The 5 strongest matches between France and New Zealand
DrSince the first World Cup, organized by New Zealand in 1987, the French XV and the All Blacks have met regularly, marking a milestone in rugby history. The historic victories and defeats of both sides have left an indelible mark. The two countries face each other on Friday in the opening of the 2023 World Cup, and for the first time, neither country is considered the favourite. A look at the most beautiful match between France and New Zealand in the history of the Rugby World Cup.
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1987: Defeat of France (29-9)
On November 15, 1986, the two teams met at the Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes. The match, nicknamed the “Battle of Nantes”, was one of the fiercest matches in the history of the French XV League, which they won 16 to 3. Revenge was achieved a few months later. France and the Lions met in the first final in World Cup history on June 20, 1987 in Auckland. After an hour of play in a very close match, the French team felt tired and the Black team scored two tries in two minutes through David Kirk and John Kirwan. The Blues would rescue the honor with a try from Pierre Berbizier and a penalty from Didier Camberabero late in the game. New Zealand makes history by winning its country's first World Cup.
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1999: France wins (43-31)
We often talk about the “Miracle of Twickenham”. For oval fans, it is the greatest match in World Cup history. France found themselves in the semi-finals in 1999 against the greatest team in the world, New Zealand, led by Jonah Lomu. In front of 73,000 spectators at the legendary Twickenham Stadium, France trailed 24-10. But thanks to Richard Durth, Philippe Bernat-Sales and the historical essay of Christophe Domenici, France XV achieved one of the greatest comebacks in its history and created an upset by qualifying for the final against Australia, where they lost 35 to 12.
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2007: France wins (43-21)
On October 6, 2007, the French XV once again faced a terrible New Zealand team. The match was played in France, and will finally be played in Wales, the competition's co-organizers, at Cardiff Stadium. The Blues struggled in the group stage, including an opening match defeat to Argentina. In Cardiff, the French team will be able to play without the pressure of its fans. “Hakka” This meeting will go down in legend with the French, who will challenge the blacks a few centimeters away from them.
The match witnessed a rare intensity that will leave a big mark on the players. Joseon, Clerc, Chabal, Milhaud, Théon, de Villiers and Heymans were all influenced. The blacks also left the feathers, as Carter, Evans and MacDonald had to exit before the end. But thanks to the amazing match presented by the young Thierry Dusouture and the attempt of Yannick Gusion, France achieved this achievement and qualified for the semi-finals, losing to England (14-9).
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2011: Defeat of France (7-8)
This match undoubtedly remains one of the toughest matches in the history of the French XV League. After a difficult competition, France miraculously found itself in the final match against New Zealand. At home, the All Blacks had great control over all the teams and started with complete confidence, especially as they crushed the Blues in the opening match (37-17). All signs are green for the New Zealanders, and the match appears decided.
But the French team played an exceptionally strong match and did not give up. The intensity of the meeting is incredible. Despite the bravery of Thierry Dusautoire, who was named man of the match after scoring a try and making 21 tackles, New Zealand ended up winning.
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2015: Defeat of FrThe Salaf (62-13)
France finds itself in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The team, second in its group, faces the best generation in the history of the All Blacks. On the contrary, the French XV has faced great difficulties for four years with mediocre results, but the whole country hopes for a breakthrough like in 1999 and 2007.
Despite the remarkable performance in the first half (29-13), the Blues collapsed in the second half against the strength of Julian Savea and artist Dan Carter at the top of his art. It conceded nine attempts, in addition to a historic defeat by 49 points, which is a record at this stage of the competition.