New Zealand Women Beat France 36–7 in Christchurch: WXV Result and Teams

October 31, 2026 match update: Two postgame reports say the New Zealand Black Ferns defeated France Women 36–7 at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in their final 2026 WXV Global Series Test. Le Dauphiné Libéré and Dicodusport independently report that score. When checked for this revision, New Zealand Rugby's match center showed a 12–7 halftime score, not yet a completed result. The 36–7 final score is accordingly attributed to the postgame reports until that official feed displays its final record. This was the Christchurch Test on October 31, not the earlier France meetings in Hamilton or Whangārei.

Match essentials: date, time, venue and result

The World Rugby match page, the venue operator and New Zealand Rugby identify the Christchurch venue and October 31 fixture. The official event and team announcements specify 7:10 p.m. NZDT as the scheduled kickoff. A game-day injury notice instead mentions 7:00 p.m.; this article retains the more consistently published fixture time and flags that discrepancy. The kickoff corresponds to 7:10 a.m. Central European Time (CET, UTC+01:00) in mainland France on the same date. October 31 falls within New Zealand daylight saving time and after France's autumn clock change, so neither location can be assigned its winter or summer offset indiscriminately.

New Zealand vs. France: How the match unfolded

The Black Ferns opened up a 12–0 lead through first-half tries by wing Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a and fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee, according to Rugbyrama's match commentary. France narrowed the margin when hooker Maïlys Mailagi crossed close to halftime and fly-half Carla Arbez converted. New Zealand Rugby's match center independently displayed the resulting 12–7 halftime score. That close margin was materially different from the large gap that had developed early in New Zealand's October 17 victory.

French match reports describe a more decisive second half for the home side. Dicodusport credits Tuliau-Tua’a with another try and names replacements Maddison Robinson, Mererangi Paul and Vici-Rose Green among New Zealand's later scorers. The report portrays France as more successful in its initial defensive resistance than in controlling the second-half attack. Le Dauphiné Libéré separately says New Zealand finished with six tries and a 36–7 victory. These scoring details are reported accounts; individual minutes, disciplinary incidents and full player statistics should be checked against the eventual official match record before being treated as final statistical data.

The result completed a three-Test home sweep for New Zealand against France. The Black Ferns had won 81–12 in Hamilton on October 17 and 31–12 in Whangārei on October 24, as documented by New Zealand Rugby's October 17 and October 24 match records. Those are separate completed Tests and must not be mistaken for the Christchurch result. The October 24 fixture marked the Black Ferns' 150th Test; October 31 was their final Test of 2026.

New Zealand team: Starting XV and late injury replacement

Head coach Whitney Hansen changed nine starters from the previous week's side. Captain Ruahei Demant directed play at fly-half alongside scrum-half Maia Joseph; Maiakawanakaulani Roos and Laura Bayfield made up the starting second row. The following names are New Zealand Rugby's announced starting XV, given in jersey order. Selection does not, by itself, establish playing time or that every replacement entered the game.

Updated reserves, jerseys 16–23: Vici-Rose Green, Maddison Robinson, Ngano Tavake, Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu, Amarante Sititi, Ariana Bayler, Hannah King and Mererangi Paul. This is the later list, not the originally announced bench: New Zealand Rugby confirmed on game day that Santo Taumata aggravated a neck injury and was replaced by Ngano Tavake in jersey 18. It also identified Atlanta Lolohea (ankle), Tara Turner (concussion) and Kaipo Olsen-Baker (ankle) as unavailable. This notice supports those specific absences, not a general conclusion about anyone else's fitness.

France selection: New combinations in the pack and midfield

Coach François Ratier named a revised France team for the last fixture in New Zealand. Alexandra Chambon captained at scrum-half, partnering Carla Arbez at fly-half. World Rugby reported that injuries to Teani Feleu and Gabrielle Vernier led to a fresh center partnership of Élodie Fernandez and Charlie Gauyat. Maïlys Mailagi started at hooker, Elsa Peyras was included in the pack and Marie Morland was chosen at No. 8. The Union Bordeaux Bègles selection notice corroborated the starts of Mailagi, Assia Khalfaoui, Peyras and Arbez, and the bench places for Khoudedia Cissokho and Morgane Bourgeois.

France starting forwards, 1–8: Ambre Mwayembe, Maïlys Mailagi, Assia Khalfaoui, Lou Roboam, Cloé Correa, Elsa Peyras, Léa Champon and Marie Morland. Starting backs, 9–15: Alexandra Chambon (captain), Carla Arbez, Léa Murie, Élodie Fernandez, Charlie Gauyat, Anaïs Grando and Émilie Boulard. Named reserves: Élisa Riffonneau, Amalia Bazola Allieres, Marion Latonnelle, Julia Grosz, Ylona Avril, Khoudedia Cissokho, Lylou Pesussaud and Morgane Bourgeois. These are the published selections in World Rugby's October 29 team report, not an inferred list of on-field substitutes.

Competition context and what the result establishes

The three wins in Hamilton, Whangārei and Christchurch settle New Zealand's home Test sequence against France. They do not automatically establish the final table of the entire WXV Global Series, which includes other nations and additional international fixtures. World Rugby describes the 2026 series as a wider cross-regional schedule, part of a multi-year program ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup 2029. Any claim about final overall rankings, a title or qualification implications must be supported by a separate official ruling. The result does show that France, despite its tighter first half in Christchurch, could not prevent a third successive away defeat to the Black Ferns.

From a rugby perspective, the French performance in the first 40 minutes and the gap after halftime make the contest worth reviewing for both sides. France's revamped midfield, the Black Ferns' new starting combinations and the impact attributed to New Zealand's replacement forwards are distinct issues to examine in official video and team analysis. They are not proof of a single cause of the defeat, and there is no need to invent a postgame quotation or injury explanation where an authoritative report has not supplied one.

How to check the score, broadcasts and venue

Official information: Use the World Rugby fixture and match page to follow the official record for the October 31 Test. New Zealand Rugby's match center showed halftime at 12–7 when this article was revised. The two linked postgame news reports put the final at 36–7. Check the official feed again for any later confirmation or correction to the detailed scoring timeline.

Watching or replaying: New Zealand Rugby said Sky Sport carried its 2026 international matches in New Zealand. France Télévisions listed October 31 coverage on France 3. Live, replay and highlights availability varies by territory and rights holder; one country's listing does not guarantee an accessible service elsewhere.

At the stadium: One New Zealand Stadium is at 218 Madras Street, Christchurch Central City. The venue event page gives the rugby kickoff, earlier gate and curtain-raiser times, and travel information. The operator advises there is no general on-site parking and describes nearby public transit, taxi and rideshare options. Event admission times should not be confused with the 7:10 p.m. NZDT international Test kickoff.

Verification note: This revision incorporates postgame score reporting while preserving the published lineups and the confirmed game-day injury change. It attributes the 36–7 final to two contemporary postgame sources because the official Black Ferns page viewed during the check still showed halftime. No unsupported attendance total, postgame quotation, medical diagnosis or final tournament-table position has been added.