his shoulder. Stupid play as New Zealand had just been awarded a penalty and now it's been reversed.
63 min
New Zealand ring a few changes as Anton Lienert-Brown comes on for Ryan Crotty. This game is starting to get scrappy as the French get in the faces of the Kiwis.
61 min
Naive play by Anthony Belleau as he tries a shimmy and offload in the middle of the park but Judicael Cancoriet drops the ball. These are not the conditions to be trying that.
59 min
Antoine Dupont breaks right then checks and darts left. He spots a gap but is hauled down two metres short. France spread the ball wide left but greedy play by Mathieu Bastareaud, with a clear overlap, denies the French a try as Matt Todd pilfers the ball on the floor.
56 min
New Zealand line-out 5 metres from their own try line... and France win it! The forwards batter the All Blacks' defensive line. They have a penalty and opt for the scrum.
55 min
So, so close to a France try. The ball is passed beautifully through the hands to Teddy Thomas who palms off a poor tackle by Damien McKenzie and dives over in the corner before Waisake Naholo can get to him. There are doubts though as Angus Gardner goes upstairs.. and yes, Thomas' foot slid into touch before he touched the ball down.
53 min
Now the scrum is working in France's favour too as NZ are penalised and Anthony Belleau boots the ball upfield, making good yards, for the line-out.
52 min
New Zealand are starting to make sloppy mistakes now as Ryan Crotty drops a simple ball. The voice of the Paris crowd is lifting.
49 min - PENALTY FRANCE
New Zealand look rattled at the moment. France are getting under their skin and the ball is not bouncing the ABs way. Penalty to France as New Zealand engage at the scrum too early. This is getting very interesting and Anthony Belleau's kick is good.
47 min - TRY FRANCE
Sensational break as Antoine Dupont shimmies through a gap and charges towards the try line. He is tackled by Damien McKenzie but manages to offload to Anthony Belleau who again eats up the metres. Great combination play by the two young Frenchmen. France recycle, and the ball is punted towards the wing... and what was Sonny Bill Williams doing? He's just slapped the ball out into the dead-ball area. He can't do that. Yoann Huget was bearing down on him but Sonny Bill had the height advantage. And SBW has been yellow carded. Now the referee is asking the TMO to see if Huget had been denied a certain try. Surely not. YES! Penalty try. What a bizarre decision.
45 min
Some massive hits out there as Sonny Bill Willams clatters into Mathieu Bastareaud and then Sam Cane hammers Louis Picamoles.
44 min
France are back to XV as Rabah Slimani returns from the sin bin.
42 min - PENALTY FRANCE
Great start from France as Antoine Dupont chips forward, Geoffrey Doumayrou picks up and spreads the ball wide to Teddy Thomas, but the wing decides to kick forward beyond the dead-ball line and the opportunity is wasted. Still, the referee was playing advantage and the ball is returned to France for a penalty in front of the posts, which Anthony Belleau converts.
40 min
The second half is underway. Will New Zealand now run away with this or will France make a game of it?
Why they are the best
The All Blacks have become the first team in international rugby to cross for 2,000 Test tries.
HALF-TIME France 5 New Zealand 31
This has been sensational from the All Blacks. In tricky, wet conditions they have blown the French away.
HT France 5 New Zealand 31
France haven't been that bad, NZ have just been very, very good. SBW, Ioane, Barrett and McKenzie all outstanding— Daniel Schofield (@danscho1) November 11, 2017
38 min - TRY NEW ZEALAND
Stunning rugby from the All Blacks as the rain pelts down. Rieko Ioane receives the ball out wide, charges forwards a good 20 metres before offloading inside to Damien McKenzie who then feeds Sam Cane and the NZ flanker barrels his way over for another try. Beauden Barrett converts.
34 min - TRY NEW ZEALAND
Antoine Dupont feeds the scrum... what a shove by the All Blacks!! And that's a penalty to NZ. And Rabah Slimani has been yellow carded. Double trouble for the hosts. New Zealand go for the line-out and the French scramble their defence as New Zealand's forwards pummel the wall. Now the ball is spread and Sonny Bill Williams boots it through a gap - rugby league style - and Ryan Crotty sprints on to dive on the ball. Beauden Barrett converts.
