New Zealand opened the inaugural Nations Championship with a hard-fought 34-32 victory over France in Christchurch on Saturday, marking Dave Rennie's first Test as All Blacks head coach. Tries from Cam Roigard and Will Jordan (two each) helped the hosts edge a French side missing players from top clubs Toulouse and Montpellier.
Rennie's Optimistic Start
Rennie, who succeeded Scott Robertson in January, promised an attacking style focused on limiting kicks and exploiting opportunities. "I love the effort. I love the optimism," said the 62-year-old, previously with Kobe in Japan. "We were able to play with a really high tempo, a lot of quick ball, almost 85%, which is just outrageous." However, he acknowledged defensive lapses: "We scrambled really well at times, but we've got to get off the line and apply a lot more pressure."
Fast Start for France
France began at frantic pace, with Damian Penaud scoring his 41st Test try in the second minute after a high tackle on full-back Max Spring earned Ruben Love a yellow card. Despite being a man down, New Zealand struck back through Jordan in the eighth minute after captain Ardie Savea won a turnover. Peter Lakai gave New Zealand the lead in the 21st minute after a break by Damian McKenzie and inside pass from Caleb Clarke. French penalties from Maxime Lucu kept them in touch, but Roigard's try from the ruck gave the All Blacks a 19-13 halftime lead.
Second-Half Drama
France regained momentum early in the second half as Antoine Hastoy scored in the 47th minute after a basketball-style pass from Theo Attissogbe. Roigard responded with his second try, but Attissogbe hit back after a Fabien Brau-Boirie try was disallowed for a knock-on. Jordan's try moved him to joint second on the All Blacks' all-time list with 47 Test tries, giving New Zealand a 34-25 lead with nine minutes left. Matthieu Jalibert bundled over for France with two minutes remaining, but the All Blacks retained possession from the restart to seal the win.
Key Statistics
New Zealand recycled 85% of their ball quickly, while France scored four tries to the All Blacks' five. Rennie emphasized the need for accuracy: "We just need more time, more reps, more work around the combinations."
