France number eight Gregory Alldritt produced a stunning man-of-the-match performance against the All Blacks to help his side to a 27-13 victory.

Alldritt impressed throughout his 80-minute performance and was awarded the Player of the Match award after a stellar shift.

Shining on both sides of the ball

The 26-year-old La Rochelle loose forward led Les Bleus’ charge on attack, making 11 carries for the side.

Not only was that tally the most for France, but he also gained the most metres, racking up 71 in total for an average of around seven and a half metres per carry – beating two defenders in the process.

Beauden Barrett and Mark Telea did make more metres and carries than the French number eight, but the forward’s impact for Les Blues cannot be understated.

His remarkable shift on attack is further highlighted by the fact that he also made 12 passes and completed three offloads, meaning he was a focal point for France in possession, touching the ball a total of 26 times.

However, that was just half of his performance as he also shone on defence. His tally of 14 tackles, missing just one, was pipped by teammate Charles Ollivon (15) but the number eight also weighed in with two crucial turnovers.

His efforts around the park steered France to a historic victory as they handed the All Blacks their first-ever Rugby World Cup pool stage defeat.

Keep working and go step by step

Speaking after the match, Alldritt admitted that it was a “really, really tough game” but that his side expected nothing less from New Zealand.

“We were expecting really hard opposition and it was a massive game for the team today and I’m proud to be French tonight,” he said.

“I said before the game the one who was going to win was the one who was going to play for 80 minutes, and I think we played well for 80 minutes. It’s a great night for us.

“We had massive support, it was fantastic to get a stadium like this. We are looking forward to the next game.

“We said if we lost it was not the end of the World Cup. We are not champions now. We just need to keep working and go step by step.”

France’s focus now turns to Uruguay on September 14, with Pool A clashes against Namibia and Italy to follow.

READ MORE: France v All Blacks: Five takeaways from the Rugby World Cup opener as Les Bleus lay down a marker

The article Gregory Alldritt produces all-action MOTM performance in World Cup opener appeared first on Planetrugby.com.