France must cut out turnovers – Bru

Editor

France can’t afford to turn the ball over if they are to beat Australia on Saturday according to forwards coach Yannick Bru.

France can’t afford to turn the ball over if they are to beat Australia on Saturday according to forwards coach Yannick Bru.

Les Bleus conceded 16 turnovers against Fiji, but were not made to pay, eventually running out 40-15 winners in Marseille.

Saturday’s clash with the Wallabies will be another challenge entirely, with France still coming to terms with their 3-0 series defeat Down Under in June.

Their last home game against Australia was a comprehensive 33-6 win at the Stade de France in 2012, but that remains France’s only win in their last nine games against the Wallabies.

And with the likes of Israel Folau and Tevita Kuridrani in top form, Bru has warned his team that they will pay the penalty if they turn the ball over.

“I thought the Australians were faithful to their athletic qualities (against Wales), capable of holding onto the ball for long periods before letting their three-quarters show off their qualities,” said Bru.

“They can make the most of any turnovers. It will be a very high level match.

“There are positives (from the Fiji game) but I think we’d already lost four or five turnovers by half-time, that’s too many to have a chance against Australia.

“The squad is tired and the bodies are a little bruised as they are after every international game. It’s true that we won and it’s good for the morale in the squad and at the hotel.

“It was an important, essential win. Even if there were some good things, we’ve just beaten the twelfth best team in the world so we have to remain lucid about our performance.

“There are always little adjustments, we have to be efficient every minute in training. If there is a feeling of revenge, it’s to do with our performances in June and it’s revenge on ourselves and our ability to compete with the best teams in the world.

“There’s something a little different because of it (the June series) you saw it when England played New Zealand, but there’s no negative feeling with regards to Australia.”