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How the world’s rugby media reacted to the All Blacks’ 31-27 victory over France at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium.

‘New Zealand got a rude surprise’

Kieran Crichard, Daily Telegraph (UK)

If the fear had been that unknown players from France would head down under and underwhelm, then New Zealand got a rude surprise.

The All Blacks may have just edged a France side with eight debutants, but it was one feisty Test match.

The French upstarts just would not go away, and despite going in at half-time 21-13 down, they came back swinging. Tries from Gabin Villière and Cameron Woki brought the visitors to within a point.

A Beauden Barrett penalty edged the New Zealanders a little further ahead, and it closed out at 31-27, but it came after what the commentators out there described as a “monumental struggle.”

The known names still shone, of course. The All Blacks had four debutants in the squad themselves, but Will Jordan scored two for the All Blacks and would have had a hat-trick of tries had it not been for a crossing call chalking it off. Jordie Barrett scored, and brother Beauden converted every score.

But it is the likes of Mickaël Guillard and Théo Attissogbe who will have spooked the home fans in Dunedin.

‘No miracle’ for France

Marc Duzan, Midi Olympique

Valiant, combative, and realistic, this revamped French XV played a great match in New Zealand, despite the narrow defeat (31-27).

Les Bleus were in the running throughout this first match of the summer tour, despite a second half dominated in possession by the All Blacks. Guillard, Villière, and Woki scored the three French tries.

There was certainly no miracle on Saturday night at Forsyth Barr Stadium. But what a beautiful French team, second, third, or even fourth, was in Dunedin.

And how proud these Tricolores made the army of freaks who had wrecked their lie-in to watch this match, 18,000 kilometers away.

Courageous and even more so in defense, based on a minimalist but effective game plan, the French selection proved in the deep South that the reservoir of French rugby was even deeper than anyone would have thought before this match.

And as we turn our backs on the Otago region to head to Wellington, the venue for the second test, there are a few of us who are cursing this four-point defeat, which we would have signed for with both hands just a few days ago...

‘Rookies rise to the occasion’

Jared Wright, Planet Rugby

Scott Robertson’s All Blacks are up and running in 2025 after defeating a spirited France outfit 31-27 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to take a 1-0 series lead.

Much of the build-up to the series opener was dominated by France’s decision to send an inexperienced team to New Zealand, but the Les Bleus rookies rose to the occasion and put up a mighty fight against the All Blacks.

Ultimately, a Beauden Barrett penalty in the final 10 minutes of the match sealed the result for the All Blacks, with the veteran pivot knocking over all five of his kicks at goal.

He converted tries scored by Will Jordan (2), Tupou Vaa’i and Jordie Barrett before Robertson’s men held out a French onslaught to secure the victory.

Mickael Guillard and Cameron Woki crossed for Les Bleus, while Joris Segonds added three points from the tee with Nolann Le Garrec racking up a further nine, but ultimately, it was not enough.

Pressure on All Blacks to improve

Liam Napier, NZ Herald

Scott Robertson’s second season leading the All Blacks started in a similar vein to the first – with a nervous, shaky, underwhelming, escape under the Dunedin roof.

Opening their test campaign at the same venue the All Blacks were widely expected to make light work of a French side missing the majority of their best players, with only five Top 14 finalists included in their wider squad.

The reality proved a world removed, heaping pressure on the All Blacks to drastically improve before the second test in Wellington next week.

Rusty, scratchy, first test openings are common from the All Blacks. Last year they escaped with a nervy one-point victory against England.

This time was supposed to be different, though. France weren’t supposed to be this competitive.

A run of three successive losses to France in Paris - in 2021, 2023, 2024 - was supposed to be broken with relative ease.

Averaging 14 test caps per player, and featuring eight rookies, the visitors were more baby Le Bleus than the Six Nations champions.

While the All Blacks injected four rookies they made all the right noises of paying the French due respect and expecting their best. Yet their performance fell well short of expectations.

‘Exposed defensive issues’

Irish Examiner

The All Blacks stumbled over the line against an understrength French side as they started their Test campaign with a four point win in a highly competitive clash.

The All Blacks lost Sevu Reece early in the game and bounced back with four tries as Beauden Barrett led the backline which looked sharp at times but also exposed defensive issues which will need to be rectified quickly.

The game was played in front of a crowd of 28,532 but the All Blacks did not get the defensive crunch they were after with Tupou Vaa’i’s move to six.

It was a tense last quarter with the All Blacks leading by the narrowest lead 28-27.

The All Blacks celebrate a try in their Dunedin victory over France. Photo / Photosport

France winger Gabin Villiere received a yellow card which gave the All Blacks a chance to see out the game but Will Jordan was denied his hat-trick when referee Nic Berry ruled that Pasilio Tosi obstructed a French defender in the buildup which left for a nervous final 15 minutes and the French sniffing a famous upset.

However, Beauden Barrett extended the lead to four with six minutes left on the clock. France failed to make the most of the possession they had late in the game and the All Blacks claimed the win after a tough battle.

‘Huge scare’

Ian Ransom, Reuters

Will Jordan scored a try in each half and Beauden Barrett kicked to perfection as the All Blacks overcame three cancelled tries to claim a nervous 31-27 win over France in the series-opener in Dunedin on Saturday.

Fielding only three players from the Six Nations title-deciding win over Scotland, the depleted French gave Scott Robertson’s team a huge scare in an entertaining match at sold-out Forsyth-Barr stadium.

But a late Barrett penalty proved enough for the All Blacks to hold on, snapping a three-match losing streak against Les Bleus.

“Just a typical test match against the French for us,” said Jordan, who was denied a hat-trick try by the television match official (TMO).

“A couple of errors cost us ... But we showed good composure to finish it off in the end there.”

The All Blacks lost Sevu Reece to a head-knock less than a minute in when the winger clattered into a French hip, forcing Robertson into a backline rejig and Damian McKenzie to play at fullback off the bench.