Intriguing backdrop to NZ France series

First topic message reminder :

Lots of interest in the Lions and rightly so. Over the Tasman, an intriguing battle between New Zealand and France will play out next month as well.

Both sides will be without key players for different reasons. Top 14 commitments will see some players prevented from making games for France. Exoduses, injuries, retirements and sabbaticals will see New Zealand players ommitted from the squads.

France and the wooden spoon are more associated with French cuisine. Not the Six Nations. They will arrive with a squad who will inevitably be dismissed by the NZ media. They never learn and no doubt clippings will be collected and posted on the dressing room.

If that weren't motivating enough, the first test just so happens to be the venue in which the two teams met last time: Eden Park RWC final 2011. This will not be lost on the French players who run out for that first test and I for one am going to be intrigued as to how motivated the French players will be and how much that affects their performance. Let's be honest: they don't lack for motivation in that regard.

To counter that NZ will no doubt have in their minds the last test in which they played: the embarrassing defeat at Twickenham. It's not a case of losing but how they lost: England did what we normally pride ourselves on, namely unlocking defences and scoring tries. In a way they will be mindful of the World Cup final as well. It was a victory but by no means a convincing victory and you could argue that they will be motivated to rectify that ugly win.

It is not only France who will have a degree of experimentalism about them. Last season NZ incorporated a few new faces into the squad. This season it may well be an even bigger group of new caps (or players with few caps like Ranger) coming into the side. The NZ coaching set up have also hinted at a new gameplan to keep people guessing.

France will also play in Christchurch (they will only travel down there for the match and will base themselves in Auckland), which has not been a happy hunting ground for NZ in terms of convincing performances. Then to finish in Taranaki. For some reasons in the less well known stadiums we tend to put on our strongest attacking displays (the Cake Tin is the one that bucks the trend).

Phillipe Saint-André will be under pressure to perform. Hansen will be under pressure to wipe out the memory of Twickenham and if there is an experimental edge to this French side and given their performance inthe 6N, failure to win will be judged even harsher.

So, as always, there is much to play for and in a way France go in with the pressure taken off them based on the circumstances of the type of squad they will bring. The focus is definitely on the Lions as it is a rare event. But there is a lot of other rugby being played in June and this particular series does not find both teams going in with their strongest squads. But there is certainly a lot to play for and the rugby will be no less compelling. It's very difficult to predict what will happen between these two countries because they have a knack of producing the unpredictable on the field. This, for me at least, will be no curtain raiser for the Lions tests. They will be contests worth watching in their own right. I have a sneaking suspicion that the wooden spoons will be used in anger by the French, not as reminders of the depths they can plumb. I for one can't wait to see how these tests unfold.

Soyez forts: kia kaha

Definitely starting that rebuilding that we need to do. Lots of players with minimal test experience in Coles, Romano, Retallick, Cane, Cruden, Barrett, A Smith, Perenara, Savea, Ranger, B Smith and experienced test players well out of form in Hore, Mealamu, Woodcock, Nonu and Dagg. The experienced players playing well but with question marks are S Whitelock (out) Carter (injury prone) C Smith (concussion prone), Read (returning from injury) and O Franks (returning from injury). Looks like Piri Weepu, B Franks, Liam Meesam are the only experienced AB playing well and fit. Crikey what a shambles thank God it's only the French.

Read with a neck injury did not come out in the second half against NSW and NZ may need to look for another captain and might have no senior player in the pack! The depth is going to be tested for sure.