New Zealand have beaten France 49-14 in Dunedin in the third Test and wrapped up the series 3-0 in an exciting game.
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Final score
All Blacks 49
France 14
The All Blacks will look to achieve a wash over France as the two teams go into the third and final match of the series in Dunedin this Saturday. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 5:35pm AEST.
It’s been a frustrating season for fans of both teams and the game in general.
The first two matches have been too highly impacted by the referee’s cards – a crucial yellow in the first and a devastating red in the second – and it does feel that we haven’t truly got to see these two sides go head to head as God intended.
So perhaps Dunedin will be the battlefield for one final great game of rugby before the French head home.
For the French there are some interesting pieces of team news. Benjamin Fall – the man sent from the field in the last game – received a reprieve from World Rugby during the week with his red card rescinded and he’s starting at No.15.
In the centres there will be a new partnership for both sides. For the French, their hulking captain – Mathieu Bastareaud – is out along with Geoffrey Doumayrou and in come dynamic pairing Wesley Fofana and Remi Lamerat.
What the French lose in size they definitely make up for with pace and footwork and the new pairing could be a real handful for the All Blacks to try and contain.
On containment duty will be Jack Goodhue and Sonny Bill Williams who returns from injury. While Goodhue will be wanting to continue his great Super Rugby form into the international arena, Sonny Bill will be wanting to forget about his tough time for the Blues and define his season by some great performances in the black shirt.
With Beauden Barrett out injured as a result of the collision that led to Fall being sent off, Damian McKenzie gets another chance to show whether he can be a genuine international fly half.
He’s proved his skills at full back and for the Chiefs this year he’s been playing very well at No.10, but he wasn’t great last week when he replaced Barrett last week and will want to show Steve Hansen that he has what it takes at fly half.
Beyond these changes there are some more exciting stories to look out for in terms of New Zealand personnel.
Waisake Naholo gets his first taste of All Blacks rugby this year and with Ben Smith and Rieko Ioane will form a scary back three. Up front, lots of eyes will be on Shannon Frizell in the back row.
The Highlander is spoken about with excitement by many but there is still plenty to learn about the 24-year-old as he’s only played nine games for the Super Rugby side.
Prediction
There amatchupsxciting match ups and combinations on display in this game. Everyone is hoping we get an absolute thriller to wrap up the series but even if the French play out of their skin it’s impossible to look past an All Blacks win on a dry and fast Dunedin pitch.
All Blacks to win by 15.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 5:35pm AEST on Saturday.
Jacko
Guest
You guys are sad....Dmac played as well as any 10 I have seen in his run on game at 10...BB did far worse in his first run on game and with Dmac only in his 15th test the guy is going to be a superstar equal to or better than Barrett. Is there some rocks? sure but any miner would be happy picking up 10 diamonds and 5 rocks every time he went mining. What did Mounga do again? I must have missed it....
Oliver Matthews
Expert
Cheers mate - was a great first half wasn't it?
Blessing
Roar Rookie
After Frizell's performance today, I am not overly concerned by 6. Took to international footy like a duck to water. From the first carry that took Parra out, he played with intent and did not shy away from work in the tight. Looked really big as well. Squire and Fifita have struggled with injuries. They were both very good last year and just need to play consistently in order to rediscover their form. Same goes for Sammy Cane, he came into the first Test having not played any footy for in over a month. Todd has been playing consistently, of course he played better today. 8 is a bit of a worry but Luke Whitelock has been one of the pleasant surprises of this series. Played his own game, unfussy and dependable. I also like Squire whenever he plays there for the Landers. Akira Ioane has shown a lot of growth and has got potential. If anything, I am more excited to see how Shag and Co. will manage to harness that potential in the next 12 months. Props are fine, Luatua, Moli, Hames are all out injured. Bushwhacker 1 and 2 are the incumbents and Ofa and Big Karl are also proven. I'm also curious to see how Fidow returns from injury and how Lomax will progress after spending a year learning at the Landers.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
He played there against the Springboks so it’s a bold call that’s been made before. We have the starting props last year to come back in Hames and Laulau so our depth in the front row is not so much a problem. 6 and 8 are more of a concern in terms of depth and drop off in standard.
