Well, the All Blacks have comfortably beaten the unpredictable French side (Although they are missing several key players such as Brice Dulin, Gael Fickou, Camille Lopez, Yoann Maestri, Noa Nakaitaci, Scott Spedding & Virimi Vakatawa) by 20 points (The final score was 38 - 18) at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis to begin our Northern tour with the match commentary being provided:
Hello and welcome to live updates of France hosting the All Blacks at Stade de France in Paris, France.
This morning the All Blacks begin their Northern tour in earnest with the first of three Test matches following their win over the Barbarians in London last weekend.
The French took them close in the last year's fixture, can their inexperienced and injury-stricken side pull off the unthinkable here today?
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action. Video will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.
Commentary will start from around 8:30am (NZT).
All Blacks
1.Kane Hames 2.Dane Coles 3.Nepo Laulala 4.Luke Romano 5.Sam Whitelock 6.Vaea Fifita 7.Sam Cane 8.Kieran Read 9.Aaron Smith 10.Beauden Barrett 11.Rieko Ioane 12.Sonny Bill Williams 13.Ryan Crotty 14.Waisake Naholo 15.Damian McKenzie
Reserves: 16.Codie Taylor 17.Wyatt Crockett 18.Ofa Tu'ungafasi 19.Scott Barrett 20.Matt Todd 21.TJ Perenara 22.Lima Sopoaga 23.Anton Lienert-Brown
France
1.Jefferson Poirot 2. Guilhem Guirado (c) 3. Rabah Slimani 4. Sebastien Vahaamahina 5. Paul Gabrillagues 6. Judicael Cancoriet 7. Kevin Gourdon 8. Louis Picamoles 9. Antoine Dupont 10. Anthony Belleau 11. Yoann Huget 12. Mathieu Bastareaud 13. Geoffrey Doumayrou 14. Teddy Thomas 15. Nans Ducuing
Reserves: 16 Clement Maynadier 17 Raphael Chaume 18 Daniel Kotze 19 Paul Jedrasiak 20 Anthony Jelonch 21 Baptiste Serin 22 Francois Trinh-Duc 23 Damian Penaud
Match facts and stats
Referee: Angus Gardner (AUS)
Sideline officials: Matthew Carley (ENG) and Tom Foley (ENG)
Review officials: Rowan Kitt (ENG)
Past meetings
Head to head: Played 57: France 12, All Blacks 44, Drawn 1
In France: Played 24: France 6, All Blacks 18
Last time played: All Blacks 24 def France 19 November 26, 2016
8:35am - The word on the ground from Ross Karl is that the rain has cleared but it's a bitterly chilly evening in Paris.
8:44am - Non-Test matches aside, there are few things more dangerous in rugby than an All Blacks side coming off a loss. This youthful French side could be in for a baptism of fire.
8:51am - The teams are taking the park, best get those bacon and eggs done ASAP and head to the couch.
8:57am - The Stade de France breaks into full song for La Marseillaise. The greatest anthem of all time? It has my vote.
8:58am - TJ Perenara leads Kapa o Pango and the crowd respond with their own full-hearted chorus of boos. I think they wanted Ka Mate.
Kick off...
1 min - Barrett goes deep, ball spills but the ref rules it was a boot at the ruck. Penalty takes the hosts up to halfway for a line-out.
2 mins - France look to maul but the ABs have held it up. Scrum NZ at the half.
3 mins - Free kick France after the ABs engage early. France want to pack another scrum as we hear the first round of 'allez les Bleus'. Big shunt and NZ concede, France go onto the attack with a line-out 10m from the try line.
5 mins - Ball's lost from the line-out and NZ win a penalty for offisde. Barrett relieves the pressure, back to halfway they go.
6 mins - Smith box-kick expertly claimed by Ioane. Laulala with room to move, Barrett finds Coles running hard. 22m out now...
7 mins - SBW breaks and finds McKenzie, the fullback has men outside but he can't free his hands for the pass after some superb scrambling defence. SBW drives again, he's over the line but it's held up. 5m scrum NZ.
