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‘The depth is there’: Former All Black explains the strength within the French rugby team
Savannah Lendich Jonkers • July 7th, 2025 4:00 pm
Photo: Photosport
Ex-All Black Lima Sopoaga - who played club rugby in France - acknowledges the depth of players in the French side following a narrow win for the All Blacks.
The All Blacks played their first of three test matches against France on Saturday in Dunedin, finishing 31-27.
Sopoaga told Sport Nation’s Scotty and Izzy, while many in their current squad aren’t household names, a lot of them have been playing exceptional rugby in the Top 14 club competition.
“They’ve got the Pro D2 as well so that's another 16 teams, so they actually have 30 pro teams to choose from, the depth is there”
Prior to the clash on Sky’s The Breakdown, former All Black Justin Marshall said he was disappointed in the “underpowered” French side which consisted of 18 uncapped players before calling it “complete BS.”
Justin Marshall rates Beauden Barrett's performance in first Test vs France | The Bunnings Trade Rugby Run
Due to France having extensive options during selection, Sopoaga said he always believed the side would be tough to beat.
“The All Blacks gotta start fast and start well but if you give them (France) a chance, these young boys are gonna stay in the fight and they’re gonna have a good crack,” said Sopoaga.
“Once we get on top of teams we actually have the ability to play quite quickly and we’ve got the backs who have got skills for days to exploit gaps and cut them up out wide, but it’s all about what the boys do up front first.”
From Sopoaga’s experience playing rugby in France, he recalled that French players would head butt the walls and each other prior to the games to get in the zone.
In contrast, Sopoaga said the French mentality tends to give up and move onto another game if they are falling behind.
Going into this weekend's game also against France at Wellington’s Sky Stadium, Sopoaga said he would like to see a different mixture within the team.
“I’d probably like to see Du’Plessis (Kirifi) start at No.7 to be fair and see what happens from there.”
Listen to the full interview below:
