Nations Championship · Round 1
New Zealand
France
One New Zealand Stadium (Te Kaha), Christchurch
Championship Standings
The inaugural Nations Championship runs on two six-team conferences — the Six Nations (North) and the Rugby Championship plus Fiji and Japan (South) — with every side playing all six cross-pool opponents across the July and November windows before the finals at Twickenham on 27–29 November. It's four points for a win, two for a draw, with try and losing bonus points. This is Round 1, so nothing has been played yet; the table below seeds each conference by current World Rugby ranking. New Zealand top the Southern pool as the highest-ranked side in this half of the draw; France carry the Northern pool as reigning 2026 Six Nations champions, even if the XV touring Christchurch is a long way from their title-winning first-choice team.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South | ||||||
| 1 |  South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 |  Argentina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 |  Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |  Fiji | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |  Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North | ||||||
| 1 |  Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 |  England | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 |  Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |  Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |  Wales | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
New Zealand
W4, L1The All Blacks closed 2025 in strong order — a northern tour that dispatched Ireland (26–13), Scotland (25–17) and Wales (52–26), with only a scratchy 33–19 loss at Twickenham to blot the copybook. Add a Bledisloe win in Sydney and this is a side comfortable winning on the road and at home. Dave Rennie's group is settled, physically imposing and, crucially, back on New Zealand soil where they rarely slip — the July 2025 whitewash of these same opponents is fresh in the memory.
France
W4, L1France were the class of the 2026 Six Nations — a 36–14 opening dismantling of Ireland, a 54–12 rout of Wales and a breathless 48–46 title-sealer over England, the only blemish a 50–40 shootout loss in Edinburgh. But read the small print: this is not that team. Galthié has left Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Grégory Alldritt and every Top 14 finalist at home, building the touring XV around a Bordeaux-Bègles core with five uncapped starters. The form line is champagne; the selection is a development experiment 18,000km from home.
Head-to-Head in New Zealand
18 – 0 – 5
New Zealand wins · Draws · France wins (last 23 meetings since 1987)
New Zealand (18)France's five wins in this run are the stuff of legend — the 1999 and 2007 World Cup ambushes, the 2011 final that finished 8–7, and recent Paris successes in 2021, 2023 and 2024. But every single one came in the Northern Hemisphere or at a neutral World Cup. France have not beaten the All Blacks on New Zealand soil in this dataset, and last July they were swept 3–0 on tour by an aggregate of 103–63. The pattern is stark: in France, a coin flip; in New Zealand, a wall.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2025 | Test Series | New Zealand 29–19 France |
| Jul 2025 | Test Series | New Zealand 43–17 France |
| Jul 2025 | Test Series | New Zealand 31–27 France |
| Nov 2024 | Autumn International | France 30–29 New Zealand |
| Sep 2023 | World Cup | France 27–13 New Zealand |
| Nov 2021 | Autumn International | France 40–25 New Zealand |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Across the three 2025 Tests in New Zealand the All Blacks averaged 34–21. Note the trend within that series though — France pushed them to 31–27 in the opener before the margins widened, a warning that a first-up French side can be dangerous for 60 minutes.
Extended Form
New Zealand10W, 3L (last 12 months)
A 3–0 home series sweep of France (Jul 2025), a Rugby Championship campaign including home-and-away Bledisloe wins over Australia, and a northern tour beating Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Losses came to South Africa (10–43 at home), England (Twickenham) and one Rugby Championship stumble.
New Zealand's only heavy defeat in the window was a chastening 43–10 home loss to South Africa — proof the very top tier can still expose them. Against everyone else they have been ruthless, and at home they are close to unbeatable outside of the Springboks. This is a full-strength, in-form side facing a second-string opponent.
France10W, 4L (last 12 months)
2026 Six Nations champions (beat Ireland, Wales, Italy, England; lost Scotland). Also beat Australia and Fiji in the November window, lost 32–17 to South Africa. Crucially, the same understrength touring model lost all three Tests in New Zealand in July 2025.
Full-strength France are genuine World Cup contenders — the depth of French rugby is such that even the A-side beats most Test nations. But the specific experiment of touring New Zealand with a shadow squad has a recent, unhappy precedent: whitewashed 3–0 last year. Talented as the backline is, this pack has five caps between its second row and back row starters.
New Zealand XV
Dave Rennie names a near-full-strength All Blacks XV captained by Ardie Savea, with Ruben Love handed his first Test start at fly-half outside the excellent Cam Roigard. Peter Lakai and Luke Jacobson start in the back row, Josh Lord and Sam Darry pack down at lock (Tupou Vaa'i ruled out with concussion), and the experienced spine of Codie Taylor (106 caps), Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie brings serious quality. Props Xavier Numia and back Fehi Fineanganofo are in line to debut off the bench.
France XV
Fabien Galthié fields a heavily rotated France touring side built around a Bordeaux-Bègles core, with Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Grégory Alldritt and the Top 14 finalists all absent for the opener. The backline still carries real threat — Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu at half-back, the trusted Yoram Moefana–Nicolas Depoortere centre pairing, and Damian Penaud on the wing — but the pack is inexperienced, with several uncapped or lightly-capped forwards. This XV is a predicted lineup from Galthié's named 33-man squad; verify once the matchday 23 is confirmed. Sources checked: allblacks.com, planetrugby.com, rugbypass.com, world.rugby.
Key Matchups
The decisive edge is experience and the back row. Ardie Savea in front of his home crowd, flanked by the tireless Jacobson, should own the collision and breakdown against a green French loose trio starting Matiu and Jegou. France's genuine hope lives in two places: the scrum, where Poirot and Falatea are Test-grade and can win penalties, and the backline, where Jalibert's spark and Penaud's finishing are the equal of anyone on the pitch. If Lucu and Jalibert can get quick ball and France's set piece holds, they can hurt New Zealand for an hour — as the 31–27 opener did in 2025. But with Ruben Love making his first start at 10 opposite that French experience, the All Blacks' back three of Jordan, McKenzie and Clarke is the highest-quality unit on the field, and their ability to punish any French error is why the margin should stretch late.
Match Forecast
New Zealand should win this, and win it with something to spare. The scorecard nets out at +15 to the All Blacks, driven by the squad-strength chasm and a head-to-head record that is 18–5 overall and unblemished on New Zealand soil — France were swept 3–0 here just twelve months ago with the same understrength touring model. Savea's back row, the experience of Taylor, Barrett and Jordan, and home advantage at the new Te Kaha stadium all point one way. A settled, in-form All Blacks side against a French XV with five uncapped starters is a mismatch on paper.
The caveat is that France's shadow sides do not roll over — the 2025 opener finished 31–27, and this backline is legitimately dangerous. Jalibert's creativity, Penaud's finishing and a Poirot-led scrum can keep France within touching distance for an hour, and Ruben Love starting his first Test at 10 is the one soft spot in the All Blacks' selection. If France's set piece fires and they take their chances early, a nervy first hour is on the cards. But New Zealand's depth, home record and superior back three should tell in the final quarter, stretching a competitive contest into a comfortable win.
New Zealand by 12–20 — France's shadow side will compete for an hour, but the All Blacks pull clear late, as they always do at home.