All Blacks face weakened French squad in July series

Scott Robertson, coach of the All Blacks, expects to see some of France's top players during their upcoming tour of New Zealand. This is despite the French team sending a weaker squad because of a scheduling conflict with the Top 14 finals on June 28. Tickets for the series between the All Blacks and the Six Nations champions are on sale today for pre-sale. General public tickets will be available next Wednesday. However, the lineup for France may look very different than the one that beat the All Blacks last November. The French Rugby Federation has a rule that players involved in Top 14 finals cannot be selected for international matches in July 2025 and 2026. This affects the three-test tour in New Zealand that starts on July 5 in Dunedin. As for the Top 14, Toulouse is leading the table with seven games left in the regular season. They are five points ahead of Bordeaux Bégles, with Toulon close behind in third place. The top six teams will move on to the playoffs.