France coach Marc Lievremont has compared Scotland to the All Blacks ahead of their RBS 6 Nations opener at Murrayfield.
Lievremont’s first match in charge of France was the 2008 tournament opener in Edinburgh when his troops recorded a 27-6 victory.
The former back row has scouted Andy Robinson’s men closely since then and was impressed with the Scots’ autumn international campaign last year.
France travel to Edinburgh on February 7 and Lievremont believes comparisons can be made between Scotland’s approach to the game and the all-action style of New Zealand.
“It is a very big game for us,” said Lievremont, speaking at the RBS 6 Nations launch at the Hurlingham Club.
“The big thing now is to get continuity, but we have a couple of weeks to prepare as a squad which is amazing for us because normally we have club games the week before.
“We need time together because I expect a very difficult game, especially in the hostile environment of Murrayfield.
“I watched Scotland’s three matches in November and I call them the ‘All Blacks of the northern hemisphere’ because they are very strong in defence, good technically in rucking, their kicking is a strong point and they try to off-load quickly, similar to how the All Blacks play.”
