LIVE: 'Ferocious will' driving France against All Blacks
A brief history of Rugby World Cup matches between France and New Zealand before they meet again on Saturday (AEST) in the opening game of the 10th tournament at the Stade de France.
1987 final: New Zealand 29, France 9 in Auckland
The inaugural final was too one-sided at Eden Park to be considered great. New Zealand's forward power and open play set up tries for Michael Jones, David Kirk and John Kirwan. Grant Fox's relentlessly accurate boot added 17 points. France trailed 29-3 before a late try by Pierre Berbizier.
1999 semifinal: France 43, New Zealand 31 in London
Jonah Lomu's two tries put title favorite New Zealand up 24-10 as scripted just after halftime at Twickenham. But France flyhalf Christope Lamaison, in for the injured Thomas Castaignede, chipped at the lead with dropped goals, penalties and conversions to three tries: 33 points in 29 mind blowing minutes capped one of the greatest comebacks.
2003 bronze final: New Zealand 40, France 13 in Sydney
A full strength New Zealand side, stung by the semifinal loss to Australia, was too strong and slick for a second string France team. The All Blacks scored six tries to one but the match was a flat affair.
2007 quarterfinal: France 20, New Zealand 18 in Cardiff
Tournament host France was given no chance far from home against big title favourite New Zealand. The All Blacks dominated without scoring enough. France hustled and held on and went ahead for good from some Frederic Michalak magic that set Yannick Jauzion free for a converted try. A blatant forward pass was missed, and the All Blacks missed the semifinals for the first time.
2011 pool: New Zealand 37, France 17 in Auckland
New Zealand celebrated captain Richie McCaw's 100th cap in style. The All Blacks led 19-0 after 21 minutes and 29-3 in the second half. France coach Marc Lievremont was forced to deny accusations he fielded a deliberately weakened squad.
2011 final: New Zealand 8, France 7 in Auckland
France overcame two pool losses and a player revolt to almost win the World Cup. New Zealand missed three goal kicks but led 8-0 after a penalty by fourth choice flyhalf Stephen Donald. France captain Thierry Dusautoir's converted try cut the gap to one with 23 minutes to go. But New Zealand ended a 20 year drought to be crowned world champion, led by captain Richie McCaw playing on a broken foot.
2015 quarterfinal: New Zealand 62, France 13
France was humiliated by a record World Cup defeat. Julian Savea scored three of defending champion New Zealand's nine tries, one of them through three defenders, and equalled the single tournament record of eight tries by Jonah Lomu (1999) and Bryan Habana (2007).
FRANCE (15-1): Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Gabin Villiere, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Dupont (c), Gregory Alldritt, Charles Ollivon, Francois Cros, Thibaud Flament, Cameron Woki, Uini Atonio, Julien Marchand, Reda Wardi
Reserves: Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Dorian Aldegheri, Romain Taofifenua, Paul Boudehent, Maxime Lucu, Arthur Vincent, Melvyn Jaminet
ALL BLACKS (15-1): Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Mark Telea, Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith, Ardie Savea, Sam Cane (c), Dalton Papalii, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Nepo Laulala, Codie Taylor, Ethan de Groot
Reserves: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ofa Tuungafasi, Fletcher Newell, Tupou Vaa'i, Luke Jacobson, Finlay Christie, David Havili, Leicester Fainga'anuku
Referee: Jaco Peyper (RSA)
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kickoff: Saturday 5.15am AEST
Love. Light. Invisible force.
France — or Jedi? — coach Fabien Galthie got existential about his and his team's approach to facing New Zealand in their Rugby World Cup blockbuster.
The massive opening night game features a New Zealand team bidding for a record fourth world title against a spectacular France side gunning for its first after losing three finals.
When he named his team, Galthie cast aside talk about tactics and how to negate the attacking prowess of the All Blacks. Instead, he spoke about freeing up the love among his players while encouraging them to harness unseen energies.
"This match will be a party, a joy, an immense happiness, it's marvellous. An invisible force needs to be born in these moments," Galthie said. "The watchword is to play, to enjoy ourselves, to love each other a lot. We're feeling very light, very happy to play this game."
Feeling light is not to be confused with taking the All Blacks lightly, something Galthie would never do. With hype around France sky high, Galthie has been trying to help the players from not feeling overwhelmed by the occasion.
"This match against the All Blacks is a challenge in every part of rugby," he said. "You need to control the emotions that surround these events. We've prepared to be the best we possibly can be in this area."