32 min
Great shove from the French at the scrum as the All Blacks retreat, but Aaron Smith is able to get the ball away before Angus Gardner pings. The All Blacks spread the ball wide to Waisake Naholo just yards from the try line but it looks like there was a forward pass and the ref awards a scrum to Les Bleus.
31 min
Scrum to New Zealand and Angus Gardner is warning France prop Rabah Slimani that he must scrum straight or he will be sent to the sin bin.
29 min
Beauden Barrett with the up-and-under. He chases his own kick, but under the ball is Antoine Dupont who claims, spins Barrett and then sets off on a charge. Superb play from the young scrum-half.
27 min
Damien McKenzie wriggles him way out of a sticky situation before feeding Rieko Ioane who bounces off one would-be tackler and requires two more to bring him down. What a player he is becoming.
24 min - TRY FRANCE!
Penalty to France as New Zealand stray offside. And France fly-half Anthony Belleau kicks for the corner rather than take the three points. Louis Picamoles and Mathieu Bastareaud set up a good position before Antoine Dupont fizzes the ball wide... quick hands... a long, cut-out ball and there's Teddy Thomas to dive over in the corner! Conversion missed
22 min
New Zealand are bossing this game but they've lost Dane Coles to injury. Codie Taylor replaces him.
21 min - TRY NEW ZEALAND
Another advantage to NZ at the scrum and again they play the ball... and this time they go wide immediately... Aaron Smith to Beauden Barrett... and the fly-half with a long cut-out ball to Waisake Naholo who touches down easily in the corner. Barrett converts from out wide.
20 min
France penalised at the scrum again as the French players "hinge down". Could we be looking at a penalty try soon?
19 min
Advantage NZ as the All Blacks shunt the scrum forward. They play the ball, which is intercepted, but the referee calls the players back for another New Zealand scrum.
18 min
What a beautiful grubber kick by Beauden Barrett. The NZ fly-half punts the ball through with his left foot and Vaea Fifita closes down ominously on Nans Ducuing, who manages to dive on the ball but is then dragged over the in-goal area before losing it and Sonny Bill Williams plants his palm on top and claims the try. Referee Angus Gardner goes upstairs to the TMO... no try, but a scrum to NZ five metres out.
16 min - PENALTY NEW ZEALAND
Easy three points for Beauden Barrett who sends the ball sailing between the uprights.
14 min
No clear release by France prop Jefferson Poirot as the All Blacks pound the line and that's a penalty to the ABs.
12 min
Great kick by Barrett who, from a free-kick, punts the ball into touch 10 metres from the France try line. Terrific attacking opportunity.
10 min
France's turn to hammer up the middle and Nans Ducuing makes good yards with a nifty step before being brought down. Antoine Dupont feeds the ball wide but it's a poor pass and the ball is spilled backwards, enabling the ABs to closes down, Sam Whitelock to scoop up and charge forwards. The ball is then sped wide to speedsters Rieko Ioane and Damien McKenzie... but a good opportunity goes begging.
7 min - TRY NEW ZEALAND
Aaron Smith feeds the All Blacks scrum five metres from the France line. The forwards truck the ball up, eating yard after yard... and that's a try for Dane Coles who receives a quick pass from Beauden Barrett. Barrett converts.
5 min
New Zealand make hard yards up the middle through Dane Coles and Luke Romano. Sonny Bill Williams runs flat onto an inside ball and surges forwards before offloading to Damien McKenzie. The try line is within touching distance as the All Blacks, en masse, push over the try line, but the ball is held up and that's a scrum to the visitors.
3 min
Penalty to France as NZ collapse the scrum. Anthony Belleau, just inside his own half, kicks for touch to give the French good field position... but it is wasted as Louis Picamoles is then pinged for offside.
2 min
First scrum of the game. And New Zealand are penalised again for going too early. This early NZ indiscipline is giving voice to the French fans.
1 min
And we're off! Terrible start by France as they lose the ball immediately from the NZ kick-off but a boot in at the ruck gifts Les Bleus the ball. Poor indiscipline from the ABs in a good position.
Fronting up
The France fans start cheering as the French players approach the Haka
Stirring stuff
Got to love La Marseillaise. Mathieu Bastareaud crying. Haka now...
Not long now. Anthem time
The teams are lined up for the national anthems. France still desperately trying to plug their bid for the World Cup in 2023 by making the child mascots in front of the players wear 'France 2023 t-shirts'
Autumn internationals 2017 - fixtures and results
Who are France's rookie half-backs?
