NZ survive hell of Test against depleted France, says Robertson

All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson conceded his team had been in “a hell of a Test match" after edging past an under-strength France 31-27 in Dunedin.

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Will Jordan scored two tries to secure a tense 500th Test victory for New Zealand, who desperately held off an energetic France side fielding eight debutants in the dying minutes to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

“Test footy,” explained Robertson about how a France squad that had been derided in New Zealand as a “B-team” almost caused a monumental upset.

“Any French team that's on tour that's written off... it’s going to put up a scrap and fight for everything,” he said.

“(France) didn’t go away. It was a hell of a Test match.”