New Zealand beat France 34-32 in Christchurch to begin the inaugural Nations Championship with a narrow victory. Will Jordan scored two tries, while Cam Roigard also crossed twice in a match that stayed alive until the final moments.
The All Blacks had to recover from an early French surge, with Damian Penaud scoring inside the opening stages and Ruben Love spending time in the sin-bin for a high tackle. New Zealand responded through Jordan, Peter Lakai and Roigard, building enough scoreboard pressure to survive France’s late push.
France contributed four tries of their own through Penaud, Antoine Hastoy, Theo Attissogbe and Matthieu Jalibert, and a disallowed second-half effort after TMO review proved significant in a two-point game. The result also gave Dave Rennie a winning start as New Zealand head coach.
Jordan’s two finishes carried an added historical note, moving him within two tries of Doug Howlett’s New Zealand record of 49. New Zealand next host Italy, while France head to Australia as both sides continue their Nations Championship campaigns.
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