France are confident of significant improvement in the second rugby Test against New Zealand in Christchurch next Saturday, but know the All Blacks will also lift their game.
The Tricolores provided stiff resistance on Saturday night in their 23-13 defeat in Auckland.
They were combative at the break-down and showed a counter-attacking spark, with their midfield pairing of Florian Fritz and tryscorer Wesley Fofana prominent.
Coach Philippe Saint-Andre expects his young side to improve plenty – “I hope 20 per cent” – after experiencing the accelerated pace of a Test against the All Blacks.
“Of course, I think we can close the gap, but we need to be more clinical,” he said on Sunday.
“We were not clinical enough and we know New Zealand will be better and better and the second Test will be tougher.”
Saint-Andre wants his team to work on eliminating basic errors.
Those included inaccurate line-out throws and turnovers, one of which led to All Blacks flanker Sam Cane’s try, which helped to take the home side to a 17-10 halftime lead.
But Saint-Andre also said France’s performance was a step up from their Six Nations campaign this year.
“I don’t think if we played like we did, we would have finished bottom,” he said.
“We posed some problems against New Zealand. I think we were good in the contact area.”
There were two injury concerns for the French in openside flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo (ankle) and halfback Maxime Machenaud (thigh).
The pair came off either side of halftime and will be monitored during the week, but Saint-Andre indicated there would be changes to the 23 for the second Test anyway.
More of the players who arrived late because of their involvement in the French Top 14 final last weekend were likely to be included.
Of those eight, only five-eighth Frederic Michalak and centre Maxime Mermoz were picked for Eden Park and both came off the bench.
France’s next match is against Super Rugby side the Blues on Tuesday night, when many of the fringe players in their 35-strong tour party are likely to get a run.
