France New Zealand
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Sunday 23th October 2011 FRANCE KO: 21:00 NEW ZEALAND Eden Park, Auckland Key Facts & Figures Head-to-head France • This is the 51st Test match between New Zealand and France. • Third in the IRB World Rankings having gained two places after New Zealand have won 37, France 12 and there has been one their semi-final win against Wales. France were the last northern draw. hemisphere team to be ranked in the top three, in June 2010. • New Zealand have won 20 of the 24 Tests played in New Zealand. • Playing in a record-equalling third RWC final. England and Australia • France are one of only two teams (South Africa is the other) to have played in three finals and New Zealand are also appearing in have beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand in the past eight years. their third at RWC 2011. • It is their sixth Rugby World Cup meeting, which sets a record for • The first team to reach the RWC final after two defeats in the pool RWC match-ups. phase. • This will be the third time that two teams have met twice at one • Reached the RWC semi-finals for the fifth consecutive time, equalling RWC. At RWC 2007, South Africa beat England 36-0 in the pool the record set by New Zealand from 1987 to 2003, which was ended phase and again 15-6 in the final while Argentina beat France by France in 2007. 17-12 in the pool phase and 34-10 in the bronze final. • Have lost two RWC finals, the same as England, who are the only other • New Zealand and France have alternated wins in their RWC team to have lost more than one. encounters, with the All Blacks winning the 1987 final, Les Bleus • Have waited 12 years since their last RWC final appearance. They also winning their 1999 semi-final, New Zealand winning the 2003 waited 12 years between their first two (1987, 1999). bronze final, France winning the 2007 quarter-final and the All • The only team among the 20 at RWC 2011 who can improve on their Blacks winning the 2011 pool-phase match. previous best RWC finish. Several teams have equalled their best finish • France came from behind at half-time in both the matches they and New Zealand and Wales can join them. won. They have never led New Zealand at half-time in a RWC • Scored 121 penalty goals at all RWCs, equal highest with England. match. • New Zealand have won the past three Tests between the two. New Zealand Their best winning streak against France is eight, recorded in the 1960s. France’s best winning streak against New Zealand is three • Ranked No.1 in the world, a position they have held for more time matches, in 1994 and 1995, which included consecutive victories than all other nations combined. in New Zealand and the All Blacks’ last loss at Eden Park. • Have scored 2004 RWC points, 602 more than second-placed Australia. • Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu and Richie McCaw will each • Have scored 271 RWC tries, 92 more than second-placed Australia. play their 11th Test against France. Sean Fitzpatrick and John • Have won 36 RWC matches, four more than second-placed Australia. Kirwan (12) are the only All Blacks with more Tests against Les • Have scored more tries than their opposition in 36 of their 42 RWC Bleus. Ali Williams will also play his 11th Test against France if he matches, eight more than next-best Australia. The All Blacks have won comes on as a replacement. all 36 of those matches and have lost the remaining six matches where • Mealamu and McCaw can both win their 10th Test against they scored as many or fewer tries than their opposition. France, which would equal Gary Whetton’s New Zealand record. • Playing in a record-equalling third RWC final. England and Australia England’s Jason Leonard is the only player from any nation to have played three finals and France are also appearing in their third at have won more Tests (12) against France. RWC 2011. • Thirteen of France’s starting line-up played in the RWC 2011 • The only team to finish first in their pool at every RWC. pool match against New Zealand, with 11 of the 13 starting • One of four teams (along with England, France and Australia) to have that match. The two players who did not play on 24 September progressed to the quarter-finals at every RWC. are tighthead prop Nicolas Mas and left wing Alexis Palisson, • The All Blacks and France share the honour of having progressed to who both missed the match because of injury. Four of France’s the most semi-finals (5). replacements