New Zealand's Black Ferns defeated France 81-12 in Hamilton to open their three-Test series, with rookie Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a scoring four tries and three other players registering doubles. The hosts recorded 23 linebreaks to France's two and scored 20 times from their 22-metre entries at a rate of four points per entry. Head coach Whitney Hansen credited a focus on clinical execution for the result.
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A 69-point margin in Hamilton gave the Black Ferns their first victory of a three-Test series against France. Sixty points had accumulated on the scoreboard for the home side before the visiting team registered their opening score, with France adding a second try in the closing stages.
Twenty-three line breaks for New Zealand against just two for France reflected the pattern of the contest, with Ayesha Leti-I'iga accounting for four of those incursions and eleven other players from the side adding to the tally. Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a, in only her first year at this level at age 20, crossed four times after the interval, while Amy Du Plessis, Maia Joseph, and Leti-I'iga each touched down twice.
The scoreline at the interval stood at 43 points for New Zealand, with a further 38 added across the second period. Within 65 seconds of the opening whistle, a try had already been scored, and the pattern repeated at the restart when another crossed just 75 seconds into the second half.
Penetrating France's 22-metre line on 20 separate occasions during the Hamilton fixture, the Black Ferns averaged four points from each of those incursions. On a per-match basis, the Black Ferns record an average of 15.5 entries of that kind. Across their 22-metre entries in 2026, the Black Ferns have generated 2.9 points per incursion — a margin of 0.5 points above what opposition teams have averaged when breaching that same threshold against them, a gap that holds even accounting for the lopsided scorelines in several of their matches. A total of 22 million entries has underpinned the competitive advantage they hold.
In the Lyon fixture a month ago, France recorded a higher 22-metre conversion rate than New Zealand. At the Hamilton venue, breakdown contests proved largely beyond their reach, even though their tally of dominant tackles ran close to New Zealand's. New Zealand's players carried the ball 103 times more than their French counterparts, while France completed only 72 per cent of their attempted tackles.
Throughout this year's Six Nations, France posted the highest tackle count in the dominant category while sitting roughly in the middle of the field when it came to turnovers won.
After the Test concluded, Black Ferns head coach Whitney Hansen told reporters that the squad had devoted considerable attention during the week to closing out the match. Carrying the ball hard, securing the breakdown, and winning individual collisions have formed the backbone of Hansen's game plan. The attack coach retained from the previous setup continues in the role, though the direction being set around that position is described as distinct and more openly defined.
At points during the Hamilton match, the team's attacking structure grew more intricate, and possession broke down as a consequence.
Whangarei hosts the second Test, with the series wrapping up in Christchurch at a venue now covered by a newly installed roof that organisers expect to attract a substantial attendance.