France 42 New Zealand 33

Date:  18 Nov 2000
Venue:  Marseilles
Attendance:  Not Recorded
Referee:  Kaplan j.

The golden boot of Christophe Lamaison finally tipped this enthralling international at the Stade Velodrome in Marseilles in favour of France, allowing the home team to square the series against New Zealand with a 42-33 victory.

In this often breathtaking encounter, France had a 17-0 advantage after 10 minutes, wiped out by the enterprising All Blacks who established a 30-26 lead going into the final quarter.

But it was the unpredictable French who produced the smarter, more effective rugby in the closing stages.

After halfback Fabien Galthie had sent the French fans into raptures by being driven across for a try from an attacking lineout, a superbly engineered effort that restored France's lead, Lamaison provided the trimmings.

First he slotted the wide-angle conversion, then he slammed over a magnificent penalty goal from halfway and, in the tense final stages, as the All Blacks sought desperately to conjure up a matchwinning try, he coolly slotted two dropped goals.

In a magnificent game of rugby, the French and the All Blacks scored three tries each with Lamaison's haul of 27 points (he didn't miss once from 10 attempts) representing the difference at the finish.

It was one point fewer than Lamaison scored in France's stunning World Cup semi-final victory at Twickenham last November when he also scored a try to go with his nine goals.

The French were irresistible in the opening stanza, rocking the All Blacks with tries by Xavier Garbajosa (who started on the wing after David Bory was a late withdrawal) and Olivier Magne in the first eight minutes.

When Lamaison, who slotted both conversions from wide angles, then added a penalty goal the All Blacks were in big trouble, 17 points down.

All Blacks relish back-to-the-wall situations and over the next 40 minutes they turned the match so comprehensively, scoring three tries and making capital off Andrew Mehrtens' astute kicking, that a repeat of their Paris victory the previous weekend appeared inevitable.

However, the French weren't spent.  The introduction of experienced internationals Christian Califano and Olivier Brouzet for the final 30 minutes made a significant difference.

The All Black backs were slicker and more dangerous but in the final quarter of the game they saw precious little possession going forward as the French forwards lifted their effort.

The French should have wrapped up the game at 36-30 but inside centre Franck Comba went alone with players unmarked outside him and was hauled down metres from the goalposts with arguably the tackle of the match by hooker Anton Oliver.

That allowed the All Blacks to stay alive but although they tried everything in the final stages they couldn't find a way through the French defence and eventually the lineout problems, which have beset them throughout the year, proved their undoing.

When replacement hooker Mark Hammett's throw five metres from his own line plopped sweetly into Brouzet's hands it set up Lamaison's first droppie and another botched lineout in the final seconds presented Lamaison with another match-sealing three pointer.

The All Blacks undoubtedly missed Jonah Lomu on the left wing.  Although his replacement Bruce Reihana was enterprising, he lacked the power and dynamism that Lomu brings to the position.

However, Doug Howlett on the other wing was one of the stars of the game, using his speed and elusiveness to set up New Zealand's first try for Justin Marshall and outsprinted the defence for No 2.

In the final assessment, it was the strength and commitment of the French forwards, where captain Fabien Pelous, No 8 Christophe Juillet and flanker Magne were outstanding, complemented by Lamaison's boot that brought about a memorable victory.

MAN OF THE MATCH:  Has to be Christophe Lamaison who aggregated 27 points with a 100 per cent goalkicking and dropkicking record and who also controlled play intelligently from flyhalf.  A top performance also from captain Fabien Pelous.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH:  Although there were more spectacular tries, with Marshall's effort after an 80-metre counter attack the best, halfback Galthie's try after he was brilliantly driven across the goalline from an attacking lineout represented the major turning point in the game.  Not that there weren't several turning points prior to that as the All Blacks came back from nil-17 to lead 30-26.

VILLAIN OF THE MATCH:  A couple of hot-headed displays from the French, with centre Richard Dourthe the major villain, which could have proved costly.  Far from acknowledging that the pile-driving tackle on him by Tana Umaga was a masterly effort, Dourthe responding by attacking him physically.

Scorers:

France:  Tries by Xavier Garbajosa, Olivier Magne and Fabien Galthie; Three conversions, five penalty goals and two dropped goals by Christophe Lamaison.

New Zealand:  Tries by Justin Marshall, Doug Howlett and Gordon Slater; Three conversions and four penalty goals by Andrew Mehrtens.