for this match played in the 2011 pool match, • The All Blacks and France are the only teams to have lost multiple RWC with Dimitri Szarzewski and Damien Traille starting and Fabien semi-finals. Barcella and François Trinh-Duc coming on as replacements. • Have lost two knockout matches after leading at half-time, both • Five of the starting XV also played in France’s RWC 2007 against France. Australia are the only other team to have done it more quarter-final defeat of the All Blacks at Cardiff. Vincent Clerc, than once (both losses were against England). Julien Bonnaire and Thierry Dusautoir all started in the 20-18 • New Zealand have scored at least one try in their past 95 Tests and in victory while Imanol Harinordoquy and Jean-Baptiste Poux 101 of the 102 Tests coached by Graham Henry. came on as replacements. Replacements Dimitri Szarzewski and • Graham Henry coaches a team in a Rugby World Cup match for the Damien Traille also played in 2007, Traille starting the match at 16th time, extending his record. Henry coached Wales in their four full back and Szarzewski coming off the bench. matches at RWC 1999 and the All Blacks in their five matches at RWC • There are three France players in the match-day 22 for this 2007 and their seven at RWC 2011. Sunday’s final who played in the RWC 2003 third-place play-off • Graham Henry is the only person to coach a top-tier nation in 100 against the All Blacks. Jean-Baptiste Poux, Dimitri Yachvili and Tests in the professional era. His 85 per cent winning record coaching Damien Traille all started that match, which France lost 40-13. New Zealand is the best for any coach of a major nation in the • Thirteen of New Zealand’s starting XV and 19 of their match-day professional era. His predecessor John Mitchell’s record of 82.1 per 22 played in the All Blacks’ last match against Les Bleus, their cent is the only other above 80 per cent. Henry also coached Wales in 37-17 RWC 2011 pool-phase victory. The only changes are Kieran 34 Tests and the British and Irish Lions in three. Read at number 8 instead of Adam Thomson, Aaron Cruden at • New Zealand have lost to only South Africa, Australia and France fly half in place of the injured Dan Carter and Stephen Donald on during Henry’s reign and have a winning record against all three. the bench rather than Colin Slade. • New Zealand have won their past 16 Test matches at home, a winning • Four of the All Blacks’ 22 played in the RWC 2007 quarter-final streak that goes back more than two years, to when South Africa beat loss to the French. Tony Woodcock, Richie McCaw and them 32-29 in Hamilton on 12 September 2009. Their only better replacement Ali Williams all started that match while streak is the world record 30 consecutive home Test victories from replacement hooker Andrew Hore came off the bench. 2003 to 2008. • There are also four New Zealand survivors from the RWC 2003 • Under Graham Henry, New Zealand have lost only three home Test encounter between the two teams, the third-place play-off that matches, against South Africa (twice) and France. New Zealand won 40-13. Mealamu, Williams and McCaw started that match while Brad Thorn came on as a replacement. © International Rugby Board 2011. Data extracted from Rugby Information Management System (21/10/2011 15:35). Page 1 Sunday 23th October 2011 FRANCE KO: 21:00 NEW ZEALAND Eden Park, Auckland Key Facts & Figures The venue The line-ups (cont’d) • Eden Park hosted five matches during RWC 1987, with New • Clerc is the only player in the RWC 2011 final to have played each of Zealand and France winning two matches each and Romania one. his team’s six RWC 2011 matches from start to finish. Australian Adam • The final is the 11th match Eden Park is hosting at RWC 2011. It Ashley-Cooper, is the only player to have played the full 80 minutes in has hosted two Pool A matches, one match in each of the other all of their team’s seven matches. three pools, two quarter-finals and both semi-finals. It will also • Poux and Aurélien Rougerie will play their 17th RWC matches, leaving have hosted the bronze final before this match. them one match short of Raphaël Ibañez’s France record of 18. • Eden Park’s 16 RWC matches is a record, surpassing Murrayfield’s • New Zealand have named an unchanged starting XV, with the only 14 matches across three RWCs. change to their match-day 22 being flanker Adam Thomson’s return • New Zealand have played six RWC matches at Eden Park, two at from injury to replace Victor Vito on the bench.