In rugby union, France's national team and New Zealand's national team (known as the All Blacks) have played each other in Test rugby since 1906. The first Test between the countries was also France's first ever Test, on 1 January 1906 which the All Blacks won 38–8. They played again in 1924, and then in 1954. The 1954 match was won 3–0 by France and was their first victory over the All Blacks.
France first toured New Zealand in 1961; before any of the Home Nations, and the All Blacks won all three Tests. The All Blacks' first ever full tour of France was in 1977 when they won both Tests. France achieved their first ever victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand on Bastille Day 1979. The teams also met at the inaugural Rugby World Cup final in 1987 which was won by the All Blacks 29–9. A first series win in New Zealand was achieved by France in 1994 when they won two Tests, and in 1999 the teams again met in the World Cup. The 1999 semi-final was hosted at Twickenham Stadium where France overcame a 24–10 deficit to win 43–31. Since 2000 the two teams have contested the Dave Gallaher Trophy which the All Blacks won in 2000 and have never lost.
Overall the All Blacks have won 34 Tests, France 10, with one drawn. The highest victory between the countries was achieved when the All Blacks won 61–10 at Westpac Stadium in 2007. The most career points scored by members of either team is 92 by Andrew Mehrtens; he also holds the record for points in one match with 29.
History
Early meetings
The first ever All Blacks tour to the northern hemisphere occurred in 1905/1906. The team — known as The Original All Blacks — played throughout the British Isles before playing France on 1 January 1906. The Test was France's first ever, and was held at Parc des Princes, Paris.[1] The All Blacks scored ten tries, including six in the second half, to France's two, and eventually won 38–8. Despite the scoreline, France's two tries were more any team had scored against the All Blacks so far on tour.[2] Following the Test in The Complete Rugby Footballer, Original All Blacks Dave Gallaher and Billy Stead wrote of French rugby; "We are strongly of the opinion that the game will spread in their country and that in the course of time they will put a team in the field which will command the utmost respect of any other."[1]
The next Test between the two teams was on the All Blacks' Invincibles' tour of 1924/1925. They met at Stade Des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse on 18 January 1925.[3] Although French rugby had advanced since 1906, the All Blacks still won 30–6; with France scoring two tries. All Blacks' captain Cliff Porter said of France "Your forwards gave us a lot of bother. Your threequarters were not so good."[4] Due to the International Rugby Football Board (IRB) expelling France from the Five Nations Championship during the 1930's for professionalism in its domestic club competition, the All Blacks did not face France during their tour of the British Isles in 1935. Although France was readmitted into international competition in 1939 — due to World War Two they did not play the All Blacks again until 1954. France had played New Zealand teams when they faced the New Zealand Maori in 1926, and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force's Kiwis twice in 1946; France lost all three matches.[5]
Post war
The 1954 match at Stade Colombes, Paris was dominated by the All Blacks with the majority of possession and territory.[5] Despite this France scored in the 35th minute after the ball was lost by All Blacks' Template:Half-back Keith Davis 40 metres from the France's line. The ball was picked up by French Template:Number 8 Robert Baulon who passed to Paul Labadie. Labadie then passed to French captain Jean Prat who scored a try with several All Blacks attempting to tackle him. The score gave France a 3–0 lead that the All Blacks never caught.[6] Despite attacking the French line for much of the game, and having several drop-goal and penalty attempts the All Blacks could not score and the French defence held. The final score of 3–0 earned France their first win over the All Blacks.
France next faced the All Blacks when they toured New Zealand in 1961. They toured before any of the home nations did.[7] The first Test at Eden Park was won 13–6 by the All Blacks after they scored two converted tries and a penalty. France's Template:First five-eighth Pierre Albaladejo kicked all France's points with two drop goals,[8] as a result he became known in New Zealand as "Monsieur Le Drop".[9] The second Test of the tour was played at Athletic Park in Wellington. [10] The wind was very strong and there was no scoring in the first half. In the second, and playing into the wind France scored a try to lead 3–0. The All Blacks then responded with a try to Kel Tremain which was amazingly converted by Don Clarke. The conversion was considered one of the best of Clarke's career as he needed to aim the kick almost parallel to the goal-line and hope that the wind taking it over the posts. It was successful and the Blacks won 5–3.[11] Despite the All Blacks winning the final Test in Christchurch 32–3 to win the series, it did have a positive influence in France where it was broadcast on to television via satellite. This helped promote the sport outside its traditional French heartland of the South-West.[12]
The next two matches between the teams were both in Paris. The All Blacks won the first 12–3 in 1964 after tries to Ralph Caulton and Ken Gray. The next match in 1967 was coached by Fred Allen and captained by Brian Lochore; they won 21–15.[13] Following their first ever Five Nations Grand Slam in 1968 France toured New Zealand and Australia that year. France lost all four Tests on tour; three of those against the All Blacks. France faced an All Blacks side that did not lose between 1965 and 1970,[13] and their losses on tour preluded successive Test losses until their draw with Wales in the 1969 Five Nations (where France finished last).[14]
Full tours
