Springbok coach Allister Coetzee believes the French side will be one of the biggest to ever visit South Africa as the sides prepare for their three-match series.
The Boks clash with Les Bleus at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (June 10), Kings Park in Durban (June 17) and Ellis Park in Johannesburg (June 24).
And Coetzee is expecting a massive physical confrontation from their opponents.
“The French are one of the most improved international sides. We saw that in the Six Nations this year, they were unlucky to lose against England and I think if they won that one it would have been a different ball game altogether,” Coetzee told Sport 24.
“They have a lot of threats all around the park. They are a big, physical side. That suits us as South Africans, and our setpiece is a very important thing.
“They pride themselves on their scrummaging as much as we do. They have big physical players – if you look at their loose forward combination. We know exactly what they bring – big wingers from the Islands and they are threats but we will be prepared. What we are coming and will be throwing out there – we will have a better culture.”
Coetzee promised a healthier team environment than last year where the Boks lost eight of their 12 Tests and believed building a good morale ahead of the series would be crucial.
“We will have a much better team culture. We’re going to Plettenberg Bay next week, our captain has been announced and I’ve had great chats with the overseas players. Steven Kitshoff is coming back permanently so it is just Hougaard, Duane and Frans Steyn – and that is the experience we need to bring back to compliment the youth and form players we have.
“We start with that. We will have a good team culture, we will have a good plan – making sure that our setpiece is highly competitive. A simple plan.
“I’ve learnt from last year that we will keep things as simple as possible and have massive clarity in and around the team. Our attacking ability, what we see – the mindset we see in franchise rugby – will be there but there will be a greater balance in the way we want to play. Yes there is still a lot of work to be done, but I am happy where we are at the moment this time around.”
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