Inexperienced France could still go home New Zealand early November with a win under their belt, tour captain Alexandra Chambon insisted, despite a second comfortable defeat in seven days.
“We still finished about 20 points behind, so it’s frustrating,” she said after Saturday’s 31-12 loss to Whangarei. “We had trouble establishing our rhythm, because the hands were slow. Creating gaps is not so easy.”
“They also put a lot of defensive pressure on us. If you don’t have the depth you need or misunderstand the situation, you get tackled – and that leads to mistakes. All of that prevented us from playing our game effectively.”
But, she insisted, winning in Christchurch on Saturday was not so much a ‘dream’ as a genuine ambition. The question is whether it is true or just a rumor.
Saturday’s defeat was undoubtedly much better than the 13-try 81-12 that France endured in Hamilton a week earlier. But it was still quite a loss, and after all, the final results tell only part of the story.
There was a point at the end of the third quarter at the Semenoff Stadium, when – with the score 14-12 – France, playing more pragmatic rugby, could take the lead for the third time in the match. They had New Zealand dug deep into their own half, and were asking serious and probing questions of their defence.
“The game plan was to avoid playing too much in our own half, to avoid exposing ourselves in terms of the balance of power and to be more efficient with our shots,” Ratier said. “Overall, we managed to keep them in our half.
“We know they’re a team that play a lot of attacking rugby, so they tried things. They got a bit carried away at times and we pissed them off.”
Loosehead Ambre Mwayembe, returns from suspension following a red card in an outstanding game against Australia in Provence in September, he broke through the Black Ferns’ defensive line under the posts.
However, she could not land the ball. Giving up a goal. New Zealand cleared and France never came close again.
Psychologically, it was a turning point – 13 minutes later, after a devastating five-minute three try from unadulterated Black Fernsness, France were 31-12 down.
Head coach François Ratier also recognized this. It would be hard not to. “After (Mwayembe’s effort was denied), we should have been incredibly persistent because we knew how deep their bench was,” he said. “We knew we would have to weather the storm when they brought in those players.
“We should have been ahead at that moment. It bothers me when we get into situations where we can win, like today, and we don’t.”
The numbers show France have been inside New Zealand’s 22 no fewer than 10 times, scoring two tries on Saturday. The Black Ferns, on the other hand, have scored five tries in 11 away games against 22 France.
In Hamilton a week earlier, New Zealand crossed the try line 13 times in 20 visits.
This is the main problem of France. “The last 15 minutes (in Whang?rei) was a bit of a struggle,” Ratier understated. “They don’t necessarily reflect the game as a whole, but the (final) result is a fact.
“We’re in a better position internally to analyze what happened, to come back and prepare for next weekend (in Christchurch) than we were last week, when we had to go through. We’ve got something to work with this time.”
He is wrong. But in those five minutes, France were New Zealand’s game, as they had been for much of their previous meeting in Lyon in September, their first outing since the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations decider.
“Improved – that’s the word,” Ratier said. “We were more composed, we were able to go forward and put some things together, so that’s obviously an improvement.
“Strategically, we’ve shown we can be more composed and consistent. Now we have to finish our chances and make sure we score when those chances come – so we can keep the game really close.
“In the end we had 14 players on the field, after another player was injured. The last two tries were a bit difficult, but that’s the game. It’s interesting how we played until the 70th minute. That’s what we’ll work on.”
Running backs Axelle Berthoumieu and starting centers Teani Feleu and Gabrielle Vernier were sidelined Saturday with shoulder injuries. The latter could be fit to play in Christchurch, but early indications were not so promising for the two The Blues‘ big ball carriers.
Mouna Touré and Cloé Correa have meanwhile been replaced due to head injuries.
France already had a long list of absent players when they headed to New Zealand – with Siobhan Soqeta, prop Yllana Brosseau and Charlotte Escudero joining the back row. The Blues‘ list of injuries during the matches in Lyon, Aix and La Rochelle, while Madoussou Fall Raclot is pregnant, regular France captain Manae Feleu is studying for a medical and September captain Pauline Bourdon Sansus has stayed at home for family reasons.
This is a far cry from France at full strength. “We’re a very young team,” Ratier said. “We want to use this (WXV Global Series), especially here in New Zealand, to get some new blood into the team and see how we react and play under a lot of pressure. The young players responded really well today,” Ratier said.
With one final match before the end of the year, round off a streak of six matches in seven WXV Global Series weeks, Ratier is currently 10 months and 10 matches into his run as France head coach. Looking back at six wins and four losses – one against England and three to New Zealand – he insisted the team was heading in the right direction, despite two big successive defeats in the land of the long white cloud.
“This is the first year of team evaluation. We have to test the plane at the same time we’re building it – so sometimes you get a little bump. Right now, the plane is still flying, so that’s fine. But every time we try to add something new without deviating.”
So what’s next? “We have to develop in our formations the ability to read the game and think tactically to understand the balance of power and respond accordingly. That is the role of the playmaker. We are on that path.”
France’s third win in the WXV Global Series in their final match in New Zealand may not just be a story. But they need a lot of things to fall their way in Christchurch at the weekend.