Rugby: 'Les Bleus' no help for the Blues as the Super Rugby blues continue

Not even the presence of their French namesakes "Les Bleus" could help the Blues win their Super Rugby game against the Melbourne Rebels at Eden Park on Saturday night.

The touring national side attended the match as part of light duties while recovering from the jet lag of flying in from Paris on Wednesday.

Apart from a low-key public training session at QBE Stadium on Saturday morning, the French team also went hiking on Waiheke Island that afternoon and have been doing indoor training at the gym alongside the Pullman Hotel.

Entraînement aujourd’hui pour le #XVdeFrance à 🇳🇿 North Harbour en Nouvelle-Zélande ! Suivi d’une petite séance de dédicace improvisée 🤗 #soutiensleXV #TourneeNZ pic.twitter.com/Oh9IO1WfKm

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) June 2, 2018

Alongside, that is, having massages, swimming in the pool and having fun kicking a soccer ball around the tennis court at the Pullman - where the team usually stays when in Auckland.

Interim captain Mathieu Bastareaud has also been relaxing with a biography of his childhood hero Jonah Lomu, according the L'Equipe.

The French sports daily also reports the team have been urged to get into the sun to restore their UV - not much chance of that in the past couple of days.

Today, the team gets down to business with several media sessions and another public training session at QBE Stadium.