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P. Sansus (36'), L. Queyroi (67')
Tries
J. McGregor (14'), M. Anderson (26'), M. Paul (45'), L. Mikaele-Tu'u (71')
C. Arbez (37'), L. Queyroi (67')
Conversions
B. Sorenson-McGee (15', 27', 46', 72')
This told us that structure beats shuffle when the heat comes on. The Black Ferns, minus a couple of headline names, looked like a team that knew exactly what it was doing; France, with a backline rewired around three current sevens players, looked like one still sketching the plan. Once the arm-wrestle settled, New Zealand’s organisation and depth carried the day.
François Ratier rolled the dice with Chloe Jacquet, Kelly Arbey and Lili Dezou starting together, explaining beforehand, “Elles sont là pour nous apporter leur vitesse et leur expérience internationale.” The speed was there in flashes, but timing and spacing weren’t, and too many edge plays died before the gain line. By contrast, Whitney Hansen’s group absorbed the absence of Ruahei Demant and Ayesha Leti-I’iga without drama. Georgia Ponsonby captained cleanly, the picture stayed tidy, and the bench gave them what they needed, including a notable return for Layla Sae.
The turn came in the bits that decide tight Tests: set piece and restarts around halftime. New Zealand were flawless on their own ball at scrum time (11 from 11) and steadier on the lineout. That security underwrote two punches France never fully recovered from — an early two-score cushion and, crucially, the strike right after the break. When Mererangi Paul finished just after halftime to push the gap to 21-7, the contest was no longer being played on French terms.
The numbers back the feel. New Zealand enjoyed a touch more ball and doubled France’s clean breaks, while Les Bleues spent long passages tackling. France’s lineout frayed at 60% and they couldn’t parlay a healthy haul of turnovers into sustained field position. New Zealand’s discipline was ragged — 14 penalties — but France’s lack of cohesion blunted the pay-off.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAKS
TACKLE
TACKLES MISSED
TURNOVERS WON
PENALTIES CONCEDED
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
Individually, several Black Ferns were decisive. Mia Anderson set the tone with a first-half try and abrasive work on the edges. Paul provided the clinical finish that split the evening open. Liana Mikaele-Tu'u put the lid on it late, a trademark carry and finish when France were chasing. At the back, Braxton Sorenson-McGee kicked 4 from 4 and offered calm decision-making in backfield coverage. Up front, Maiakawanakaulani Roos marshalled the lineout, and Hannah King played the corners smartly enough to keep France exiting, not attacking. Hansen also banked minutes for Sae, nine months on from her ACL — “Layla est une athlète puissante… résilience” was the coach’s pre-game line, and the cameo fit that brief.
France didn’t fold; they just couldn’t thread enough together. Pauline Bourdon Sansus gave them life before the interval with a sharp snipe, and Lina Queyroi arrived from the bench to add tempo and a late try. Lea Murie was their most damaging runner, topping a hundred metres and finally bending the line when given width. The back-row workload was fierce — Charlotte Escudero and Axelle Berthoumieu both hit 18 tackles — but the spine faltered where it mattered. A flaky lineout starved them of red-zone platforms; a couple of promising counterattacks fizzled as the new midfield-back three link misfired. It looked like an idea worth persisting with, just not one ready to beat a side as connected as New Zealand.
Does the margin flatter the visitors? Not really. New Zealand created the clearer chances and finished them. If anything, their penalty count left the door ajar; on another night, with a functioning lineout and one fewer spill in the 22, France could have dragged this into a one-score grind. Instead, they were stuck defending too much of the night and chasing a scoreboard the Black Ferns controlled from early on.
New Zealand leave Lyon with something more useful than highlights — evidence that their systems travel. Without Demant and Leti-I’iga, they kept shape, won their set piece, and managed the middle third. There’s work to do on discipline and they’re still feeling the pinch in the back three, but as a start to a six-Test block it’s solid. Scotland await, then a home run that includes a three-match crack at this same French project.
For France, the brief is clear. The selection gamble brought pace and some broken-field threat; now it needs reps. Decide the right mix around Jacquet, Arbey and Dezou, fix the lineout, and keep Gabrielle Vernier on early enough to steer those combinations. Australia in Aix-en-Provence and Canada in La Rochelle will come too soon for perfection, but not too soon to harden the detail. The plan has merit. It just needs glue.
