Jones wary despite victory over France

SYDNEY - Wallabies rugby coach Eddie Jones has read little into the All Blacks' stuttering start to the international season, expecting both sides to improve markedly over the course of the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup series.

Jones turned his attention to New Zealand yesterday after Australia sealed a 2-0 series win over Six Nations champions France at Stadium Australia.

The Wallabies staved off a late fightback from the French to prevail 31-25, outscoring them four tries to three before a crowd of 64,703 on Saturday night.

While the All Blacks have not set the world alight so far, Jones placed little emphasis on the performances against Ireland, where the first test in Dunedin on June 15 drew widespread criticism from home fans.

"The surface was slippery in Dunedin and the Irish took it to them, but if you look at the second half against Ireland in Auckland they were pretty clinical," he said.

Jones, a meticulous planner, had only glanced over the All Blacks matches briefly and would start to study tapes in depth this week as the Wallabies prepare for the Tri-Nations opener in Christchurch on July 13.

He was encouraged by his side's performance on Saturday night, particularly the effort of an inexperienced forward pack missing No 8 Toutai Kefu and hooker Jeremy Paul.

David Lyons did an excellent job filling in for Kefu at the back of the scrum, while reserve hooker Sean Hardman and lock Daniel Vickerman also earned their first test caps against a pack boasting twice the experience of the Australians.

France fought back from a 13-5 deficit to score 13 points without reply either side of halftime after blindside flanker Owen Finegan was sinbinned for a dangerous tackle on French opposite Serge Betsen late in the first spell.

Jones was impressed with how the team responded to losing their designated pack leader, although France initially took advantage.

"That was a good sign. There was a lot of inexperience out there and when you're under the pump you can fall away a little.

"But we did exactly the opposite - we rose to the occasion," he said.

The coach was happy with the progress made since they opened their season against New Zealand Maori on June 15, but said that significant improvements were still required ahead of the All Blacks clash.

"The forwards raised their standard and we've created a base.

"We're in a reasonable position but we're miles from where we need to be," Jones said.

His most pressing concern was the injury toll, which last night left centre Matt Burke and hooker Brendan Cannon as doubtful starters in Christchurch.

- NZPA