All Blacks player ratings: ‘Hit-and-miss’ Rieko Ioane as ‘outrageous’ Will Jordan shines in shaky win

15 Will Jordan: Shifted to the wing in the opening minute of the game following Sevu Reece’s injury and was lethal as ever with ball in hand. The outrageously talented outside back scored twice, including the first All Blacks‘ try of the year, and assisted another. He had some issues under the high ball, a team issue that too, but when it comes to making the most of opportunities, there probably isn’t anyone better in the game. 8

14 Sevu Reece: Forced off in the opening minute after he got his head on the wrong side of the tackle and failed his HIA. It would be grossly unfair to give him any sort of rating. N/A

13 Billy Proctor: A promising showing but he left much to be desired after pushing Rieko Ioane to the wing for the first game of the year. He was skinned after a poor defensive read on Theo Attissogbe and crucially spilt the ball with his ball placement in the second half. A few handling errors as he was excellently marked by Emillien Gailleton. Somewhat underwhelming after what he produced in Super Rugby. 5

12 Jordie Barrett: Pretty much what you’d expect from the brilliant centre who carried strongly to the line and mixed it up well with his wide-ranging skillset to launch attacks. Defensively sound too and finished the match with a try to his name. 6

11 Rieko Ioane: A hit-and-miss return to the wing for Ioane in many regards as he produced one of his more eye-catching performances with ball in hand, racking up 70 metres, beating one defender and making three clean breaks. However, he was found wanting with his defensive reads and work under the high ball. This shouldn’t be the end of the experiment just yet. 4

10 Beauden Barrett: Flawless from the tee and thankfully so because his team really needed it against a stubborn French outfit. Barrett ran a tight ship on attack and provided the final pass to a try on two occasions while producing some excellent cover tackles too. He combined well with Damian McKenzie in what was a compelling performance. 8

9 Cam Roigard: Troubled the French defence with his excellent supporting runs and snipes around the fringes while keeping the tempo of the attack well. His kicking game wasn’t quite up to standard but looks secure in his role in the starting XV. 7

The pack

8 Christian Lio-Willie: Did what was required of him on his Test debut as the number eight was strong on both sides of the ball, grabbed a turnover and stayed on the right side of the referee’s whistle. He has the minerals to be a fine Test forward and showed that today before making way for Du’Plessis Kirifi in the 50th minute. 5

7 Ardie Savea: He will be disappointed that he was beaten by Jaco van Tonder in the build-up to Cameron Woki’s try, but it was another warrior-like performance from the All Blacks back-rower. He made a match-high of 19 carries and completed 13 passes, showing just how pivotal he is with the ball in hand, but perhaps could have influenced the breakdown more. 7 6 Tupou Vaa’i: Not quite to the levels that he hit in 2024 but strong nonetheless, winning a turnover that led to a try and grabbing one of his own. He did concede a penalty too and was a bit off the pace at times defensively. 6 5 Fabian Holland: A mighty shift from the Netherlands-born debutant who made a team-high of 17 tackles and racked up 10 carries. He was solid at lineout time too and put in overall tidy performance in his first appearance in the black jersey. 7

4 Scott Barrett (c): His charge down swung the momentum back into the All Blacks’ favour in the first half which was a highlight in an otherwise quiet shift from the captain. 5

3 Fletcher Newell: Part of a dominant scrummaging effort. Did what was required of him around the park. Strong without being brilliant. 5

2 Codie Taylor: The lineout and scrums operated well when he was on the park, while he racked up handy 38 metres with ball in hand while grabbing a turnover too. 8

1 Ethan de Groot: Pretty much the same as Newell. Sound in the set-pieces, quiet elsewhere. 5

Replacements: Robertson needed his bench to up the tempo and take the game away from the French. While they managed to maintain the intensity of the starters, they were unable to really dominate. McKenzie impressed after his early introduction while Kirifi had bright moments. Pasilio Tosi was unlucky to get pinged for obstruction which would have pushed the game out of the French’s reach. 5