Top Performers - New Zealand vs France

 

 

In the absence of outhalf stalwart Beauden Barrett, the 23-year-old Chief put on a masterclass. He dictated the tempo of the game perfectly, knowing when to play territory and when to put his foot on the accelerator and really inject some pace into the New Zealand attack. He was rock solid in defence, recording a perfect tackle success rate. He bagged a brace of trys and was 7/7 from the tee. What a performance!

 

 

 

Called upon earlier than expected due to an unfortunate injury to Ardie Savea but the 30-year-old flanker needed no time to catch up to the pace of the game. He was relentless at the breakdown, consistently disrupting the speed of the French attack and forcing many penalties. He made countless bone-crunching tackles, some coming in key areas of the pitch. His Trojan efforts were rewarded when he crashed over the whitewash following a beautifully worked lineout set move in the first half.