Vesi Tagoiagea
Roar Rookie
You sound like that Martyn from rugby 360 always find something against the AB.Can' beat them join them
System of a Downey Jr
Guest
Loose forwards are the issue for the Abs. Fifita has dropped off form this year for the Canes and ABs. Admittedly he's had injuries as has Squire but both of them have been fairly anonymous this series. Six and eight are the big issue areas that the ABs need to address in the starting lineup (and prop depth - any bench that has Jeff Toomaga Allen in it needs to be a little concerned). S Barrett at 6 would be a bold call for the coaching staff! In the space of 68 minutes Matt Todd outplayed both Cane and Savea at 7 this series. The loose forwards will be the place the Boks and Wallabies will target in the RC. In the backline the ABs have insane depth from 9-15. (Could do with a third halfback)
Vesi Tagoiagea
Roar Rookie
Keo should be worry about his own team
Dan
Guest
Keo reckons the Abs will come third in the championship
Ralph
Guest
Thank you France! Great spirit, great efforts. Thank you for for bringing it tonight. Four tries in the first 30 minutes, fantastic stuff.
Oliver Matthews
Expert
Full Match Report New Zealand have beaten France 49-14 in Dunedin in the 3rd test and wrapped up the series 3-0 in an exciting game. With the yellow and red cards from the first two matches fans were really hoping that this final match of the series would see both sides have a chance to show off their very best for the full 80 minutes, and we weren’t disappointed. The French took the game to the All Blacks right from the outset and ran hard into the defence over and over racking up passages of play that included over 15 phases consistently. The ABs defence had to work hard to keep the French out and they did that for the first 12 minutes but eventually the French found the gap and Serin dived in after a lovely dummy created some space. It was deserved reward and gave the French confidence and faith that their approach could work. In the rest of the first half they would have lots of possession and territory and played very well. They were able to put the All Blacks under genuine pressure at times but the problem was that they just weren’t quite clinical enough. For the Kiwis they had far fewer chances in the first half but when they did have a chance they made the most of it. Whenever they entered the French 22 they looked dangerous and often came away with points. Their second try was a very canny piece of play. They had a line out on the French 5m line and everyone assumed they would go for the driving maul, and they did. However instead of throwing the ball high to someone line Scott Barrett, they threw it flat to Todd at the front of the line and drove from there. It took the French by surprise and they couldn’t get any decent opposition against the drive. Of course this series has been impacted by controversy as big decisions seem to have gone against the French and while there were no cards today there was still time for some more controversy. The game was all square with less than 10 minutes until half time and the All Blacks had a scrum in midfield just outside the French 22. A lovely pass from Aaron Smith put McKenzine in a nice gap and he ran into score. However replays showed that the space was partly created by the referee obstructing the French #9 as he tried to get over to make the tackle. It looked like the score would be overturned and the scrum reset but instead the score was given. It wasn’t necessarily a game defining moment but it did give the Kiwis the lead before half time and their score just after half time did make the gap too big for the French to overcome. In the second half the game was still there in the balance but the All Blacks were pretty brutal. They had found a rhythm that was missing in the opening 15 to 20 minutes and as they moved through the gears the French were finding it harder and harder to stay with them. In defence the French always worked hard but they were never going to be able to keep the All Blacks out as wave after wave of attack came at them. In the tight the Kiwis played accurately and got rid of many errors that haunted them in game two. In the loose the Kiwis exploited space well and the likes of McKenzie and Ioane were only too happy to use their pace to pile the pain on the visitors. In attack the French had some real issues with their set piece - especially their line out. It fell to pieces in the second half to the point where the French would have to tap and go with penalties in their own half when they would have been desperate to kick to touch and gain 30m for free. When they did have the ball they looked good but not great. They have really missed Fofana who had a good game and added a real threat. But they never really unlocked the All Blacks defence and in the end they scored zero points in the entire second half. For the Kiwis there were some really good performances. Scott Barrett was fantastic all game and was an incredible force to be reckoned with. McKenzie had a good game at #10 and brought some genuine control to his already well known running game. He’s not a real threat to Beauden Barrett for the starting fly half position but he’s growing into a great second choice who can be relied upon. Ioane scored a nice hattrick in just 12 minutes in the second half and looked dangerous all night and it was great to see Sonny Bill Williams back in black and looking so powerful. His off loads were great and really gave some go forward to the Kiwi’s attacks. The French have been beaten in all three games relatively easily but they should go home with some extra confidence to take into the Autumn Internationals and next year’s 6 Nations. They have some real talent and have shown great heart in this series when things have gone against them. For the All Blacks this game was a good note to end the series on but they will know that Australia and South Africa will pose a much harder threat in the Rugby Championship.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
