1994 France rugby union tour of Canada and New Zealand
The 1994 France rugby union tour of Canada and New Zealand was a series of matches played in June and July 1994 in Canada and New Zealand by France national rugby union team. In typical French fashion, (in that they are famed for their inconsistency), they lost to Canada, a "Tier 2" Rugby playing nation, and then became the first Northern Hemisphere test side to win a test match series in New Zealand, who are the most dominant rugby side in history.
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France became the fifth and most recent team after the 1937 Springboks, 1949 Wallabies, 1971 British Lions and 1986 Wallabies to win a test series in New Zealand.
Matches
- Scores and results list France's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada A | 34 | 31 | 1 June 1994 | Toronto | Tour match |
| Canada | 16 | 18 | 4 June 1994 | Nepean | Test match |
| North Auckland | 28 | 23 | 9 June 1994 | Whangarei | Tour match |
| North Harbour | 23 | 27 | 12 June 1994 | Auckland | Tour match |
| Waiparapa Bush | 53 | 9 | 15 June 1994 | Masterton | Tour match |
| New Zealand B | 33 | 25 | 18 June 1994 | Wanganui | Tour match |
| Nelson Bays | 48 | 16 | 22 June 1994 | Nelson | Tour match |
| New Zealand | 22 | 8 | 26 June 1994 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | Test match |
| Hawke's Bay | 25 | 30 | 29 June 1994 | McLean Park, Napier | Tour match |
| New Zealand | 23 | 20 | 3 July 1994 | Eden Park, Auckland | Test match |
Highlights
The 22–8 victory on 26 June was the biggest win by France over New Zealand up to then. In the second test, on 3 July, New Zealand led 20–16 with three minutes of the match remaining. As they tried to run down the clock, Philippe Saint-André started a move in his own 22 which, 65 seconds later, ended with Jean-Luc Sadourny crossing the French line to score what became known as l'essai du bout du monde (the try from the end of the world), giving them a 23–20 victory.[1] It was the first time a side from the northern hemisphere had won a test series against the All Blacks.[2]
References
- "Vidéos. Les plus beaux essais des Bleus face aux Blacks". L'Est Républicain (in French). 25 November 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- "Histoire du jeu". Rugby-Nomades (in French). Archived from the original on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
Further reading
Stephen Jones, ed. (1995). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1995–96. Headline. ISBN 0-7472-7816-4.