​The opening edition of the Nations Championship gets under way in style with a clash between New Zealand and France in Christchurch. It marks the first All Blacks fixture at Te Kaha, the One NZ Stadium that has replaced Lancaster Park after the 2011 earthquakes damaged the city venue. The new ground could deliver a blockbuster start as the hosts begin life under Dave Rennie, who took over from Scott Robertson at the start of the year. While the visitors aren’t at full strength, Fabien Galthie’s France side has been buoyed by Bordeaux-Begles’ failure to reach the Top 14 playoffs, and the Six Nations champions still boast plenty of threat throughout their ranks. Here is everything you need to know.
When is New Zealand vs France? The match is scheduled to kick off at 8.10am BST on Saturday 4 July at the One NZ Stadium in Christchurch. How can I watch it? In the United Kingdom, the game will be shown live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 7.30am BST. A live stream will be available via ITVX, and ITV will broadcast every Nations Championship game across July and November.
Team news: New head coach Dave Rennie’s first All Blacks team features several fresh touches on a familiar spine. Ardie Savea captains the team, with Josh Lord and Sam Darry stepping up in the second row due to Scott Barrett’s injury. Ruben Love earns the number 10 shirt after guiding the Hurricanes to the Super Rugby Pacific title; two Wellington-based players in athletic prop Xavier Numia and exciting debutant Fehi Fineanganofo are named among the bench. New Zealand XV: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Fletcher Newell; 4 Josh Lord, 5 Sam Darry; 6 Peter Lakai, 7 Luke Jacobson, 8 Ardie Savea (captain); 9 Cam Roigard, 10 Ruben Love; 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Jordie Barrett, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 14 Will Jordan, 15 Damian McKenzie. Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Wallace Sititi; 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Billy Proctor, 23 Fehi Fineanganofo.
Fresh from guiding Bordeaux-Begles to back-to-back Champions Cup titles, Maxime Lucu will captain France from scrum-half in Antoine Dupont’s absence. He is paired with Matthieu Jalibert in the halves, with eight European champions in the starting lineup under Fabien Galthie. A new second row features Tom Staniforth, born in Canberra and now plying his trade with Castres. Replacement hooker Barnabe Massa is in line for a debut, while Mickael Guillard adds considerable back-five impact off the bench. France XV: 1 Jefferson Poirot, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 3 Demba Bamba; 4 Hugo Auradou, 5 Tom Staniforth; 6 Pierre Bochaton, 7 Oscar Jegou, 8 Marko Gazzotti; 9 Maxime Lucu (captain), 10 Matthieu Jalibert; 11 Theo Attissogbe, 12 Yoram Moefana, 13 Fabien Brau-Boirie, 14 Damian Penaud, 15 Max Spring. Replacements: 16 Barnabe Massa, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Regis Montagne, 19 Mickael Guillard, 20 Killian Tixer.