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France head coach François Ratier kept his cards close to his chest after his side lost 31-12 to the Black Ferns.
It was certainly an improvement on their 81-12 defeat the week before, but it now means the fourth-ranked team in the world have lost three games to New Zealand in WXV Global Series action this fall.
Without a number of his high-profile players for the Aotearoa tour, Ratier had to find a way to compete with a number of teenagers in his squad and a string of injuries.
Despite this, the 54-year-old admitted there were more positives for his team than at Hamilton.
“Improved – that’s the word,” Ratier said. “We were more composed, we were able to go forward and put some things together, so that’s obviously an improvement.
“We are a very young team. We want to use this (WXV Global Series), especially here in New Zealand, to bring new blood into the team and see how we handle ourselves and how we play under this huge pressure. The young players responded really well today.”
Next weekend the teams will meet again, this time at Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium, to complete their 2026 efforts.
When asked what changes his team might make, the team coach was hesitant. Plagued by more injuries, his first year in the top job looks set to end without a hitch.
“We have to recover because we have a lot of injuries,” Ratier said. “That’s the problem when you’re boxing against a weight class that’s bigger than you.
“Strategically, we showed we can be composed again and more consistent in all parts of the game. Now we have to finish our chances and make sure we score when those chances come – so we can keep the game really close.
“In the end we had 14 players on the field and one more player was injured. The last two tries were a bit difficult, but that’s the game. It’s interesting how we played until the 70th minute. That’s what we’ll work on.”
