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New Zealand and France kick off the new Nations Championship this weekend
The Nations Championship kicks off this weekend, with a mouthwatering fixture set to be its curtain-raiser.
New Zealand and France meet in the first match of the new global competition, which brings together teams from the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship, along with Fiji and Japan.
The fixtures are split between two blocks – in summer and autumn – ending in a finals weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, at the end of the year.
The first match couldn’t get much tastier, with Les Bleus travelling to Christchurch to take on the All Blacks.
Here is everything you need to know about the clash…
What time is New Zealand v France?
New Zealand v France kicks off at 8.10am BST on Saturday, July 4, at One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch.
What channel is the game on?
The game is being shown live and for free on ITV1. Coverage starts at 7.30am.
What about live streaming?
You can stream the match via ITV’s app, ITVX.
You will need a valid TV licence and an account to watch.
Teams
New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Peter Lakai, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Billy Proctor, 23 Fehi Fineanganofo
France: 15 Max Spring, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Fabien Brau-Boirie, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Théo Attissogbé, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Marko Gazzotti, 7 Oscar Jégou, 6 Pierre Bochaton, 5 Tom Staniforth, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Demba Bamba, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements: 16 Barnabé Massa, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Régis Montagne, 19 Mickaël Guillard, 20 Killian Tixeront, 21 Nolan Le Garrec, 22 Antoine Hastoy, 23 Nicolas Depoortere
Officials
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley (RFU) and Katsuki Furuse (JRFU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
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