2025 France rugby union tour of New Zealand
| 2025 France rugby union tour of New Zealand | |||||
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| Date | 5–19 July 2025 | ||||
| Coach(es) | Fabien Galthié | ||||
| Tour captain(s) | Gaël Fickou | ||||
| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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| New Zealand |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | South America 2024 | ||||
In July 2025, the France national rugby team are scheduled to tour New Zealand as part of the Summer International calendar. Known as the 2025 Lipovitan-D July Series in New Zealand for sponsorship reasons, the three-test tour was publicly known as early as July 2024, with French media reporting that the French squad could possibly be without its key, top-performing players as the tour would also conflict with the current domestic competition in France. The domestic competition final would take place just a week before the first tour match in Dunedin. It was also reported that the tour would allow for a new generation of French players to pick up more international caps and experience in preparation for the 2027 Rugby World Cup (RWC) in Australia.
Both national unions were in talks of moving one of the three test matches to be hosted in the United States, however the French Rugby Federation reportedly rejected the idea.[1][2] It will be France's eleventh tour of New Zealand and the eighteenth test-series between the two teams. It is also set to be Fabien Galthié's first tour of New Zealand as the head coach of France. The venue for the third test is Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on New Zealand's North Island. It is to be the first international test France have played at the venue.[3]
Fixtures
| Date | Venue | Home | Score | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 June 2025 | Twickenham Stadium, London | England XV | 24–26 | France XV | |
| 5 July 2025 | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin | New Zealand | 31–27 | France | |
| 12 July 2025 | Sky Stadium, Wellington | New Zealand | 43–17 | France | |
| 19 July 2025 | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | New Zealand | France | ||
Matches
England XV vs France XV
| 21 June 2025 15:15 BST (UTC+1) |
| England XV | 24–26 | France XV |
| Try: Willis 23' c Coles 27' m Carpenter 39' c Dombrandt 59' m Con: Ford (2/4) 23', 40' | Report | Try: Barlot 6' m Auradou 9' c Malez 74' c Taofifénua 80+1' c Con: Le Garrec (1/2) 10' Hastoy (2/2) 75', 80+2' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London[4] Attendance: 34,129 Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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New Zealand vs France (first test)
| 5 July 2025 19:05 NZST (UTC+12) |
| New Zealand | 31–27 | France |
| Try: Jordan (2) 20' c, 47' c Vaa'i 26' c J. Barrett 40' c Con: B. Barrett (4/4) 21', 27', 40', 48' Pen: B. Barrett (1/1) 74' | Report | Try: Guillard 17' c Villière 43' c Woki 50' c Con: Le Garrec (3/3) 18', 44', 50' Pen: Segonds (1/1) 7' Le Garrec (1/1) 33' |
| Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin[3] Attendance: 28,532 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Fabian Holland, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Christian Lio-Willie, Ollie Norris (all New Zealand), Giorgi Beria, Tyler Duguid, Paul Mallez, Régis Montagne, Joris Segonds, Tom Spring and Jacobus van Tonder (all France) made their international debuts.
New Zealand vs France (second test)
| 12 July 2025 19:05 NZST (UTC+12) |
| New Zealand | 43–17 | France |
| Try: Roigard 14' c Savea 23' c Taylor 29' m Vaa'i 36' c Jordan 54' c Ioane 62' c Con: B. Barrett (4/5) 15', 37', 55', 63' J. Barrett (1/1) 24' Pen: B. Barrett (1/1) 8' | Report | Try: Barré 47' c Brennan 77' c Con: Le Garrec (1/1) 48' Hastoy (1/1) 78' Pen: Le Garrec (1/1) 20' |
| Sky Stadium, Wellington[3] Attendance: 33,827 Referee: Christophe Ridley (England) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Timoci Tavatavanawai (New Zealand), Pierre Bochaton, Joshua Brennan, Thibault Daubagna, Baptiste Erdocio, Matthias Halagahu and Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer (all France) made their international debuts.
- New Zealand reclaimed the Dave Gallaher Trophy.
New Zealand vs France (third test)
| 19 July 2025 19:05 NZST (UTC+12) |
| New Zealand | v | France |
| Waikato Stadium, Hamilton[3] Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) |
Squads
Note: Ages, caps and clubs are as per 5 July, the first test match of the tour.
