Les Miserables? Cane refuses to buy into French woes

Let’s call it a French lesson. You don’t go to the All Blacks looking for sympathy and a kind word in your hour of need. You’re more likely to get short shrift and a flea in your ear.

That was the case here in Paris as some French media came to the All Blacks wondering what they made of the injury crisis that had beset Guy Noves’ team ahead of Sunday’s test at Stade de France.

As if the French rugby side don’t have it bad enough, on a 10-test losing skid against the All Blacks, and having dropped 17 of their last 19 against the No 1 outfit in the world, they have been decimated by injury in the leadup to their first outing of the 2017-18 northern season.

Noves was denied nine players when he named his initial squad of 32 to prepare for the test against the

All Blacks, plus 14 more for the French XV clash just three days later.

Since then seven more players have been added to the injured list. Hardly auspicious for Les Bleus who haven’t beaten the All Blacks in Paris since 1973.

All Blacks flanker Sam Cane was asked about the plight of the French outfit who have had to dig so deep they have recalled burly Toulon problem child Mathieu Bastareaud who has never matched his size and personality with anything resembling a substantial body of work in the test arena.

‘‘We’ve been aware there have been a couple of injuries ... Louis Picamoles, how’s he looking?’’ responded Cane, referring to the world-class French No 8 who will there at Stade de France. ‘‘We only have to look back at the last couple of times we’ve played the French over here (a 24-19 victory last year, and a 26-19 one in 2013). Those games went right down to the wire.

‘‘Yeah, they’ve had a couple of injuries, and so have we. It will be about the players that front come Saturday, and knowing French sides I’ve played and watched, anyone who puts on that blue jersey to face the All Blacks will front.

‘‘We’re not getting sucked into any of this injury carry-on. I know they will come out firing.’’

The French won three of five in the last Six Nations, and were swept by the Springboks in South Africa in June. They have won just seven of 18 since Noves took charge in 2016, and simmering discontent is said to exist between the coach and national president Bernard Laporte.

It is thought that Noves has been told he must win three of his four November ‘‘tests’’, with the twin outings against New Zealand followed by matchups against South Africa and Japan.