The All Blacks look to continue their 11 match winning streak as they face France for the fourth time this year in a completely redundant and unexciting proposition in Paris.
FRANCE vs NEW ZEALAND
Saturday, November 9, 20:00 GMT, Paris
While it was nice to see an old-school test series between the three in June, surely that should have sufficed for one year. All Blacks fans must get tired of seeing them play the same sides over and over again. At least last week’s match in Tokyo was a positive gesture to a Tier 2 nation.
Making matters worse is that fact that France have no chance of victory. Yes, the cliché says write off Les Bleus at your own peril, but this side is in tatters at the moment and are without their two best ball carriers, Louis Picamoles and Thomas Domingo. Most of the side are either nursing injury or out of form, and all have been through an immensely heavy workload both with club and country.
Wenceslas Lauret has been asked to step up in place of injured duo Fulgence Ouedraogo and Yannick Nyanga, while Damien Chouly fills the gap at no8. Gillian Galan might have been an inspired selection there, but he too is suffering from a bad shoulder. Yannick Forestier is recalled at loosehead, and former captain Pascal Pape returns to the second row.
Uncapped Stade Francais prop Rabah Slimani finds himself among an inexperienced reserves selection, with only Dimitri Szarzewski and Vincent Debaty having considerable test exposure. Gael Fickou is the most exciting of that lot, and one can’t help but feel that the match could have been brighter had he been chosen to start instead. Wesley Fofana and Florian Fritz, author of some hilariously bad play of late, are instead the preferred midfield combination.
Steve Hansen has a named a settled side with only some minor re-jigging of the backline differing from his triumphant Rugby Championship lineup. Ben Smith continues to fill his namesake’s centre role, while the wing spots go to Charles Piutau, deputising for ill-stricken Julian Savea, and the fit-again Hurricane Cory Jane. Ryan Crotty covers the midfield from the bench, and Aaron Cruden is picked in place of Beauden Barrett as Dan Carter backup.
It’s simply impossible to pick anything but another convincing All Blacks victory here. France will play above themselves at home and keep the score from getting too out of hand, but they are not the ones to sneak an upset this time. New Zealand slogs through a rudimentary effort to win by 14.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARU)
Assistants: Nigel Owens (WRU) & Stuart Berry (SARU)
TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU)