France
On 24 June 2025, Fabien Galthié named France's 37-man squad for the .[5]
On 30 June 2025, Galthié added five Top 14 finalists who joined the France group for the New Zealand tour.[6]
Coaching team:
- Head coach: Fabien Galthié
- Backs coach: Patrick Arlettaz
- Forwards coach: William Servat
- Defence coach: Shaun Edwards
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaëtan Barlot | Hooker | 13 April 1997 (aged 28) | 9 | Castres |
| Pierre Bourgarit | Hooker | 12 September 1997 (aged 27) | 14 | La Rochelle |
| Guillaume Marchand | Hooker | 5 June 1998 (aged 27) | 0 | Lyon |
| Demba Bamba | Prop | 17 March 1998 (aged 27) | 28 | Racing 92 |
| Giorgi Beria | Prop | 11 November 1999 (aged 25) | 0 | Perpignan |
| Georges-Henri Colombe | Prop | 9 April 1998 (aged 27) | 9 | La Rochelle |
| Baptiste Erdocio | Prop | 13 March 2000 (aged 25) | 0 | Montpellier |
| Paul Mallez | Prop | 24 January 2001 (aged 24) | 0 | Provence |
| Régis Montagne | Prop | 30 September 2000 (aged 24) | 0 | Clermont |
| Rabah Slimani | Prop | 18 October 1989 (aged 35) | 57 | Leinster |
| Hugo Auradou | Lock | 20 July 2003 (aged 21) | 5 | Pau |
| Joshua Brennan | Lock | 28 November 2001 (aged 23) | 0 | Toulouse |
| Tyler Duguid | Lock | 17 October 2000 (aged 24) | 0 | Montpellier |
| Mickaël Guillard | Lock | 10 December 2000 (aged 24) | 10 | Lyon |
| Matthias Halagahu | Lock | 15 August 2001 (aged 23) | 0 | Toulon |
| Romain Taofifénua | Lock | 14 September 1990 (aged 34) | 54 | Lyon |
| Cameron Woki | Lock | 7 November 1998 (aged 26) | 30 | Racing 92 |
| Esteban Abadie | Back row | 1 February 1997 (aged 28) | 1 | Toulon |
| Pierre Bochaton | Back row | 17 April 2001 (aged 24) | 0 | Bordeaux Bègles |
| Alexandre Fischer | Back row | 19 January 1998 (aged 27) | 1 | Clermont |
| Killian Tixeront | Back row | 22 January 2002 (aged 23) | 1 | Clermont |
| Jacobus van Tonder | Back row | 3 March 1998 (aged 27) | 0 | Perpignan |
| Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer | Back row | 13 June 1997 (aged 28) | 0 | Bordeaux Bègles |
| Théo William | Back row | 4 July 2000 (aged 25) | 0 | Lyon |
| Thibault Daubagna | Scrum-half | 20 May 1994 (aged 31) | 0 | Pau |
| Baptiste Jauneau | Scrum-half | 17 November 2003 (aged 21) | 1 | Clermont |
| Nolann Le Garrec | Scrum-half | 14 May 2002 (aged 23) | 10 | Racing 92 |
| Léo Berdeu | Fly-half | 13 June 1998 (aged 27) | 0 | Lyon |
| Antoine Hastoy | Fly-half | 4 June 1997 (aged 28) | 7 | La Rochelle |
| Joris Segonds | Fly-half | 6 April 1997 (aged 28) | 0 | Bayonne |
| Pierre-Louis Barassi | Centre | 22 April 1998 (aged 27) | 7 | Toulouse |
| Léon Darricarrère | Centre | 4 June 2004 (aged 21) | 0 | Clermont |
| Nicolas Depoortère | Centre | 13 January 2003 (aged 22) | 2 | Bordeaux Bègles |
| Alivereti Duguivalu | Centre | 21 July 1997 (aged 27) | 0 | Perpignan |
| Gaël Fickou (c) | Centre | 26 March 1994 (aged 31) | 94 | Racing 92 |
| Émilien Gailleton | Centre | 13 July 2003 (aged 21) | 7 | Pau |
| Théo Millet | Centre | 8 July 1997 (aged 27) | 0 | Lyon |
| Théo Attissogbé | Wing | 19 November 2004 (aged 20) | 5 | Pau |
| Gabin Villière | Wing | 13 December 1995 (aged 29) | 18 | Toulon |
| Léo Barré | Fullback | 20 August 2002 (aged 22) | 7 | Stade Français |
| Tom Spring | Fullback | 26 September 2002 (aged 22) | 0 | Bayonne |
| Cheikh Tiberghien | Fullback | 8 January 2000 (aged 25) | 0 | Bayonne |
New Zealand
On 23 June 2025, New Zealand named a 33-player squad for the series against France.[7]
Christian Lio Willie and Emoni Narawa were added to the squad as injury cover for Luke Jacobson and Anton Lienert-Brown, respectively.[8] On 8 July, it was confirmed Scott Barrett had been ruled out with a calf tear injury sustained during the first Test in Dunedin. Ardie Savea took over the captaincy ahead of the second Test.[9]
All squad members play rugby in New Zealand.
