Black Ferns player ratings v France | WXV Global Series 2026

It was not quite the razzle dazzle of their Pacific Four Series title success. Or that of their wins against the Wallaroos or Springbok Women. But Whitney Hansen is still unbeaten as Black Ferns head coach.

This time New Zealand did it a different way. France posed a more physical and direct threat to the Black Ferns. But the six-time world champions did register a 28-14 win at the Mamut Stadium de Gerland in the first game of their WXV Global Series match of the autumn.

At half-time, the efforts of Justine McGregor and Mia Anderson — both converted by Braxton Sorensen-McGee — outweighed Pauline Bourdon Sansus’ sensational try.

Just moments into the second half, Mererangi Paul’s try made her team’s advantage 14 points. It was almost challenged when Léa Murie dotted down, only for the TMO to rule it out for an earlier forward pass.

Eventually, France did pounce through Lina Queyroi in the 67th minute, only for any hopes of a late surge from the hosts to be quelled when Liana Mikaele-Tu’u burst over the whitewash four minutes later to secure a win.

Here is how the Black Ferns rated in Lyon…

15 Braxton Sorensen-McGee – 7.5

At this point, Braxton Sorensen-McGee’s performances are no surprise. The 19-year-old was spotless from the kicking tee and carved up opposition defenders for fun. In defence, Sorensen-McGee was bright too and got through a good amount of work. She did give away a couple of penalties, but certainly did not do anything hugely detrimental to her team.

14 Mererangi Paul – 6.5

Quite a week after Soweto, Mererangi Paul really enjoyed her afternoon in Lyon. The wing scored the opening try of the second half. France did get some joy on the 27-year-old’s wing, albeit that should not detract from a solid showing.

13 Amy du Plessis – 7

It was a busy afternoon for Amy du Plessis, who more than anything else performed her role impressively. The centre thrives on both sides of the ball and will not have her role as a starter questioned any time soon. At full-time, she had 13 tackles and had gained over 40 metres.

12 Sylvia Brunt – 7.5

The archetypal Sylvia Brunt performance. An expert at interlacing the attack, the 24-year-old completed 14 passes, beat four defenders and even completed over 10 tackles. Properly mega stuff.

11 Justine McGregor – 6

While a try scorer on Saturday, it was a quiet performance from Justine McGregor. Her try was well finished in the 14th minute, but outside of that, touches of the ball were few and far between.

10 Hannah King – 6.5

Another good game-controlling performance from King. With no Ruahei Demant in the Black Ferns squad for their European tour, there should be little concern about the ability of the 22-year-old to pull the strings.

9 Maia Joseph – 7

Much like in South Africa, Joseph set the pace for the Black Ferns. Her ability to recognise exactly what her team need at that exact moment is hugely impressive. Plus, that extra bit of experience alongside a first-five getting her first run in the starting jersey is really important.

1 Chryss Viliko – 6.5

It was at the scrum that Viliko thrived. She made the life of Assia Khalfaoui uncomfortable as the Black Ferns wore down their opponents.

2 Georgia Ponsonby – 6.5

A pretty good day for the captain. Ponsonby and her teammates were not perfect at the lineout, but still had the better of the set-piece compared to their opposition. In total, the Trailfinders Women hooker made 26 metres and seven tackles.

3 Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu – 7

A lot of beating France, shockingly, has to do with how you fare at the set-piece. In the scrum, Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu and Viliko were able to disrupt France and helped their team make that supremacy count.

4 Maiakawanakaulani Roos – 6.5

A more understated performance from Maiakawanakaulani Roos this week. Last time out, the lock seemed to be at the heart of everything. This time, she stuck mainly to her task of getting the lineout rolling and keeping the Black Ferns on the front foot. Which she did for 56 minutes before being replaced.

5 Laura Bayfield – 7.5

A proper second-row performance. Laura Bayfield made 15 tackles in Lyon and was a really useful tool for her team at the lineout. It is sometimes hard to effuse too much enthusiasm for the grunt work that gets done in the engine room, but Bayfield makes it easy.

6 Mia Anderson – 7

Mia Anderson really shone in attack in this game. On the turf for 72 minutes, she scored her first Black Ferns try and even made 80 metres and beat six defenders with the ball. One of those players people will be really excited about when the British & Irish Lions Women tour takes place next year.

7 Elinor-Plum King – 5.5

Maybe the quietest afternoon Elinor-Plum King has had in Test rugby since her debut. The openside made just eight tackles against *Les Bleues*, but still got through plenty of the unseen work.

8 Liana Mikaele-Tu’u – 8.5

Quite probably the Black Ferns’ player of the match. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u proved worth her weight in gold across the pitch. Her try was a work of art, and the manner in which the 24-year-old can stride into open field is just awe-inspiring. A useful tool at the lineout too, we are seeing a player just getting better and better with each Test match minute.

Replacements – 6

Pretty much every replacement made by Hansen helped the Black Ferns see out this game. There was no injection of pace needed, nor was there any real need to consolidate the lineout or scrum.