47 - 0

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57 - 32

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68 - 40

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33 - 5

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41 - 25

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34 - 32

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24 - 39

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34 - 41

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38 - 47

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30 - 29

42 - 42

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02:00

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04:30

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Nations Championship

All Blacks player ratings vs France | Nations Championship 2026

Henry Lee

at One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch

Published: 1 day ago | 4 July 2026 02:14 PDT
Updated: 1 day ago | 4 July 2026 02:40 PDT

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND – JULY 04: Peter Lakai of New Zealand celebrates scoring his team’s second try with Sam Darry and Caleb Clarke of New Zealand during the Nations Championship match between New Zealand All Blacks and France at One New Zealand Stadium, on July 04, 2026 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison – Nations Championship/Nations Championship via Getty Images)

The All Blacks have kicked off their inaugural 2026 Nations Championship campaign with a hard-fought 34-32 victory over France at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch.

It was tense and far from perfect, but All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie will take the positives and head to Wellington to take on Italy with one win from one Test.

All Blacks winger Will Jordan inched closer to the all-time leading try-scorer record, adding two tries on the night, while Peter Lakai and Cameron Roigard also crossed on the night.

Roigard, who’s coming off a Super Rugby Pacific title with the Hurricanes, won man-of-the-match at Te Kaha, proving crucial for his side in their first Test match of 2026.

Match Summary

Penalty Goals

Tries

Conversions

Drop Goals

146

Carries

146

Line Breaks

Turnovers Lost

Turnovers Won

Here is how the All Blacks rated in the first Test of 2026.

Ethan de Groot – 6.5/10

After a strong Super Rugby Pacific campaign, de Groot’s first touch was a scintillating out-the-back pass in midfield. Was penalised for a seatbelt high tackle, giving France the opportunity to extend their lead. Strong scrum against Demba Bamba to earn a penalty.

A couple of inaccurate moments, but added four carries and six tackles in the first 40 minutes. The scrum stability continued in the 13 minutes he was on the field in the second half, before being replaced at 53 minutes.

Codie Taylor – 7

The 107-Test veteran showed that despite not having his strongest Super Rugby Pacific season, he’s still a valuable member of the All Blacks forward pack. One miss at lineout time in the first half, but carried dominantly and was abrasive. Eight carries and six tackles in the first half, before adding two to each in his 25-minute second-half stint.

VIDEO

Off at 65.

Fletcher Newell – 7

Not one to make the flashy plays, Newell was solid and reliable during the first half in his home city of Christchurch. Led the All Blacks with ten tackles at the halftime interval and contributed to the largely effective All Blacks scrum.

Off at 53 with 13 tackles, only bettered by Sam Darry while he was on the paddock.

Josh Lord – 5

Workmanlike first half, where Lord was aggressively throwing himself into contact on both sides of the ball. Didn’t get involved much during the early stages of the second, as Darry grabbed the headlines. Left the field for Hannah in the 68th minute, with ten tackles and four carries.

Sam Darry – 8

Massive shift. There’s no denying the All Blacks are missing crucial pieces of the puzzle in the second row, but Rennie will be extremely pleased with Darry’s work.

Nice steal at a 15th-minute French lineout, and got through a bulk of work early. Very strong first half, assuming the “senior lock” role, running the lineout with only one miss in the first half.

Lineout was close to seamless under his guidance, and the Blues lock, in his hometown of Christchurch, led the game in tackles with Luke Jacobson, adding 21.

Peter Lakai – 7

In a different number jumper than usual, Lakai continued his Super Rugby form. Lakai shifted the ball to Caleb Clarke early, before finding his way to a superb support line to dot down under the posts. Surprisingly, Lakai was taken off in the 53rd minute for Wallace Sititi, with not much impact in the second half, but overall, a strong showing from the Super Rugby Pacific champion.

Luke Jacobson – 7.5

Tale of two halves. An error-ridden first 40 minutes, but was superb in the second half. Two strong hits early defensively, prior to him having a go at a tenth-minute breakdown. Judged to not be in a position to jackal the ball, resulting in him being penalised by English referee Luke Pearce.