France achieved only their second Test victory over the All Blacks in 1973 at Parc des Princes, Paris.[15] The All Blacks had defeated England, Scotland and Wales, and drawn with Ireland on their 1973 tour and France was their last Test. France won 13–6.[16] In 1977 the All Blacks made their first ever full tour of France. France won the first Test in Toulouse and the All Blacks the second in France.[16] France then reciprocated and toured in 1979. This time neutral referees were appointed for the first time. The All Blacks won the first Test 23–9 at Lancaster Park. However in the second Test France upset the All Blacks by winning 24–19 on Bastille Day at Eden Park. The victory was Frances' first over the All Blacks in New Zealand.[17]
The team's first meeting of the 1980s was in 1981 when the All Blacks toured France. They played Tests in Toulouse and Paris; the All Blacks winning them both, 13–9 and 18–6 respectively. France then visited New Zealand in 1984 for two Tests. The first was lost 10–9 at Lancaster Park despite repeated drop-goal attempts from the French. The second at Eden park was also lost by France. France next played a one off Test in New Zealand in 1986. The match was at Lancaster Park, and due to the rebel Cavaliers tour to South Africa, most of the top All blacks were banned for two matches. Hence the All Blacks team that played France were known at the "Baby Blacks" as all bar two of them were either making their Test début or were very inexperienced.[18] The Baby Blacks upset France 18–9 in front of 24,000 spectators; the only try coming from Template:Number 8 Mike Brewer.[19] Later that year the All Blacks toured France, and played a Test in Toulouse that they won 19–7. Their next match at Nantes became known as "the battle of Nantes".[20] France played aggressively and tried to intimidate the All Blacks. All Black Buck Shelford had his scrotum rucked in the twentieth minute that required stitches while he was still on the field. He was later knocked out, losing several teeth in the process, and did not finish the match.[21][22] The aggressive display by France paid off and they won 16–3.
The following year France and the All Blacks met in the final of the inaugural Rugby World Cup. The tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia and the final was held at Eden Park. According to the All Blacks' coach at the time, Brian Lochore, the previous years loss in Nantes was the catalyst for their World Cup victory.[23] Shelford said of the match "We wanted to play them in the final because we wanted revenge".[24] The match also helped improve the diplomatic and political rift between France and New Zealand caused by the 1985 bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by French Secret Service agents.[25]
France toured New Zealand in 1989 and played a two Test series. They lost both Tests; the first 25–17 at Lancaster Park, and the second 34–20 at Eden Park. The All Blacks reciprocated by touring France in 1990. Again there were two Tests and again they were won by the All Blacks; 24–3 at Nantes, and 30–12 at the Parc de Princes. The next tour was when France came to New Zealand in 1994. They won the first Test 22–8 at Lancaster Park. The second and final Test on tour was at Eden Park on 3 July 1994. The All Blacks were winning 20–16 with three minutes remaining after Matthew Cooper had kicked a penalty.[23] The French counter-attacked however, and from their own in-goal area ran the ball the length of the field to win. The ball was handled by nine French players before the try was scored by Jean-Luc Sadourny.[26] French captain Philippe Saint-Andre called it "a counter-attack from the end of the world",[23] and it was then labelled the try from the end of the world.[27] The try gave France a 23–20 win and a 2–0 series win over the All Blacks. In 2003 the try was voted the fourth best rugby try (of either code) ever by The Daily Telegraph readers[27]
Professional era
A record was set when France defeated the All Blacks at Toulouse on 11 November 1995; they had achieved their greatest winning streak against the All Blacks of three consecutive Tests. The following week on November 18 the All Blacks stopped the streak with a 37–12 victory. The two teams did not meet again until 1999 when France played the All Blacks in a one off Test at Athletic Park. The All Blacks won 54–7; at the time France's largest ever loss.[28] Tana Umaga scored three tries in the match and Andrew Mehrtens kicked 19 points in the match.[28]
Due to their Athletic Park victory the All Blacks were heavy favourites to win when they met France in the semi-finals of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.[29] The game was played at the neutral venue of Twickenham Stadium on 31 October 1999. The All Blacks were leading 24–10 seven minutes into the second half after they had scored two tries (both to Jonah Lomu). France then scored two penalties and two drop goals to Template:First five-eighth Christophe Lamaison to reduce the All Blacks' lead to 24–22 with 25 minutes remaining.[29] Lamaison then chip kicked the ball which was collected by Christophe Dominici who then scored.[30] Another Lamaison kick set up a try for Template:Rugbycentre Richard Dourthe. Lamaison converted and France were leading 36–24. With five minutes remaining France scored another try, and although the All Blacks scored a late try France won 43–31. Lamaison had scored 28 points, and a full house — a try, conversion, penalty and drop-goal all in one match.[29]
The Dave Gallaher Trophy was introduced in 2000 to be contested between the two teams. It was named in memory of All Blacks captain Dave Gallaher who captained the All Blacks against France in 1906 and who died at Passchendaele.[31] The Cup was first contested Armistice Day (November 11) 2000. The All Blacks won 39–26 and scored two tries whilst Andrew Mehrtens scored nine penalties.[32] The two met again the next week, and this time France won 42–33 but as the trophy was only contested in the first Test it was retained by the All Blacks.