8 mins - Smith from the base of the scrum, scragged down a metre out....
TRY ALL BLACKS - Barrett has options at the line, beautifully delayed no-look pass puts a storming Dane Coles into a yawning hole and the hooker dots down between the posts. (NZ 7-0)
12 mins - NZ swing back the attack as Ioane breaks down the left flank. Smith can't find support. Ball turned at the ruck and France clear as far as the 22m.
13 mins - Dane Coles puts through a grubber, bizarrely enough. France gather with ease and make a mini-break of their own, past halfway they go. Naholo pounces at the breakdown and wins the penalty.
14 mins - Coles seems to have injured his knee and Codie Taylor will take his place.
16 mins - Fifita rummages forward, All Blacks just 5 metres short now. France pinged for a foot in the ruck. A gift three points coming up for Barrett....and over it goes. (NZ 10-0)
18 mins - French restart out on the full, quel dommage! NZ scrum in the center of the paddock, plenty of attacking options on offer.
19 mins - Barrett chips from the scrum and puts the winger under a ton of pressure, Ioane thunders in and the All Blacks blow over right on the France try line. Read looked like he may have got a hand on it, he's claiming a try. Referee review says otherwise, but we will have an NZ 5m scrum.
20 mins - Penalty NZ after a powerful ABs scrum, France saved themselves a pushover try with a clear front row collapse.
22 mins - Another collapse and another NZ penalty. Read wastes no time asking for a re-pack.
TRY ALL BLACKS - Another advantage was being played but they didn't need it in the end. Ioane goes inches short before Barrett finds Naholo with a pinpoint floater out wide to stroll over in the corner. All far too easy. Barrett slots it from the sideline. (NZ 17-0)
25 mins - France with some rare possession in NZ territory. Penalty won, to a 22m line-out they go.
TRY FRANCE - Bastareaud pops a lovely ball in the tackle to free his outside backs, ball is shifted and Teddy Thomas dives over in the corner. Conversion is adrift. (NZ 17-5)
29 mins - Ioane in open spaces, gives young Anthony Belleau one of those patented fends and sits him right down. Kick over the top rolls into the in-goal, 22m restart for France.
30 mins - Loose ball, Hames gathers and finds Read but the skipper's hit hard and spills it. He's yet to get up after that one. Light shower of rain swings through le Stade.
32 mins - NZ scrumfeed just inside the French half. Quick hands from Laulala finds Crotty in space. Wide they go and Naholo has a line to the corner but the referee rules a knock-on at the previous ruck. Scrum France, right on their own line.
35 mins - The scrum collapses yet again and finally a yellow card is produced, prop Slimani is off to the naughty chair and Hames is letting him know all about it.
37 mins - ABs build patiently off the base of the ruck....
TRY ALL BLACKS - Quick ball after the measured build up, SBW drops a deft grubber over the line for Ryan Crotty to dive on uncontested and claim the All Blacks' 2000th Test try. Big blow as halftime looms with a man in the bin. Barrett makes no mistake. (NZ 24-5)
TRY ALL BLACKS - Mistake France from the restart and the All Blacks counter swiftly. Fantastic cut-out ball from McKenzie to free Ioane who returns it to the fullback, Read on hand to finish things off. Barrett sends it over and that will be it for the first half. (NZ 31-5)
HALFTIME - Two late tries have really swung this contest in the All Blacks' favour against a French side which, while not lacking any enthusiasm, has looked slightly off the pace throughout. Join us back here shortly for the second 40.
Second half underway...
40 mins - France start well, loose ball hacked ahead and they manage to regather. Working their way past the NZ 22m line now.
41 mins - Advantage for offside blown up. Right in front of the posts, they can't turn down the easy three points. Odd decision, really. (NZ 31-8)
43 mins - NZ line-out, Barrett inside ball off the top to Naholo. France are quick to the breakdown and win a penalty, back to halfway for the line-out.
45 mins - France look to maul before freeing the pill. Bastareaud hammered by SBW as they edge their way to the NZ 10m.
