France fight back to edge All Blacks in one-point thriller

MATCH REPORT: France produced an incredible second-half display, as they edged New Zealand 30-29 at the Stade de France on Saturday.

The hosts were 10-17 down at the break but tries by Paul Boudehent and Louis Bielle-Biarrey helped them secure a famous victory in Paris.

Fullback Romain Buros crossed the whitewash in the first half, while flyhalf Thomas Ramos kicked 15 points for France’s third-straight win over the All Blacks.

Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard crossed for New Zealand before Damian McKenzie’s contributions with the boot set-up a nervy last half an hour.

*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!

France head coach Fabien Galthie recalled experienced centre Gael Fickou to the starting line-up in one of four changes from last Saturday’s easy win over Japan.

New Zealand boss Scott Robertson welcomed back flyhalf Beauden Barrett and hooker Codie Taylor after the influential pair missed last week’s win over Ireland with injuries.

Before the game New Zealand captain Scott Barrett said his side lost the scrum battle with the French in their World Cup defeat 13 months ago.

On Saturday, the set-piece proved crucial in the opening score as the visitors were penalised and Les Bleus led 3-0 after seven minutes thanks to a Ramos shot at goal.

Robertson’s outfit reacted almost immediately to make it 7-3 as Lakai, a second-minute replacement, crashed over for his maiden Test try and Beauden Barrett slotted the extras after nine minutes.

The All Blacks had the upper hand after the opening quarter, profiting from a poor France line-out.

Their dominance paid off even further after half an hour as scrumhalf Roigard celebrated his 24th birthday by intercepting a pass destined for opposite number Antoine Dupont after a scrum to stroll over.

With seven minutes of the first-half to play, France cut the score to 14-10 as fullback Buros crossed on his Test debut.

By the interval, New Zealand led 17-10 as Beauden Barrett added a penalty to his earlier two conversions with the visitors in control.

After the break, the tight one-pass play paid off for the hosts as they trundled up the field before flank Boudehent found a way over from a rolling maul.

Ramos kicked the conversion to bring the sides level at 17-17.

Galthie had picked an extra forward on the bench by dropping flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert from the matchday squad and after 47 minutes brought on four of them at once.

Three minutes later, it bore fruit, as France led for the first time in the game.

Wing Bielle-Biarrey dotted down after a Ramos grubber kick and with the Toulouse playmaker’s extras they were 24-17 up.

Despite the try, the game was far from over and with 17 minutes to go McKenzie kicked two penalties either side of a Ramos effort to make it 27-23.

McKenzie added a third penalty for 27-26 with 13 minutes to go and a tense final 10 minutes was set-up as Ramos and McKenzie once again traded shots at goal.

The All Blacks were camped in their own territory but their attack was held up and referee Nika Amashukeli blew the full-time whistle to send the majority of the 80,000-capacity crowd delirious.

Man of the match: Ardie Savea was once again a vital cog in his team’s set-up. He made massive carries and put in some huge hits. Cam Roigard is another player that was impressive on the night. He kept the current world’s best scrumhalf Antoine Dupont and was unfortunate to exit the match prematurely. Our nod goes to Thomas Ramos of France. The flyhalf slotted 15 points with the boot and his calm demeanour proved to be vital element for his team, dictating proceedings really well under pressure.

Moment of the match: Cameron Roigard pulled off a massive robbery, snatching a pass meant for Antoine Dupont and scoring in the 26th minute. However, in a very tight contest, Paul Boudehent’s try in the 43rd minute proved to be the game-changer. Trailing 10-17 at the break, Boudenhent’s try levelled matters and instigated a momentum shift.

Villain of the match: None

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:Buros, Boudehent, Bielle-Biarrey
Cons: Ramos 3
Pens: Ramos 3

For New Zealand:
Tries: Lakai, Roigard
Cons: B. Barrett 2
Pens: B. Barrett, McKenzie 4

France: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Gabin Villiere, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Alexandre Roumat, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Tevita Tatafu, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Charles Ollivon, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Emilien Gailleton.

New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevy Reece, 13 Reiko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Tyral Lomax, 2 Codie Talor, 1 Tamaiti Williams.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie.

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

*Additional Source: AFP