Following an agonising 34-32 defeat to the All Blacks in the Nations Championship clash at the One NZ Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for France.
15 Max Spring: Some have had their doubts as to whether Spring can step up to Test rugby, but he did just fine in Christchurch. Two clean breaks and 52 metres made in what was a good attacking showing from the full-back. 7
14 Damian Penaud: Stunned the New Zealand crowd by going over after just a minute with a lovely line following a flowing French move. Also had his moments after that before going off at the break, presumably due to injury. 7
Potential superstar
13 Fabien Brau-Boirie: Another contentious selection call with Fabien Galthie opting to pick him at 13 rather than his usual inside centre slot, but it paid off with Brau-Boirie utterly magnificent. Was cruelly denied a try due to a knock-on but did so many other good things which kept the tourists in the game. Outstanding. 9
12 Yoram Moefana: Physical on both sides of the ball but he has ultimately struggled to consistently take his Bordeaux-Begles form into the Test arena. Moefana was more prominent in the second period, but he wasn’t as effective as his centre partner. 6
11 Theo Attissogbe: Scored a try, set up another as Attissogbe was a constant threat to the All Blacks defence. Got caught in traffic a couple of times but the back three star, who switched over to his preferred right wing spot after the break, was always a threat. 7
10 Matthieu Jalibert: Was at the heart of everything. You could argue there was too much that didn’t come off, but it would be unfair to mark him down too much considering what Jalibert gave to his side, and the game in general. It was a thrill to watch him for the whole 80 minutes. 8
9 Maxime Lucu (c): Not as good as Roigard but certainly not outplayed. Lucu was a calm presence at the base of the ruck and often got his team out of trouble with his decision-making around the fringes. Didn’t kick as much as we expected, but France came to play and match fire with fire. It so almost worked. 8
8 Marko Gazzotti: Was good throughout but felt like Gazzotti became a real focal point in the second period. Didn’t make the impact he would have liked at the breakdown after the hosts blasted the French Jackallers off the ball, but he was another youngster to show that he belongs at this level. 7
Remarkable work ethic
7 Oscar Jégou: Was prominent at close quarters where he made his presence felt against the dynamic All Blacks loose forwards. Jegou showed that he could match them in the tight as he did everything to get the win for his team. 8
6 Pierre Bochaton: Only lasted 33 minutes but the flanker was not hugely impactful during his time on the field. The hosts came with real physicality at close quarters, and Bochaton struggled to cope. 5
5 Tom Staniforth: You couldn’t deny his work ethic. Staniforth was his team’s primary carrier, often getting over the gain line, while he was also busy on defence, but you rather felt he slowed down France’s momentum. 6
4 Hugo Auradou: France’s primary lineout jumper as he gave his side a steady supply of ball at the set-piece. Auradou also did his bit in defence, but he failed to really impose himself physically. 6
3 Demba Bamba: You’re not going to be a consistent Test player if you can’t scrummage and that has always been Bamba’s problem. He was abysmal at the set-piece, conceding a number of penalties, while he also had one needless infringement in the loose. 3
2 Maxime Lamothe: Is always brilliant for Bordeaux but Test match rugby is another level altogether, and he looked surprisingly cumbersome in Christchurch. Lamothe wasn’t poor, but the hooker certainly wasn’t as effective as he is in the Top 14 and Champions Cup. 5
1 Jefferson Poirot: Great to see the loosehead back in a France jersey and he put in a mighty shift during his 55 minutes on the field. Poirot’s side of the scrum was solid and he was a presence in the loose. 7
Replacements: Antoine Hastoy made the odd error but the playmaker was a net positive with him constantly in the thick of the action, and was rewarded with a try for his efforts. Mickael Guillard also gave them much-needed power in the pack while the front-row had their moments in the loose. 7