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'Spanked, asses empty': French media rips into team after 'supercharged' All Blacks win

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 12: Dejected French players look on following the International Test Match between New Zealand All Blacks and France at Sky Stadium on July 12, 2025 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

French rugby writer Marc Duzan of Midi Olympique has sensationally torn into France after their 43-17 loss to the All Blacks in the second Test in Wellington.

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After last week’s 31-27 close result in Dunedin, there were beliefs that the might of the Top 14 had shown its power, that a second string France team could put the All Blacks in their place and perhaps win.

Duzan criticised the believers of this theory saying that France had “let ourselves get carried away” with “bull***” only to see France get “spanked”.

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France were comfortably beaten after the All Blacks held a 29-3 lead at half-time, winning back the Dave Gallagher trophy after claiming a 2-0 series lead.

“Very quickly led by the supercharged All Blacks, Les Blues never really managed to get into the game and suffered a heavy defeat,” Duzan wrote.

“After a lacklustre first match, the New Zealanders did not give the French a chance to breathe this time.

“Let’s admit it now: the first test, lost by a hair’s breadth last week in Dunedin, had led us to believe that this French reserve team might be able to pull off a feat in New Zealand.

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Points Flow Chart

New Zealand win +26
Time in lead
74
Mins in lead
0
93%
% Of Game In Lead
0%
32%
Possession Last 10 min
68%
0
Points Last 10 min
7

“We had let ourselves be carried away, despite ourselves, by this melody played at the ends of the earth and which wanted the All Blacks to no longer have the fuel they once had, to mourn their rugby of yesteryear and, taken one by one, would ultimately have a hard time making a place for themselves in the Top 14.

“All of that was obviously a load of bulls***, a decoy, a trap, a filthy siren song and this Saturday, in this stadium as round as a ball and under the gusts of Wellington, the vice-world champions were duly annoyed and, like a punching bag, thought that this French team would ultimately do the job.

“Because in the New Zealand capital, Les Blues were spanked, their asses empty, by a team seeking revenge and having partially erased the errors of the first test.”

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Comments

23 Comments
L
LW 27 days ago

Well yes

I
IkeaBoy 28 days ago

Winning multiple games in New Zealand isn't for everyone.

H
Hammer Head 28 days ago

So what, France has their own version of Ben Smith. Mean articles get clicks.


More importantly!


Congratulations to 708 capped NZ for thoroughly beating 50 capped France this week. As they should have done last week.

L
LE 27 days ago

They did beat France last week.

Perhaps you meant to say congrats for putting them to the sword this week like they should have last week

T
Tim 28 days ago

You can only play what's in front of you. Take your misdirected beef to the French clubs association they're responsible for diluting the sporting spectacle so that they can get more minutes from their players.

H
Hammer Head 28 days ago

Unbelievably Ben Smith has “written” an article in which 7 of the 10 paragraphs are direct quotes from another writer’s article.


This is well below Ben’s usually exceptionally high standard of rugby journalism.


If he was so excited about Marc Duzan‘s article - why not just share a link and be done with it.


Talk about redundancy.

J
J Marc 28 days ago

Every country has a burden…

J
JWH 28 days ago

As they should. Get riled up about you guys not sending over a proper team and fix your bloody domestic league. Send us an A team, they might win a few

R
RedWarrior 28 days ago

Get over yourselves. France have the strongest domestic league in the world. They don’t need to fix it. France sent a weakened team to Argentina last year. The league holds the purse strings not the Union. This isn’t personal to New Zealand so the righteousness is a little odd.

A
Andrew Nichols 28 days ago

Gee. Thats a bit mean spirited.

J
J Marc 28 days ago

The NZ complaints were before the game, because Christophe Ridley was born in Paris, even he doesn't speak a single word in french….

G
GrahamVF 28 days ago

Stand by for French complaints about the ref.

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