France take on New Zealand in the opening weekend of the Autumn Internationals, but what’s the history between the two teams? And who is likely to win?
France v New Zealand – head to head
These sides have met 57 times in the past with New Zealand leading the way with 44 wins. France have manged 12 wins, with the remaining match a draw. New Zealand are currently on a 10 match winning steak versus the French and our model suggests this will continue with the latest predictions giving New Zealand a 44-13 win in Paris.
Previous matches between the two
Their first ever match came in 1906, the Kiwis coming away as 38-8 victors – no mean feat with the then 3 point tries. Infrequent French wins punctuated New Zealand dominance with the French golden period coming in the 90s where the record for the decade stood at 4 wins and 4 losses including a famous World Cup win at home in Marseille. New Zealand have since extended their dominance over the French, losing just 3 games since 2000. So can France cause an upset?
Rankings at previous matches throughout history
Unlikely, we feel. Despite a couple of recent New Zealand losses to the British Lions and Australia, the All Blacks status as world beaters remains statistically sound. With just 3 losses in the past 2 years, they average 38.5 points per game for the concession of just 16.
France on the other hand have 7 wins from 18 in the previous 2 years with their last win over a SANZA nation in 2014 against Australia.
France have had a mixed 2016 and 2017
New Zealand – statistically sound
The French are unpredictable however, and are always good for an upset. We are confident of our predictions however, and stand by a strong New Zealand win.
