François Ratier identifies key area France must improve after latest Black Ferns defeat

France head coach François Ratier kept his cards close to his chest in the wake of his team’s 31-12 loss to the Black Ferns.

It was certainly an improvement on their 81-12 loss a week prior, but now means that the fourth-ranked team in the world have lost three games against New Zealand in WXV Global Series action this autumn.

Without a number of his high-profile players for the tour of Aotearoa, Ratier has had to find a way to compete with a number of teenage players amongst his squad’s ranks and a string of injuries.

Even so, the 54-year-old did concede that there were more positives for his team than in Hamilton.

“Improved — that’s the word,” Ratier said. “We were more composed, we were able to go forward and put some things together, so that’s obviously an improvement.

“We’re a very young team. We want to use this [WXV Global Series], especially here in New Zealand, to put some new blood into the team and see how we behave and how we play under this massive pressure. Today, the young players responded really well.”

Next weekend, the teams will meet again, this time at Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium, to conclude their efforts in 2026.

When asked what changes his team could make, the team coach was noncommittal. Scarred by more injuries, his first year in the top job seems set to end on a flat note.

“We need to recover because we’ve got a lot of injuries,” Ratier said. “That’s the problem when you box against a category that’s bigger than you.

“In terms of strategy, we’ve shown we can be composed again and more consistent throughout parts of the game. Now we need to finish our opportunities and make sure we score when those opportunities come — so we can keep the game really close.

“At the end, we had 14 players on the field, with another player injured. The last two tries were a bit heavy, but that’s the game. What’s interesting is how we performed up until the 70th minute. That’s what we’re going to work on.”