46 mins - Break by Belleau! Can't find any support. Advantge being played as the cross-field kick is placed into the in-goal. SBW leaps and reverts to rugby league mode, tapping the ball purposely dead. Easy call for Gardner, who reaches into this pocket and produces a yellow card.
TRY FRANCE - To add insult to inury, the referee and his assistants rule that the ball would've landed in the chasing French player's hands had SBW not tapped the ball dead. Highly dubious decision, but here we are. (NZ 31-15)
49 mins - Penalty France immediately from the restart and the crowd are right into this now, their tails are well and truly up.
50 mins - Barrett's restart from the 22m drifts out on the full, France now right back in attacking position.
51 mins - Penalty France at the scrum, right in front of the sticks. Kicking tee comes out, another trois for the French. (NZ 31-18)
52 mins - 13 unanswered points for the French in the second half as the rain sets in at Le Stade.
54 mins - Scrum France, and it's another penalty. Crockett concedes. Belleau taps and then looks to kick, Whitelock rushes up to tackle, and rightly so, but the ref gives the 10 another chance. Bizarre.
56 mins - Les Bleus go wide quickly and they've found some room to move. Thomas freed up along the sideline and guns for the corner, McKenzie is able to impact the dive just enough to force a foot into touch. All the momentum with the hosts right now as the All Blacks throw the defensive line-out, and they've lost it!
57 mins - Penalty advantage as France launch again, just metres out from the line..
59 mins - No advantage won and we're back for the penalty. SBW will take his place back on the field after a costly 10 minutes in the bin.
60 mins - Huge pressure now as France feed the scrum 5m out.
61 mins - Big defence from the visitors through nine phases, and Naholo wins an enormous turnover penalty for the All Blacks. Barrett relieves the pressure.
62 mins - Knock-on France and the All Blacks will pack down a scrum. It's been a while since they've had any quality possession, great opportunity to build here 15m inside French territory.
64 mins - Scattered back and forth ball in the wet ends in French hands, just shy of halfway. Barrett collects a loose ball from a bomb and dabs a kick down the touchline back inside France's half.
66 mins - Defensive penalty for the All Blacks on France's 10m line but the assistant wants a word. Penalty is reversed, Tu'ungafasi diving recklessly into the ruck.
67 mins - France maul from the line-out, knock on at the base of the ruck lets NZ off the hook. They'll scrum it on their own 22m as the subs roll.
68 mins - Smith clears but France return with profit. Belleau bombs away and it's untidily handled. Ioane goes to the sideline and finds support, Todd takes the ball near halfway but his pass lets him down. Mini dust-up after the ball's into touch, Gardner deals out the law to both captains.
70 mins - Ioane deals with the high ball in typically efficient manner and beats his man down the touch. Ball lost in the tackle however, more stilted play by the All Blacks. Both sides struggling to find their rhythm, it's certainly not much of a spectacle at the moment.
72 mins - France line-out inside the NZ 22m, a try here would definitely make things interesting. But alas, ball knocked on. NZ scrum.
74 mins - France earn a penalty on the All Blacks 22m. Time running out for them to make their move. To the line-out they go, 5m out...
75 mins - Advantage being played, penalty blown up. Right in front of the posts, they call for a scrum.
77 mins - That decision backfires as the All Blacks put in a monster shove and win themselves a penalty. That may be the game right there.
78 mins - Free kick from the line-out for NZ, they opt to scrumdown as the match stumbles to its conclusion.
79 mins - Perenara places a perfect kick deep into the French 22m. They'll hoist a boxkick into touch, one last chance from the line-out.
TRY ALL BLACKS - Simple numbers game to wrap this game up, Lienert-Brown throws a lovely wrap-around pass to free Naholo for a well deserved try. Barrett slots the conversion, and there's the fulltime whistle. (NZ 36-18)
FULLTIME - The All Blacks ultimately wrap up the win after a stilted second half effort. France were valiant in defeat, their youthful new contingent doing themselves proud.