Those preparations include the warmup before the match. Constraints put on the teams by the World Cup opening ceremony have shortened the usual amount of time they have on the field.
"World Rugby have given us 23 minutes to prepare," Galthie said. "Against Australia we did a practice for it, we warmed up in 22 minutes."
France won that final World Cup warmup by an eye catching 41-17. Thousands of fans remained at their seats at the Stade de France long after the final whistle to applaud a France team which did a lap of honour led by captain Antoine Dupont, widely regarded as the world's best player.
"We all have the responsibility to do something big at this World Cup. I'm the captain so maybe people talk about me more, but we all have this ferocious will to write our names (in history)," Dupont said. "We've given people hope with the results we've had. People are expecting things from us and they want to see us raising the trophy."
Galthie was the Dupont of his 1990s heyday, a brilliant scrumhalf and captain who became a highly rated club coach. He met Dupont a few years ago and was blown away by Dupont scribbling notes and drawing tactics for two hours while they chatted.
Not one to be overawed, then, but Dupont knows that much of the nation's hopes rest with him.
"We can feel this fervour and excitement rising, but I don't feel there is any negative pressure in this team and that's a good thing," he said. He echoed Galthie's mantra. "We need to take only the positive energies away from this famous pressure. We have to stay natural while remaining serious and rigorous."
Coach and captain are in harmony and shared a laugh at the team announcement, where they were sat together.
When Dupont was asked how France was bracing to prepare for the intensity of the opening exchanges against the All Blacks, he grinned. "I would hope it's only the first 10-15 minutes that are difficult, but I think the whole match will be! They hardly have any weaknesses and are consistent in every aspect of the game. They can turn things around at any time."
He was a teen in 2011 when France last reached the World Cup final. The All Blacks prevailed in that one at Eden Park.
"When I was young I admired this team," he said. "It's the best team to face, one that has made generations and generations dream."
Now it's Dupont's time to dream big at Stade de France, when he will mark his 50th cap.
It is debatable who is under the most pressure between France and New Zealand on Saturday (AEST) in their monumental Rugby World Cup opener that does and does not matter.
Coach Fabien Galthie and company have pulled off a buildup designed to peak France at their home World Cup. The team's first World Cup cycle of the 2020s contrasts starkly with the 2010s when France wallowed in putrid mediocrity. The renaissance has collected 31 wins from 39 Tests, trophies, awards, milestones and adoring support in droves for Les Tricolores.
Every home game since November 2021 has been won to also skyrocket expectations and excitement. France is, at this moment, perfectly placed to finally win the World Cup at a 10th attempt.
The pressure on France is to deliver.
No team has managed expectations better or longer than New Zealand. The All Blacks have lived with outsized expectations of victory from within and without for more than 120 years. And they have usually delivered.
No All Blacks defeat is brushed off or forgotten, and they are fresh off their largest ever loss by margin, a 28 point defeat to South Africa two weeks ago. That battering shattered a confidence forged by a brilliantly won Rugby Championship, where the All Blacks' improvements in physicality and discipline were blown away at Twickenham.
The pressure on New Zealand is to respond.
While the winner in Paris will be lauded, the loser shouldn't feel disheartened. It's just the first step. France and New Zealand should get past poolmates Italy, Uruguay and Namibia to reach the quarterfinals, where lurking for them will probably be No.1-ranked Ireland or No.2 South Africa. Between a rock and a hard place is an understatement. The Les Tricolores-All Blacks winner will probably meet the Ireland-South Africa loser, and vice versa.
New Zealand has a proud record at the World Cup of being the only team to have never lost a pool game. The record is 31-0, including France in 2011.
But opponents smell blood in the water around these All Blacks after some notable firsts in this World Cup cycle: First to lose to Argentina, first to lose three Tests in a row in 24 years; first to lose a home series in 28 years; and first to lose to France in Paris since 1973.
That result in 2021 was No.3 in France's ongoing 14 win home streak. With nine players meeting New Zealand for the first time, France won 40-25. It was overpowering up front and daring from the back.
"There's still a knot in our gut from the last time we were here," All Blacks assistant coach Scott McLeod said this week. "That hurt."
New Zealand has 12 survivors from the match. France has 15. But neither are at full strength.
France is without key back Romain Ntamack and forward Paul Willemse for the tournament. Cyril Baille, Anthony Jelonch and midfielder Jonathan Danty are nursing injuries. New Zealand's wounded included first choice players Tyrel Lomax, Brodie Retallick, Shannon Frizell, and back Jordie Barrett, while winger Emoni Narawa was departing with a back issue.
