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All Blacks captain reacts to 'understrength' France squad for first Test
By Henry Lee
On the eve of the first Test between the All Blacks and France at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, All Blacks captain Scott Barrett has differed from some other opinions regarding the quality of the France side touring New Zealand.
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This comes after France named their 23-man squad for the first Test against the All Blacks with eight debutants, with only captain Gael Fickou, No.8 Mickael Guillard and halfback Nolann Le Garrec that featured in France’s victory over Scotland in this year’s Six Nations.
France midfielder Emilien Gailleton will also feature from the starting lineup on Saturday in Dunedin, but was in the reserves for the Six Nations clash in March.
At the start of the week, former All Black Justin Marshall boldly claimed that the squad the France team were bringing over was “In my mind, complete ‘BS’, going on to say they are disrespecting this International window.
When asked whether he thinks the squad is disrespectful by reporters in Dunedin, Barrett doesn’t agree with Marshall.
“I was certainly not reading into anything that it’s a weakened French side, I think any French test side that plays against the All Blacks, you have to give them the utmost respect,” Barrett said at the All Blacks captain’s run in Dunedin.
“We’ve certainly prepared like that, the Dave Gallaher trophy is on the line, and we certainly haven’t had much success in recent years against the French, so we’re looking to turn that around in this series.
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“I don’t think it’s disrespectful.”
Barrett is confident that the All Blacks are ready, including the debutants, after a solid week in both Auckland and Dunedin.
“Yeah, we’ve had a great, great camp in Auckland, and the last few days down here in Dunedin have been great for our preparation and playing under the roof tomorrow.
“We’re right in behind those boys, and they’ve got proud families behind them, and as always, it’s about them going out there and expressing themselves in the jersey and trusting themselves and their instincts.”
Despite the France squad this week featuring eight debutants, reinforcements are on the way, with Joshua Brennan, Pierre Bochaton, Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, Pierre-Louis Barassi, and Nicolas Depoortere all joining the squad after their Top 14 final last weekend, and will be available next weekend for the second and third Test.
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