France launches Nations Championship against New Zealand with a reshuffled but ambitious squad

A new competition begins

World Rugby’s new Nations Championship, bringing together the top twelve ranked nations, starts this weekend with a marquee fixture: France against New Zealand at the newly built One Stadium in Christchurch. The match kicks off at 9:10 a.m. French time on Saturday, July 4, and marks the first of three July tests for Les Bleus, who will also face Australia on July 11 and Japan on July 18.

France’s reshuffled lineup

Head coach Fabien Galthié is without players from Top 14 finalists Toulouse and Montpellier, meaning regular captain Antoine Dupont and fly-half Romain Ntamack are unavailable for this opener. Both are expected to join the squad later in the tour. Galthié described the selection as “not the France team, but the best France team of the moment.” Scrum-half Maxime Lucu will captain the side, with Matthieu Jalibert at fly-half. Winger Damian Penaud returns to the starting XV for his 60th cap after a period out of favour. The pack features the return of prop Jefferson Poirot and a first start for back-rower Marko Gazzotti, though it lacks the heft of the Six Nations-winning unit.

It’s not the France team, but the best France team of the moment.

The All Blacks’ perspective

New Zealand players have dismissed any notion that this is a weakened French side. All Blacks back-rower Ardie Savea called the “B team” label “nonsense,” while winger Will Jordan said he expects a stern test despite Dupont’s absence. The hosts are eager to defend a home record that has seen France fail to win on New Zealand soil since 2009.

A B team? Nonsense.

Captain Lucu’s mindset

Maxime Lucu, taking the armband for the first time at international level, spoke of excitement rather than pressure. “Playing an international match for France here in New Zealand, on the other side of the world, is a lot of excitement,” he said. “I don’t have any particular pressure, apart from the fact that it’s a big match against a great team, if not one of the best teams in the world.”

I don’t have any particular pressure, apart from the fact that it’s a big match against a great team, if not one of the best teams in the world.

The tour ahead

After Christchurch, France travels to face Australia on July 11 and then Japan on July 18. The arrival of Dupont and Ntamack for those fixtures is expected to strengthen the squad considerably. For now, the focus is on ending a 17-year drought in New Zealand and making a statement in the competition’s opening round.