By Ben Coles
Rewind back to the 2011 Rugby World Cup final and Marc Lievremont, in his final match as France head coach, handed a debut off the bench at Eden Park to scrum-half Jean-Marc Doussain.
The 'Rugby World Cup final debutants club' that Doussain has started is likely to only retain one member moving forward.
Perhaps those unusual circumstances are why Doussain in the following years has been given a number of reprieves, having been thrown into the fire for his first cap, despite failing since then to convince the public that he is a legitimate Test scrum-half or fly-half.
Back to the present and Doussain is now gone, left out of the French squad for November. His lacklustre effort off the bench against England in this year's Six Nations was a sign that his time was coming to an end.
Meanwhile Camille Lopez, seemingly the answer to France's ongoing quest for a fly-half, is out for five months with a leg injury, while a number of candidates for the scrum-half berth have auditioned without entirely convincing Noves to stick with them.
Which is why Noves is hitting the reset button this November, a move that would normally smack of poor planning where it not for the circumstances regarding Lopez and the two talented half-backs about to take on the All Blacks.
Where do France and New Zealand stand?
TEAM NEWS - New Zealand
Winger Rieko Ioane has recovered from a bout of mumps, while Vaea Fifita starts at blindside flanker for the All Blacks.
Ioane had been under a cloud after picking up mumps and kept in isolation from the rest of the team last week in London as they prepared for their clash with the invitational Barbarians side.
Fifita, who played against the Barbarians, will make his third Test start after Liam Squire picked up an illness while Jerome Kaino sustained a knee injury in the 31-22 win over the Barbarians and will head back to New Zealand after the Test.
"It's another opportunity for him to display his wares, be the player he can, and learn from the last games," coach Steve Hansen said.
"He's still in that learning phase, and we'll see how far he's come in a short time.
"He's getting more physical, he's a good lineout forward, his defence against the Baabaas was pretty good, and he's coming along nicely.
"He's not the finished product but he's very talented, and if we get him to where we think we can he's going to be fairly handy."
The All Blacks lost their last Test to Australia last month in Brisbane, and Hansen makes only two further changes by recalling fly-half Beauden Barrett and naming lock Luke Romano to start alongside Sam Whitelock in the scrum's engine room.
Romano replaces Scott Barrett from the starting side that lost 23-18 to the Wallabies at Lang Park.
New Zealand XV: Damian McKenzie, Waisake Naholo, Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith; Kane Hames, Dane Coles, Nepo Laulala, Luke Romano, Sam Whitelock, Vaea Fifita, Sam Cane, Kieran Read (captain).
Replacements: Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Scott Barrett, Matt Todd, TJ Perenara, Lima Sopoaga, Anton Lienert-Brown.
TEAM NEWS - France
Mathieu Bastareaud makes his France comeback more than two years since his last appearance.
Coach Guy Noves named his team on Thursday, led by scrum-half Antoine Dupont and debutant fly-half Anthony Belleau, in the absence of the injured Camille Lopez. The pair have already played together in the France U20 team.
Noves had to make do with a dozen withdrawals because of injuries and Bastareaud, who won his last cap in Les Bleus' record 62-13 defeat against New Zealand at the 2015 World Cup, benefits from the absence of Remi Lamerat.
Noves said: "We thought that (centres) Mathieu (Bastareaud) and Geoffrey (Doumayrou), as well as Antoine (Dupont) and Anthony (Belleau) have been performing well with their clubs.
"We tried to build a team which is as competitive and as balanced as possible."
Noves is not concerned that half-backs Dupont and Belleau are only 20 and 21 respectively and have only three caps between them.
"They have to start one day. It's not easy but the kids can play, even if we're against the best team in the world," he added. "We have nothing to lose. They have to be bold."
France XV: Nans Ducuing, Yoann Huget, Geoffrey Doumayrou, Mathieu Bastareaud, Teddy Thomas, Anthony Belleau, Antoine Dupont; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (captain), Rabah Slimani, Paul Gabrillagues, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Judicael Cancoriet, Kevin Gourdon, Louis Picamoles.
Replacements: Clement Maynadier, Raphael Chaume, Daniel Kotze, Paul Jedrasiak, Anthony Jelonch, Baptiste Serin, Francois Trinh-Duc, Damian Penaud.
