Will Jordan. Photo: ©INPHO/Ken Sutton
All Blacks fullback Will Jordan insists France will be hard to beat in the three-test series, despite the French leaving plenty of top players at home.
Gael Fickou will captain a 37-man France squad which includes 17 uncapped players. The three-test tour kicks off in Dunedin next weekend, with the Six Nations champions missing several frontline players.
France's Théo Attissogbe scores their first try in the opening match of the 2025 Six Nations rugby tournament against Wales. Josh Adams is the defender, 1 Feb, 2025. Photo: Inpho
However, the French team could grow. Several players are set to be added following this weekend's Top 14 final between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles.
Jordan, fresh off helping the Crusaders to a record 13th full Super Rugby title, told RNZ the All Blacks will be getting their house in order before worrying about who is and isn't playing for France.
"First and foremost we'll focus on ourselves and getting our processes in our game going and clicking. We'll get an idea of the French squad off the back of the Top 14 final this week, but French rugby at the moment, it's full of depth across the park.
"Knowing the way the French play the game, up tempo, and when they come at you they'll be taking no backward steps. So for us it's focusing on our game, for the first test in particular."
Jordan is expecting the French to play a territorial kicking game and he said that could give him some opportunities to test the tourists' defence.
Will Jordan in action. Photo: Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
He's pleased conditions in Dunedin will be better than they were for the Super Rugby final in Christchurch and said the All Blacks were keen to use the ball and run the French ragged.
"The final was about a two degree night in Christchurch and plenty of dew across the ground. Under the roof [in Dunedin] we'll certainly have a mindset to look to play.
"We want to play a nice fast tempo and try and get our attack going. The French, they tend to have more of a long kicking game rather than contestables [sic]. So potentially for myself there may be a bit more opportunity to counter attack.
"You're balancing up that pressure game of kicking versus the tempo you can play at. It's about finding the balance, but I'd say under the roof we'll lean towards wanting to go at them with our attack."
Jordan said All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has produced a blueprint for a new style of play to try to break down rush defences and keep the ball alive, with winning the 2027 World Cup the ultimate goal.
"I think the foundations were laid last year. looking at our numbers across the park, in terms of opportunities that we created, line breaks, carry meters, defenders beaten, although it's really good, it was probably just our finishing, our completion, errors at the wrong time that let us down," Jordan said.
"It's nice to be able to have a second year in the system and guys be a bit more familiar with it, so we can hit the ground running a bit more this time."
