diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/version.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/version.ts
index 2fb8dfcaf..356c42f95 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/version.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/version.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,12 @@ export async function createTemplateUri(
       return `${TEMPLATE_PACKAGE_COMMUNITY}@nightly`;
     }
     const templateVersion = await getTemplateVersion(version);
+    if (templateVersion == null) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Unable to find a template for react-native version '${version}'. ` +
+          `Please check that the version exists and has a corresponding template published to npm.`,
+      );
+    }
     return `${TEMPLATE_PACKAGE_COMMUNITY}@${templateVersion}`;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/tools/__tests__/npm-test.ts b/packages/cli/src/tools/__tests__/npm-test.ts
index c60315d5f..a1ed08dc0 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/tools/__tests__/npm-test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/tools/__tests__/npm-test.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ describe('getTemplateVersion', () => {
     expect(await getTemplateVersion(VERSION)).toEqual('1.2.3');
   });
 
-  it('should matching latest MAJOR.MINOR if MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH has no match', async () => {
+  it('should NOT match if MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH has no exact match', async () => {
     fetchReturn({
       versions: {
         '3.2.1': {scripts: {version: '0.75.1'}},
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ describe('getTemplateVersion', () => {
       },
     });
 
-    expect(await getTemplateVersion('0.75.3')).toEqual('3.2.2');
+    expect(await getTemplateVersion('0.75.3')).toEqual(undefined);
   });
 
   it('should NOT matching when MAJOR.MINOR is not found', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/tools/npm.ts b/packages/cli/src/tools/npm.ts
index 3ad234a80..34c2a9456 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/tools/npm.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/tools/npm.ts
@@ -119,11 +119,6 @@ class Template {
   }
 }
 
-const minorVersion = (version: string) => {
-  const v = semver.parse(version)!;
-  return `${v.major}.${v.minor}`;
-};
-
 export async function getTemplateVersion(
   reactNativeVersion: string,
 ): Promise<TemplateVersion | undefined> {
@@ -139,11 +134,8 @@ export async function getTemplateVersion(
   // - IF there a match for React Native MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH?
   //    - Yes: if there are >= 2 versions, pick the one last published. This lets us release
   //           specific fixes for React Native versions.
-  // - ELSE, is there a match for React Native MINOR.PATCH?
-  //    - Yes: if there are >= 2 versions, pick the one last published. This decouples us from
-  //           React Native releases.
   //    - No: we don't have a version of the template for a version of React Native. There should
-  //          at a minimum be at last one version cut for each MINOR.PATCH since 0.75. Before this
+  //          at a minimum be at least one version cut for each MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH since 0.75. Before this
   //          the template was shipped with React Native
   const rnToTemplate: VersionedTemplates = {};
   for (const [templateVersion, pkg] of Object.entries(json.versions)) {
@@ -159,12 +151,8 @@ export async function getTemplateVersion(
       json.time[templateVersion],
     );
 
-    const rnMinorVersion = minorVersion(rnVersion);
-
     rnToTemplate[rnVersion] = rnToTemplate[rnVersion] ?? [];
     rnToTemplate[rnVersion].push(template);
-    rnToTemplate[rnMinorVersion] = rnToTemplate[rnMinorVersion] ?? [];
-    rnToTemplate[rnMinorVersion].push(template);
   }
 
   // Make sure the last published is the first one in each version of React Native
@@ -177,9 +165,5 @@ export async function getTemplateVersion(
   if (reactNativeVersion in rnToTemplate) {
     return rnToTemplate[reactNativeVersion][0].version;
   }
-  const rnMinorVersion = minorVersion(reactNativeVersion);
-  if (rnMinorVersion in rnToTemplate) {
-    return rnToTemplate[rnMinorVersion][0].version;
-  }
   return;
 }