All Blacks Edge France as Nations Championship Opens With Nine-Try Thriller

What happened:

Watch the highlights:

New Zealand beat France in Christchurch as the inaugural Nations Championship opened with what BBC Sport described as a captivating, nine-try thriller. Will Jordan scored twice for the All Blacks, giving New Zealand an immediate statement result in a competition that is trying to establish weight from its first weekend.

Result first:

The confirmed outcome is straightforward: the All Blacks beat France. The supplied source does not provide the final score, scoring sequence or full match statistics, so the clean read is that New Zealand took the win in a high-scoring opener defined by attacking output from both sides and two tries from Jordan.

Why it matters:

Opening matches in new tournaments carry extra significance because they set the competitive tone before the table has any history. A nine-try match between New Zealand and France gives the Nations Championship a strong launch from an entertainment standpoint, but for the teams involved the consequence is more practical: New Zealand start with momentum, while France leave with evidence they were part of an open contest but without the result.

Tournament impact:

For the All Blacks, beating France immediately strengthens their position in the early Nations Championship picture. It gives them points, confidence and a benchmark performance against a major northern-hemisphere opponent. For France, the damage depends on the competition format and tiebreakers, which are not included in the supplied facts, but an opening defeat always narrows the margin for error.

Player signal:

Will Jordan's two tries are the clearest individual takeaway from the confirmed details. In a match with nine total tries, scoring twice marks him as one of the decisive attacking figures. Without inventing the patterns of play, the implication is still meaningful: New Zealand found enough finishing edge through Jordan to separate themselves from France in a match where both teams contributed to the scoreboard.

What to watch:

The next question is whether this result becomes a platform for New Zealand or simply the first data point in a volatile new tournament. France's response will also matter. A narrow or high-scoring defeat can be framed as fixable if the performance travels, but the table will care about results before style.

Confidence:

Confirmed by the BBC Sport source: New Zealand beat France in Christchurch, the match opened the inaugural Nations Championship, there were nine tries, and Will Jordan scored twice. Still needs follow-up: the final score, standings impact, disciplinary details, injuries, and the exact shape of the remaining tournament schedule.