Coaching team:
- Head coach: Scott Robertson
- Attack coach: Leon MacDonald
- Forwards coach: Jason Ryan
- Defence coach: Scott Hansen
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Franchise/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brodie McAlister | Hooker | 17 June 1997 (aged 28) | 0 | Chiefs / Canterbury |
| Codie Taylor | Hooker | 31 March 1991 (aged 34) | 96 | Crusaders / Canterbury |
| Samisoni Taukei'aho | Hooker | 8 August 1997 (aged 27) | 30 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Ethan de Groot | Prop | 22 July 1998 (aged 26) | 29 | Highlanders / Southland |
| Tyrel Lomax | Prop | 16 March 1996 (aged 29) | 44 | Hurricanes / Tasman |
| Fletcher Newell | Prop | 1 February 2000 (aged 25) | 22 | Crusaders / Canterbury |
| Ollie Norris | Prop | 11 December 1999 (aged 25) | 0 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Pasilio Tosi | Prop | 18 July 1998 (aged 26) | 7 | Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty |
| Tamaiti Williams | Prop | 10 August 2000 (aged 24) | 18 | Crusaders / Canterbury |
| Scott Barrett (c)[a] | Lock | 20 November 1993 (aged 31) | 80 | Crusaders / Taranaki |
| Fabian Holland | Lock | 9 October 2002 (aged 22) | 0 | Highlanders / Otago |
| Patrick Tuipulotu | Lock | 23 January 1993 (aged 32) | 51 | Blues / Auckland |
| Tupou Vaa'i | Lock | 27 January 2000 (aged 25) | 38 | Chiefs / Taranaki |
| Samipeni Finau | Loose forward | 10 May 1999 (aged 26) | 8 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Luke Jacobson | Loose forward | 20 April 1997 (aged 28) | 24 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Du'Plessis Kirifi | Loose forward | 3 March 1997 (aged 28) | 0 | Hurricanes / Wellington |
| Christian Lio-Willie | Loose forward | 26 August 1998 (aged 26) | 0 | Crusaders / Otago |
| Ardie Savea (c)[b] | Loose forward | 14 October 1993 (aged 31) | 94 | Moana Pasifika / Wellington |
| Wallace Sititi | Loose forward | 7 September 2002 (aged 22) | 10 | Chiefs / North Harbour |
| Noah Hotham | Half-back | 23 May 2003 (aged 22) | 1 | Crusaders / Tasman |
| Cortez Ratima | Half-back | 22 March 2001 (aged 24) | 11 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Cam Roigard | Half-back | 16 November 2000 (aged 24) | 10 | Hurricanes / Counties Manukau |
| Beauden Barrett | First five-eighth | 27 May 1991 (aged 34) | 134 | Blues / Taranaki |
| Damian McKenzie | First five-eighth | 20 April 1995 (aged 30) | 62 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Jordie Barrett | Centre | 17 February 1997 (aged 28) | 68 | Hurricanes / Taranaki |
| Rieko Ioane | Centre | 18 March 1997 (aged 28) | 81 | Blues / Auckland |
| Anton Lienert-Brown | Centre | 15 April 1995 (aged 30) | 84 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Billy Proctor | Centre | 14 May 1999 (aged 26) | 2 | Hurricanes / Wellington |
| Timoci Tavatavanawai | Centre | 14 February 1997 (aged 28) | 0 | Highlanders / Tasman |
| Quinn Tupaea | Centre | 10 May 1999 (aged 26) | 14 | Chiefs / Waikato |
| Caleb Clarke | Wing | 29 March 1999 (aged 26) | 29 | Blues / Auckland |
| Emoni Narawa | Wing | 13 July 1999 (aged 25) | 2 | Chiefs / Bay of Plenty |
| Sevu Reece | Wing | 13 February 1997 (aged 28) | 32 | Crusaders / Southland |
| Will Jordan | Fullback | 24 February 1998 (aged 27) | 41 | Crusaders / Tasman |
| Ruben Love | Fullback | 28 April 2001 (aged 24) | 1 | Hurricanes / Wellington |
Criticism
French squad availability