All Blacks - 36 France - 18
And what do I think of that game? Well, it was astonishing as we dominated the 1st half because it was even a no contest until the French took over during the 2nd half. And what about that incredible performance by All Black right winger Waisake Naholo because he got a double by scoring both tries in both the 1st & 2nd half as well as he turned the ball over not once but twice (Slowly but surely). And you have to give credit to Sonny Bill Williams as he did a grubber kick to set up the try being scored by his midfield partner Ryan Crotty during the 1st half but he got yellow carded in the process for slapping the ball down (Rugby league style) so the Australian referee Angus Gardner (Although his refereeing performance wasn't too bad compared to South African Jaco Peyper but Welshman Nigel Owens is the best performed referee in the history of the game) had to award a penalty try to France during the 2nd half (And too bad that the All Blacks have taken our injury toll with Dane Coles (Who scored a brilliant opening try) expected to be out of action for half a year while captain Kieran Read is in doubt for the next test against Scotland with either Sam Cane or Sam Whitelock expected to captain the All Blacks should Read be ruled out by injury).
And in other international rugby news, the Wallabies stroll past Wales 29 - 21 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to extend their winning streak while Ireland (Who had a Kiwi born player Bundee Aki on test debut) thrash the poor old Springboks 38 - 3 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin to record their biggest winning margin in Sean O'Brien's 50th test while England (Who had rested key players such as lock Maro Itoje & star first & second five Owen Farrell for the clash against Australia) had an pretty average game in their 21 - 8 victory against Argentina at Twickenham in London (Although England coach Eddie Jones had a brain explosion because he was upset & frustrated about the penalty decision by copping plenty of abuse) then Scotland ease past Samoa at Murrayfield in Edinburgh & Italy gained revenge against Fiji to reverse that result in Suva this year over in Catania.
And finally Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari has claimed victory in Brazil (His 1st win since Hungary) after overtaking the pole sitter Valtteri Bottas (Who had to settle for 2nd behind Vettel) at turn 1 during the opening lap while 4 time world champion Lewis Hamilton (The man who regained his status as Formula 1's golden boy) narrowly missed out on the podium by finishing 4th (Although he had to start from the pitlane after crashing during qualifying in a tremendous fightback) behind Kimi Raikkonen then New Zealander Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso for the 2nd time retired from the race in just his 3rd start while Felipe Massa in the Williams had to finish 7th in his last home Grand Prix, holding off both McLaren's Fernando Alonso & Force India's Sergio Perez.
So that is my 164th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 84th this year (Only 36 blogs to go until I reach 200 blogs).
P.S. And here is the starting lineup for the All Blacks to play in a midweek game against France XV over in Lyon tomorrow morning:
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Tim Perry (Tasman/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Nathan Harris (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
3 (Tight head prop): Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Wellington/Hurricanes)
SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues)
5 (Lock): Dominic Bird (Canterbury/Chiefs)
BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
7 (Openside Flanker): Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
8 (Number 8): Luke Whitelock (Captain, Canterbury/Highlanders)
HALVES
9 (Half-back): Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Waikato/Chiefs)
10 (First five eighth): Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five eighth): Ngani Laumape (Manawatu/Hurricanes)
13 (Centre): Jack Goodhue (Northland/Crusaders)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Seta Tamanivalu (Taranaki/Crusaders)
14 (Right Wing): Matt Duffie (North Harbour/Blues)
& 15 (Fullback): David Havili (Tasman/Crusaders)
And in the reserves are:
16. Asafo Aumua (Who replaces Codie Taylor for this clash)
17. Atu Moli (Who replaces Wyatt Crockett for that one)
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Scott Barrett
20. Akira Ioane (Takes Matt Todd's place)
21. Dillon Hunt (Who has replaced TJ Perenara)
22. Mitchell Drummond (Who has replaced Lima Sopoaga (Who is elevated to the starting lineup) to cover at halfback)
& 23. Richie Mo'unga (Who has replaced Anton Lienert-Brown to cover at first five).
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