New Zealand narrowly defeated France 34-32 in the opening match of the inaugural Nations Championship, held in Christchurch on July 4, 2026, marking New Zealand's first Test under new coach Dave Rennie [1, 2, 3].
Will Jordan scored two tries for New Zealand, bringing his career total to 47 Test tries and placing him joint second all time in that category [1, 2]. Cam Roigard also contributed two tries, while Peter Lakai added one try. Ruben Love kicked two conversions and one penalty, despite receiving an early yellow card within the first two minutes for a high tackle. Rennie praised Love's performance, calling him "very confident" and saying he had "taken control" of the game on the field [1, 2, 3].
France scored four tries through Damian Penaud, Antoine Hastoy, Theo Attissogbe, and Matthieu Jalibert but fielded an under-strength side missing stars Antoine Dupont and Louis Bielle-Biarrey [1, 2, 3]. The French kept it close, but New Zealand's quick ball movement and high tempo ultimately made the difference.
Coach Dave Rennie expressed relief and optimism after the win. "I love the effort. I love the optimism," he said. "We were able to play with a really high tempo, a lot of quick ball, almost 85 percent, which is just outrageous. ... I can't fault the effort, I love the mindset, but we've got to be a lot more accurate. We just need more time, more reps, more work around the combinations." [3]
The match was closely contested throughout, with New Zealand overcoming early defensive errors to hold off the French challenge. Ruben Love’s yellow card early in the game did not prevent an impressive performance overall, earning praise from Rennie who noted Love’s leadership on the field [2, 3].
New Zealand will next face Italy in their upcoming Nations Championship match, while France is set to travel to Australia for their next fixture [1].
