The French national rugby team, led by coach Fabien Galthié, announced a 37-player squad for their summer tour of New Zealand in late June 2025. The squad included winners from the recent Twickenham match against England and was reinforced by five finalists from the Top 14 league: Pierre-Louis Barassi, Nicolas Depoortère, Joshua Brennan, Pierre Bochaton, and Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer. Gaël Fickou was named captain, with Cameron Woki and Gabin Villière also included. The team featured eight newcomers in the 23-player lineup for the first test against the All Blacks on July 5 in Dunedin. Despite being heavily remodeled and missing many star players, France narrowly lost the first test 31-27. The second test on July 12 in Wellington saw a more decisive defeat, with New Zealand winning 43-17, marking the heaviest loss for France under Galthié's tenure. Ahead of the third and final test on July 19 in Hamilton, both teams made multiple changes; France included the return of key players Fickou and Slimani, while New Zealand's coach Scott Robertson made 10 starting changes to build depth for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Galthié also addressed refereeing issues from the first two tests during a press conference prior to the final match.