A look at the 9's | New Zealand v France

A look at the 9's | New Zealand v France

A game for the ages in Christchurch when the All Blacks faced France in the opening game of the Nations Championship. Dave Rennie will be proud to start his tenure with a narrow but convincing 34-32 win over France.

Cam Roigard stepped up for the All Blacks with a man of the match performance having a slightly better performance than his opposite number Maxime Lucu.

Roigard managed to score a brace, he ran good lines and made some excellent decisions as he grew into the game.

He made only 6 kicks in play which is less than normal and a chart topping 92 passes. That then led to the All Blacks having more possession to run with ball in hand and play some physical entertaining rugby. The 6 kicks gained 156 metres which is the second highest in the game. Roigard also made 49 metres from 8 carries, breaking the line twice and beating 6 defenders. He was good on defence too making 7 tackles and missing only 1.

Maxime Lucu on the other hand was just as good. He managed the game well, he provided the team with good - quick service, making sure they keep the ball alive as the French like to do. His kicking was on par too making 7 kicks from hand, with some good exits and a few box kicks that put the All Blacks under a bit of pressure. He made 10 vital points from the tee missing only 1, which if he had converted maybe France could’ve won. The 33-year-old worked hard in defence too making 14 tackles and missing 3.

Overall, the 2 scrumhalf’s were vital for their teams and played a huge part in the teams’ performance. Checkout our full player ratings in app.

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