With Retallick and Read to come back, is there a case for putting Scott Barrett at 6? No one has put up their hand and Scott Barrett is improving all the time. The other candidates all have pace and Squire and Fifita can be physical but not for long enough periods of the game. Well done to the French. They got the raw rub of the green but I think they contributed to a great series and their centre pairing tonight should be the starting one. I think we got great preparation for the RC. Immense physicality and backline defensive frailties to expose. NZ have those of their own and look unsettled in the centres as well. Naholo lacked composure tonight but I prefer Ben Smith at fullback. Macca is entertainment but as a sub he has the luxury of covering a couple of positions. Certainly a way off a settled team but pleasingly a few options to choose from.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Thanks Oliver, that was a fun match. So much difference indoors, great conditions. France are certainly heading in the right direction and could be in the mix at 6N time and maybe in Japan. Great to see debuts go well, didnt catch much of Goodhue but the other three were solid. A lot of rugby played by both sides tonight. A whole lotta fun?
riddler
Roar Rookie
agree highlander.. scott barrett is class.. lovely oroblem to have.. whitelock, brodie and scott..
Highlander
Guest
Scott Barrett man of the series for me A Smith just ran that game tonight Ioane is quite the finisher Good debuts from the newbies , all promising
Sylvester
Guest
It was the defence that stood out for me. More than 9 min in the ABs 22 in the first half and just two tries. The scramble in the last two mins sums up the attitude to defence. Re the refereeing. It was unfortunate that French got the worst of the calls, but it didn't excuse their overall performances in tests 1 and 3. Showing a bit more resolve as they did in test 2 will be a good learning curve.
taylorman
Roar Guru
He was a step up from last week and some of those runs only he can do, such pace off the mark. Certainly a sub with BB there but he needed to make up for a very poor last week and I thought he did that.
KiwiHaydn
Roar Rookie
Thanks Oliver, good summary and commentary.
Thanks for the blog Oliver, great job
Johnny Boy
Guest
49-14 and 52-11 would suggest a walk pver. And they have whinged a lot...
Oliver Matthews
Expert
Full Time 80' - New Zealand have beaten the French 49 - 14 in the final test of the three match series and with this result they claim the series 3-0. While the series had already been decided everyone hoped that both sides had left the best til last and we weren't disappointed, especially in the first half. The French really took the game to the home side in the opening phases and were the first to score as well. They executed well and put the All Blacks defence under real pressure for long periods of time. The ABs were clinical with the chances that they got which is just as well as the French didn't really give them very much at all. Fofana was impressive and showed the benefit of his speed and great footwork - it's a shame that he wasn't available in the earlier tests. Of course there had to be a moment of controversy and it came when the game was very tight in the first half. The ABs had a great attacking scrum on the 22 in the middle of the field with loads of space to attack. Aaron Smith broke left and his pass to McKenzie put the #10 in great space but that space was partly created by the ref impeding the French defence. McKenzie scored - the ref reviewed - the try stood. It was a tough call for the French and many will use it as further evidence of how the All Blacks get the rub of too many decisions. At half time it was a tight game - 21 - 14 to the home side but plenty to indicate that the French were a genuine threat. However in the second half the All Blacks really impressed and as they got better and better, the French couldn't keep up their first half performance. They didn't score again but the Kiwis piled on four converted tries and never let the French back into the game. There were some good performances by Belleau and Fofana for the French and they really did dominate the All Blacks for big periods. But the Kiwis played their best game of the series and the result was well deserved. Scott Barrett was in fantastic form in every aspect of his game and players like Sonny Bill Williams and Damien McKenzie also really impressed. The All Blacks will be glad to have won this game well and the French should take some heart from the way they have played all series. But in the end the gap between these two sides was there for all to see and the New Zealanders were deserved winners. Full Match Report to come New Zealand: 49 France: 14