The countries met in each year in a one off Test in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The 2001 Test was won 37–12 by the All Blacks, the 2002 Test was a 20 all draw and in 2003 the All Blacks won 31–23 at Jade Stadium. They met again in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup in Sydney. The match was a third-fourth play-off game and was won 40–13 by the All Blacks. In 2004 they met in a one off Test in Paris. The 2004 Test was the first between the two teams with Graham Henry as All Blacks coach. France were 2004 Six Nations Champions, and were defeated by five tries to nil.[33] The final score was a 45–6 win to the All Blacks; a record at the time.[34]
Record
Matches
The All Blacks and France have played a total of 45 Tests. The All Blacks have won 34, France 10, and one drawn. Only two matches have been played at neutral venues; the 1999 World Cup semi-final at Twickenham, London, and the 2003 World Cup third/fourth play-off match at Stadium Australia in Sydney. List of all Test matches played between France and the All Blacks:[35]
Team records
The highest score in a Test between the countries is 61 achieved by the All Blacks in the match at Westpac Stadium, Wellington on 9 June 2007. That Test also holds the record for the greatest winning margin with 51 points. The most points scored by France against the All Blacks was 43 when they defeated the All Blacks in their 1999 Rugby World Cup semi-final at Twickenham. Their highest winning margin over the All Blacks is 14 achieved when they played at Lancaster Park, Christchurch on 26 June 1994.[36]
Individual records
Andrew Mehrtens has the record for most career points for the All Blacks against France with 92;[36] he also has the record for a single match with 29.[32] The French career record of 71, and single match record of 28, is held by Christophe Lamaison.[36][37] The record for career tries is held by All Black Joe Rokocoko with eight whilst the most scored by a Frenchman is held jointly by Serge Blanco and Philippe Saint-André with three.[36]
See also
Bibliography
- Dine, Philip (2001). French Rugby Football - Cultural History. Berg. ISBN 1859733271.
- Potter, Alex; Duthen, Georges (1961). The Rise of French Rugby. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. REED.
- Palenski, Ron (2003). Century in Black - 100 Years of All Black Test Rugby. Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Limited. ISBN 1-86958-937-8.
Notes and references
- ^ a b "8th All Black Test : 88th All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ "THE 1905/06 'ORIGINALS'". rugbymuseum.co.nz. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ "31st All Black Test : 201st All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ^ Potter (1961), pg 175.
- ^ a b Potter (1961), pg 102.
- ^ Potter (1961), pg 103.
- ^ Palenski (2003), pg 51.
- ^ "105th All Black Test : 483rd All Black Game". stats.allblacks.com. 2007-07-22.
- ^ Polenski (2003), pg 51.
- ^ "106th All Black Test : 484th All Black Game". stats.allblacks.com. 2007-07-22.
- ^ Polenski (2003), pg 52.
- ^ Dine (2001), pg 131.
- ^ a b Palenski (2003), pg 52.
- ^ Dine (2001), pg 154.
- ^ "158th All Black Test : 656th All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ a b Palenski (2003), pg 53.
- ^ Palenski (2003), pg 55.
- ^ "Gordon Macpherson". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
- ^ "220th All Black Test : 854th All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
- ^ Palenski (2003), pg 61.
- ^ Soneji, Pranav (2002-10-24). "Buck's All Blacks fizz". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ Quinn, Keith (2005-12-23). "Madness and sadness in rugby world". tvnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c Smith, Tony (2006-11-18). "A HUNDRED GREAT YEARS". Dominion Post. p. 3.
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(help) - ^ Kayes, Jim (2006-11-10). "BUCK VERSUS THE BRUTES". Dominion Post. p. 6.
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(help) - ^ Dine (2001), pg 136.
- ^ Huw, Richards (2007-06-01). "Eden Park sees start of turf war". ft.com. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
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(help) - ^ a b Gallagher, Brendan (2003-01-03). "Edwards settles the score". telegraphy.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
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(help) - ^ a b "326th All Black Test : 1044th All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^ a b c "'Les Bleus' blacken New Zealand's campaign". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 1999-10-31. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
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(help) - ^ "France stun All Blacks". bbc.co.uk. 1999-10-31. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
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(help) - ^ "The Gallaher Cup is on a six month train ride around France". masseyrugby.com. 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
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(help) - ^ a b "344th All Black Test : 1062nd All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-08-06. Cite error: The named reference "ABGame1062" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Short, Paul (2004-11-28). "Rugby Union: France dismantled by vintage All Blacks". Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
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(help) - ^ "392nd All Black Test : 1112th All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
- ^ "NZL -vs- FRA". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
- ^ a b c d "New Zealand v France Head to Head". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ "335th All Black Test : 1053rd All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
External links
- Official website of the Fédération Française de Rugby
- Official All Blacks website