History of rugby union matches between France and New Zealand

<!--This article is written in New Zealand English-->The national rugby union teams of France and New Zealand (the All Blacks) have been playing each other for over a century; as of November 2009, they have played 49 Test matches against each other. The first encounter, which was also France's first Test, took place in Paris in January 1906 and was won by New Zealand 38&ndash;8. It was not until 1954 that France secured their first win over New Zealand (3&ndash;0).

France first toured New Zealand in 1961 &ndash; before any of the Home Nations &ndash; and the All Blacks won all three Tests. The All Blacks' first full tour of France was in 1977, when they won one of the two Tests. France first defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand on Bastille Day 1979. The teams also met at the inaugural Rugby World Cup final in 1987, which was won by the All Blacks 29&ndash;9. France achieved a first series win in New Zealand in 1994, when they won both Tests. The teams again met in the 1999 Rugby World Cup, but this time in the semi-finals. The match was hosted at Twickenham Stadium, where France overcame a 24&ndash;10 deficit to win 43&ndash;31. Since 2000, the two teams have contested the Dave Gallaher Trophy, which the All Blacks held until being defeated 27 - 22 by France in Dunedin on 13 June 2009 in the first Test of France's 2009 tour.

Overall, the All Blacks have won 36 Tests against France's 12, with one match drawn. The largest winning margin in a...
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