France lost their second tour match in a row when they went down 45-24 to New Zealand A in Hamilton yesterday. The French lost against Tonga last week and had a shocking second half yesterday, which suggests their Test against the All Blacks this Saturday will not be too much fun. France, having recovered from 14-0 down after eight minutes to be trailing by just 20-19 at the break, lost the plot in the second spell and allowed the New Zealand second stringers to rattle up a further 25 points to a solitary second half try by the French.
Raphael Ibanez, the French captain, admitted after the match his side had much to learn. "We played pretty well in the first half when we concentrated on keeping the ball. But in the second half we lost possession far too much to win. We have problems with our discipline and that was our problem today."
When the French were on song they were impressive, with speedy delivery of ball from the forwards and fast back-line moves, but their cavalier play made it too easy for the New Zealanders to take advantage.
New Zealand A scored a try within 30 seconds of the start when Caleb Ralph fed speeding full back Bruce Reihana on the left. Reihana stepped inside and then beat two defenders to dive over.
France scored two tries in the first half, their second a stylish effort by the backs which saw Phillippe Bernat-Salles cross on the right, and found themselves just one point down at the break.
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