On a humid night in Paris – with the temperature at kickoff still around 90F – France overcame the pressure of the occasion to beat New Zealand 27-13, handing the All Blacks their first ever pool stage loss and taking charge of Pool A.
Things started off poorly for the home side, as the All Blacks ripped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to a great cross-field kick from Beauden Barrett, which allowed left-winger Mark Telea to score in the corner. After that the French lost their starting hooker, Julien Marchand to a thigh injury, and to compound things, the All Blacks tactical kicking seemed to be tiring the French forward pack.
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