The All Blacks then looked to be in a dangerous counter-attacking position, before Jacobson’s pass was slightly ahead of Caleb Clarke. Pinged once more before the break, for not rolling away after a nice shot in midfield.

Fantastic adjustment in the second half, dominating French attackers in the contact area, and fending off one to provide Jordan with his second five-pointer of the evening. Finished his 80-minute shift having made 21-tackles, only missing one.

Ardie Savea – 8

Influential as ever in his first Test as the official All Blacks captain. Won a momentum-switching breakdown turnover after Love was sent to the bin.

Helped turn some French defenders away on pure strength and want, after pulling up with a slight injury during the warm-up. Continued where he left off in the second half, and, if there were any doubts about whether he could adjust back to the international level, Savea put that to bed quickly.

Finished with an All Black high 13 carries, and sixteen tackles.

Cam Roigard – 9

One of the most in-form players in the World. Rennie gave him the licence to play what’s in front of him, and that’s exactly what he did. Although the two tries were different, they were cut from the same cloth, as the Hurricanes halfback was at the right place at the right time. The first one, on the stroke of halftime, fell into the hands of the All Blacks No.9 as he darted under the posts.

The second was brilliant support play where Jordie Barrett was able to free his left arm and find his club teammate. Off to a standing ovation with minutes to play.

Ruben Love – 7

Exciting outing despite the second-minute yellow card. The worst possible beginning to his first start at No.10. The first five put a shoulder on France fullback Max Spring, resulting in a yellow card in the second minute. Bounced back nicely with ball in hand, playing a part in Lakai’s 20th-minute try. He shifted the ball swiftly and accurately and approached the defence at pace.

His best moment of the first half was when he accessed the situation in his own half, taking on the French defence with a left foot step. Love beat one defender, kickstarting a scoring opportunity with an offload to Lord.

Quieter second half, but a definite pass-mark heading into a Test in Wellington next week.

Caleb Clarke – 6.5

Some nice contributions, highlighted by his nice draw and pass for Lakai for the All Blacks’ first try of 2026. Didn’t get an opportunity in open space apart from the try, but tried to get involved in and around the field, taking multiple pick-and-go’s. Replaced by Fehi Fineanganofo with twelve minutes to play.

Jordie Barrett – 6.5

Was part of a poor team shut defensively to let Damien Penaud through a gaping hole, before bouncing back with a nice left-to-right long ball to set up Will Jordan’s try. Had a nibble at a breakdown in an illegal position, as Maxime Lucu converted the resulting penalty from in front.

Barrett’s fundamental skills were on show for large parts of the game, but he lacked the execution with his insides and outsides at times. A couple of interesting options were taken, but he continued to offer a safe hand in attack.

Quinn Tupaea – 6

The Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year carried directly early, but missed two crucial tackles during the first half that gave France some important momentum. Aggressive as usual with ball in hand, but couldn’t find a line break as often as he did during the 2026 domestic season.

Slightly more influential second-half stint, before making way for Billy Proctor in the 60th minute.

Will Jordan – 8

Despite being down a man early, Jordan got his hands on the ball early. Had one chance, and took it with both hands on the back of a looping Barrett long ball. Followed in Jacobson down the right-hand touchline to go in for his second, showcasing exactly why Rennie sees him as a genuine option at right-wing with his clinical try-scoring ability.

Damian McKenzie – 7

After being labelled one of “the two best fullbacks in the world” alongside Jordan by Rennie during the week, McKenzie had a strong showing at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch. Not perfect, but the livewire playmaker played his part in the narrow victory.

Couple of long kicks in the second-half that earned possession back for the All Blacks and helped Rennie’s side get over the line in Christchurch.

Player Carries

Tom Staniforth

Ardie Savea

Matthieu Jalibert

Substitutes

Asafo Aumua – 5

Aumua’s 21st All Blacks Test began in the 65th minute, but the strong hooker didn’t add much impact.

Xavier Numia – 6

The bulldozing Hurricanes prop entered the contest in the 53rd minute and added subtle impact. His side of the scrum was going forward on multiple occasions.

Tyrel Lomax – 5

Playing in his 49th Test, Lomax was thrown into the game at the 53-minute mark, dropping one ball cold, before getting the ball ripped in one of his first carries.

