The match-up is enough to thrill any rugby fan. On Saturday, July 5, the All Blacks are hosting the French men’s rugby team in Dunedin, New Zealand, for the first of three highly anticipated test matches (at 9:05 am Paris time). The New Zealanders, who have suffered three consecutive defeats to France – including the opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France (27-13) – have every reason to seek revenge.
Yet, as the teams prepare to meet again, a mix of disappointment and resignation has prevailed among fans of the silver fern squad. As it does every summer, the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR, the French Rugby Federation) has chosen to rest its so-called “premium” players – its star athletes – after a grueling season, fielding a largely overhauled squad for the summer tour.
Facing a line-up widely described as a “B team” or even as “experimental,” the All Blacks know that any potential victory will be seen as less impressive given the absence of key French players like Antoine Dupont, Damian Penaud, Thomas Ramos and Grégory Alldritt. And in New Zealand, frustration has grown over this devalued fixture – a situation fully acknowledged by the French staff. “For the past five or six years, France has operated this way,” explained Abdelatif Benazzi, vice president of the FFR in charge of international affairs. “We field the players in the best form, period. This is by no means a lack of respect toward our opponents.”
Structural crisis
The French decision is linked to an overloaded schedule for Top 14 international players. Yet it has caused tension because these matches hold significance in New Zealand, where each test match is considered a national event that is vital for the financial stability of local rugby; in other words, this decision concerns far more than sports alone. Although New Zealand remains a global benchmark in rugby development and performance, it has faced a structural crisis. Despite record revenues, New Zealand Rugby (NZR), the national federation, posted a net loss of €10 million in 2024.
These results “again [demonstrate] that the high fixed-cost structure we live within is not sustainable,” acknowledged Mark Robinson, director general of NZR, speaking to public broadcaster RNZ. In this context, the All Blacks’ international tours and their global image are essential financial levers. The arrival of the prestigious French team had been expected to boost ticket sales, television rights, merchandising and commercial partnerships, but that has become challenging with the absence of France’s star players.
New Zealand’s press has made its outrage clear. “NZR officials are livid about it, as it devalues a mega series, and their ability to market it,” journalist Will Kelleher said on X. NZR has been forced to scale back its ambitions: Say farewell to Auckland’s iconic Eden Park and its 50,000 seats. The matches against France’s “B team” will take place at smaller venues, such as Dunedin’s 30,000-seat stadium, on Saturday. New Zealand officials had even considered moving one of the games to the United States – a rapidly growing market where the All Blacks have been conducting increased commercial operations – but the FFR opposed the idea, “for the players’ health,” confirmed Benazzi.
“Unfortunately, we can’t do any better,” French head coach Fabien Galthié said at a press conference Thursday, adding that he “understood” the New Zealand criticism – especially as France is the “only nation” to rest its key players during the summer tour, he pointed out. This decision is the result of negotiations with France’s National Rugby League over the release of internationals; meanwhile, the international federation, World Rugby, is remaining on the sidelines. The organization considers that these matches, which fall outside its direct area of authority, do not require its intervention.
‘Protecting the players’
Beyond the tensions it has provoked, this controversy has highlighted the divide between the two rugby models. In the southern hemisphere, national federations maintain control over the entire system − from clubs to national teams − with a clear priority: fielding the best players for the national team at every major event. This strategy often comes at the expense of clubs, in stark contrast to the power of the Top 14, which is widely regarded as the world’s strongest league.
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In Europe, where seasons stretch for nearly 10 months, domestic competitions take precedence, and players benefit from collective agreements that strictly regulate their time on the field. “We don’t have an all-powerful federation. We have an autonomous professional league and a federation responsible for internationals,” said Benazzi. “Our first responsibility is to protect the players” – by ensuring that they do not play more than 25 matches per season (or 2,000 minutes of game time), a limit set for those traveling to New Zealand.
One year after their tour was overshadowed by off-field controversies in South America – including racist remarks from Melvyn Jaminet and rape allegations against Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou – France will face, on Saturday, one of the greatest challenges in world rugby: taking on the All Blacks on their home turf. The hope is that this symbolic showdown will not turn into a missed opportunity.
