France Player ratings vs New Zealand: Autumn Nation Series 

Check out our France player ratings vs New Zealand from their second Autumn Nation Series game at the Stade de France in Paris. 

France replicated their performance in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup in 2023, beating New Zealand 30-29 under the lights in the French capital. 

Les Bleus came into the encounter with the highest winning rate (22%) against New Zealand in the Northern Hemisphere, and after a troubled summer, it looks like Fabien Galthie’s men are back on track as they narrowly beat the All Blacks in a nail-biter.

Tries from Romain Buros, Paul Boudehent, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, accompanied by the boot of Thomas Ramos, saw France become the first team in New Zealand’s northern hemisphere tour to beat them. This win sees France claim their third consecutive win over the All Blacks, which is only the second time in the country’s history that they have won three on the spin.   

France: 30 

Tries: Romain Buros (32’), Paul Boudehent (43’), Louis Bielle-Biarrey (51’)  

Cons: Thomas Ramos (33’, 45’,52’) 

Pens: Thomas Ramos (7’, 57′, 73’)

New Zealand: 29

Tries: Peter Lakai (8’), Cam Roigard (26’), 

Cons: Beauden Barratt (9’, 27’)  

Pens: Beauden Barratt (37’, 55’), Damien Mckenzie (62’, 68’, 75) 

15: Romain Buros- 6 

It was a tranquil game for the Bordeaux player, who changed the game in the first half after powering his way over to score the first try of the evening for Les Bleus. He showed excellent handling skills and helped his side in attack on numerous occasions to get over the gain line. He was also of great value in defence. 

14: Gabin Villiere- 4

It’s pretty hard to rank Toulon’s Villiere, as he didn’t do much that caught the eye of the spectators, but he was outstanding in chasing upfield and worked hard in defence when needed.

13: Gaël Fickou- 6

It was an average performance. There were some excellent carries in the midfield, but other than that, he was one of the quieter players in the backline.

12: Yoram Moefana- 7

Like many, Moefana played his part in this historic win for France, often putting his side on the front foot. He looked really positive in defence, not allowing the visitors through at crucial moments.    

11: Louis Bielle-Biarrey- 8 

He claimed the Player of the Match award last timeout against the Brave Blossoms but had a quieter showing for a large part of the game. He was great in attack, showing great acceleration, especially in the build-up to his try, and was great in the red zone defensively as he stopped the momentum of the Kiwi’s.

10: Thomas Ramos- 9

There’s been much talk about Ramos being named in the XV, but continuing on from last week’s outstanding performance; Ramos’s boot was instrumental throughout. He was the main driver in adding scoreboard pressure by going 100% from the tee and was great in spotting gaps behind the visitors defence.

9: Antoine Dupont ©- 8

Despite moving to 10 late in the game, Dupont kept doing what the Gold Medalist does which is mainly showing maturity and great skill in leading France to this historic win. He was exceptional in controlling his side’s attack and kept the visitors on their toes around the breakdown area where he was looking for gaps through to the whitewash.

8: Gregory Alldritt- 6

Although he will be kicking himself after gifting Cam Roigard a try in the first half, Alldritt seemed underwhelming. He had a great showing in getting the hosts over the line when in attack and holding the All Blacks up in defence other than that was pretty average.

7: Alexandre Roumat- 5

Unlike his counterpart in the back row, Roumat was a lot quieter in his work, but overall, he plied his trade in and around the breakdown area, which helped the hosts massively. One area that let him down at times was his discipline.

6: Paul Boudehent- 8

After a brace against Japan, one of the standout players for the hosts in the encounter was yet again Boudehent. He gave great value in both attack and defence. He was great at the breakdown area and made a massive impact in scoring a decisive try that brought his side back into the encounter. 

5: Emmanuel Meafou- 7

The New Zealand-born showed excellent defensive skills after some early big hits on the visitors, setting the tempo for the tightly contested opening 40. He was utilised well in being one of the leading ball carriers for the hosts as he gave an excellent account of himself. 

4: Thibaud Flament- 7 

Like many of the starting XV, Flament was excellent. In defence, he was great, especially in the breakdown area, which sometimes halted the All Blacks’ attack. Overall, it was a solid showing for the Toulouse man.  

3: Tevita Tatafu- 3

We only had a little amount of time to rate Tatafu as there was an early injury scare for Tatafu. He went down injured after New Zealand’s Samipeni Finau’s head made contact with the tighthead’s knee within the opening minutes. In that time, he showed great strength and power when the hosts attacked. After trying to run it off, he was replaced nine minutes later by Georges-Henri Colombe. 

2: Peato Mauvaka- 6

Mauvaka was another standout player from last weekend, but didn’t hit the heights of last week. He was solid at the lineout, which was vital in getting France back into the game and carried well in helping France in attack and was excellent when he dropped into the back row.

1: Jean-Baptiste Gros- 7

The loosehead’s work went under the radar. He was a massive help in the host’s defence, as the visitors shared a lot of possession early on. His ability to change the tune at the scrum was impressive, as it didn’t always favour the hosts. It was a decent showing from the 25-year-old who went off on 48 minutes.