France matches Springboks for quality & depth in numbers

France matches the Springboks for quality & depth in numbers. These two nations lead the way in being able to pick two teams capable of being Top 5 teams in the world rankings.

France & Springboks

The Springboks play England and France is in Christchurch to play the All Blacks in the opening Saturday of the inaugural Nations Championship.

Both have picked very different teams to the ones that finished last year’s Test season.

The Springboks beat Wales 73-0 in their last match of 2025 and just a third of the match day squad plays England. France beat England 48-46 to win the 2025/26 Six Nations, and just three of the starting XV get to start against the All Blacks.

No other teams can make such changes and still have an expectation to win.

France, for those not necessarily in the know, have not abandoned the blueprint that won them the Six Nations. But coach Fabian Glathie has been forced to redraw it.

The team that beat England 48-46 in Paris to clinch the Six Nations was powered by Toulouse: 11 players in the match 23, including eight starters. But not one Toulouse player, and not one Montpellier player is in the France match 23 to face the All Blacks because the Top 14 finalists were unavailable for the opening Test.

That has shifted the French spine from Toulouse to Bordeaux-Bègles. Against New Zealand, Bordeaux provide eight starters and nine of the match 23, including scrumhalf Maxime Lucu as captain, Matthieu Jalibert at flyhalf, Yoram Moefana in midfield and Damian Penaud on the wing.

Bordeaux are the Investec Champions Cup winners and Toulouse are the Top 14 champions.

France continuity: England to New Zealand

France v England: club breakdown in starting XV & match 23

Starting XV

Match 23

France v New Zealand: club breakdown in starting XV & match 23

Starting XV

Match 23

Toulouse to Bordeaux shift

Bordeaux players in the France 23 v New Zealand

Bordeaux and the winning 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup final

Bordeaux beat Leinster 41-19 in the Investec Champions Cup final, with Lucu, Jalibert, Moefana and Penaud among the key backline starters in the official EPCR line-up.

This is a different French team with a different club heartbeat.

The Six Nations champions were Toulouse-heavy and the All Blacks Test side is Bordeaux-heavy. The reason is not selection whim, but calendar reality.

The All Blacks, under new coach Dave Rennie, have picked 13 players from the 23 (under Scott Robertson) beaten 33-19 at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham last November.

Who do I have to win?

France, aka Bordeaux.

ALL BLACKS vs FRANCE (Saturday, 9:10am SA time)

ALL BLACKS – 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Peter Lakai, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot. Substitutes: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Billy Proctor, 23 Fehi Fineanganofo.

FRANCE – 15 Max Spring, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Fabien Brau-Boirie, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Theo Attissogbe, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Pierre Bochaton, 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 Marko Gazzotti, 5 Hugo Auradou, 4 Tom Staniforth, 3 Jefferson Poirot, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Demba Bamba. Substitutes: 16 Barnabe Massa, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Regis Montagne, 19 Mickael Guillard, 20 Killian Tixeront, 21 Nolann Le Garrec, 22 Antoine Hastoy, 23 Nicolas Depoortere.