New Zealand narrowly defeated France 34-32 in Christchurch on Saturday to open rugby's inaugural Nations Championship.
The victory extended the All Blacks' home winning streak against France to 17 years.
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The match saw a fluctuating scoreboard as scrumhalf Cam Roigard and winger Will Jordan each scored two tries for New Zealand.
France responded with four tries of their own, keeping the outcome uncertain until the final minutes.
French captain Maxime Lucu expressed pride in his team's performance despite the narrow defeat.
"We played the best team in the world and the difference was only little details," Lucu said.
He noted that the close scoreline reflected a hard-fought effort from the squad.
New Zealand captain Ardie Savea acknowledged the intense pressure applied by the French defense. "It was tough.
The French were quality tonight," Savea said. He highlighted areas for improvement while recognizing the team's offensive capabilities.
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"When we had the ball in our hands we were dangerous but there's a lot to work on in our defense."
France took an early lead in the second minute with a try from Damien Penaud after a high tackle by New Zealand flyhalf Ruben Love resulted in a yellow card.
The All Blacks responded in the eighth minute when Jordan scored in the corner, initiated by a quick penalty tap from Savea.
The lead shifted multiple times before halftime. Peter Lakai scored for New Zealand from a counter-attack, which Lucu answered with a penalty.
Roigard then capitalized on a defensive opening to put New Zealand ahead just before the break.
In the second half, France struck first through Antoine Hastoy, but Roigard quickly answered with his second try.
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Jordan extended the cushion to nine points in the 70th minute, providing enough leverage to withstand a late French try by Matthieu Jalibert two minutes before the final whistle.
