Tough tour ahead for Les Bleus

Former French rugby player Tony Marsh says when Les Bleus venture down to New Zealand for a three-match series against the All Blacks next month, one of two things will happen.

One: We’ll see a young team who have already shown promising signs in the Six Nations give themselves a chance and be ready to take on the All Blacks.

Two: We’ll see a team that’s tired after the end of a long national championship and they’ll struggle to compete for the three tests.

“They might compete in parts, but I think overall, they’ll struggle to compete over the three weeks,” Marsh said of the side that placed fourth in the Six Nations. “Everything’s up against them. If they’re going to have any chance, they need to win the first test.”

“As a team, they have their limitations. They’re missing, potentially, some key players in key positions,” Marsh said.

“They’ll be missing a few players, but that’s normal. Their competition is that long that the guys that play in the club champs final, they’re obviously unavailable for the first test.

“By their standards, they’ve been poor, they’ve been inconsistent. They struggled to do anything.”

France haven’t beaten the All Blacks since winning 27-22 in Dunedin in 2009.

New Zealand have won all 10 tests since.