In June 2024, with news of France's next tour being publicly known, French coach Fabien Galthié told L'Équipe that he had identified a group of 20 "premium" players that he wished to rest for their tour of New Zealand.[10] In October 2024, the French Rugby Federation (Fédération Française de Rugby; FFR), the governing body of rugby union in France, and the National Rugby League (Ligue nationale de rugby; LNR), the organisation that manages the Top 14, announced the signing of an agreement on the release of French Top 14 players for international duty from 2025 until mid-2026.[11][12] In the agreement the provisions outlined stated that a foundational group of 42 players will be assembled in two phases for France's 2025 tour.[11][12] Initially, 28 eligible players will be selected following the 2024–25 Top 14 play-off qualifiers (mid-June) to begin preparations for a France Development match, which will take place over the weekend of the 2024–25 Top 14 semi-finals.[11][12] This cohort will subsequently be augmented by players from the clubs eliminated in the semi-finals, bringing the total to 42. Players from the 2024–25 Top 14 finalists, however, will be excluded from selection for these international periods.[11][12] Thus, the top-performing French players would not be available for the French team touring New Zealand.[13][14][15]
The announcement of the agreement and the subsequent affect it would have on the tour received a lot of attention and criticism in New Zealand and on social media. The Times journalist Will Kelleher wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter): "Interesting this, that France are taking a second team to NZ. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) officials are livid about it, as it devalues a mega series, and their ability to market it..."[16] That same week New Zealand Rugby (NZR) announced they were surprised by the decision[17] and asked the governing body of rugby union internationally, World Rugby, to clarify the French availability policy, citing World Rugby regulations.[15] Former New Zealand international and Sky Sport pundit, Justin Marshall, stated: "We don't send our B team to play you at the end of the year because our players are tired. We send over our team to knock you over in your own backyard. Now, try and actually see it from our perspective that we want to have that environment." He added: "We want to have that feeling for our fans, for our people to see France with their number one team coming over here and taking us on... We treat you with respect. And I feel that if the French were to use the excuse of a long season and their players are tired, well, you know, that's just piss poor because we're exactly the same when we have to go in November, but we front."[18]
In March 2025, French players Grégory Alldritt and Romain Ntamack expressed their desire to play for France on the tour despite the restrictive selection policy.[19] Ntamack stated: "I don't really know yet what can be done or not, whether the finalists will be allowed to go to New Zealand. Maybe an exception will be made depending on the tour, because it's a pretty exceptional tour to go and play in New Zealand... Final or not, if we have to go, it will be with pleasure."[20]
In June 2025, Jean-Marc Lhermet, Vice-President of the French Rugby Federation announced a new agreement that was made with the National Rugby League that relaxed some of the previous restrictions that were put on French players within the Top 14.[21] In the new outlined conditions, French-eligible players that play for a Top 14 finalist team during the 2024–25 season would now be available for selection. However, only players that had played less than 2,000 minutes of match-time (citing World Rugby player safety guidelines) would be eligible for selection, with a maximum selection cap of five players.[22]
In June, the five players that were selected for France from the two Top 14 finalists were Joshua Brennan, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Nicolas Depoortère, Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, and Pierre Bochaton.