Jamie Hannah – 5

Hannah, a late inclusion due to Patrick Tuipulotu’s tight calf, gave the ball away with his first touch as he tried to find a teammate with an offload.

Wallace Sititi – 6

Looked busy in his 27-minute stint, but couldn’t directly impact the game other than a few carries.

Cortez Ratima – N/A

Billy Proctor – 6

Came on with 20 minutes to play, and didn’t find a way to influence the game. Could get a starting opportunity next week against Italy.

Fehi Fineanganofo – 6

Some exciting moments on the left edge in his short stint.

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Comments

105 Comments

JJ 2 hours ago

What on earth was that New Zealand vs France match? Was I watching rugby union or some watered-down version of league?

If that's the direction the game is heading, it's an absolute disgrace. Rugby union is built on contests at the breakdown, physicality, and genuine competition for possession—not endless phases with referees policing every little thing until the game resembles league with extra players.

It feels like New Zealand have spent years pushing for interpretations that strip away what makes union unique. Instead of protecting the contest, the game is becoming faster, softer, and far less competitive.

It's pathetic. Stop trying to turn the greatest game in the world into rugby league. Rugby union doesn't need to imitate league—it needs to remember what made it great in the first place. Boycott nz rugby

RD 15 hours ago

French coach's comments on YT are well worth listening to ( sounds better in French 😀 ) Reminding fans that two teams looking to play creatively is entertaining - the main reason to play, surely?

Also, the French would have loved the pre-game activities - haka etc . Well done organizers!

RD 15 hours ago

The first two penalties for Jacobson looked - one wrong and the other harsh - as called by the NH commentators. Luke is an example of a coach knowing his players and providing the right instructions / gameplan. He surprised his many critics.

Bruiser 18 hours ago

Jordie 6.5 is stingy…one of the best players on the pitch

Kiwipdx 18 hours ago

Move Jordan to fullback and the hurricane wings in. I liked the running rugby.

jh 19 hours ago

A lot of clap trap here. When are some people going to realise that the Hurricanes are a champion team, but that does not make every Hurricane player the best thing since sliced bread. Lets try some common sense

Jordon 21 hours ago

It’s quite remarkable how much billy proctors stock has fallen among a lot of journos after a single season in a dysfunctional all black backline where even will Jordan struggled. At the start of last year he was the darling of many. Now he comes on, has a massive play that was essentially the winning of the match, and it doesn’t get a mention in the Great Anointing that is the rugbypass player ratings.

Dharni 18 hours ago

Totally plus very little mention of the fact that this was a stunning Test match, hugely entertaining with lovely running rugby and lots of twists and turns. Sometimes I wonder if the desire to critique takes over from the pure enjoyment of a titanic struggle such as this.

Emery 1 day ago

Good first up game by the boys! Pretty fair ratings, Darry and Jacobson were a great combo.

I’m still thinking maybe Tupaea and JB need to be swapped around for a game.

AD 1 day ago

I reckon if you asked Regis Montagne to give Numia a mark out of 10 it would be higher than 6.

Obviously if you wanted to ask him you'd be better off waiting until the French physio has finished realigning his spine and putting the right side of his rib cage back where it should be.

JW 20 hours ago

upvoted for your point of view!

LondonAllBlack 1 day ago

Well done Luke Jacobson.

Bazzallina 21 hours ago

Threw a dud pass to Caleb early in first half which he dropped because it was forward as hell couple penalties early to but no doubt got better and did a heap of good stuff

TokoRFC 1 day ago

Yep I was sceptical, especially after the first half. But credit where credit is due, he proved we do in fact know nothing

d 1 day ago

I thought Cody Taylor had one of his best games, made some great breaks. As for Lord; did he play?

JW 20 hours ago

Would have preferred Aumua in all those plays over Taylor.

PB 1 day ago

Lol 😂 blowing smoke 💨 up AB A rses.

Fact is the AB’s scraped a win against a sevond string French team.

Commendable start, but I wouldn’t be raving, unless AB fan expectations have dropped!

Probably 9 or 10 French starters absent.

