France outwrestle All Blacks in titanic Test for one-point win

Stade de France has been spoilt with some classic rugby contests over the past 14 months, and fans were set for another one with the All Blacks in town.

Just one point separated the two proud nations after as exhausting of a Test ever witnessed. An early second-half surge from the hosts put their noses in front, and the ensuing toe-to-toe tussle tested every aspect of each team's game. France, in the end, took the spoils to the tune of 30-29.

France opened the contest with a multi-phase attack that tested the New Zealand defence in tight and out wide, with Antoine Dupont getting quick ball to operate with. A collision between Tevita Tatafu and Samipeni Finau saw the ball spilled by the French big man and Finau helped form the field with a concussion. 21-year-old Peter Lakai took the field for New Zealand and Georges-Henri Colombe soon replaced Tatafu for France.

The visitors' lineout defence was on display early, stealing France's first attempt from the sideline. The hosts on the other hand got their first points of the game from a scrum penalty just shy of the seven-minute mark.

Handling errors were registered from both sides in the early minutes before they found their feet in the Test.

The All Blacks launched an ambitious attack just moments after the France score, with risky but superbly executed offloads fracturing the French defence as Ardie Savea made metres down the left wing and set up Pater Lakai for his first All Blacks try.

The pace of the Test had kicked into high gear and both sides knew exactly where they wanted to find space against their opponents. France looked to get the ball wide with cross-field kicks and New Zealand were eager to get front foot ball with swift handling from their forwards while steadily shifting the point of attack.

New Zealand's scrum started to turn up the heat on the French and some special defence from Cam Roigard off the back of a 26th-minute contest saw the halfback snatch the ball as Gregory Alldritt looked to offload it, with the halfback running away to score and extend his side's lead to 14-3.

In response, France rolled up their sleeves and went to their big men with phase play attack just one pass off the ruck. After battering the Kiwi defence and making powerful metres, Les Bleus had shrunk the Kiwi line and exploited that fact by sending the ball wide to Romain Buros who scored the hosts' opening try.

With New Zealand's next attack, France were caught offside leading to a free run for the Kiwis, but there was no way through the blue line so Beauden Barrett stepped up the the tee to extend his side's lead to seven.

After an exhausting first half, another New Zealand attack again struggled to crack France's defence and the first half came to a close with a long-range drop-goal attempt from Beauden Barrett going wide.

France were a different beast coming out of the sheds in the second half, using their behemoths in the tight five to chew through metres and bully their way towards the New Zealand line. After Emmanuel Meafou rumbled upfield with a handful of Kiwi defenders in his wake, an offside infringement from New Zealand resulted in a French lineout and just three minutes into the half, France were in.

New Zealand returned in kind but after making significant ground surrendered possession with poor execution in the face of a resilient French defence. Tupou Vaa'i tried an offload near halfway but it hit the turf and Thomas Ramos won the race to the loose ball, putting a kick through and the pace of Louis Bielle-Biarrey won his side another seven points.

New Zealand then turned to the bench and the injection of Damian McKenzie at fullback had an instant impact, getting his side on the front foot. It was again an offside infringement that earned New Zealand another three points.

Just minutes later, a French rolling maul earned a penalty when Codie Taylor was caught re-entering the contest illegally and France re-established their seven-point lead.

The lung-busting phase play continued as the match entered its final quarter and so did the back-and-forth on the scoreboard, with New Zealand claiming another three points from the boot of Damian McKenzie.

A Will Jordan intercept then ended another French surge, getting his side back down the French end of the field where they won another penalty, claimed another three points and closed the French lead to just one point.

Antoine Dupont shifted to flyhalf with the French substitutes as the attritional nature of the game claimed another victim in Paul Boudehent. The flanker's departure resulted in Peato Mauvaka re-entering the game at blindside.

Penalties in quick succession saw both sides claim three points, and the marathon of this immense Test continued.

Heroic efforts from both sides played out in front of 80,000 enthralled French fans. Fans after being treated to one of the most dramatic Tests in recent memory, were ultimately left to celebrate a famous one-point win.