But there were still plenty of tasty matchups: Julien Marchand vs Codie Taylor and Gregory Alldritt vs Ardie Savea up front; Antoine Dupont vs Aaron Smith, Matthieu Jalibert vs Richie Mo'unga, Damian Penaud and Gabin Villiere vs Will Jordan and Mark Telea.
"This game," Smith said, "is not about me against him, it is about me doing my role for the team. Defensively, we will have a big eye on Dupont and what he can do, and shutting it down, but that's as a collective. They have got plenty of players who are very dangerous."
There were gasps in the Paris room in December 2020 when France and New Zealand were drawn in the same pool. Theirs is a matchup dripping with history. New Zealand has beaten France in two World Cup finals. France's only two wins gave New Zealand its two worst World Cup results. New Zealand's 62-13 quarterfinal win in 2015 is France's worst result ever. This will be their tournament leading eighth matchup.
France President Emmanuel Macron huddled with the players and staff on a field this week. Not to put pressure on the team, Macron said while doing exactly that, but France had an incredible opportunity hosting the World Cup. Duties were attached, he added. "You are at home with 67 million French people behind you."
All Blacks coach Ian Foster, part of two World Cup wins, wondered if the French will be able to handle the hype around them.
"Part of World Cups is the mental side, about having the confidence and courage to play the game you need to play at the right time," he said. "It is only when it all starts will we see where people are at."
Award winning French actor Jean Dujardin's involvement in the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony might prove a lucky omen for his nation when it takes on New Zealand.
Dujardin will be joined by 33 high profile guests representing French gastronomy, sports and the arts. Names have been kept quiet but three star Michelin chef Guy Savoy — a friend of France coach Fabien Galthie — and former world pastry chef of the year Pierre Herme are expected to be among them.
"Under Dujardin's directorial vision, the opening ceremony will not only be a mesmerising spectacle that showcases the best of France's rich heritage and its deep rooted love for rugby," World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said. "It will also represent a remarkable testament to the collaborative efforts and unwavering enthusiasm of everyone working behind the scenes."
Around 200 volunteers will take part, including amateur players from regional rugby leagues and local inhabitants from the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb around the stadium.
The ceremony, which begins at 8pm local time, will also commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of rugby union, and is expected to feature a French Air Force display.
When the players emerge, they will have a short window of only 23 minutes to warm up for the kickoff.
So why could Dujardin, whose role in the silent movie "The Artist" won him international fame, be France's lucky charm?
Because the rugby loving actor attended a training session when France last played New Zealand in November 2021.
The French won 40-25 for their first victory in Paris against the All Blacks since 1973 and anywhere at home since 2000.
FRANCE vs NEW ZEALAND (New Zealand leads 48-1-13 overall, 5-2 in RWC)
Their eighth Rugby World Cup meeting will make this the most played fixture in the history of the tournament.
France has a 14 Test winning streak since November 2021 on the line.
New Zealand has never lost a World Cup pool game - its record is at 31-0.
Something has to give.
France is targeting a first World Cup title after polishing off its buildup by defeating Australia 41-17. There has been three changes to that side. The injured Paul Willemse and Jonathan Danty have been replaced by lock Cameron Woki and inside centre Yoram Moefana. Prop Redi Wardi makes his third career start.
Damian Penaud is on a four game try scoring streak and captain Antoine Dupont will play his 50th Test.
New Zealanders Richie Mo'unga and recalled tighthead Nepo Laulala will also earn their 50th caps.
Following a record defeat to South Africa two weeks ago, the All Blacks made four changes. Anton Lienert-Brown replaced an injured Jordie Barrett at inside centre, Codie Taylor is at hooker, and Dalton Papali'i has come into the back row — another openside flanker beside captain Sam Cane.
The last time they were at Stade de France, France crushed them 40-25 in 2021.
"This French team have been playing some great rugby over the last two years, everyone can see them building," All Blacks coach Ian Foster said. "We have also seen them put under pressure and have to deal with expectation and the crowd."
The All Blacks expect a hostile, sold out crowd that, in turn, expects a rare home win against the New Zealanders.
"When we started out (in 2020) we laid down some fairly simple rules based on a kind of vision: To bring French rugby together, to unite and share with the fans," France coach Fabien Galthie said. "We've felt the support building, the public has identified with the team. We enjoy the moment and being with each other very much. That's what's at stake for us. We don't carry any weight, we don't have any baggage to weigh us down."