NZ had their best backline on. France missing du Pont, Ramos and LLB. In the pack big omissions were: Gros, Marchand, Aldgheri, Meafu, Flament and Ollivon.

NZ missed a couple too, but mostly competing in the tight 5, so moot point.

Good win to start the Rennie era, but questions remain.

JW 20 hours ago

Sorry what’s blowing smoke? Certainly not this articles ratings?

These are the typical AB performances of the last 2 years, so not sure what you’re talking about, other than the renewed optimism of the supporters?

Certainly not ABs best backline, 12 through 15. I’d only have one of those players in my team and in a different position. Same with the backrow.

Bazzallina 21 hours ago

They didn’t scrape a win more like France almost nicked a win ABs left a heap of points out there and bottom line was just fun to see them fling the ball a bit and give it a go most AB fans will be happy

J Marc 1 day ago

Mauvaka.

LondonAllBlack 1 day ago

This stupid souf afican has nothing better to do with himself. Just ignore him.

Bye 👋 turd boy!

SB 1 day ago

The Canes front row which was spoken about a lot, did not do much.

Koro Teeps 19 hours ago

They scrummaged well which is their number one job. Thought Numia had a good debut off bench. Got to carry a few times. Be good to see Tosi back in black next week.

Bazzallina 21 hours ago

They clearly won another couple of penalties but ref said play it they were good Numia first test he should be happy

Icefarrow 1 day ago

Did not do much? They gained the upperhand at scrum time, unlike the starting front row.

JW 1 day ago

They weren’t given much time/opportunity.

JW 1 day ago

Ardie did some important hard yards to give the team reward with meters. Rennie doesn’t want it but he saw the need to muscle up.

Utiku Old Boy 1 day ago

Some work-ons for the ABs but the intent was positive and the pace intense. France matched both but the result was a good reflection of the game. Jacobson played his way into the reputation Rennie gave him beforehand but that has been only hinted at in his previous AB games. Lakai is just so accurate, fast and strong. I thought the AB loosies mix was off when announced but they did pretty well. Front row went well and Darry was excellent. Love looked at home and should continue there in these next games. Doesn’t overplay his hand and enables movements to develop. Still working on accuracy in some areas but has the skills and temperament. Good first outing for the Rennie era.

SC 1 day ago

Jacobson and Darry were both outstanding in the tight doing the hard dirty work that freed up Savea and Lakai who both played very well.

Lord was not as physical as he needs to be at test level. Darry certainly outplayed him.

I’d like to see both of them start again against Italy with Vaa’i on the bench.

Also think that Tuipulotu has reached the end one year before the RWC. He simply cannot stay injury free and has not been able to for three seasons now. Time to go with young locks- Vaa’i, Lord, Darry, Holland, and Hannah for South Africa tour

Conrad 1 day ago

Need to start rating the Haka.

Today's was special. Ardie went hard!

d 1 day ago

wore himself out.

Otagoman II 1 day ago

The rating for Savea is far too high. While he was hunting at every ruck I didn’t see much grunt work in the tackle and clean. He looked a tad tired.

Roger Smith 1 day ago

I thought he deserved it and maybe higher, the stats show he had the most carries from an All black which laid the platform for the pretty boys in the backline to do their flashy stuff

Bazzallina 1 day ago

He wasn’t rewarded much on the jackal in fact on the whole we were not in a game either hardly any he still won one captained well tho had a chitchat to ref about France going off their feet and they got pinged for one for me he was a 7

Utiku Old Boy 1 day ago

Thought so as well.

Conrad 1 day ago

9, 10, 11, 14 & 15 finally look like settled positions and selections for the first time in years. 3 or 4 playmakers in the backline at last.

6-8 can change depending on the opposition but a worthy win against a strong French team.

Thought Love was an 8 at least, card aside.

SC 1 day ago

Love was solid not spectacular. So that’s a 7 in my book.

Definitely a good debut at 10 and deserves to start against Italy.

SC 1 day ago

Caleb Clarke was a non-factor as he is most tests. One nice pass to Lakai for a try but nothing else as usual.

I’d much rather see Fehi Fineanganofo start at 11 with Will Jordan and McKenzie.

unknown 1 day ago

Love was not even a 7 he was barely a 6

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