France Target Historic Win in Wellington

The French coaching staff has announced the lineup for the French XV set to face New Zealand on July 12 in Wellington. Head coach Fabien Galthié has made ten changes to the side that narrowly lost in Dunedin, with Gaëtan Barlot named captain.

A trip to the New Zealand capital is always a major challenge. The All Blacks are coming off a dominant 33–13 win over Australia last September and will be aiming to secure back-to-back victories in Wellington for the first time since 2016. Notably, France has never won in seven previous visits to the city—a streak they are determined to end.

Last Saturday, France came close to pulling off another upset against New Zealand, having won the previous three encounters. Although the loss ended their recent run against the All Blacks, it reaffirmed Les Bleus' ability to compete with southern hemisphere giants. In fact, France has won two of their last four matches against Tier 1 southern nations and has not suffered back-to-back defeats to them since 2018.

Offensively, France has found a spark in Théo Attissogbé, who has been electric in 2024. Averaging 1.67 line breaks per match, he ranks among the most dangerous attackers in Tier 1 rugby.

Saturday’s match is shaping up to be a tactical battle in the scoring zones. France currently holds the best efficiency rate in Tier 1 this year, averaging 3.2 points per entry into the opposition’s 22. However, New Zealand has been nearly as effective defensively, conceding just 2.08 points per entry, the second-best rate among top-tier teams. It’s a clash of strengths that could prove decisive.

Another area to watch will be the post-contact play, an All Blacks hallmark. New Zealand has averaged 10.7 offloads per match in 2024, but were restricted to just nine last weekend by a resolute French defense—further proof of Les Bleus' growing defensive stature.