See also
- 2025 mid-year rugby union tests
- 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia
- 2025 England rugby union tour of Argentina and the United States
- 2025 Italy rugby union tour of Namibia and South Africa
- 2025 Wales rugby union tour of Japan
Notes
References
- ^ McMillan, Cameron (27 November 2024). "All Blacks v France: New Zealand Rugby in talks to move home test to USA in 2025". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 February 2025.
- ^ Cully, Paul (5 December 2024). "French reject NZ Rugby's bid to move an All Blacks test to the USA next year". Stuff. Stuff Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Black Ferns and All Blacks 2025 Home Test Schedules Confirmed". allblacks.com. New Zealand Rugby. 10 December 2024.
- ^ "England XV to face France XV at Allianz Stadium". 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "XV de France : Le groupe pour la Nouvelle Zélande" (in French). France Rugby. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "XV de France : Le groupe au complet !" (in French). France Rugby. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ "All Blacks squad named to face France". allblacks.com. June 23, 2025.
- ^ McKendry, Patrick (23 June 2025). "Unpacking All Blacks' first 2025 squad: 'Just state the situation'". 1News. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "All Blacks captain Scott Barrett ruled out of rest of France series with calf tear". RNZ. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Smith, Ben (11 June 2024). "Report: France planning to stiff 2025 tour to play All Blacks". Rugbypass. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "La FFR et la LNR d'accord pour des groupes de 42 joueurs, réduits en milieu de semaine en novembre et pendant le Tournoi" [The FFR and the NRL agree to reduced midweek squads of 42 players in November and during the Tournament]. L'Équipe (in French). Éditions Philippe Amaury. 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Rugby. Accord entre la FFR et la LNR pour le retour d'un groupe à 42 lors du Tournoi des 6 Nations" [Rugby. Agreement between the FFR and the NRL for the return of a 42-man squad for the 6 Nations Tournament]. Ouest-France (in French). 1 October 2024. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025.
- ^ Smith, Ben (11 June 2024). "XV de France : une tournée contre les All Blacks en 2025 sans les premiums" [XV of France: a tour against the All Blacks in 2025 without premiums]. RugbyPass (in French).
- ^ Raulin, Maxime; Paturaud, Jean-François (6 June 2024). "Joueurs " Premium ", cogestion avec les clubs : le grand projet de Fabien Galthié pour l'élite du rugby français" [Premium players, co-management with clubs: Fabien Galthié's grand plan for the French rugby elite]. L'Équipe (in French). Éditions Philippe Amaury. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024.
- ^ a b Henson, Mike (3 October 2024). "New Zealand query France plans to rest stars for tour". BBC Sport. BBC. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Rugby : la Nouvelle-Zélande «furieuse» que la France ne vienne pas en tournée avec ses meilleurs joueurs en 2025" [Rugby: New Zealand 'furious' that France will not be touring with its best players in 2025]. Le Figaro (in French). Groupe Figaro. 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024.
- ^ "New Zealand surprised by France player exclusion for All Blacks tests". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. 3 October 2024.
- ^ Skippers, David (30 December 2024). "'Try and see it from our perspective' – All Blacks great's blunt view on France's tour controversy". Planetrugby.
- ^ "XV de France. Grégory Alldritt et Romain Ntamack veulent jouer la tournée en Nouvelle-Zélande" [French national team. Grégory Alldritt and Romain Ntamack want to play the tour in New Zealand]. Ouest-France (in French). 16 March 2024. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025.
- ^ Farvacque, Simon (18 March 2025). "Romain Ntamack "rêve" de cette tournée d'été : un XV de France pas si "B" en Nouvelle-Zélande ?" [Romain Ntamack's summer tour 'dream': a France XV not so 'B' in New Zealand?]. Eurosport (in French). Warner Bros. Discovery.
- ^ "XV de France. Cinq finalistes du Top 14 pourront être appelés pour la tournée en Nouvelle-Zélande" [French national team. Five Top 14 finalists could be called up for the tour of New Zealand]. Ouest-France (in French). 3 June 2025. Archived from the original on 4 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ Thevenet, Pierre; Templier, Wilfried (3 June 2025). "XV de France: des joueurs finalistes du Top 14 autorisés à participer à la tournée en Nouvelle-Zélande" [French national team: Top 14 finalists allowed to take part in tour of New Zealand]. RMC Sport (in French). RMC BFM. Archived from the original on 3 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.