New Zealand Women Beat France 36–7: Official WXV Result and Scorers

Updated October 31, 2026, after full time: New Zealand Women defeated France Women 36–7 at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in the final Test of the Black Ferns’ 2026 WXV Global Series campaign. This is now an officially confirmed result: New Zealand Rugby’s match center marks the game completed at 36–7, and its postgame report confirms a 12–7 halftime score and six tries for the hosts. The result completes a three-Test home sweep against France, rather than being a provisional score reported only by newspapers.

New Zealand Women vs. France Women: Final score and kickoff information

The World Rugby fixture page, Venues Ōtautahi event listing and New Zealand Rugby’s team announcement identify this specific October 31 match. The venue operator and original team announcement both give a scheduled 7:10 p.m. Christchurch kickoff. A subsequent injury notice mentions 7:00 p.m. NZDT, but that isolated difference does not change the 7:10 p.m. official fixture listing used here. October 31 falls during daylight saving time in Christchurch, while mainland France has returned to standard time. The kickoff time is a scheduled match time, not a timestamp for article publication or for when the final score was posted.

Match recap: France stayed close before New Zealand pulled away

The first half was more competitive than the final margin suggests. Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a crossed for New Zealand’s opening try, and fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee later added another before converting her own score. France resisted further pressure and replied through a try by hooker Maïlys Mailagi, converted by fly-half Carla Arbez. That left the Black Ferns ahead 12–7 at halftime, a score independently recorded in New Zealand Rugby’s completed official game recap.

New Zealand created opportunities in the opening period without finishing all of them. The official recap notes that an apparent additional Sorensen-McGee try was disallowed after a review identified a forward pass. That overturned score is not included in the official tally. France’s turnovers and late first-half try kept the gap at five points heading into the break, although New Zealand ultimately proved more effective at converting second-half pressure into points.

Tuliau-Tua’a scored her second try after halftime to make it 17–7. Replacement Maddison Robinson then crossed from close range, with Sorensen-McGee converting. Tuliau-Tua’a subsequently received a yellow card for a high tackle, according to New Zealand Rugby’s account. The Black Ferns nevertheless added another try while reduced to 14 players, as substitute Mererangi Paul finished an attacking movement in the corner.

Replacement Vici-Rose Green completed the home side’s six-try total from a driving maul, and Hannah King supplied the final conversion. France had a late opportunity from a penalty and lineout but did not add to its first-half seven points. New Zealand’s final scoring breakdown was two tries by Tuliau-Tua’a and one each by Sorensen-McGee, Robinson, Paul and Green, plus two conversions by Sorensen-McGee and one by King. France’s points came from Mailagi’s try and Arbez’s conversion. The individual scorers also appear in Sky Sports’ full-time result listing.

The three October Tests are separate fixtures

Christchurch was the third and final New Zealand-hosted Test against France in October, not a repeat of the October 24 result. The Black Ferns beat France 81–12 in Hamilton on October 17, then 31–12 in Whangārei on October 24, before winning 36–7 in Christchurch on October 31. Each score comes from its own completed New Zealand Rugby match record: Hamilton, October 17 and Whangārei, October 24 are distinct from the Christchurch final.

New Zealand therefore won all three home Tests, a result explicitly confirmed by its national rugby organization. That establishes the outcome of this home series, but it should not be presented as proof that New Zealand won a single league-style WXV table or clinched an unrelated qualification place. The WXV Global Series includes fixtures between other national teams, so claims about comprehensive standings require separate competition-specific confirmation.

New Zealand team selection and confirmed game-day change

Black Ferns head coach Whitney Hansen made nine changes to the starting XV from the previous Test. Ruahei Demant captained the team at fly-half, with Maia Joseph at scrum-half. Maiakawanakaulani Roos and Laura Bayfield started at lock, while Liana Mikaele-Tu’u lined up at No. 8. Below is the announced starting XV in jersey order, as confirmed by New Zealand Rugby and repeated in the updated match-day squad notice.

Updated bench, 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 amended team list, not the initial list that named Santo Taumata in jersey 18. New Zealand Rugby reported that Taumata aggravated a neck injury and was withdrawn, with Tavake replacing her among the reserves. It also listed Atlanta Lolohea (ankle), Tara Turner (concussion) and Kaipo Olsen-Baker (ankle) as unavailable. Being named on the bench does not establish that every reserve played; the confirmed scoring narrative identifies Robinson, Paul and Green as try scorers and King as a conversion scorer.

France selection: Revised centers and a reshaped pack

France coach François Ratier selected Alexandra Chambon to captain at scrum-half alongside Carla Arbez at fly-half. World Rugby said injuries to Teani Feleu and Gabrielle Vernier contributed to the selection of Élodie Fernandez and Charlie Gauyat in the centers. Maïlys Mailagi started at hooker, Assia Khalfaoui at tighthead prop and Elsa Peyras in the back row. The pre-match World Rugby team report and Union Bordeaux Bègles selection notice support those choices.

France starters, jerseys 1–8: Ambre Mwayembe, Maïlys Mailagi, Assia Khalfaoui, Lou Roboam, Cloé Correa, Elsa Peyras, Léa Champon and Marie Morland. Starters, jerseys 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 names reflect the published selection rather than an unverified minute-by-minute substitution chart.

The French side’s five-point halftime deficit showed greater resistance than the eventual scoreline alone conveys. Its single try was scored by Mailagi before the break; the official New Zealand recap documents how the visitors remained scoreless in the second half. The outcome is clear, but the score should not be used to assign blame to any one selection choice or injury without additional attributable evidence.

Competition implications and where to find the official record

For New Zealand, the result completed the three-Test sweep and the Black Ferns’ final Test of 2026. For France, it meant a third consecutive defeat on the New Zealand tour. The two sides had also met earlier in the broader 2026 WXV Global Series, but this article’s match score, teams and venue apply specifically to the October 31 Christchurch fixture. World Rugby’s competition pages provide the wider international schedule; the New Zealand Rugby match center is the clearest source for this completed head-to-head result.

Readers checking broadcasts and replays should distinguish television rights from confirmed streaming availability. New Zealand Rugby’s season schedule announcement identified Sky Sport as the New Zealand broadcaster for its international matches. France Télévisions’ programming notice scheduled October 31 coverage on France 3. Those country-specific broadcast listings do not establish that a replay is accessible in every market; viewers should consult the relevant rights holder for current availability.

For venue reference, One New Zealand Stadium is listed at 218 Madras Street, Christchurch Central City. The venue operator published a 4:00 p.m. NZDT gate opening and a 4:30 p.m. NZDT New Zealand U21–Australia Next Gen curtain-raiser, distinct from the scheduled 7:10 p.m. NZDT Black Ferns kickoff. Its travel guidance notes there is no general on-site parking, with public transportation and designated taxi or rideshare arrangements available nearby.

Source and correction note: This October 31 update supersedes the previous article’s statement that New Zealand Rugby was still showing only the halftime score. Its match center now explicitly says “Completed,” and its official postgame report confirms 36–7 and the scoring account above. No unsupported attendance figure, unverified player quotation or inferred final series ranking is included. For authoritative records, consult the completed New Zealand Rugby match page and the World Rugby fixture record.