Rugby: French forward convinced of improvements

French flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo. Photo / Getty Images

French loose forward Fulgence Ouedraogo is convinced that his side will be superior opposition for the All Blacks than the side who toured New Zealand two years ago.

The 22-year-old Montpellier forward has some bad memories of France's last visit to New Zealand, having made his debut in his understrength side's record 61-10 thumping at the hands of the All Blacks in Wellington in June 2007.

This time round, however, will see a much improved showing from coach Marc Lievremont's men in the first test in Dunedin on Saturday followed by the second in Wellington a week later according to Ouedraogo, who looks set to add to his tally of 14 caps for his country.

"I feel that this time round that we'll be better able to take on and rival the All Blacks," insisted the flanker, who arrived in New Zealand with the first group of French players on Tuesday.

"Compared with two years ago, this time we're coming with our best side. We're coming to New Zealand to grow as a team and to mark our territory."

Ouedraogo has mixed feelings about that embarrassing day in Wellington two years ago when his side were completely outclassed by the home side.

"We came without any of the players who were playing in the semifinals of the French championships and we ended up having some pretty inexperienced players with us on that tour," Ouedraogo told the Allblacks.com website.

"The match remains a great memory for the simple fact that it was my first wearing the blue jersey.

"Physically, the All Blacks were on a different level. Quite simply, they moved forward in every impact, whether it was defensive or offensive. I remember that four tacklers weren't sufficient to stop Jerry Collins from scoring at the end of the match. They were just too quick for us. The rhythm dictated by the All Blacks was just amazing."

This time around, however, Ouedraogo claims will be different, with last weekend's results in the Top 14 semifinals meaning an even stronger French team will be in Dunedin for the first test than first thought.

Both Stade Francais and Toulouse were dumped out of the competition last weekend, meaning that players from both clubs will be available for the first test.

That outcome provided some relief for Lievremont as the two clubs provide 13 of his 30-man squad.

Montpellier forward Ouedraogo wasn't part of the France team that pulled off the famous defeat of the All Blacks in their 2007 World Cup quarterfinal at Cardiff but he believes that they have the ability to reach those heights again.

France, he contends, can upset New Zealand, but it depends on a couple of very important factors.

"I know our form hasn't been great over the last while, but it's honestly a matter of turning the corner. I don't think that what happened in Cardiff will have any bearing on the two matches this month. For us, if we win one of the two matches, it will help us jump a huge psychological barrier."

- NZPA