France edged the All Blacks 30-29 in a test match that could have gone either way.
Thomas Ramos converted a monster penalty kick to open the scoring for the hosts to lead 03-00 after seven minutes of play in the first half.
Three minutes later the All Blacks attacked from their own half. Caleb Clarke offloaded to Ardie Savea outside him, who cut inside and powered through a few tackles before offloading to Peter Lakai, who bulldozed his way over the line to put the All Blacks in the lead 07-03.
With France under pressure in their twenty-two, the All Black scrumhalf Cam Roigard ripped the ball away from Gregory Alldritt and strolled over the French tryline to extend the All Black's lead to 14-03 after twenty-nine minutes of play.
Five minutes later France are edging getting closer and closer to the New Zealand line. Following a number of phases for the forwards, Antoine Dupont sends it wide and it is the debutant Romain Buros who powers over the All Blacks tryline to cut the All Blacks lead to four points.
Beauden Barrett converted a penalty to extend the All Blacks lead to 17-10 with four minutes to play in the first half. The All Blacks led 17-10 going into the second half.
France had a great start to the second half when flanker Paul Boudehent scored their second try from a line-out maul to level the scores at 17-17.
After ten minutes of play in the second half, Thomas Ramos picked up a loose pass went to the ground and kicked the ball ahead. French speedster Louis Bielle-Biarrey out-stripped the All Black's defenders to score the French's third try and lead 24-17.
The ill-discipline of both teams dominated the final thirty minutes of the second half. Damian McKenzie added four converted penalties to the two converted by Thomas Ramos.
France won 30-29, in one hell of a Test match which could have gone either way.
Scorers:
France: Tries: Romain Buros, Paul Boudehent, Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Conversions: Thomas Ramos (3). Penalties: Thomas Ramos (3).
All Blacks: Tries: Peter Lakai, Cam Roigard. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (2). Penalties: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie (5).
Teams:
France: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Gabin Villiere, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Alexandre Roumat, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Tevita Tatafu, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros. Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Charles Ollivon, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Emilien Gailleton.
New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevy Reece, 13 Reiko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyral Lomax, 2 Codie Talor, 1 Tamaiti Williams. Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie.